Suchergebnisse

In the Alpine context, civil society organisations, with help of committed local actors (inhabitants, local representatives, researchers, managers of protected areas, and ecological associations) organised in networks, are bridging national boundaries to deal with environmental issues (Debarbieux & Rudaz, 2008). But, despite the willingness to focus on more horizontal relations, the administrative, political and ideological structures of the networks and their members do not completely detach themselves from the national level, as this paper shows.

International audience ; In the Alpine context, civil society organisations, with help of committed local actors (inhabitants, local representatives, researchers, managers of protected areas, and ecological associations) organised in networks, are bridging national boundaries to deal with environmental issues (Debarbieux & Rudaz, 2008). But, despite the willingness to focus on more horizontal relations, the administrative, political and ideological structures of the networks and their members do not completely detach themselves from the national level, as this paper shows.

Abstract: This article draws attention to the nature of the political process promoting economic interdependence among the regions surrounding the Japan Sea. At least in the case of Japan, the process is being carried forward by local authorities (prefectural and municipal governments) and other local actors. To explain this local initiative in international economic cooperation, the article refers to international systemic factors, such as the end of the cold war and globalization, as well as to national factors, i.e., the inability of Tokyo to meet the development demands of localities in the Japan Sea prefectures. At any rate, local initiative, and the gradual progress being made in this economic cooperation process, are at variance with the normal facts associated with Japan's economic cooperation activity in the postwar period. Economic cooperation has been dominated by the agendas of the central government bureaucracies and big businesses based in Tokyo. The article raises the possibility that what we see in Japan Sea cooperation may be the leading edge of change: the emergence of a new level of cooperation activity where local governments and regional interests set cooperation agendas in dialog with their overseas counterparts. The article then explores some of the implications of such a development for current debates in international relations and comparative politics.

The article aims at reviewing emerging structural factors in Japan's domestic and international affairs that are driving change in Japan's economic co-operation activities in East Asia. It draws attention to the nature of the political process promoting economic interdependence among the regions surrounding the Japan Sea. (DÜI-Sen)

In both Germany and France, perceptions of immigration, diversity and their societal consequences have undergone important transformations in the past two decades. However, existing research has only partially captured such processes. The "grand narratives" of national approaches, while still influential, no longer explain contemporary realities. Further, analyses of national politics and discourses may not sufficiently reflect the realities across localities and society more broadly. While emerging in different national contexts, little is known about how diversity is actually perceived by political stakeholders at the urban level. Given the key role of immigration and diversity in current conflicts over Europe's future, it is imperative to assess present-day conceptualisations of migration-related diversity among important societal actors. This article investigates perceptions and evaluations of socio-cultural heterogeneity by important societal actors in large cities. We contribute to existing literature by capturing an unusually broad set of actors from state and civil society. We also present data drawn from an unusually large number of cities. How influential is the perception of current society as heterogeneous, and what forms of heterogeneity are salient? And is socio-cultural and migration-related heterogeneity evaluated as threatening or rather as beneficial? Based on an original data set, this study explores the shared and contested ideas, the cognitive roadmaps of state and non-state actors involved in local politics. We argue that, in both German and French cities, socio-cultural heterogeneity is nowadays widely recognized as marking cities and often positively connoted. At the same time, perceptions of the main features of diversity and of the benefits and challenges attached to it vary. We find commonalities between French and German local actors, but also clear differences. In concluding, we suggest how and why national contexts importantly shape evaluations of diversity.

What are the issues and problems to consider when discussing local (community) media? What are the challenges that local media are facing nowadays? Are phenomena such as: civic journalism, niche journalism, alternative journalism, or the combination of professional and civic journalism, opportunities for further development of local media or are they a threat to the professionalization of local media? In my paper, I discuss these issues within the context of culture—exploring local media situations in a variety of countries (e.g., Poland, UK, USA, Germany). However, the primary focus is on local media in Poland, and I examine what the biggest challenges are and whether current processes in journalism and media influence local media, and if so, to what extent. On the basis of my own qualitative research (case studies), I show how complex the local relations are and the level of involvement of local journalists and local media owners in these networks of relations. This complexity of relations (media-politics, media-business, media-church, media-media, etc.) might often be a cause of conflicts of interest (individual or institutional) or media bias.