Suchergebnisse

The author argues that the Framers of the Constitution & other early national leaders were capable -- in a way that has never since been replicated in American history -- of living mutually in the world of ideas & ideals as well as that of political realities. However, it does us no good simply to wonder at their talent & intellect, he argues. Rather, we should try to understand what allowed them to balance public life & private intellect so that we might try to emulate that balance in our own lives. He suggests that the centrality of writing to their lives -- & the fact that they believed that they needed only to appeal to rational readers and not to the masses -- was part of what allowed them to achieve this balance. This balance also arose from the fact that they saw themselves organically linked to everyone else in their society -- something that politicians no longer feel, and one of the primary reasons why politicians are no longer public intellectuals. D. Knaff

Applying the research in this volume, this article explores the relationship between the post-Cold War media coverage of foreign affairs, the formation of public opinion, & its influence on the state. The author strives to create a general theory & to point out directions for future theory development & research. Research in this volume highlights the tensions between theoretical generalizations & the complexity, differentiation, & explanatory completeness of research. L. A. Hoffman

Assesses the importance of print technology on petitioning in the English Revolution & investigates the emergence of a British public sphere in this period as an extension of new practices of petitioning. It is shown that economic aspects of printing were responsible for the wide dissemination of printed petitions. Moreover, printing fostered the creation of an anonymous body of readers, the public, to whom reasoned debate was directed. It also was directly implicated in the organization of new political bodies called parties, which mobilized to put their arguments into print form. Thus, it is argued that, as a new means of communication, printing was central to the development of the modern public sphere. Other variables, eg, Protestantism & capitalism, commonly associated with the formation of the public sphere are demonstrated to be mediated by their linkage to communicative changes brought about by print culture. This historical study indicates that current debates on the public sphere would do well to focus more closely on the nature & significance of contemporary changes in the means of communication. 74 References. D. Ryfe

Three different proposals for deploying a national missile defense system in the present-day US are examined. An analysis of the feasibility of implementing the Clinton administration's proposed limited modifications to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty is conducted, emphasizing its development schedule, approach toward dealing with countermeasures, & creation of a boost phase interception defense. The implications of making more severe alterations to the ABM Treaty, the formation of a missile defense system with multiple sites for launching interceptor missiles, & the use of Navy Aegis radar technology for missile defense are then addressed. Additional attention is directed toward using missile defense systems based on laser technology & George H. W. Bush's global protection against limited strikes plan. The emergence of national missile defense supporters & opponents in the American public & political sectors is considered. Several conclusions are reached, eg, that current political sentiment in the US favors limited ballistic missile defense. 1 Figure. J. W. Parker

Explores the development of 1990s US antipoverty programs. A quick look at the contextual factors of economic performance, public opinion, & population subgroup poverty trends is followed by a discussion of the impact of (pre)taxes & (pre)transfers on poverty. Against this backdrop, the safety net, comprising social insurance & means-tested transfers, is detailed. Focus turns to the degree to which tax & transfer programs alleviate poverty, updating Daniel Weinberg (eg, 1991) & addressing four questions: the size of the poverty gap & its change since 1979; the effectiveness of programs to fill that gap; shifts in tax & transfer program effectiveness over time; & differential policy effects across the elderly, one- & two-parent families, & childless families. Program impact on labor supply, saving, & family formation is also considered. It is found that the tax & transfer system has measurable effects on low-income family behavior; a positive relationship between post-tax wage rates & labor force participation is revealed. It is argued that policy developments hinge on welfare reform lessons: (1) Benefits will continue to be connected to responsibility. (2) A diminution of support for social insurance & the disabled is unlikely. (3) Fiscal climate (ie, deficits) drives antipoverty spending. Opinions on the direction of the policy debate are offered. 3 Tables, 8 Figures, 1 Appendix. J. Zendejas

Explores the development of 1990s US antipoverty programs. A quick look at the contextual factors of economic performance, public opinion, & population subgroup poverty trends is followed by a discussion of the impact of (pre)taxes & (pre)transfers on poverty. Against this backdrop, the safety net, comprising social insurance & means-tested transfers, is detailed. Focus turns to the degree to which tax & transfer programs alleviate poverty, updating Daniel Weinberg (eg, 1991) & addressing four questions: the size of the poverty gap & its change since 1979; the effectiveness of programs to fill that gap; shifts in tax & transfer program effectiveness over time; & differential policy effects across the elderly, one- & two-parent families, & childless families. Program impact on labor supply, saving, & family formation is also considered. It is found that the tax & transfer system has measurable effects on low-income family behavior; a positive relationship between post-tax wage rates & labor force participation is revealed. It is argued that policy developments hinge on welfare reform lessons: (1) Benefits will continue to be connected to responsibility. (2) A diminution of support for social insurance & the disabled is unlikely. (3) Fiscal climate (ie, deficits) drives antipoverty spending. Opinions on the direction of the policy debate are offered. 3 Tables, 8 Figures, 1 Appendix. J. Zendejas

Die Studie zum Wahlverhalten der Bundesbürger beschäftigt sich mit den Parteipräferenzen (Erst- und Zweitpräferenz) bzw. mit der Umsetzung einer bestimmten Koalitionsneigung in die entsprechende Koalitionspräferenz. Dabei orientiert sich die Untersuchung an folgender Hypothese: Nur öffentlich diskutierte realistische Koalitionsoptionen führen zur Ausbildung einer konkreten Koalitionspräferenz aus der vorhandenen Koalitionsneigung. Die Analyse basiert auf zwei Vorwahluntersuchungen, die als mündliche Befragung vor den Bundestagswahlen 1998 und 2002 durchgeführt werden. Die Grundannahme wird zunächst für die Bundestagswahl 2002 untersucht, in der die SPD und Bündnis 90/Die Grünen als Regierungsparteien antreten. Eine Vorwahluntersuchung von 1998 wird zum Vergleich der Koalitionsneigungen in jener Regierungssituation herangezogen, als noch die Regierungskoalition zwischen CDU/CSU und FDP bestand. Auf dieser Grundlage werden die Folgen von im Aggregat nachgewiesenen Koalitionspräferenzen für die Kombination von Erst- und Zweitstimme bei der Bundestagswahl 2002 mit den Daten der repräsentativen Wahlstatistik überprüft. Die Untersuchung macht deutlich, dass Parteien durch klare Koalitionssignale das Wählerverhalten beeinflussen können. (ICG2)