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In analysing speeches made by legislators, this book provides theoretical and empirical answers to questions such as: Why do some Members of Parliament (MPs) take the parliamentary floor and speak more than others, and why do some MPs deviate more than others from the ideological position of their party? The authors evaluate their hypotheses on legislative speechmaking by considering parliamentary debates in seven European democracies: Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Assuming that MPs are concerned with policy-making, career advancement, and re-election, the book discusses various incentives to taking the floor, and elaborates on the role of gender and psychological incentives in speechmaking. The authors test our expectations on a novel dataset that covers information on the number of speeches held by MPs and on the ideological positions MPs adopted when delivering a speech

This thesis critically explores the dominant discourse on Islamic terrorism. Taking the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre as the point of departure, it examines a range of neoconservative literature in order to gain a better understanding of the historical and political conditions that gave rise to the present policy impasse concerning Islamic nations. It critically examines how neoconservative theories and policies shaped and influenced the rationalisation behind the present war on terror and American foreign policy. Based on that understanding, this thesis focuses on whether different theories of dialogue can help us to appreciate adequately the politics of justice that Political Islam seeks, and accordingly a range of such theories are examined.Through critical analysis of a number of neoconservative works, this thesis establishes a formative link between neoconservative theories and the current policy failure. It is also argued that neoconservative theories, perhaps due to their indulgence in the orthodoxies of International Relations ontology, have failed to extend the scope of this debate beyond the narrow discourse effectively captured by the Islamic Other vs. Civilised Us dichotomy. In order to counter adequately conservative explanations and policy discourse, this thesis provides alternative analysis of the development of Islam within the colonial and post-colonial experiences of Muslim communities, particularly in the Middle East. This alternative analysis seeks to broaden the debate and bring within hearing alternative voices that define Islam as both non-monolithic and conciliatory in its practice and outlook. In this context it suggests a formative link between these historico-political experiences and the rise of political Islam. It is further demonstrated that what contributed to the emergence of Islam as a credible and effective political force to challenge political hegemony in the Middle East was indeed the absence of any meaningful political alternative such as nationalism, Western liberalism, or republicanism. Consequently, political Islam nudged the political constituency into greater participation in the public sphere, and initiated a process of political dialogue that the polity of many Muslim states engaged in. Since the justice that political Islam avowedly seeks is dressed in political dialogue, only by thoroughly exploring and mapping out the scope and limits of the politics of dialogue can one expect to understand adequately the nature of this justice and its attendant politics. Accordingly, this thesis examines a range of theories of dialogue, and seeks to redress some of the grave anomalies in the current political framework, in order that readers – politicians, students, community representatives, lawmakers – may look to means of overcoming the current policy impasse.

This essay engages two questions: the meta question and the political question. The meta question investigates the notion of political philosophy and subsequently its function. The definition of political philosophy constitutes the starting point of the discussion. The inquiry of political philosophy entails the reflection on human nature, which is necessary since men are no angels. In this debate, the idea of natural right transcends the meta question. Whereas some philosophers believe that there is such a natural right, others refute this claim. The following point concerns the relationship between theory and practice. Should political philosophy be confined to the room of theory or enter the political arena? If so, how do philosophers influence political practice? The conclusion of the meta question considers the potential end of philosophy. The political question studies the origins of government, the reasons for which men agree to unite into political organizations. The responses to the meta question laid the foundations for the explanations of such notions as social contract, civil state or constitution, and commonwealth. On the basis of these explorations, the question of the best regime can be answered. Eventually, the continuum between preservation (of the government) and revolution is given attention. This theme raises the question of what happens once a government has been established. Political philosophers have reflected on the manner how to preserve a political regime (especially by looking at the relationship between the ruled and the rulers) as well as, for some of them, on the age-old question is there a right to overthrow a government. I shall attempt to answer these two fundamental questions by providing a forum of dialogue between eight major political philosophers: four Ancients – Aristotle, John Locke, Publius (Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay), and Immanuel Kant – and four Moderns – Leo Strauss, Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Oakeshott, and Hannah Arendt. The paper starts with the conversation between the eight thinkers on the meta question. And, on the basis of the answers to the meta question, the dialogue continues over the political question in the second part of the essay. ; Peer reviewed

"This book is among the first serious looks at the first year of the Biden administration and its many challenges. From a tortured transition to a raging pandemic, a fragile economy, and the threat of international insecurity, Biden entered office at a time even more fraught than he faced as a new Vice President. Confronting a nation divided sharply along political, cultural, and socio-demographic lines, Biden and Harris have promised to unify the country, change the tone in Washington, mend fences with allies, and "build back better" a world assailed from stem to stern. This book assesses the successes and shortfalls of the Biden administration's first year, putting all in perspective of the current state of democracy in America. Intended to introduce students of American government to the person (Biden) and the institution (Presidency) within a particular system (separation of powers), this book will appeal broadly to citizens, media, and general interest readers in the US and abroad"--

The planter historians and the old representative system / Edward Long and Bryan Edwards -- The Crown Colony Government and imperial trusteeship: the political theory of Crown Colony Rule: Liverpool to Moyne -- West Indian nationalism: the intellectual dimensions; J.J. Thomas to Eric Williams -- The intellectual foundation of modern Caribbean economics; W. Arthur Lewis and the theory of economic growth -- New World and new political economy: Best, Beckford, Girvan et. al -- Marxism and socio-political change: C.L.R. James to Cheddie Jagan -- Black consciousness and Black affirmation: the intellectual dimensions of Black Power: Garvey to Rodney

"Just five years after a Soviet missile blew a civilian airliner out of the sky over the North Pacific, an Alaska Airlines jet braved Cold War tensions to fly into tomorrow. Crossing the Bering Strait between Alaska and the Russian Far East, the 1988 Friendship Flight reunited Native peoples of common languages and cultures for the first time in four decades. It and other dramatic efforts to thaw what was known as the Ice Curtain launched a thirty-year era of perilous, yet prolific, progress. Melting the Ice Curtain tells the story of how inspiration, courage, and persistence by citizen-diplomats bridged a widening gap in superpower relations. David Ramseur was a first-hand witness to the danger and political intrigue, having flown on that first Friendship Flight, and having spent thirty years behind the scenes with some of Alaska's highest officials. As Alaska celebrates the 150th anniversary of its purchase, and as diplomatic ties with Russia become perilous, Melting the Ice Curtain shows that history might hold the best lessons for restoring diplomacy between nuclear neighbors; 'We are now at another critical turning point in our history. Melting the Ice Curtain tells a compelling story of the success of grassroots citizen diplomacy and details lessons for today's perilously poor relations between the world's superpowers. Ramseur is one of Alaska's experts on this topic and he offers valuable insights on how we may turn our challenges into opportunities'--Russell J. Handy, Lieutenant General, USAF, Retired Commander, Alaskan Command"--Publisher description

"Elections are episodic; governance is routine. This book studies patterns in public opinion on politics and society between elections in India. By using the survey data covering 24 Indian states including the National Capital Region of Delhi (NCR), it will serve as State barometers of public opinion. The surveys seek to understand how politics and governance processes are nested in the social and political relationships between citizens inter se and with government functionaries. The book explores citizen perceptions about the social and political universes they inhabit in periods between elections. It examines social attitudes of citizens, friendship ties across social groups, gender roles and relationships; opinions on governance, ease of public service access, the citizen-state interface, and trust in political institutions; and, political attitudes and identity, nationalism, freedom of expression, and populism. This book explores public perceptions of everyday development and governance outcomes that are shaped by how the government functions between elections: how it relates to citizens on a regular basis; how it provides routine public services to them; and how public order is maintained. An incisive study on public opinion on politics, society, and governance in India, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of political science, governance, public policy, and South Asian studies. It will also be of immense interest to bureaucrats, policymakers, think tanks, and organisations working in the areas of development studies, politics, society, and governance"--

This new book explains the recent rift between America and some of her oldest European allies, especially with Germany and France. Particular attention is devoted to the several competing interpretations of the Euro-American rift, for example, that Europeans were taken aback when American neo-conservative leaders scornfully rejected their well-meant offers of post-9/11 assistance with expressions of disdain for the allies' backward military technology and budgets. The Bush administration'srejection of the Kyoto Treaty, its environmental stance and its position on international treatiesare alsoexamined in detail. Merkl's interpretation emphasizes America's neo-imperial, unilateralist posture and policies as contrasted to the Wilsonian internationalism that created the United Nations and established international rule of law backed up by the Security Council, a web of international treaties and international courts, including the International Court of Criminal Justice.Today's American leaders thus oppose European champions of an American-initiated international order while identifying themselves with the imperialist European doctrines and practices of another age.

Chinese energy companies' acquisitions abroad -- Foreign policy of the authoritarian state -- The Chinese energy sector -- Nigeria : from Angola model to Addax model -- Angola : independent NOCs impacting foreign policy -- Sudan : a change of foreign policy -- Tunisia : Chinese companies involved for profit -- Mini-cases -- Conclusion.

"Rising income inequality and concentrated poverty threaten the social sustainability of North American cities. Suburban growth endangers sensitive ecosystems, water supplies, and food security. Existing urban infrastructure is crumbling while governments struggle to pay for new and expanded services. Can our inherited urban governance institutions and policies effectively respond to these problems? In Shaping the Metropolis Zack Taylor compares the historical development of American and Canadian urban governance, both at the national level and through specific metropolitan case studies. Examining Minneapolis-St Paul and Portland, Oregon, in the United States, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Taylor shows how differences in the structure of governing institutions in American states and Canadian provinces cumulatively produced different forms of urban governance. Arguing that since the nineteenth century American state governments have responded less effectively to rapid urban growth than Canadian provinces, he shows that the concentration of authority in Canadian provincial governments enabled the rapid adoption of coherent urban policies after the Second World War, while dispersed authority in American state governments fostered indecision and catered to parochial interests. Most contemporary policy problems, and their solutions, are to be found in cities. Shaping the Metropolis shows that urban governance encompasses far more than local government, and that states and provinces have always played a central role in responding to urban policy challenges and will continue to do so in the future."--

Measuring political and policy preferences using item response scaling / Joshua D. Clinton -- Causal inference with observational data / Justin Esarey -- Causal inference with experimental data / David W. Nickerson -- Descriptive network analysis: interest group lobbying dynamics around immigration policy / Alexander Furnas and Lee Drutman -- Learning from place in the era of geolocation / Ryan T. Moore and Andrew Reeves -- Text analysis: estimating policy preferences from written and spoken words / Kenneth Benoit and Alexander Herzog -- Machine learning and governance / Alex C. Engler -- Governing a data-driven society / Kathryn Wagner Hill -- Big data and privacy / Priscilla M. Regan -- Reflections on analytics: knowledge and power / Benjamin Ginsberg.