Suchergebnisse

Discusses four contexts or "moments" wherein cosmopolitanism took purchase to expose the limits & potential of some currently relevant cosmopolitan ideas/ideals & practices. Detailed are Zeno's moment in antiquity, Kant's moment circa the French Revolution, Arendt's moment in light of Nazism & Stalinism & the notion of crimes against humanity, & Nussbaum's moment related to educational reform & as exemplary of late North American thought. Following their explication, brief comments are offered. In connection to Zeno's moment, issues of political community are touched on. For Kant's moment, three related problems of his philosophy of history & metaphysics of justice are addressed. A sense of disembodiment is apparent in Arendt's moment & her treatment of cosmopolitan law in relation to crimes against humanity. In Nussbaum's moment, the paradox that states, via the educational system, employed strong ideologies of assimilation & integration with immigrants is recognized. In this light, it is suggested that cosmopolitanism cannot provide the one solution to problems related to nationalism, racism, ethnic conflict, or religious fundamentalism; however, in reflecting on these moments, the moral requirement for a cosmopolitanism is evident & a call is made for cautious advance. J. Zendejas

Discusses four contexts or "moments" wherein cosmopolitanism took purchase to expose the limits & potential of some currently relevant cosmopolitan ideas/ideals & practices. Detailed are Zeno's moment in antiquity, Kant's moment circa the French Revolution, Arendt's moment in light of Nazism & Stalinism & the notion of crimes against humanity, & Nussbaum's moment related to educational reform & as exemplary of late North American thought. Following their explication, brief comments are offered. In connection to Zeno's moment, issues of political community are touched on. For Kant's moment, three related problems of his philosophy of history & metaphysics of justice are addressed. A sense of disembodiment is apparent in Arendt's moment & her treatment of cosmopolitan law in relation to crimes against humanity. In Nussbaum's moment, the paradox that states, via the educational system, employed strong ideologies of assimilation & integration with immigrants is recognized. In this light, it is suggested that cosmopolitanism cannot provide the one solution to problems related to nationalism, racism, ethnic conflict, or religious fundamentalism; however, in reflecting on these moments, the moral requirement for a cosmopolitanism is evident & a call is made for cautious advance. J. Zendejas

Discusses the evolution of the penal system in England & Wales with a focus on the causes & implications of specific changes. Beginning in the 1970s, critics addressed the inability of the system to rehabilitate prisoners. Despite the opposition mounted by the Prison Officers Assoc, a strong liberal political movement & the efforts of national & international prisoner's rights movements helped initiate reform during the late 1980s & early 1990s. Based on the social, psychological, & physical benefits of alternatives to traditional imprisonment, a 1990 White Paper & the 1991 Criminal Justice Act encouraged community-based rehabilitation & reduced sentence lengths. However, by 1993 the prison population began to skyrocket again, & it is argued that this was the result of political, economic, social, & media influence more than an actual increase in crime rates. The collective demonization of single mothers, young people, the homeless, drug addicts, illegal immigrants & the traditional criminal by media, political, & social forces led to the reinstitution of an authoritarian law & order regime. It is predicted that this authoritarian tradition may become the norm in the new European Union. 2 Tables, 82 References. T. Sevier

Evaluates regional democratization in Russia, taking Sverdlovsk oblast as an example to demonstrate the evolution of postcommunist political & economic relations. Focus is on three questions: (1) Are regions identifying & removing the authoritarian elements of the old regime? (2) Are institutions that facilitate citizen expression & government response being strengthened in regions? (3) Do regional extragovernmental elites shift their beliefs & practices to support newly installed democratic governments? After exploring the devolution of power in Sverdlovsk, attention turns to coalition building by privatizing nomenklatura & criminal elites of the shadow economy. Three dimensions of emerging political relations have impacted concomitant economic activity: opportunism & the vagueness of property & ownership rights, reassertion of executive power, & preservation of monopolism. It is seen that, rather than erasing the authoritarian legacy, various groups with bureaucratic elites at their core are vying for total power in Sverdlovsk. Despite a decline in press freedom, grassroots movements & a more open expression of minority political views evidence some institutional development. However, there is little indication that nongovernmental elites are adapting their ways to democratic governance & are instead seeking to insinuate themselves into the new governments. This trend is taken as a critical barrier to democratic consolidation. For Russia to break away from its current path-dependent approach to reform, the center must make a coordinated effort to enforce the rule of law. J. Zendejas

Introduces a collection of essays dedicated to assessing the postcommunist transition in Central & Eastern Europe, the legacies of state socialism, & how these traditions impact the direction of change. In addition, the political cultures of former state socialist societies are examined in terms of the wills of domestic & foreign actors involved. Here, focus is on exploring whether fundamental shifts in the political & social structures ensued after the replacement of political elites. Theoretical paradigms of change are developed on the basis of a literature review, & transition outcomes are analyzed to determine the extent & quality of the transformation, discern the range of factors fostering & inhibiting sociopolitical change, & evaluate embedded & imposed elements in the process. Analysis reveals three sets of countries, ranging from the relatively successful (eg, Poland), to the partial assumption of Western-style societal characteristics (eg, Republic of Georgia), to the retention or reconstitution of state socialism (eg, Belarus). Success, it is argued, requires the shift from state socialism to capitalism & polyarchy concurrently occur across essential social sectors, eg, law, governance, values, & the economy. Those states that have succeeded, eg, Hungary & the Czech Republic, are seen to be geographically proximate to Western Europe & have a history of opposition to Soviet hegemony, longer periods of politicoeconomic reform, elite structures more homogeneous & supportive of capitalism & polyarchy, & broader popular ideological opposition to communism. 5 Tables, 8 Charts. J. Zendejas

"Behindertenpolitik bedarf wie jede nicht universalistische sozialpolitische Intervention einer Normierung sozialer Tatbestände. Wie die große Variation der Definitionen und Klassifikationen von Behinderung in den Mitgliedsstaaten der Europäischen Union zeigt, ist diese Normierung aber keineswegs natürlich und Behinderung letztlich das, was politische Akteure als Behinderung definieren (vgl. Hahn 1985). Selbst innerhalb der Staaten existieren differenziert nach Hilfeleistungen und Rechten unterschiedliche Definitionen, welche die Grenze zwischen behinderten und nicht-behinderten Personen ziehen und auf verschiedene Modelle von Behinderung Bezug nehmen. Die große Pluralität der Definitionen sowohl zwischen den Staaten als auch innerhalb der Staaten ist aber nicht beliebig. Während kompensationsorientierte Leistungen nach wie vor meist auf der Basis von restriktiven Definitionen vergeben werden, die sich am medizinischen Modell von Behinderung orientieren, verwenden sowohl Maßnahmen der beruflichen Rehabilitation als auch Antidiskriminierungs- und Gleichstellungsgesetze in der Regel breiter angelegte Definitionen (vgl. Europäische Kommission 2002). Insbesondere bei letzteren ist dies auch zwingend notwendig, da sich Diskriminierungen potenziell auch auf Personen erstrecken können, bei denen andere eine Behinderung vermuten oder die in Kontakt zu behinderten Menschen stehen. Innerhalb der Vielfalt der internationalen Definitionen dient für nationale Politikgestaltung die Klassifikation der WHO, die Internationale Klassifikation der Funktionsfähigkeit, Behinderung und Gesundheit (ICF) neben dem sozialen Modell von Behinderung als ein Orientierungspunkt. Am Beispiel von Dänemark, Großbritannien und Deutschland wird überprüft, wie sich die Definitionen in den verschiedenen behindertenpolitischen Bereichen seit Beginn der neunziger Jahre verändert haben und in welchen dieser Bereiche sich die politischen Akteure bei den Reformen an der ICF orientiert haben." (Autorenreferat)

The objective of this chapter is to sum up the results of the monitoring of Croatia's accession to the European Union (EU). This is a project in which a number of authors have taken part, each of them wanting in his or her own area to draw the attention of the politicians, experts, the media and the public to the requirements of the EU, and the weaknesses and strengths of Croatia, and to offer their recommendations for a better and faster accession to the EU, as well as a better and faster development of both the economy and society. After an introduction in which stress is placed on the importance of institutions for the development of the economy and society, the second part starts off optimistically with the opinions of others concerning us, goes on pessimistically with EU views about itself and its own development, and in part three the results are summed up in terms of topics – macroeconomics, the budget deficit, poverty, inequality and social exclusion, the rule of law and the judiciary, governance and the public administration, consumer and environmental protection, and legal aspects of the protection
of ethnic minorities, science and higher education, and social values. In the fourth part, there is consideration of what has changed in Croatia during the year since the printing of the previous book; in the fifth, the degree of Croatian preparedness to join the EU is discussed; in the sixth, recommendations are offered for as good an adjustment as possible; and in the seventh, conclusions. Very briefly, it can be concluded that Croatia is working hard at implementing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and at adjusting to EU requirements, but that a better implementation of regulations will be required, together with a more rapid establishment of new, and a better functioning of existing, institutions. Crucial in this respect are problems in the public administration, in conjunction with the establishment and strengthening of the institutions essential for market liberalisation. This project too shows, once again, that irrespective of developments within the EU itself and its attitude with respect to Croatia, the country needs to work on its own institutions, launch the necessary reforms as rapidly and thoroughly as possible, and achieve better results in knowledge and education; in addition, the active participation of all those involved in the process is also a matter of vital importance.

Das Kapitel widmet sich drei Schwerpunkten zur Teilhabe auf Grundsicherungsniveau. Es werden individuelle zeitliche Muster des SGB-II-Bezugs typisiert und Erwerbskonstellation von Paaren vor und nach dem Bezug betrachtet. Auch der Einfluss von Betriebswechseln bei erwerbstätigen Beziehenden wird untersucht: Meist sind sie mit einem höheren Stundenlohn verbunden, aber nicht jeder mündet in stabile Beschäftigung. Ferner werden Teilhabewirkungen des SGB II in den Blick genommen. Leistungsbeziehende leiden unter einer Teilhabelücke, die sich in den letzten Jahren aber verkleinert zu haben scheint. Analysen qualitativer Längsschnittdaten zeigen zudem, dass trotz dieses Trends Teilgruppen mit verschlechterten Lebensbedingungen und weiterhin großem "Leidensdruck" bestehen.