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APPLICATIONS OF THE NEW INSTITUTIONALISM TO THE STUDY OF PUBLIC LAW ARE OFTEN GROUNDED IN RATIONAL CHOICE ASSUMPTIONS. THIS TENDS TO REINFORCE A VIEW OF LAW AND LEGAL RHETORIC AS MERELY INSTRUMENTAL TOOLS THAT FOSTER CERTAIN INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS. THIS ARTICLE PROPOSES AN ALTERNATIVE APPLICATION OF THE NEW INSTITUTIONALISM THAT, THE AUTHOR ARGUES, OFFERS AN ALTERNATIVE VISION OF LAW AND LEGAL DISCOURSE WHICH CAN BE USED BOTH TO SUSTAIN AND TO CRITIQUE THE POLITICAL ORDER.

This article explains why the Guinean state remained resilient to armed conflicts following military intervention in politics. The military establishment has been heavily involved in Guinean politics for nearly three decades during which time it has exhibited varied political behavior. This protracted military involvement in Guinean political affairs presented a threat to Guinea's stability in a region where large-scale armed conflicts are often associated with military intervention in politics. This article explores the linkages between military behavior in politics and political stability by using a model derived from ethnic and identity literature. It concludes that by adopting an ethnic group-like behavior, the Guinean military played a vital role in maintaining political stability during the period between 1984 and 2010. This is in contrast to findings in recent studies where military intervention in West African politics is strongly linked with the onset of large-scale civil conflicts.

This article explains why the Guinean state remained resilient to armed conflicts following military intervention in politics. The military establishment has been heavily involved in Guinean politics for nearly three decades during which time it has exhibited varied political behavior. This protracted military involvement in Guinean political affairs presented a threat to Guinea's stability in a region where large-scale armed conflicts are often associated with military intervention in politics. This article explores the linkages between military behavior in politics and political stability by using a model derived from ethnic and identity literature. It concludes that by adopting an ethnic group-like behavior, the Guinean military played a vital role in maintaining political stability during the period between 1984 and 2010. This is in contrast to findings in recent studies where military intervention in West African politics is strongly linked with the onset of large-scale civil conflicts. [Reprinted by permission; copyright Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society/Sage Publications Inc.]

The book examines key public administration theories from the perspective of instrumental and value rationalities. The theories are analyzed on core value, assumption about human nature, methodology, role of government, and disciplinary positioning. The author traces the historical trajectory of each of the two camps of theories.

This article studies the impact of instrumental voting on information demand and mass media behaviour during electoral campaigns. If voters act instrumentally then information demand should increase with the closeness of an election. If mass media are profit-maximizing firms then information supply should be larger in electoral constituencies where the contest is expected to be closer, delivery costs are lower and customers are on average more profitable for advertisers. The impact of the size of the electorate is theoretically undetermined. These conclusions are derived within a formal model of information demand and supply, and then tested, with good results, on data from the 1997 general election in Britain. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright 2007.]

Rain affects electoral turnout both through a direct effect on the cost of voting and by changing the opportunity cost. In a panel of Norwegian municipalities I find that rain on Election Day increases turnout. As turnout affects electoral outcomes, rain provides an exogeneous source of variation, and hence an instrument, for the party composition of the municipal council. I use this to estimate the causal effect of party composition on politics. I find that an increased share to left wing parties shift spending from education to kindergartens. Beyond this, there are few strong causal effects of political composition.