Suchergebnisse

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

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 provides an analysis of Russian foreign policy & U.S. engagement in post-Soviet Eurasia & Russia during the Putin administration. Arguing that Russian foreign policy is rooted in Russia's economic interests, the author declares that to understand Russian foreign policy, one must first understand the developing Russian economy & Russia's changing position in the global market place. Next, the author explores how U.S. policy has worked in practice. Remnants of the U.S./Russian Cold War relationship, Russian integration into the west & its role in NATO, & Putin's counterterrorism strategy are explored. J. Harwell

In the final chapter of the collection, the author suggests that an alternative research agenda should be developed, one that focuses on generating information with "practical relevance to conflict prevent." After discussing the weaknesses of the current orthodoxy on violent conflict and conflict prevention in sub-Saharan Africa, the author addresses the major challenges faced by conflict prevention. Finally, the author concludes by exploring why a focus on violence and agency rather than conflict and cause is necessary, and how the tenants of cultural studies and post-modern sociology can be applied.

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

In this reprint from Parameters (Winter, 2000), the author examines the history of the Unified Command Plan for Africa & suggests the Plan must be re-examined to account for increased US engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa. The author addresses the co-existing economic potential & marginalization of Africa as well as US involvement in African conflicts since the Cold War. Past US foreign policy toward the region is characterized as unstable & reactive, until the Clinton Administration developed a policy of substantial & direct involvement. The author concludes with a discussion of the importance of a well planned, well thought-out Africa policy,. J. Harwell

To address Pakistan's economic ills & enact positive reforms, Pakistan's leadership must recognize that politics, economics, & social change are intertwined & interdependent. It is impossible to ignore one of these factors without risking the progress of the others. Pakistan's history of turbulence & unrest proves that until a true vision is established for the economic components of political power, Pakistan will continue to flounder. It will remain in social flux, clear leadership will fail to emerge, & true economic reforms will not be instituted. Until essential political elements are incorporated, the transition to democracy is virtually impossible. 22 References. K. Larsen

Presenting a social-constructionist model of political culture in which objective & subjective realities are interlinked, the chapter examines mainland Chinese attitudes, perceptions, & awareness toward Hong Kong, along with the role of media & official views in shaping them. The 1999 hand-over of Hong Kong by the UK served a dual ideological function for the public, promoting nationalism while potentially contrasting Hong Kong's prosperity with economic conditions on the mainland. Conclusions are based on 1995 survey responses from citizens in four major Chinese cities. 8 Tables, 2 Figures, 1 Appendix, 22 References. K. Coddon

To address Pakistan's economic ills & enact positive reforms, Pakistan's leadership must recognize that politics, economics, & social change are intertwined & interdependent. It is impossible to ignore one of these factors without risking the progress of the others. Pakistan's history of turbulence & unrest proves that until a true vision is established for the economic components of political power, Pakistan will continue to flounder. It will remain in social flux, clear leadership will fail to emerge, & true economic reforms will not be instituted. Until essential political elements are incorporated, the transition to democracy is virtually impossible. 22 References. K. Larsen

The role of status in the study of religious elite is examined through analysis of the Anglican clergy. Such study has been dominated by a one-dimensional model of occupational prestige that emphasizes status inconsistency & places researchers in a deferential relationship with their Ss, often impeding gaining access & establishing rapport. Reconceptualization of prestige in a more fluid way -- one that emphasizes the commonalities of values, objectives, occupational culture, & professional competence among social scientists & the clergy -- facilitates the establishment of equal status between research & S & results in more open communication & collection of more accurate ethnographic information. 22 References. D. Generoli

The author provides an analysis of the United State's unilateral & hegemonic approach to foreign policy regarding Iraq in the context of the challenges it poses to the multilateral legal order constructed over the past decades. Despite the US invasion of Iraq, the author offers reasons why multilateralism may yet survive. D. Miller

The author compares the conditions that produced the Serbian, Georgian, & Ukrainian Revolutions. Seven commonalities are addressed: the existence of a semi-autocratic regime with an unpopular leader, a division between the intelligence forces, the military, & police; a strong & well organized opposition that can mobilize the population for large demonstrations; a way to create & transmit perceptions of a fraudulent election; & an independent media that can inform citizen about the vote. The discussion also includes references to similarities in the Kyrgyzstan Revolution. The author concludes with a discussion of additional, necessary conditions specific to each country & the path-dependant legacies that will affect them. Finally, the author asks whether the Orange revolution was actually a revolution. J. Harwell

In this chapter, the author examines the changes made to America's national security strategy in the wake of 9/11. The author argues that the Bush Doctrine has caused more damage to both US & international security than it has to improve these issues. The embrace of preventive war, unilateralism, & militarism has damaged the traditional fabrics of international relations. D. Miller

The author focuses on Kant's response to a question posed by Rousseau: What is a citizen? The analysis investigates the reciprocal & pathological tensions between the individual & the state. The author discusses the conceptualization of the people, the divided subject, the presentation of the other, the idea of organization, & the state as master. 51 References. A. Funderburg