Suchergebnisse

Urban governance in general & partnerships in particular are commonly legitimized as being more efficient than traditional forms of government, whereas their relationship to democracy is only mentioned in passing or even neglected. In most of the literature, a number of efficiency-related arguments in favor of the partnership approach are presented, although its alleged capacity to create synergetic effects for the partners normally ranks number one. Of course it is an empirical question, whether a partnership is efficient or not, but the point is that the efficiency rhetoric is strong enough to legitimize the creation of partnerships anyhow. Partnerships are more or less ascribed the function to solve any governance problem. Taking its point of departure in a theoretical discussion of partnerships & their role in urban governance, & using illustrations taken from recent empirical studies, the main aim of the paper is to develop a research strategy for crossnational/crosscountry research on partnerships & urban governance. The paper concludes by discussing some policy implications of the growing role of partnerships in urban governance, highlighting their so far neglected relationship to democracy. 32 References. Adapted from the source document.

The ideological profile of the Green Party in Sweden & its political position in Swedish government is discussed. In 1998, the Green Party gained 4.5% of the Swedish vote. Its ideology contains four solidarities, with nature & the global ecology, future generations, all people in need, & the indigenous citizens of Sweden. The Greens have traditionally opposed economic growth as generally detrimental to ecological sustainability, but now they support a green welfare economy in a red-green coalition with the Social Democrats & the Left Party. The Green Party is optimistic that economic growth can take place in ecologically sustainable terms, & its ideology is moving toward an ecological modernization approach. However, the Swedish Green Party differs from its counterparts elsewhere in Europe by opposing Swedish membership in the European Union (EU), primarily because the EU's military force is incompatible with Sweden's principle of neutrality. Their impact on Swedish participation in the EU in the future is uncertain. 6 References. M. Pflum

Es wird zunächst begründet, warum die Wiedereinführung eines Systems kommunaler Selbstverwaltung in den ehemals sozialistischen Staaten Osteuropas für die Stabilisierung des demokratischen Systems von zentraler Bedeutung ist. Dann erfolgt ein historischer Überblick über die Bedeutung der kommunalen Ebene in Polen, Ungarn und der Tschechoslowakei vor 1945 und im sozialistischen System, wobei länderspezifische Unterschiede herausgearbeitet werden. Abschließend werden die ersten Erfahrungen kommunaler Selbstverwaltung seit 1989 analysiert. (AuD-Pls)

Argues that local protest against waste siting may contribute to public policy curtailing the production of hazardous wastes. Summaries in English and French. Centers on protests carried out since 1980 in the city of Kynnefjäll.