Suchergebnisse

Kurz vor der Bundestagswahl am 22. September 2002 kam es zu einer Trendwende, die den Regierungsparteien SPD und Bündnis90/Die Grünen eine erneute parlamentarische Mehrheit bescherte. Diese Trendwende ist in der öffentlichen Debatte häufig auf die Faktoren 'Flut in Ostdeutschland' und 'Krieg im Irak' zurückgeführt worden. Der Verfasser zeigt demgegenüber, dass der Wahlerfolg der rot-grünen Koalition auch auf langfristigen Trends beruhte. Der eine manifestierte sich in einem grundsätzlichen Plädoyer zugunsten von Kontinuität auf der Regierungsbank. Der andere offenbarte trotz des lange vorhandenen Vorsprungs in der politischen Stimmung latent vorhandene Zweifel an der Regierungstauglichkeit der Union. Das Wahlverhalten, so das Fazit des Verfassers, ist offenbar nicht auf einzelne Faktoren reduzierbar. (ICE)

The author refutes the contention that women candidate are disadvantaged in fund raising. First, current research suggesting women's disadvantage is examined. Second, the author turns to an exploration of the diversity among women candidates, the type of funding women candidates depend on, & the advantages women have in their communities. The author concludes with a proposal for additional research in the following areas: state level politics, elections for executive offices, gender & racial differences in campaign spending, & research examining the role of women's Political Action Committees (PACs). J. Harwell

In this case study, the author explores how public concern about vaccinations has affected vaccination development & use throughout history. The author shows how perceptions about vaccinations are inaccurate, & identifies how these distortions are shaped. Figures, References. D. Miller

Die Autorin geht von der These aus, dass Theorie und Praxis der internationalen Politik und auch der Gegenstandsbereich der internationalen Konfliktprävention männlich codiert sind. Am Beispiel von Ergebnissen aus einer Untersuchung über die seit 1993 in Estland arbeitende OSZE-Langzeitmission wird dies demonstriert. Langzeitmissionen gehören zu den typischen Instrumenten, um der Eskalation von Minderheitenkonflikten vorzubeugen. Ende 1999 waren in 22 von 54 OSZE-Staaten solche Missionen stationiert. Hintergrund der Entsendung einer solchen Mission nach Estland ist der Konflikt um die Staatsbürgerschaft. Nachdem Estland von der Sowjetunion unabhängig geworden war, wurde etwa ein Drittel der EinwohnerInnen von der Staatsbürgerschaft ausgeschlossen. Seitdem werden sie als "Russen" politisch, ökonomisch, sozial und kulturell diskriminiert. Die internationale Politik hat sehr früh das Gefahrenpotential dieser ethnopolitischen Sicht erkannt und in einer umfassenden Weise Konfliktprävention betrieben. Der Beitrag analysiert aus einem genderkritischen Blick die Arbeit der OSZE-Langzeitmission in Estland. (ICA2)

In this chapter of Life after Reform: When Bipartisan Campaign Reform Meets Politics, the author examines how House elections have become stagnant, & what impacts the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) will have on the competition & change in House elections. The author agrees with previous research that incumbency advantage is the result of electoral stagnation & is the result of campaign spending. A causal model of campaign spending that advantages the status quo is supported by analysis of campaign spending disparities. The author argues that BCRA will adversely impact electoral competition to further solidify incumbency advantage through their pre-existing hard money support, the limits on soft money, & restrictions on electioneering for new candidates. The author argues that BCRA is inadequate in that it does not change the system that allows incumbents to buy the elections. 4 Tables, 2 Figures. J. Harwell

The author explores the political values that ought to shape policy making & risk regulation. The values that provide an alternative to the traditional principles of utilitarianism & democratic elitism are democratic legitimacy, scientific integrity, & international responsibility. The author also argues for increased citizen participation. References. D. Miller

The author examines the role of the media in influencing public opinion. Concern about the media's focus on communicating gloom to increase the audience's emotional response is expressed before the author discusses ways the media can be used to increase citizen participation in public policy making. References. D. Miller

The author contrasts the dangerous linear world view of dialectics with the totemic view of knowledge & "sacred balance" of spatial patterns & timing in the ecosystem that is shared by many indigenous peoples. The relationship between animal & human energies is related in a Kayapo myth & the anthropogenic landscapes of indigenous peoples. The author asserts that the tension between the reductionist commodification of nature that are institutionalized in international conventions verses indigenous intellectual property rights is a reflection of the actual motivations of science. The author concludes that the environmental crisis cannot be solved by technological tampering or superficial political measures, but rather civilization needs to relearn ecological knowledge & sustainable principles from indigenous & traditional peoples. References. J. Harwell

In this examination of women's involvement in formal & informal politics, the author calls for an expansion in the range & diversity of political leaders. The author also calls for more large-scale, collaborative, & multi-method research designs. The absence of an agreed upon definition of leadership is the result of the dominance of male-defined & male-dominated environments. Since the study of women in political leadership positions is the study of a limited universe of women, generalizations are difficult. Three strains of emergent research on women in office are delineated. In addition, the author stresses the need for new research on feeder institutions & the military, the power of women in politics, policy issues that are not explicitly gender-related, & research that examines whether or not the number & proportion of women has reached, or surpassed, a "critical mass.". J. Harwell

The author argues that as more women run for public office, there is an increasing need for research examining how gender affects the dynamics of political campaigns. In the essay, decision making research is used to address how women staff their campaigns, delegate responsibility, & make choices once elected. In addition, an examination of the media reflects a gender bias in the way women's campaigns are reported on. Finally, the author addresses fund raising and voter recruitment issues relevant to women candidates. L. Conly

The author relates campaign techniques developed by environmental organizations such as Greenpeace to slow implementation of policy in the case of British pollution problems. The author asserts that Greenpeace campaign techniques have surpassed political advocacy by working with business to development & realize technologically innovative solutions through product development in the face of market resistance & lack of government direction. The role of environmental NGO's is argued to be a symptom of a functioning society as vehicles that represent interests not represented in the fabric of society. A "new politics" resulting from globalism is distinguished in the example of the Brent Spar as a "politics of risk", use of iconic imagery, voting by consumer choice, & use of the Internet. The author concludes with suggestions for shaping new forms of global governance as a new agenda emerges with the demand to change the logic of the political order & economic priorities. References. J. Harwell

Am Beispiel von Parlamentsdebatten im Niedersächsischen Landtag wird untersucht, in welchem Umfang und in welcher Weise Medieninhalte reflektiert werden und wie Politiker in ihren Debattenbeiträgen auf Medieninhalte verweisen. Art, Umfang und Kontext der Medienverweise wurden anhand der stenografischen Berichte zu neun aufeinander folgenden Plenarsitzungen zwischen dem 29. März und dem 22. Juni 2000 inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet. Die Analyse führte zu sechs zentralen Ergebnissen: (1) Verweise auf Medieninhalte sind ein übliches rhetorisches Mittel in Landtagsdebatten und werden in beträchtlicher Anzahl und in unterschiedlichen thematischen und formalen Kontexten eingebracht; (2) Medienverweise kommen überwiegend von den Oppositionsparteien, die dadurch ihr Informationsdefizit gegenüber der Regierung ausgleichen und damit ihrer Kontrollaufgabe nachkommen; (3) Heimatzeitungen sind - zumindest im Niedersächsischen Landtag - die häufigsten Quellen der Medienverweise; (4) Medienverweise beziehen sich häufig auf den politischen Prozess und dienen damit der Selbstbeobachtung des politischen Systems; (5) Medienverweise dienen in der Mehrzahl dazu, Fakten in die Debatte einzubringen; (6) Medienverweise haben vor allem in der Phase der Problemartikulation und -definition eine große Bedeutung. Im weiteren Verlauf des Policy-Prozesses verlieren sie hingegen an Bedeutung. Wenn unter Integration die Herstellung der Anschlussfähigkeit zwischen verschiedenen Diskursen verstanden wird, weisen die Ergebnisse insgesamt auf eine deutliche Integrationsleistung der Medien hin. (ICI2)

Data from the CA Vital Statistics Birth Records are drawn on to analyze patterns of multiracial-multiethnic births in that state, 1982-1999, in terms of racial/ethnic group size & maternal age & education, & to construct a profile of the proportion of these newborns by ethnic-racial group. The impact of the continuation of CA's high rate of immigration on multiracial-multiethnic births is explored, acknowledging the influence of factors such as country of origin, generational effects, residential segregation, group size, & intermarriage. Analysis reveals the rapid & continuing growth of the state's multiracial Hispanic population; implications of this & other trends for the future of the state's demographic composition -- & policies based on it -- are discussed. 8 Figures, 22 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

The author presents in his contribution in a critical manner an outline regarding the development of self-evaluation in Scotland during the last decade. In 1988 in Scotland the context for school improvement and accountability was external inspection. Although this did not mean that schools themselves were unconcerned with improvement and accountability, schools tended to see much of the responsibility for quality assurance and accountability as lying outside their control. The author characterises what schools at that time could be. From the late eighties onwards teams of teachers, university researchers and Scottish Office policy advisers worked together to fashion a new system. In 1992 a set of self-evaluation guidelines were launched, distributed to all schools in Scotland, primary, secondary and special schools. They contained an indicator framework, a set of suggested criteria, tools for self-evaluation, guidelines on their use, and examples of professional development activities for teachers. In the final section of his essay "The challenge ahead" the author formulates six characteristics typical of the self-evaluating school. (DIPF/Orig./Ba.).

Problems with conventional definitions of political corruption are highlighted to better define such political behavior. Three categories are identified: corruption by public officials; public officials' abuse of their offices; & corruption by business enterprises & other private citizens. Political corruption is not perceived as a seminal characteristic of organized crime syndicates. Various legal, public interest, & public opinion definitions of political corruption are examined, further demonstrating the problem of preserving traditional definitions. Analysis of several public opinion definitions of corruption indicates significant differences in how the public defines political corruption & that these notions have changed over time. In addition, different nations posses disparate legal, public interest, & public opinion understandings of political corruption. The need to acknowledge the legitimacy of multiple definitions of corruption is stressed. 22 References. J. W. Parker