Search results for "Economy"

Huntington and the liberal thought. Problems of Anglo-democracy to understand politics

2013

The liberal thought has inspired philosophy and sociology during years. From its view, US has two main goals. One is to expand the civilized culture to other non-western countries, and second to grant the democratic values. Paradoxically, terrorism poses one of the most troubling aspects of contemporanean democracy. On one hand, not only it defies the democratic resources to anticipate the next blow, but also put US to conduct one-sided attacks to autonomous countries. To legitimize the expansion of this new imperial order, the liberal discourse appealed to two strategies: first and foremost, denoting pejoratively as the case of Latin America that there is a cultural matrix that impedes the…

The Union Societies’ Role in the Formation of a Parliamentary Culture of Debate

2016

Here the Oxford and Cambridge Unions are placed in the British tradition of debating societies. Haapala shows that the Unions were forerunners in the adoption of parliamentary debate and that they became models for other similar associations, thus taking a prominent role in the formation of a parliamentary culture of debate in Britain. The foundation of the Union Societies is discussed with comparisons to other contemporary and previously established debating societies, paying particular attention to membership requirements and rhetorical training. Finally, some first-hand accounts of the benefits of Union training for political careers will be provided.

Paradise Lost? The Collapse of Dutch Multiculturalism and the Birth of Islamophobic Post-Liberalism

2013

The aim of this chapter is to shed light on the integration debate in the Netherlands, and especially on the prominent role of Islam and cultural issues in this debate (Boomkens 2010: 307). Arguably more than in any other European country, anti-Islamic sentiment has produced political consequences, including the formation of three political parties on a principally anti-Islamic platform (Leefbar Nederland (Liveable Netherlands), List Pim Fortuyn and Partij voor de Vrijheid (Freedom Party)) since 2000 and the dismantling of key aspects of state-supported multiculturalism, including a cessation of ethnic monitoring of labour market participation, the withdrawal of national-level funding for m…

A Two-Sided Kingdom: A Sicily of Export and Urban Wheat Supply

2021

The Sicilian victualling system sought to guarantee both the subsistence of cities and the income of the great aristocratic landowners interested in the wheat market. A set of economic mechanisms, social practices, and political conflicts unfolded around the urban victualling offices, dealing with wheat and flour distribution, bread production, contracts for the procurement of supplies, and the price system of the mete, run by political elites. North-eastern Sicily was exclusively consumer, while the central-western area produced surpluses for the foreign market and for the rest of the island, including Palermo—the capital city—and Messina—a rich and hungry city—. The centralised office of …

Modeling the enterprising character of European firms

2003

In an increasingly globalized economy, innovation pursuing the speeding up of technological changes takes a renewed interest. In this study, we attempt to show those characteristics and variables that make businesses successful, especially innovative small and medium‐sized enterprises. The article focuses on this business sector because the contribution of it to employment generation, wealth distribution and economy appraisal is frequently set to the fore in current political and economic debate. A study of 408 businesses, according to data from the European Commission and the Spanish Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial – Center for Industrial and Technological Development – (y…

Historicizing Divergence: A Comparative Analysis of the Revolutionary Crises in Russia and Finland

2016

Beginning 1917, Russia and Finland both experienced revolutionary situations, the seizure of power by radical political groups, and civil wars. However, the ultimate outcomes of the revolutionary crises in the two countries turned out to be different: the Russian Bolsheviks won the struggle for power whereas the Finnish Red Guard suffered a defeat. Why did the radical socialists win in Russia but lose in Finland? This chapter argues that the Russian revolutionaries benefited from the existence of two coalition alliances that had not fully materialized in Finland: the workers–soldiers’ alliance, which was critical for the radicals’ seizure of power, and the workers–peasants’ alliance, which …

European Union at a Crossroads: What Could the Next 60 Years Bring About?

2018

This paper aims to synthetize some of the challenges that the European Union faces during these troubled times and also to suggest some of the possible scenarios that might actually unfold in order to address them. Symbolically, this year should have highlighted the biggest achievements of the EU and its Member States, as it celebrates 60 years of joint commitment for a better Europe. Yet, the uncertainty regarding Europe’s future is at an all-time high, due to internal and external factors. On the one hand, internal challenges, such as the Brexit process and the refugee crises, led to the reevaluation of the EU’s current organization and structure, which, in turn, might lead to a Europe of…

Latvia: Political developments and data in 2018

2019

Latvia: Political Developments and Data in 2019

2020

Citizens' Political Discourses on Climate Change and Vaccines

2022

The main objective of this chapter is to compare the political discourses of Polish and Spanish citizens on science issues such as vaccines and climate change expressed by the citizens participating in the public consultations held in València (Spain) and Łódź (Poland) during the autumn of 2019. As the general elections were held very close to the public consultations in both countries, it was expected that there would be references to election campaigns, political parties, or public policymaking during the debates. Then, those statements explicitly expressing political views on climate change and vaccines were selected from the debate transcripts before applying five specific frames and va…