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A reflection on the ever-broadening debates between the proponents of universalism & particularism focuses on the emerging ambivalence in the central categories & the political implications of these discourses in interaction. Under the banner of democratic multicultural pluralism, the intervention of alternative postmodernist approaches into conventional Western imperialist foundationalism, traceable to the primacy of universalist values for the Enlightenment, is reflexively aware of the ultimately nihilist futility implied in a politics of pure difference. After sketching critiques of structural essentialism & foundationalism, & contributions to the debate by thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, Plato, & G. W. F. Hegel, it is argued that the continual adjustment toward openness by the particular represents its only possible avenue to complete realization confronted with the universal. 23 References. J. Sadler

The power of political blogs in American politics is now evident to anyone who follows it. In Typing Politics, Richard Davis provides a comprehensive yet concise assessment of the growing role played by political blogs and their relationship with the mainstream media. Through a detailed content analysis of the most popular political blogs--Daily Kos, Instapundit, Michelle Malkin, and Wonkette--he shows the degree to which blogs influence the traditional news media. Specifically, he compares the content of these blogs to four leading newspapers noted for their political coverage: The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Times. He explains how political journalists at these papers use blogs to inform their reportage and analyzes general attitudes about the role of blogs in journalism. Drawing on a national survey of political blog readers, Davis concludes with a novel assessment of the blog audience. Compact, accessible, and well-researched, Typing Politics will be an invaluable contribution to the literature on a phenomenon that has reshaped the landscape of political communication.

In 2007, the Effectiveness and Quality Department (DEK) of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a collection of essays on aid effectiveness. The contributors agree that pro-poor policies affect the interests of many groups, not only the poor, and are essentially political. By failing to address the root causes of poverty, the technocratic approaches of many donors are unlikely to succeed. The crux of the matter may be the grave misconception that no one loses from pro-poor policies. The challenge is to translate the academic insights and the knowledge gained through decades of development practice into a framework that does not limit itself to only one aspect, but that takes into account the politics of poverty as they are manifest at the individual, societal, national and global levels.

In der deutschen Nachkriegspolitik finden sich einige fundamentale Richtungswechsel. Sie trafen und treffen auf ein politisches System, das der Zielerreichung von Politikwenden hohe Hürden setzt, zugleich aber auch eine bemerkenswerte Offenheit und Flexibilität erkennen lässt. Politik und Verwaltung erweisen sich im Rückblick in einem Ausmaß als wandlungsfähig, wie es gängige Restriktionsanalysen nicht erwarten ließen. Die im politischen System angelegten Konsenshürden und Koordinationsprobleme wurden in transformativen Wendeprojekten fallweise unterschiedlich angegangen und verarbeitet. "Muddling Through", flexible Verhandlungspraktiken und "auf Sicht fahren" sind im föderalen Mehrebenensystem mit Koalitionsregierungen und starken gesellschaftlichen Spitzenverbänden seit jeher anzutreffen. Neu sind Veränderungen im Modus der Interessenvermittlung, insbesondere der Niedergang korporatistischer Steuerungsformen und der Verlust berechenbarer Mehrheitsverhältnisse in Bund und Ländern, die im früheren Dreieinhalb-Parteiensystem der Bundesrepublik noch gegeben waren. Insgesamt ist eine Zerfaserung der Interessenvermittlung in diverse Ad-hoc-Kommissionen und Gipfelrunden festzustellen, die - wie am Beispiel der Energiewende gezeigt wird - die Bildung einer breiten operativen Konsensbasis und Koordination erschwert.