Suchergebnisse

THE NEW BRITISH GOVERNMENT THAT WILL TAKE OFFICE IN 1997 FACES THE DIFFICULT TASK OF RE-ESTABLISHING THE CREDIBILITY OF THE PEACE PROCESS IN NORTHERN IRELAND. IT MUST DO SO AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF INCREASED POLARIZATION BETWEEN THE PROTESTANT COMMUNITY, WHICH LARGELY FAVORS CONTINUED UNION WITH BRITAIN, AND THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY, WHICH GENERALLY WANTS CLOSER LINKS WITH THE IRISH REPUBLIC. INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS ARE WAITING TO SEE IF A COMBINATION OF THE NEW WESTMINSTER GOVERNMENT, THE SECOND CLINTON ADMINISTRATION, AND THE IRISH GOVERNMENT FORMED AFTER THE REPUBLIC'S 1997 GENERAL ELECTIONS CAN PERSUADE THE PARTIES IN NORTHERN IRELAND TO REACH A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT THAT WILL ENSURE LASTING PEACE.

Population changes are leading TX to becoming a majority-minority state, especially with the increase of Hispanics. TX has become a GOP stronghold, & the GOP is increasingly cohesive, & conservative, winning all statewide offices in both 1998 & 2002, plus control of the legislature in 2002. Religious fundamentalism is clearly evident in the GOP, but many distance themselves from the Christian Right. Ideological differences between the parties have increased, largely because Democrats are more liberal. GOP activists are upbeat, while Democrats appear dispirited, although less so than in 1991. 6 Tables, 7 References. Adapted from the source document.

Focuses on issues and prospects of the 1998-99 elections. Discusses political situation, regional elections, political parties, radicalism, constitutionalism, nationalism, and regionalism.

Introduces a special journal issue, "The World Today" (see abstracts of related articles), in which contributors explore the central concerns & problems facing humanity at the end of the 20th century, as the post-WWII world order disintegrates & the irrational paradoxes & tendencies of the modern era become increasingly apparent. The goal is not merely to describe the current world situation, but also to identify & evaluate options & obstacles to the establishment of a humanist agenda for the 21st century. A wealth of historical & interdisciplinary studies are offered that provide a comparative overview of the variety of contrasting forms, results, & impacts of such processes as globalization, economic-financial reformulation, international trade, & political-strategic social interaction in diverse regions, nations, & societies. M. Maguire

This paper investigates the merits of different democratic institutions when politics is uni-dimensional, there is uncertainty both about the preferences of the future electorate and the future polarization of political parties, and politicians have better information about the state of the world than voters. Three types of institutions are compared: direct democracy, representative democracy, where politicians are accountable and independent agencies, where they are not. Low uncertainty about the state of the world and the future electorate's preferences and high expected polarization make direct democracy optimal, while the opposite configuration makes representative democracy optimal. Independent agencies are optimal for intermediate values.