Author: Vladimir Tismaneanu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780029326060
Category : Europe, Eastern
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Will the nations of Eastern Europe become liberal democracies? How has more than 40 years of totalitarian rule transformed the East European psyche? How ill the emerging realities of Eastern Europe affect the rest of Europe and the world? In an effort to answer these questions, Romanian-born scholar Vladimir Tismaneuanu chronicles the turbulent history of this embattled region, from the decades of Soviet domination to the momentous events leading up to and following the Revolution of 1989. He views Eastern Europe as being on the threshold of a great opportunity -- to become reunited, through pan-European arrangements, with the West, and thereby recover its truly European identity. -- From publisher's description.
Author: David Osborne
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0452269423
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 433
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Book Description
"A landmark in the debate on the future of public policy."—The Washington Post.
Author: Kenneth S. Baer
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 070061009X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 376
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Book Description
When Bill Clinton declared in 1996 that "the era of big government is over," Republicans felt that he was stealing their thunder. But in fact, it was the culmination of a decade-long struggle for the heart and soul of the Democratic party. This book tells how a group of New Democrats reformed their enfeebled party's agenda, moved it toward the center, and recaptured the White House with their first two-term president since FDR. Reinventing Democrats is the story of the Democratic Leadership Council, an elite group of elected officials, benefactors, and strategists that let fresh air into the smoke-filled room of politics and changed the public philosophy of their party. Kenneth Baer tells who they are, where they came from, what they believe in, and how they helped elect Bill Clinton-the DLC's former chairman-to the presidency. Drawing on DLC archives and interviews with party insiders, Baer chronicles the increasing influence of the DLC from 1985 to the present. He describes battles waged between New Democrats and party liberals after the failed candidacy of Walter Mondale, and he takes readers behind the scenes in Little Rock to tell how DLC director Al From encouraged Clinton's run for the White House. He then explains how the DLC reshaped the party's agenda into a "third way" that embraced positions such as welfare reform, a balanced budget, free trade, a tough stance on crime, and a strong defense. In this revealing analysis of insider politics, Baer shows how a determined faction can consciously change a party's public philosophy, even without the impetus of a national crisis or electoral realignment. He also shows that the New Democrat stance exemplifies how ideas can work in sync with the political calendar to determine which specific policies find their way onto the national agenda. If Clinton has achieved nothing else in his presidency, says Baer, he has moved his party to the center, where it stands a better chance to succeed-much to the dismay of conservatives, who feel victimized by the theft of many of their strongest issues. In a book that will engage any reader caught up in the fervor of an election year, Baer reveals the role of new ideas in shaping political stratagems and provides much food for thought concerning the future of the New Democratic philosophy, the Democratic party, and American party politics.
Author: Jeffrey C. Goldfarb
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 0745646379
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 209
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Book Description
The way people think and act politically is not set in stone. People can and do change the fundamental cultural contours of their political situation. Their political culture does not only restrict imagination and action - it is also a resource for political creativity and invention. In Reinventing Political Culture, this resource is uncovered and explored. Analyzed as a tension between the power of culture and the culture of power, the concept of political culture is reinvented and applied to understanding the practice of people transforming their own political culture in very different circumstances. Three instances of such reinvention are closely examined: one historic, during the twilight of the Soviet empire; one actively in process and actively opposed, ‘the Obama revolution'; and one an apparent distant dream, the power of culture and the culture of power that would avoid ‘the clash of civilizations' in the Middle East. In accessible and engaging prose, Goldfarb clearly and forcefully presents students and scholars of sociology, comparative politics, and cultural studies with an original position on political culture, showing how the political cultures of our times pose not only grave dangers, but also opportunities for creative alternatives.
Author: Marc Dollinger
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 147982688X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328
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Book Description
"Black Power, Jewish Politics expands with this revised edition that includes the controversial new preface, an additional chapter connecting the book's themes to the national reckoning on race, and a foreword by Jews of Color Initiative founder Ilana Kaufman that all reflect on Blacks, Jews, race, white supremacy, and the civil rights movement"--
Author: Vladimir Tismaneanu
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439105952
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 617
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Book Description
Reinventing Politics gives an account of East European politics from the time of Soviet domination to the 1989-90 revolutions, and considers the effect of tyranny on East European culture and politics, the chances for successful and harmonious development in the region, and its relationship with the rest of Europe. “Using primary materials from Eastern European democratic movements, Tismaneanu shows how dissident enclaves, grassroots political groups, independent unions and underground initiatives spearheaded the spontaneous outbursts of discontent that led to the nonviolent collapse of communist dictatorships…In an illuminating, exciting comparative analysis of the breakup of the Soviet Union's outer empire, Tismaneanu …identifies bureaucratic inertia, renascent authoritarian tendencies and the lure of populist adventurers as key obstacles to democracy.” —Publishers Weekly
Author: Manuel Arriaga
Publisher: Thistle Publishing
ISBN: 9781910198179
Category : Deliberative democracy
Languages : en
Pages : 130
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Book Description
"If you want things organized, you might have to read some quite tricky books about democracy [such as this one]." - RUSSELL BRAND, actor and comedian, reading excerpts of Rebooting Democracy on his show The Trews Unless you are a banker, by now you must have realized that politicians don't serve your interests. Our democracies are failing us and, from Occupy Wall Street to the riots in Sao Paulo, millions have taken to the streets to voice their frustration. But is there anything we can do about it? Rebooting Democracy: A Citizen's Guide to Reinventing Politics takes readers on a global journey in search of solutions. From Vancouver to Saint Petersburg, from France to Australia, we discover that there are sensible ways to reform our democracies. As we travel the globe and zoom in on these real-world democratic breakthroughs, we also pick up insights from the social sciences-from key ideas in political science, sociology and economics to the latest research in social and cognitive psychology-that clarify why elected politicians will always fail to represent us. In a concise and engaging way, this book shows why the problems we are facing arise from inescapable, structural aspects of our political systems-and invites readers to explore five concrete, innovative ideas to help repair them. Praise for Rebooting Democracy: "A quick and easy read that makes the case for why existing political systems are inadequate and then shows examples of how to move us past those problems and toward more democratic systems. Along with many clever insights, Rebooting Democracy: A Citizen's Guide to Reinventing Politics points the way to where democracy is heading." - PROFESSOR JOHN GASTIL, Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University "A bold challenge to the status quo that shows, with some very good examples, how democracy can work. A concise and readable book that makes a cogent case for reinventing politics. Well worth a read." - KATHARINE QUARMBY, award-winning journalist; former Britain correspondent for The Economist and political producer for BBC Newsnight "Passionately argued, yet plainly written, Rebooting Democracy is part scholarship, part manifesto-a wholehearted call for civic engagement at a time of growing dissatisfaction with politics. Manuel Arriaga's book challenges the idea that our democracies cannot be improved and successfully builds a case for political renewal." - ALBERTO ALEMANNO, Professor at HEC Paris and NYU School of Law; Founder of eLabEurope "A short and engaging book. Written in the irreverent, outsider spirit of the Occupy protests, Rebooting Democracy: A Citizen's Guide to Reinventing Politics goes well beyond critiquing the status quo. It discusses several ways to democratize our society. [...] Interesting and well-worth reading." - YORAM GAT, founder and editor of Equality by Lot "Don't you feel sometimes that there is something wrong with contemporary democracy? That politicians are like a separate caste which makes decisions over the heads of people? Why is this happening? In Rebooting Democracy: A Citizen's Guide to Reinventing Politics, Manuel Arriaga answers these questions in a straightforward manner, carefully explaining point-by-point how it is possible that those we elect so often fail to represent us. But this is only the beginning of the book. [...] [The rest is devoted to] an overview of concrete solutions from different parts of the world. From the citizen panels in British Columbia to ranked voting in Ireland and all the way to campaign finance reform in France. [...] This short book prompted me to think of issues which I had never thought of before, even though I have been interested in the topic of democracy for a long time." - MARCIN GERWIN, Dziennik Opinii
Author: Mark Goodale
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 150363101X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312
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Book Description
A radical vision for the future of human rights as a fundamentally reconfigured framework for global justice. Reinventing Human Rights offers a bold argument: that only a radically reformulated approach to human rights will prove adequate to confront and overcome the most consequential global problems. Charting a new path—away from either common critiques of the various incapacities of the international human rights system or advocacy for the status quo—Mark Goodale offers a new vision for human rights as a basis for collective action and moral renewal. Goodale's proposition to reinvent human rights begins with a deep unpacking of human rights institutionalism and political theory in order to give priority to the "practice of human rights." Rather than a priori claims to universality, he calls for a working theory of human rights defined by "translocality," a conceptual and ethical grounding that invites people to form alliances beyond established boundaries of community, nation, race, or religious identity. This book will serve as both a concrete blueprint and source of inspiration for those who want to preserve human rights as a key framework for confronting our manifold contemporary challenges, yet who agree—for many different reasons—that to do so requires radical reappraisal, imaginative reconceptualization, and a willingness to reinvent human rights as a cross-cultural foundation for both empowerment and social action.
Author: Hollie Russon Gilman
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 081572683X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
Participatory Budgeting—the experiment in democracy that could redefine how public budgets are decided in the United States. Democracy Reinvented is the first comprehensive academic treatment of participatory budgeting in the United States, situating it within a broader trend of civic technology and innovation. This global phenomenon, which has been called "revolutionary civics in action" by the New York Times, started in Brazil in 1989 but came to America only in 2009. Participatory budgeting empowers citizens to identify community needs, work with elected officials to craft budget proposals, and vote on how to spend public funds. Democracy Reinvented places participatory budgeting within the larger discussion of the health of U.S. democracy and focuses on the enabling political and institutional conditions. Author and former White House policy adviser Hollie Russon Gilman presents theoretical insights, indepth case studies, and interviews to offer a compelling alternative to the current citizen disaffection and mistrust of government. She offers policy recommendations on how to tap online tools and other technological and civic innovations to promote more inclusive governance. While most literature tends to focus on institutional changes without solutions, this book suggests practical ways to empower citizens to become change agents. Reinvesting in Democracy also includes a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that come with using digital tools to re-engage citizens in governance.
Author: Ola Innset
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030388859
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 201
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Book Description
In April 1947, a group of right-leaning intellectuals met in the Swiss Alps for a ten-day conference with the aim of establishing a permanent organization. Named “an army of fighters for freedom” by Friedrich Hayek, they would at times use “neoliberalism” as a description of the philosophy they were developing. Later, many of them would opt for "classical liberalism” or other monikers. Was their liberalism classical or was it new? All new creeds build on previous ones, but the intellectuals in question were involved in an explicit attempt to change liberalism and move beyond both past laissez-faire ideals and the social liberalism popular at the time. This book provides a contextual, historical understanding of the development of neoliberal ideas, by studying its evolution from the first socialist calculation debates in Red Vienna to the founding meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947. The author examines key neoliberal conceptions of totalitarianism, market mechanisms and states, and presents a detailed study of the discussions during the first meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society. Offering a new perspective on the ideas that have influenced economics and politics since the 1970s, this study appeals to scholars interested in modern and political history, political theory and the history of economic thought. "What is neoliberalism? In search of an answer, Innset’s innovativeintellectual history takes us to a grand hotel overlooking Lake Geneva, and inside the first meeting of the Mont Pèlerin Society. Our journey leaves us with a deeper understanding of the new form of liberalism that is the legacy of this closed society." Edward Nik-Khah, Professor of Economics, Roanoke College “Reinventing Liberalism will put an end to endless debates around whether neoliberalism exists or not. Ola Morris Innset clearly shows that it does and presents a definitive argument for what neoliberalism is. This book is a must read for all those who want to have a solid understanding of the ideology that is framing and increasingly visibly endangering our world....” Marie Laure Salles-Djelic, Sciences Po Paris
