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"Despite the impressive economic growth achieved by the BRICS, as discussed earlier ('Growth factors and policy challenges'), each state in this group is marked by deficiencies in policy performance, some of which are common to all, some of which are country-specific. These deficiencies constitute major challenges to be addressed by these states' governments if they are to yield long-term gains from this economic growth. The questions posed by this study include: What are the prospects for each state of closing the gap on these shortcomings? Which among them are most (or least) likely to steer the course of development in a sustainable manner and implement effective policy change?" (contract)

"The projected impacts of climate change, not only flooding and the urban heat island, but also gradual changes, such as biodiversity loss or a reduction in the groundwater level, can become societal problems. The complex inter-relationships between stakeholders and societal coordination can be included under the term 'governance'. The attributes of climate change governance will be outlined in this chapter. Attention is focused on societal scopes for designing and regulating climate change. Firstly, the specific demands for climate change governance are presented. Subsequently, the term governance is introduced, together with its various applications, and the different approaches and concepts regarding climate change governance are discussed. The conceptualization of climate change governance is based on this spectrum. As this paper discusses, climate change governance is not an entirely new concept, but one that has many parallels with existing models for governance in other settings. Nevertheless, a re-evaluation of its role in this context still appears reasonable since climate change-related measures are characterized by specific features requiring their own regulatory framework. This includes the cooperation of different institutions and actors in addition to hierarchical forms of regulation, and describes the development of self-organizing structures. Climate change governance can therefore be described as a broad range of options of coordination concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation." (author's abstract)

Barber calls for an account of political change rooted in the realities of global interdependence. He is critical of what he takes to be Held's reliance on normative solutions that are ethically unimpeachable but practically unrealizable. Adapted from the source document.

In considering a wide-ranging set of theories, this chapter discusses the contradictory arguments regarding the effects of mass media on modern government. It begins by examining the manner in which the UK's central government has reacted to the challenges presented by the "new" media. The chapter then looks at politicians' ability to utilize mass media, asking whether they have used media to enhance their political image or if they have fallen victim to mass media denigration. The televising of parliament is discussed, & the government's public relations campaigns are considered. The chapter concludes by discussing the relationship between the media & the political system, particularly when democratic governments are affected by hyper-pluralism & government overload. 30 References. K. A. Larsen

New modes of managerial governance have caused universities to function more like companies and produce non-intended effects as well as imaginary contradictions. In this article, four of these contradictions are discussed to provide answers to the following research questions: Do professors have a higher commitment to their organization or to their peers in the scientific community? Which factors strengthen the affective organizational commitment? Which work environment supports intrinsic motivation at universities? Can universities provide incentives that do not crowd out intrinsic motivation? A theoretical underpinning of hypotheses will be provided, and these hypotheses will be tested using two nationwide surveys of German professors. The empirical results demonstrate that commitment to professional peers increases affective organizational commitment. In the perception of German professors, there is no contradiction between profession and organization, but the newly implemented steering instruments increase organizational commitment. In addition, the results also provide evidence that autonomy, relatedness, and perceived competence increase intrinsic teaching motivation. These findings support the Self-Determination Theory. The results also provide some evidence of a crowding-out effect of the new steering instruments and that teaching awards do not crowd out intrinsic motivation. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).