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This reader offers a collection of papers on the discourse of formal and non-formal education in South Africa in the period 1981-88 when particular efforts were made to reconstruct education outside the traditional frames of schooling and tertiary education, ie. efforts from the private sector which were aiming at changes within the workplace as well as community-based efforts by the "popular resistance movement". (DÜI-Eng)

"With China's booming capital, many Chinese art museums were born out of nothing in the millennium age, especially in metropolitan cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. In the past three years, several leading art museums and cultural districts in Shanghai celebrated their five-to-ten-year founding anniversaries. Art museums are turning into essential components of the city's cultural landscape and by considering two distinctive art museums and one cultural district in Shanghai as case examples, this thesis aims to find sustainable museum-buildout patterns in a broader cultural scope in China. To evaluate the current development status and identify existing critical issues that Chinese art museums are facing during their vigorous growth, this paper analyzes the infrastructure and institutional models of the selected cases (Rockbund Art Museum, Power Station of Art, and West Bund Cultural District). These case studies show a gratifying and stable growth trend of Shanghai's art museums in general, signifying that the development of art museums in the city is maturing. After the infrastructure is set up, it will be time to upgrade art museums' overall deliveries to another level. The case studies in this paper suggest that newer Chinese art museums shall find their clear visions and missions respectively, advocate for relevant policy support from the government and utilize the current active digital environment to promote museums' on-site activities. The ultimate goal is to turn the art museums into ""third spaces"" that people think of apart from their homes and workplaces, rooting these ""imported institutions"" in the cultural context of China. "

The overseas basing of troops has been a central pillar of American military strategy since World War II--and a controversial one. Are these bases truly essential to protecting the United States at home and securing its interests abroad--for example in the Middle East-or do they needlessly provoke anti-Americanism and entangle us in the domestic woes of host countries? Embattled Garrisons takes up this question and examines the strategic, political, and social forces that will determine the future of American overseas basing in key regions around the world. Kent Calder traces the history of overseas bases from their beginnings in World War II through the cold war to the present day, comparing the different challenges the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union have confronted. Providing the broad historical and comparative context needed to understand what is at stake in overseas basing, Calder gives detailed case studies of American bases in Japan, Italy, Turkey, the Philippines, Spain, South Korea, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He highlights the vulnerability of American bases to political shifts in their host nations--in emerging democracies especially--but finds that an American presence can generally be tolerated when identified with political liberation rather than imperial succession. --From publisher's description

The Decline of Life is an ambitious and absorbing study of old age in eighteenth-century England. Drawing on a wealth of sources - literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries - Susannah Ottaway considers a wide range of experiences and expectations of age in the period, and demonstrates that the central concern of ageing individuals was to continue to live as independently as possible into their last days. Ageing men and women stayed closely connected to their families and communities, in relationships characterized by mutual support and reciprocal obligations. Despite these aspects of continuity, however, older individuals' ability to maintain their autonomy, and the nature of the support available to them once they did fall into necessity declined significantly in the last decades of the century. As a result, old age was increasingly marginalized. Historical demographers, historical gerontologists, sociologists, social historians and women's historians will find this book essential reading

This timely book answers complex and perplexing questions raised by Wall Street's role in the financial crisis. What are the economic and moral connections between Wall Street and the overall economy? How did we arrive at this point in history where our most powerful financial institutions thwart rather than promote free markets, prosperity and even social cohesion? Can the fractured relationship between Wall Street and Main Street be repaired? Wall Street Values chronicles the transformation of Wall Street's business model from serving clients to proprietary trading and explains how this shift undermined the ethical foundations of the modern financial industry. Michael A. Santoro and Ronald J. Strauss argue that post-millennial Wall Street is not only 'too big to fail' but also a threat to the economy even when it succeeds

Intro -- Foreword I -- Foreword II -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Introduction -- Part I The Chapters -- 1 Personal Space from an Art Therapy Point of View Unresolved Issues with Autonomy as Central Factor -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 The Phenomenon of Personal Space -- 1.3 Personal Space as Your Own Territory -- 1.3.1 Human Territory -- 1.3.2 Several Territories: Function and Behaviour -- 1.3.3 Territorial Behaviour and Personality Disorders -- 1.4 Creating and Shaping the Personal Space -- 1.4.1 Ego Development and the Relationship Between the Self and the Objects -- 1.4.2 Developments in a Child's Drawings and Formation of the Self -- 1.5 The Personal Space and Art Therapy -- 1.5.1 The Therapy Situation -- 1.5.2 Aspects of Working in Art Therapy Relating to the Personal Space -- 1.5.3 The Role of the Art Therapist -- 1.5.4 Regaining Personal Space in Its Most Basic Form: Psychotic Disintegration -- 1.5.5 Regaining and Giving Shape to the Personal Space in Personality Disorders -- 1.5.6 Benefits of Art Therapy -- 1.6 Summary -- References -- 2 Client with a Diagnosis of a Borderline Personality Disorder: Responsible and Competent!? Art Therapy and Severe Cluster B Personality Disorders -- 2.1 What Is Actually Happening? -- 2.2 What Is a Severe Cluster B Personality Disorder? -- 2.3 Important Assumptions for Treatment of a Severe Cluster B Personality Disorder -- 2.4 Art Therapy for People Diagnosed with a Borderline Personality Disorder -- 2.5 Objectives of Art Therapy for This Group -- 2.6 Specific Aspects of Art Therapy and Their Translation for Use with the Target Group -- 2.7 The Art Work Produced and Its Functions When Working with This Target Group -- 2.8 In Conclusion -- 2.9 Summary -- References.

"This book contributes to the foundations of a critical theory of communication as shaped by the forces of digital capitalism. One of the world's leading theorists of digital media Professor Christian Fuchs explores how the thought of some of the Frankfurt School's key thinkers can be deployed for critically understanding media in the age of the Internet. Five essays that form the heart of this book review aspects of the works of Georg Lukács, Theodor W. Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Axel Honneth and Jürgen Habermas and apply them as elements of a critical theory of communication's foundations. The approach taken starts from Georg Lukács Ontology of Social Being, draws on the work of the Frankfurt School thinkers, and sets them into dialogue with the Cultural Materialism of Raymond Williams.Critical Theory of Communication offers a vital set of new insights on how communication operates in the age of information, digital media and social media, arguing that we need to transcend the communication theory of Habermas by establishing a dialectical and cultural-materialist critical theory of communication. It is the first title in a major new book series 'Critical Digital and Social Media Studies' published by the University of Westminster Press."

Este artículo sintetiza algunas reflexiones surgidas de la articulación entre actividades de extensión e investigación desarrolladas por docentes investigadores/as y estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales de la UNICEN, con sede en la localidad de Olavarría, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. A partir de la digitalización de archivos de medios gráficos locales publicados entre 1974 y 1984 (período que contiene al de la última dictadura cívico militar que sufrió el país, de 1976 a 1983), exponemos la fundamentación y justificación de nuestro proyecto, algunos procedimientos y técnicas, las dinámicas de trabajo, sus implicancias y los resultados obtenidos hasta el momento, con la intención de promover que la experiencia sea replicada en otros espacios socio-territoriales, en tanto tiene la potencialidad de contribuir al ejercicio efectivo del Derecho a la Información. ; Este artigo resume algumas reflexões decorrentes da ligação entre as atividades de pesquisa e extensão desenvolvidas por professores pesquisadores e alunos da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais UNICEN, com base na cidade de Olavarria, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Da verificação de arquivos de mídia de impressão locais publicados entre 1974 e 1984 (o período que contém o da ditadura civil-militar no país 1976-1983), apresentamos a fundamentação e justificação para o nosso projeto, alguns procedimentos e técnicas, dinâmica de trabalho, suas implicações e os resultados obtidos até agora, com a intenção de promover a experiência ser replicada em outros espaços sócio-territoriais, que têm o potencial de contribuir para o exercício efetivo do direito à informação. ; This article summarizes some reflections arising from the dialogue between university extension and research developed by professors, researchers and students of the Social Sciences Faculty (UNICEN), with headquarters in Olavarría city, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Starting from the digitization of local graphic media archives published between 1974 and 1984 (period that contains that of the last civic-military dictatorship that suffered the country, from 1976 to 1983), we expose the justification of our project, some procedures and technical aspects, the dynamic of work, its implications and the results obtained, with the intention of promote the replication of this experience in others contexts, as it has the potentiality of contribute to the Right to Information effective exercise. ; Fil: Arabito, Jorge. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina ; Fil: Boggi, Silvia Marta. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina ; Fil: Silva, Ana Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina

"In recent years, China 's leaders have taken decisive action to transform information, communications, and technology (ICT) into the nation's next pillar industry. In Networking China, Yu Hong offers an overdue examination of that burgeoning sector's political economy. Hong focuses on how the state, in conjunction with market forces and class interests, is constructing and realigning its digitalized sector. State planners intend to build a more competitive ICT sector by modernizing the network infrastructure, corporatizing media-and-entertainment institutions, and by using ICT as a crosscutting catalyst for innovation, industrial modernization, and export upgrades. The goal: to end China's industrial and technological dependence upon foreign corporations while transforming itself into a global ICT leader. The project, though bright with possibilities, unleashes implications rife with contradiction and surprise. Hong analyzes the central role of information, communications, and culture in Chinese-style capitalism. She also argues that the state and elites have failed to challenge entrenched interests or redistribute power and resources, as promised. Instead, they prioritize information, communications, and culture as technological fixes to make pragmatic tradeoffs between economic growth and social justice"--

Intro -- Introduction: A Symptom without a Cure -- Chapter 1. Held Hostage to the Human "Story" -- The Work of Wagner-Pacifici -- "They Just Need Someone to Talk To" -- Occupy Wall Street -- The Deregulation Dilemma -- The Backlash against the Tea Party -- The Tea Party Manifesto -- The Rant Heard 'Round the World -- Wishful Thinking -- In Search of Moderation -- Confrontation as an End in Itself -- Chapter 2. The American Truth -- The "Endowment" of White Privilege -- Dependents and Empty Promises -- A Return to "Moral" Life -- The Stock Market Crash in Perspective -- The Economic Mainstays Pervading American Life -- The Great Depression -- The Right to Hold a Job -- Liberal "Traitors" -- Good Things Come to Those Who Wait -- Chapter 3. Staying Ahead of the Force Curve -- The Methods and Evolution of Behavior Modification -- History as Knowledge -- History as Instruction -- Government à la Carte -- Mavericks in Experimentation -- Successors in Assimilation -- The Logic of the "Invisible" Empire -- Gaming the System -- The Use of Game Theory to Produce Acceptable Outcomes -- The Influence of Literature -- Anti-Communism -- An Anti-Bible before Its Time -- The Far-Right Revolt -- Chapter 4. Echoes of Yugoslavia -- Community and Brotherhood: Top Down or Bottom Up? -- "Respectable" Ethnic Cleansing -- The Role of the Paramilitaries -- The U.S. Comparison -- Taking Back "Real" America -- Chapter 5. The Prisoner's Dilemma of White Supremacy -- The Convergence of Right and Might -- Empathy as Power -- New Face but Same Old Race -- Terror-Inciting Capitalism -- Code Word: Limited Government -- Provocation and Disinformation -- Chapter 6. The Bionomic Logic of U.S. Militant Standoffs -- The Psycho-Social Development of Militant Separatist Groups -- Typologies and Stereotypes -- The Denial of Happiness -- Intra-Web, Inter-Web, and Outside Relations.

The use of information and communication technologies to support public administrations, governments and decision makers has been recorded for more than 20 years and dubbed e-Government. Moving towards open governance roadmaps worldwide, electronic participation and citizen engagement stand out as a new domain, important both for decision makers and citizens; and over the last decade, there have been a variety of related pilot projects and innovative approaches. With contributions from leading researchers, Charalabidis and Koussouris provide the latest research findings such as theoretical foundations, principles, methodologies, architectures, technical frameworks, cases and lessons learnt within the domain of open, collaborative governance and online citizen engagement. The book is divided into three sections: Section one, Public Policy Debate Foundations, lays the foundations regarding processes and methods for scoping, planning, evaluating and transforming citizen engagement. The second section, Information and Communication Technologies for Citizen Participation, details practical approaches to designing and creating collaborative governance infrastructures and citizen participation for businesses and administrations. Lastly, the third section on Future Research Directions of Open, Collaborative ICT-enabled Governance provides a constructive critique of the developments in the past and presents prospects regarding future challenges and research directions. The book is mainly written for academic researchers and graduate students working in the computer, social, political and management sciences. Its audience includes researchers and practitioners in e-Governance, public administration officials, policy and decision makers at the local, national and international level engaged in the design and creation of policies and services, and ICT professionals engaged in e-Governance and policy modelling projects andsolutions.

One of the core aspects of the Palestinian refugee question is that of compensation or reparations for Palestinian refugees forcibly displaced by the establishment of Israel. Despite the importance of the issue, many of the complex technicalissues compensation would entail have not received adequate attention. In this volume, a rich variety of contributors including Palestinian, Israeli, and international scholars, analysts, and former officials examine the topic from an array oflegal, economic, and political perspectives. In doing so, they cast new and important light on the way the issue has been approached in past negotiations, the structure of possible compensation regimesa and potential challenges and obstacles toimplementation

The thesis focuses on certain characteristics of the state and of state formation in Malawi, with particular emphasis on the effects of development aid. The methodological and theoretical approach draws primarily on social anthropology. Empirical research included multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Malawi during 2009. The thesis consists of three papers for publication in journals, each focusing on different aspects of the state and state formation, and an introductory discussion. The first paper – Chiefs and everyday governance: Parallel state organisations in Malawi – looks at the institutional set-up of the state. In Malawi, this includes not only the formal institutions, but also the chiefs: the paper sees the chiefs as not primarily "traditional" leaders, but as an integral part of the state. The paper discusses some implications of the fact that two seemingly incompatible state institutions, often filling the same or similar functions, exist in parallel and are available both for subjects/citizens and for public offices. People are thus subject to parallel rule: they are simultaneously subjects under a state-enforced chieftaincy, and citizens of a modern state. The position of the chiefs in Malawi has been strengthened and expanded during the last two decades. Ironically, this has been possible due partly to policy choices that have been promoted or introduced by donors, but that have paved the way for the strengthening of an institution incompatible with the liberal democratic values emphasised by the same donors. The second paper – Performing good governance: the aesthetics of bureaucratic practice in Malawi – focuses on bureaucratic practice. In the case observed – agricultural subsidy distribution – the policy of the government (and its donors), of targeting only the poorest farmers, contrasts with local norms for more equal sharing. The public office does not have the authority to overrule local norms, and the targeting procedures therefore fail completely to achieve what they were designed for. Nonetheless, they are carried out with enthusiasm. This may be because of the "aesthetic" qualities of those procedures: they create an image, albeit temporary, of a well-functioning state and a well-organised population. The case is used as basis for a discussion of the role of aesthetics in bureaucratic practice and in state formation, and the role of bureaucrats as mediators between incompatible norms and worldviews: by carrying out the stipulated procedures even when they "fail" – but with primacy to the aesthetic aspects rather than the instrumental effects – the bureaucrats make possible the continuation of the subsidy programme, in the interests of all those involved. The third paper – Making and shaping poor Malawians: Citizenship below the poverty line – explores some observed and some potential consequences of the poverty line. The idea of distinguishing between individuals and households according to a "poverty line" has been introduced in Malawi only recently, partly in connection with the UN Millennium Development Goals. The poverty line as it is applied in Malawi – the national response to the global poverty line known as one dollar a day – in most cases has no local equivalent. But when it is used to identify the intended beneficiaries of development interventions, it becomes of increasing economic, social and political relevance. Those classified as "below" the poverty line have exclusive access to certain state resources. But in practice, by the way poverty interventions are organised, these beneficiaries are also subjected to particular forms of governance, including more intense attempts to reform their rationality and behaviour than what is the case for those "above" the line. By the tendency to organise beneficiaries in groups they also tend to interact with government less as autonomous individuals than those who are classified as above the line. In effect, the poverty line serves to distinguish between two types of citizens – perhaps in contrast to policy objectives of including the poorest as equal citizens. The three papers refer to different academic debates, but they all point to aspects of state formation associated with aid and development. This is discussed in the introductory chapters. The main argument here is that all papers demonstrate some forms of dissonance: here used as a metaphor for the difference between how social phenomena appear when seen through the logic of the state, and how social life is experienced in actual, local, daily interactions. Such dissonance is well known in all states, but seems particularly evident in states receiving development aid. The introductory paper discusses aspects of aid and development that can explain this, building on recent critical studies of aid and development in social anthropology. It points to features that are inherent in all aid, but have become increasingly relevant with the recent changes in development discourse that seem to produce dissonance. Aid can therefore increase the dissonance inherent in all states between reality as it is seen in a state logic, and reality as it is experienced locally. ; Den norske tittelen er Bistand, utvikling og statsdannelse i Malawi. Avhandlingen er basert på antropologisk feltarbeid i Malawi og omhandler ulike sider ved stat og styring, med vekt på hvordan staten påvirkes av bistand og utvikling. Avhandlingen består av tre artikler. Den første artikkelen omhandler høvdingenes rolle. I Malawi er høvdingene en integrert del av statsapparatet. Folk på bygda forholder seg oftest til sin høvding som mellomledd til staten, men kan også ha direkte kontakt med offentlige institusjoner. Det fører til at staten består av to parallelle strukturer som i noen grad overlapper, og artikkelen diskuterer enkelte konsekvenser av dette. Videre viser artikkelen til at høvdingene har fått mer makt de siste to tiår. Det har i stor grad skjedd som følge av politikk som er fremmet gjennom vestlig bistand: For det første har høvdingene fått en relativt sett mye sterkere posisjon fordi andre statlige makthavere er blitt svekket. Det skyldes både introduksjon av flerpartidemokratiet (som reduserte partiapparatets makt) og reduksjon i offentlig sektor samt nye former for samhandling mellom offentlige kontorer og enkeltmennesker (mer mindre tvang og mer rettighetsbasert samhandling). For det andre insisterer donorene ofte på at utviklingstiltak skal være lokalsamfunnsbasert og organiseres lokalt på måter som gjør at man blir helt avhengig av høvdingen for å kunne gjennomføre tiltakene. Paradoksalt nok har altså slike donor-interesser ført til en styrking av høvdingene, som er en instisjon helt inkompatibel med de liberale, demokratiske verdiene som bistanden ellers forsøker å fremme. Den andre artikkelen ser på byråkratisk praksis. Den er basert på et case-studie av et statlig, donorstøttet progam for distribusjon av landbrukssubsidier, og ser særlig på prosedyrene som skal sørge for at subsidierte såfrø og kunstgjødsel bare gis til de fattigste bøndene. Artikkelen viser hvordan prosedyrene ikke lykkes i dette fordi landsbyene, under høvdingens ledelse, re distribuerer de subsidierte varene etter kriterier for mer lik fordeling. Men prosedyrene er meningsfulle selv om de "mislykkes". Det kan forstås ved å se dem som estetiske uttrykk framfor som instrumentelle handlinger. De skaper et slags bilde av et velorganisert samfunn og en velfungerende stat, som gir mening selv om det ikke gjenspeiler virkeligheten. Men prosedyrene har også noen praktiske konsekvenser: Det er i praksis ikke mulig å gjennomføre regjeringens (og donorenes) krav til fordeling av subsidier så lenge disse er inkompatible med lokale normer, fordi regjeringen har ikke kapasitet og autoritet nok til å tvinge gjennom sin egen politikk. Ved å gjennomføre prosedyrene likevel, tilfredsstiller man regjeringens og donorenes krav til målretting av landbrukssubsidier. Byråkratene kan (uten å lyve) dokumentere til regjeringen og donorer at subsidiene er blitt distrubert til utvalgte mottakere, og landsbyene kan omfordele i forhold til lokale normer like etterpå. Paradoksalt nok er det nettopp ved å "mislykkes" – og ved at prosedyrene derfor blir mer estetisk enn praktisk relevante – at prosedyrene gjør det mulig å gjennomføre subsidieprogrammet til fordel for alle involverte. Den tredje artikkelen ser på hvordan staten kategoriserer og klassifiserer enkeltmennesker og organiserer statlige tjenester etter dette. Fokuset er på den såkalte fattigdomslinjen, en malawisk tilpasning til den globale fattigdomsdefinisjonen kjent som "en dollar per dag". En slik definisjon samsvarer ikke med noen lokale skillelinjer i Malawi, men når den brukes til å peke ut mottakere av statlige tjenester, blir den både politisk, økonomisk og sosialt relevant. De som ligger "under" fattigdomslinjen får eksklusiv tilgang til noen statlige ressurser, men samtidig utsettes de for andre typer styring. Det er fordi de statlige tjenestene vanligvis kombineres med spesielle måter å organisere folk på, sammen med forsøk på å endre mottakernes måte å tenke og handle på. Det er en naturlig strategi dersom man antar at årsaken til fattigdom ikke er materielle eller eksterne sosiale og politiske forhold, men skyldes noe ved de fattiges egen oppførsel. I sin konsekvens kan man si at fattigsomslinjen etablerer et skille mellom to typer borgere: De som er "fattige nok" til å få hjelp av staten, og de andre som forventes å klare seg selv i markedet. Målet med fattigdomstiltak blir da å omskape de fattigste til gode, markedsvennlige borgere som klarer seg selv uten videre statlig inngripen. I praksis er det ofte liten økonomisk forskjell på de som er "under" og "over" fattigdomslinjen, men de blir gjenstand for forskjellige former for statlig styring. De tre artiklene representerer dermed ganske forskjellige perspektiver på stat og styring, både praktisk og teoretisk. Men de har til felles at de viser til noen endringer når det gjelder stat og styring, som synes å være påvirket av bistand og utviklingspolitikk. Dette diskuteres i avhandlingens innledende del. Denne diskusjonen tar utgangspunkt i at alle artiklene viser til noe som kan kalles "dissonans". Dissonans brukes som metafor på forskjellen mellom statlige måter å forstå og organisere virkeligheten på, og hvordan virkelighet erfares for folk lokalt. Det gjelder på ulike måter i de tre artiklene: I forholdet mellom høvdingstyre og den formelle statsapparatet, i byråkratiske prosedyrer som synes å mislykkes, men likevel har en funksjon, og i et statlig forsøk på å organisere en befolkning etter kriterier som ikke samsvarer med noen lokale måter å se lokalsamfunnet på. Slik dissonans synes å øke som følge av bistand og utvikling, og diskusjonen tar opp noen sider ved bistand som kan forklare dette. Et hovedargument er at de som jobber med bistand – særlig statsansatte i mottakerlandene – må forholde seg til abstrakte ideer i internasjonal utviklingstenking, som ikke passer sammen med lokale forhold. De kan velge ulike strategier for å løse dette problemet, men alle de mest relevante strategiene synes å føre til en økning i forskjellen mellom en "statlig" virkelighet og lokale erfaringer. Disse sidene ved bistand er blitt større med tiden som følge av to forhold. For det første legger de fleste bistandsaktørene stadig mer vekt på å reformere mottakeren, som representerer bredere og mer kompliserte utviklingsmål enn om hovedvekten er å overføre ressurser. For det andre har man nå mer fokus på spesifikke kategorier av enkeltmennesker framfor å se på fattige land og samfunn under ett. Begge disse utviklingstrekk fører til økt behov for å jobbe med aggregert, abstrakt informasjon, framfor spesifikk kunnskap om mottakerne og deres omgivelser. Det gjør at avstanden mellom abstrakte ideer og opplevd virkelighet blir større.

This study examines fiscal policy designs by focusing on one particular case: Venezuela during the period 2000-2010. The selection of this particular case of study allows to integrate two prominent aspects known to have important effects on rentier performance: a striking oil boom from 2004-2008 and the introduction of a new political regime. During the first decade of the 21st century, the political regime of Venezuela was substantially transformed modifying the overarching governance modes of the country and more specifically, those of the oil sector, the most important sector of the country's economy. The fiscal institution of Venezuela considerably changed in the 2000s with a new conception over the management of oil rents. The 'sowing the oil' paradigm was displaced by a model of direct distribution of oil rents through a centralized spending system. With a newly elected government and the enactment of a new Constitution in 1999, a series of substantial changes were begun, introducing institutional makeovers and new dynamics across political, economic and social spheres. These multiple institutional rearrangements drew a dividing line from previous time periods, progressively developing a discernible preference for centralizing policy-making decisions, circumventing institutional structures and restructuring policy arrangements to make them compatible with the newly established governance modes. In this sense, the assessment of Public Financial Management (PFM) system adjustments in the light of controlling expanding resource rents can potentially contribute to the study of fiscal implementation distortions in naturally endowed economies in particular. ; Cette étude examine les élaborations de politique fiscale en se concentrant sur un cas particulier: celui du Venezuela sur la période 2000-2010. La sélection de ce cas particulier permet d'intégrer deux aspects marquants, connus pour avoir des effets importants sur la performance rentière: un saisissant choc pétrolier de 2004 à 2008 et l'introduction d'un ...

EU regional policy is in a challenging and dynamic period of change. Not only are there significant administrative problems to overcome in both the current and the new Member States, but there is also a major ongoing debate about the reform of EU regional policy after 2006. Post 2006, the principal challenge concerns economic and social cohesion in an enlarged Union. Enlargement will lead to a severely unbalanced EU territory in terms of the widening disparities between Member States and regions. The degree to which EU regional policy can meet these challenges will be determined by budgetary constraints. The period of successive increases in EU regional policy ended at the Berlin Council in March 1999. Aspects of the current debate concern not only the EU regional policy budget for 2007-2013 but also the possible allocations. In this context, the paper has two main objectives: a) To identify regional disparities in the forthcoming enlarged Europe using multivariate statistical analysis techniques. b) To assess different proposals arising from the Commission open debate on future Cohesion Policy. The data used in the analysis is Newcronos-REGIO database elaborated by EUROSTAT. As a result, a classification of all regions (NUTsII) in the EU-25 is obtained through factor and cluster analysis techniques. Results obtained show that regional disparities cannot be exclusively explained by GDP per capita. Other factors linked to the behaviour of the labour market and to the demographic characteristics of the territories are also of a great importance Key words: Economic and Social Cohesion, Regional Policy, Cluster Analysis