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Wie steht es mit den humanistischen Grundlagen unseres Lebens und Zusammenlebens? Müssen wir uns nicht gerade heute dieser Fundamente versichern? Wer greift diese Fundamente an? Um diese Fragen beantworten zu können, nutzt der Autor ein Konstruktionsprinzip, mit dem die humanistischen Anstrengungen seit Petrarca in dreifacher Weise gerahmt werden: Zum einen werden diese Anstrengungen in die jeweiligen historischen Kontexte eingeordnet; zum zweiten greift er auf Reflexionen zurück, die sich in den verschiedenen Entwicklungsetappen der Psychologie explizit oder implizit auf den Humanismus beziehen; drittens schließlich macht er auf judenfeindliche und antisemitische Äußerungen, Vorurteile, Diskriminierungen und Vernichtungsexzesse aufmerksam, um die Ambivalenzen der verschiedenen humanistischen Anstrengungen zu verdeutlichen. Denn, so der Autor, die Einstellung und das Verhalten gegenüber Jüdinnen und Juden sind der Lackmustest eines jeglichen Humanismus.

Die europäischen Integrationsanstrengungen stehen auf der Kippe. Dabei wirkt die Euro-Währungsunion in ihrer jetzigen Verfassung ungewollt eher als ein Des-Integrationsfaktor denn als ein verbindendes Element. Dirk Meyer liefert Zustandsbeschreibungen, Analysen und Hintergründe dieser Krise. Das Buch ist das Ergebnis einer über zehnjährigen Beschäftigung mit der Thematik.

This book focuses on relatively neglected areas of simulation and gaming (S&G), i.e., cultural aspects and ethical issues, in addition to giving readers a basic knowledge of S&G. Although the educational effects of S&G, and related methods such as gamification, as well as serious games have been studied and are gaining recognition, their downsides are often overlooked. For example, there is always a risk of manipulation by games if maliciously designed and facilitated. Ethical codes of game designers, facilitators, and educators must be established on the basis of academic research. Considerations of the ethics of games are essential not only for S&G researchers and educators but also for the general public, because games have sometimes been used for propaganda purposes in the past and could be again, in the present and future. Looking at the cultural aspect, as the S&G community has accumulated research over 50 years, the book includes the knowledge of the pioneers, i.e., archival interview data. This is the first book that includes extensive interviews of researchers and commercial game designers and critics. It also contains diverse topics from the perspective of gender and Japanese culture. Japan has been attracting attention in the field of board games as there are many independent game designers and an expanding market. Although women in S&G have gained some recognition, the topic has been rather ignored and was first officially discussed in 2019 at the international conference of the International Simulation and Gaming Association held in Warsaw. In summary, by focusing on comparatively overlooked or neglected aspects of S&G, this book expands future opportunities in the field for researchers and educators, with increased awareness by the general public.

This book examines the process, policies, and politics of urban development in China, with particular attention to city region governance, urban redevelopment, and urban–rural interaction through intensive theoretical discussions and extensive case studies. It offers ample data, pictures, and illustrations to provide readers with a deep understanding of urban policies and policies in China. The regional and metropolitan perspective is emphasized to analyze the urban–rural transition and how it affects urban governance. This book develops a well-grounded political economy analysis to examine how city region development and governance evolve in China. Such development is the focal point of China's continuing urbanization, and its impact needs to be carefully analyzed. In the end, this book aims to foster discussions that may lead to serious consideration on China's future urbanization route.

This book develops an analysis of ministerial recruitment in the process of government formation, the process of dismissal, and survival of cabinet ministers in Chile and Uruguay. The two cases are countries that, generally, score the highest democracy indexes in Latin America, but also, they are considered as the most stable presidential systems in the Southern Cone of the region, allowing readers to compare within and between cases. The cases analyzed in this book are small countries with a similar history of democratic breakdowns which, in temporal terms, enable comparison. Additionally, given the reasons that triggered those processes, both cases are normally studied together. For pre-coup democracy, the cases include the governments of Chile between 1933 and 1973 and Uruguay between 1943 and 1973. This research does not analyze the military coup regime in either country. Thus, the period is resumed in the democratic transitions for both cases, i.e., 1985 for Uruguay and1990 for Chile. Although literature on ministerial cabinets survival usually focus on parliamentary regimes from the Global North, this rather new phenomenon in presidential democracies has quickly gained academic notoriety. Research on cabinets and ministers in Latin American presidential systems tends to focus on the periods beginning with the return to democracy after the 1980s. This situation means that there is scant knowledge of the period prior to the coups. By presenting an in-depth study of two presidential systems from the Global South, Survival of Ministers and Configuration of Cabinets in Chile and Uruguay, will be a useful resource for political and social scientists willing to study cabinet formation and ministerial turnover in Latin America, whether is on case-study research or in a comparative perspective.

Hateful thoughts and words can lead to harmful actions like the March 2019 terrorist attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In free, open and democratic societies, governments cannot justifiably regulate what citizens think, feel, believe or value, but do have a duty to protect citizens from harmful communication that incites discrimination, active hostility and violence.Written by a public policy advisor for fellow practitioners in politics and public life, this book discusses significant practical and moral challenges regarding internet governance and freedom of speech, particularly when responding to content that is legal but harmful. Policy makers and professionals working for governmental institutions need to strike a fair balance between protecting from harm and preserving the right to freedom of expression. And because merely passing laws does not solve complex social problems, governments need to invest, not just regulate. Governments, big tech and the private sector, civil society, individual citizens and the fourth estate all have roles to play, and counter-speech is everyone's responsibility.This book tackles hard questions about internet governance, hate speech, cancel culture and the loss of civility, and illustrates principled pragmatism applied to perplexing policy problems. Furthermore, it presents counter-speech strategies as alternatives and complements to censorship and criminalisation.

This book highlights the gains that a citizenship approach offers to the study of democracy in Indonesia, demonstrating that the struggle for citizenship and the historical development of democracy in the country are closely interwoven. The book arises from a research agenda aiming to help Indonesia's democracy activists by unpacking citizenship as it is produced and practiced through movements against injustice, taking the shape of struggles by people at grassroots levels for cultural recognition, social and economic injustice, and popular representation. Such struggles in Indonesia have engaged with the state through both discursive and non-discursive processes. The authors show that while the state is the common focal point, these struggles are fragmented across different sectors and subject positions. The authors thus propose that developing chains of solidarity is highly important to motivating a democracy that not only has sovereign control over public affairs, but also robust channels and organisations for political representation. In advocating the development of transformative agendas, organisations, and strategies as an important need, and an enduring challenge, for the realization of citizenship, this book is timely and relevant to the study of contemporary Indonesia's socio-political landscape. It is relevant to students and scholars in political science, anthropology, sociology, human geography and development studies.

This book makes a strong case for the inclusion of Indigenous Elders'cultural knowledge in the delivery of inclusive education for learners who are members of minority communities. It is relevant to curriculum developers, teachers, policy makers and institutions that engage in the education of Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other minority students. This book provides opportunities for exploring the decolonization of educational approaches. It promotes the synthesis of multiple types of knowledge and ways of knowing by making a case for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous Elders as teachers in learning spaces. The book is of interest to educators, students, and researchers of Indigenous knowledge and decolonizing education. Additionally, it is important for educational policy makers, especially those engaged in looking for strategic solutions to bridging educational disparities and gaps for Indigenous, Black, Latinx and other minority learners.

This book discusses the role of millennials in political leadership and governance in Africa going forward. Africa is in the process of significant change. The nature of this change, dimensions, and what change might bring will depend on young people who now represent three quarters of the population of the continent. This book contributes to ongoing discussions and provides a pathway and guide for a new generation of young African leaders to emerge and not to miss the opportunity for real transformative change.The book provides a thought-provoking analysis of the political and economic systems in Africa. In its analysis of development challenges and opportunities, it shows how millennials can be the catalyst for change in leadership and governance behavior. Consequently, the book argues how this can improve the fortunes of Africa's estimated 1.3 billion people. It is inspired by the factual circumstances of Africa's significant history, a deep understanding of current powerrelations, and motivated by an ambitious vision of Africa's role in the world.The book combines a deep explanation of concepts with a range of techniques and recent illustrative applications. It also embraces a multi-method approach that allows for the embedding of primary and secondary forms of data. A cross-fertilization of ontological arguments and analytical techniques from a range of allied disciplines further contribute to the book's novelty. The book appeals to multiple stakeholders including students, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers.

This book uses an innovative interdisciplinary approach to explain how communication is a necessary condition for diplomacy in a digital and relationship-driven world. Divided into three parts, it highlights the importance of communication strategies and processes in contemporary society and in current global socio-political events in general, particularly within the field of diplomacy. The first part discusses the main theoretical debates that shaped the central concepts of the project, while the second part of the book presents further practical approaches and examples of diplomatic practice. Lastly, the third part focuses on pedagogical and methodological approaches, which can be useful in diplomacy and communication classes and for the implementation of a European curriculum. This interdisciplinary book will appeal to students, researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners from various disciplines, including international relations, political science,business, and communication.

This is an Open Access book. The primary objective of this book is to seek out insights into the concept of high-quality growth (HQG). It explores the essential attributes of HQG, such as inclusiveness, sustainability, and resilience, as well as its relationship with transformation, by drawing principally on illustrative cases and instances of international cooperation. The United Nations document on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) states that “We resolve to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all.” As such, the concept of quality growth is inherent in many aspects of the SDGs. A similar approach can be seen in the Development Cooperation Charter announced by the Japanese government in 2015. According to the Charter, one of the most important challenges of development is quality growth and the reduction of poverty achieved through such growth. The approach in the Charter emphasizes inclusiveness, sustainability, and resilience.This volume is a pioneering study on quality growth as well as its relationship with SDGs and transformation. Comprehensive studies on quality growth are very few. The case study approach distinguishes the present volume from some previous literature that discussed quality growth within the framework of general policy. Instead, in this book, concrete cases and experiences provide insights into hands-on “ingredients”. Through the case studies, it can be seen more clearly that transformation and quality growth are phenomena that do not occur automatically but, rather, ones that require specific, properly designed strategies and approaches. Another unique feature of this book is that it aims to make explicit some of the consistent, but implicit, principles of Japan's international cooperation.

This open access book presents an actor-centered study on Europeanization, based on the assumption that EU-driven reforms are highly dependent on the behavior and interests of the key domestic actors. Whether or not a state pursues a European and democratic agenda depends on domestic lawmakers. Further, political elites are pre-eminent in deciding on the nature, form and content of any law, and on the extent to which the rule of law is actually enforced. Elites can overcome structural or institutional barriers that stand in the way of achieving their goals. The empirical study on Romania presented here lends this observation a more profound meaning: it shows how, in contexts where high level corruption is the norm rather than the exception, self-serving political elites cannot be expected to genuinely commit to adopting sound anti-corruption reform. The book is an inquiry into the motivations that drive legislators to make particular decisions, but also into the structural characteristics and dynamics of the elite that invite a selfish rather than responsible and responsive behaviour.This publication was supported by funds from the Publication Fund for Open Access Monographs of the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany.

Relying on micro-evidence on the repercussions of civil conflicts, this edited book explores theories and policies of post-conflict peacebuilding. Reconsidering existing knowledge on the civil conflict and peacebuilding processes in particular, it empirically presents the relationships between conflict dynamics and citizens'norms, values, and preferences in the post-conflict context. Once it occurs, civil conflict brings enormous suffering on the local society. As a consequence of wartime coercion and violence that tear it apart, citizens come to harbor fear, distrust, and hatred of others, especially of those who are in different sociopolitical groups. This can significantly alter the pre-conflict norms and values of the citizenry and make reconciliation difficult across groups in the aftermath of the conflict. To tackle these problems, post-conflict peacebuilding should be well designed so that it can widely cover and sufficiently deal with conflict-affected citizens. This approach urges us to pay serious attention to the individual-level impact of the conflict process and dynamics. The importance of micro-level analysis does not disregard that of normative and/or macro-level approaches to the development of peacebuilding policies. However, the micro-level approach is better able to capture wartime civil–military relations that largely vary between individuals. The book is aimed at linking academic knowledge with policy development in peacebuilding. To reflect existing policy frameworks in peacebuilding, the implications of micro-evidence-based studies for conflict-affected societies are discussed here. A bottom-up approach pursued throughout this book allows us to elaborate desirable policy schemes for peacebuilding that conform to local contexts.

​This book examines social inequalities in Europe, especially those caused by economic factors. It starts with the paradox of European inequality, where on the one hand, even total income inequality in Europe is significantly lower than in most parts of the world; but on the other, Europe is also characterised by profound and durable inequalities within the continent. It discusses inequalities caused by the exclusion of marginalised groups from the labour market, with considerable and sometimes increasing differences between central and peripheral regions, pronounced wealth and labour market inequalities, and significant rates of persistent poverty, deprivation, educational poverty, low wages and unemployment. The book also discusses broader territorial inequalities, which are the basis for divisions between Northern and Southern Europe, East and West, between qualified and unqualified employees, younger and older people, men and women, and migrants and non-migrants. The book raises questions about the winners and losers of the social transformations linked to the introduction of the Euro, the Eastern enlargement of the EU, and the financial and Eurozone crises. It is based on a comprehensive analysis of a European-wide microdata set on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). The empirical research material, which is the first to deploy this data in a comprehensive manner, consists of detailed empirical analyses of social divisions and Europeanisation processes in 30 European countries. It analyses and explains the transformation of the previously dominant national spaces into a European social space. This topical book is of interest to academics and students in the fields of sociology and comparative social sciences, along with those studying European regional geography, anthropology, international relations, and international politics.

This volume discusses how commonality and difference are negotiated across heterogeneous social movements in Latin America, especially Peru. It applies cosmopolitics as an analytical lens to understand the intricacies of social movement encounters across difference, without imposing colonial hierarchies or categorizations. The author blends multiple theoretical approaches—such as social movement research, postcolonial feminism, and post-foundational discourse theory—with ethnographic insights to develop a theory of cosmopolitical solidarity. Providing a transnational and intersectional perspective on the politics of social justice in a postcolonial context, this book will appeal to students of social movements, gender studies, racism, Latin American studies, and international relations, as well as practitioners involved in activism, social work, or international cooperation.

This book describes various crisis situations in transitional China, and by analyzing the unique characteristics and backgrounds of emergencies and crisis, it argues that crisis management has become a major challenge for the Chinese governments. It then discusses the chronology of crisis, organizational behaviors and the decision-making processes to construct a modern crisis management system in detail, to shed light on the creation of a strategic design and institutional framework of crisis management in China. In so doing, it provides not only insights into the dynamics of crisis decision-making and communication, but also solutions for possible problems specific to a transitional political regime in China.

This book analyses how and why we are living at a critical moment in the history of human life on earth and explores how we find grounds for the hopes that will enable us to address the challenges and crises of our time. The author analyses hope both practically and philosophically as a generative virtue to realistically discern the situations in which we find ourselves, and imaginatively to anticipate possibilities when the future is unknown and uncertain. The author argues that hope is a mean between anomy, disillusionment, and despair, on the one hand, and wishful thinking, dreaming, and fanaticizing, on the other hand. The book not only examines – and analyzes from a historical perspective - the contemporary crises such as climate change, environmental degradation and its effects such as the social costs of these developments, but also further analyzes the character and micro-dynamics of hope and how it makes a difference in how we manage the crises which inevitably emerge.Though contemporary crises are those we tend to focus on, the author also engages with what is involved in a due regard for history and the relevance of a sense of history for addressing the crises of our time. He shows us what we can learn from revisiting some thoughtful reflections by thinkers like Niebuhr, Jaspers, Camus, and Arendt. Finally, the author shows us what is involved practically in anticipating possibilities, by looking at hope as a social practice and noting how hopeful people make a difference.

The book provides empirically-rich case studies of the lives and livelihoods of marginalised ethnic minorities in colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe, with a specific focus on diverse rural areas. It demonstrates the dynamic and complex relationships existing between ethnic minorities and livelihoods, and analyses the ways in which projects of belonging (and identity-formation) amongst these ethnic minorities are entangled in their respective livelihood construction projects, and vice versa. The ethnic minorities include those considered indigenous to Zimbabwe, and those often defined as ‘aliens', including ethnicities with a transnational presence in southern Africa. The ethnicities studied in the book include the following: Chewa, Doma, Tonga, Tshwa San, Shangane, Basotho, Ndau, Hlengwe and Nambya. By studying their livelihoods in particular, this book offers the first full manuscript about ethnic minorities in Zimbabwe. In doing so, it highlights the significance of these ethnic minorities to Zimbabwean history, politics and society.

This book outlines a recommended Icelandic security force as part of the country's defence against sub-strategic threats such as human trafficking by criminals or border incursions by other states. It also tests the recommended security force through the development of four different hypothetical scenarios in the year 2030 designed to show the force's successful implementation. Melting of the Arctic ice pack, and the opening of the Transpolar Sea Route around 2025 could lead to an increase in traffic into the North Atlantic from the Pacific (and vice versa). That movement is predicted to bring a massive influx of tourists, business interests, and government entities into the region. Along with legitimate uses of the new shipping lanes, the opportunity for terrorists, criminals, and rogue states to travel in and around the Arctic could lead to increased smuggling, violence, and sovereignty disputes (i.e., seizing uninhabited terrain). A review of Iceland'scurrent security policies indicates that the parliament provided the legal framework to create the recommended security force with the 2016 Parliamentary Resolution establishing a National Security Policy for Iceland. Many scholars and government officials believe that the Iceland public would not support a security force culturally. Yet, recent surveys reveal that many Icelanders could accept a security force to protect them from sub-strategic threats, especially if the increased security could be attained without the intervention of foreign military forces. The recommended security force utilizes Icelandic search-and-rescue volunteers and Reservists to increase the protection of the country funded by its full NATO contribution.

This book offers an extensive comparative analysis of populism and radical democratic theories, tracing the line dividing the respective conceptions of ‘people'and ‘popular sovereignty'. Whereas populism is often said to intertwine with democracy in some way, the contention of this book is that it significantly departs from democratic theory and practice, and belongs to a distinct conceptual space. It cannot be made to overlap, for instance, with “illiberal democracy”, the “democratic myth”, a crude electoral majoritarianism, nor can it amount to hiding undemocratic policies into properly democratic justifications. These positions, frequent as they are in the literature, are contested on the grounds of the dividing line identified, which starts unfolding at the level of the conception of ‘the people'– i.e., of the sovereign – presupposed by populists and democrats. This book is of great interest to scholars involved in the study of democratic theory, contemporary challenges to democracy and the recent upsurge of populist discourse, as it helps better understand populism as a political phenomenon and more adequately defines it as a self-standing concept in political theory.

This open access book addresses the discourse that creates, modifies, and reshapes the law, as well as discourse participants. The book focuses on the actors operating in legal regimes and their subtly, bluntly, or even outright aggressive impact on the formation of laws. As the book examines the intersection of domestic, European, international, and even transnational, legal regimes where new law emerges as a product of this discourse, it contributes to the understanding of the mobility of law and contemporary law's interactive nature. This book provides enlightening examples of diverse legal fields influenced by international, non-domestic actors. It covers a wide range of relevant topics, from financial sanctions to the rights of indigenous peoples, and addresses actors ranging from the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights to disability organizations. By exploring actors, the book stresses their objectives and driving forces behind their efforts to influence law. The book reveals an array of diverging methods used by international actors to influence law. Additionally, the book resonates with Nordic legal tradition and highlights Nordic commitment to rule of law and equality. The authors are members of the Finnish branch of the International Law Association (ILA) and recognized experts in their particular fields and have been afforded freedom to adopt the approach they perceive as best suited to their topic. The book is aimed at a broad range of readers involved in academic research and study; lawyers working in government departments, international organizations, or private practice with an international focus; as well as policy makers and influencers in international organizations, government bodies, and non-governmental organizations.

This book attempts to develop a novel way of conceptualizing regionalism under hyper-globalization. Until recently, regionalism has been often framed in terms of economic interdependence and security connectivity in which sovereign states are the key navigators within the liberal world order. Under hyper-globalization in the third millennium, hyper-globalization forces us to capture global politics at two more levels of measurement at the state level and both there below and there above. First, how 29 Asian sovereign states join multilateral treaty participation to develop their global quasi-legislative types and how citizens'satisfaction with quality of life in 29 civil societies shapes their societal types. Second, relating these two features above and below sovereign states, the book attempts to measure the features and speculate on the futures of four Asian regionalisms (Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia) and their prospect of the demographically largest continent called Asia in the twenty-first century. Regionalism is measured by the proclivity of 600 multilateral treaty participation in terms of speed (cautious versus agile), angle (global commons versus individual interests) and strategy (aspirational bonding versus mutual binding), whereas quality of life is measured by citizens'satisfaction with 16 domains, aspects and styles of individual daily life in terms of survival (or materialism), social relations (post-materialism) and public policy preponderance. The book opens an innovative vista to better understand tumultuous global politics. This ambitious volume leverages original survey data on citizen satisfaction and country-level data on treaty accessions to characterize the trajectories of countries in four regions of Asia as they adapt -- or fail to adapt -- to the challenges of globalization in the 21st century and beyond. Readers will learn much about politics from the basic level of the individual citizen to the most comprehensive level of the global system - and about the interactions of politics at all levels.-- Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University A wonderful attempt to link a country's domestic development and its adaptation to the global politics. It is truly eye-opening and the findings are likely to significantly shape our understanding of life and global politics.-- Zhengxu Wang, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Department of Political Science, Fudan University

This book examines the governance and democratization process in Africa, its history, trends, and prospects. Written by a diverse panel of experts, the book provides an intersectional and interdisciplinary analysis of Africa's democratic environment. Chapters cover topics such as the evolution of democracy in Africa, electoral politics, gender, activism, human rights, and cultural diversity. Critically assessing the fit of democracy for African countries and offering strategies for the Africanization of democracy, this volume will be important for researchers and students interested in African politics, postcolonial theory, democracy, and governance.

The edited volume advocates for teaching systemic ethics as a form of life-long learning within nature's classroom to support social and environmental justice. This book also explains critical systemic thinking as both an individual and a collective responsibility through many ways of knowing spanning the arts and sciences to inspire creativity.This volume contributes to theory and practice by making suggestions as to how to re-frame the content, structure and process of education for transformation. This volume makes a case for a more relational understanding of human beings and other species. This volume also explores a more integrated curriculum where learners are given the opportunity to explore many ways of knowing and learning to earn, learn and grow a future through circular economies, co-operatives and learning communities. This book highlights how the models of sustainable development focus on education for wellbeing in line with the UNESCO approach outlined in 2021 that emphasizes the systemic nature of education rooted in protecting the environment and supported by the participation of active global citizens.This volume demonstrates transformation of our thinking and practice is overdue and calls for changing the narrative through our standing together and redesigning systems of education to prioritize a more holistic worldview that embraces the planet and living systems. The focus of this volume is on values, perspectives and ways to make a difference through addressing a range of practical concerns, such as: food, energy and water security.Ontologically the editors'perspective is shaped by recognising kinship with nature, as expressed by Indigenous custodians. Epistemologically the editors and contributors to this volume explore ways to enhance education based on working across cultures and disciplines using a cross cultural approach and mixed methodology. Axiologically theeditors support the notion of transformative research that promotes balancing non-anthropocentrism with an approach that draws on Indigenous wisdom whilst addressing patriarchal notions through gender mainstreaming.

This book explores the possibility and feasibility of building a new model of major-country relations between China and the United States, which is of great significance to the sound interaction between the two countries and the preservation of peace and stability of the world. In early June 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama reached a consensus on building a new model of major-country relations at the historical Sunny lands meeting in California. In the years that followed, the two leaders were committed to that goal despite the different interpretations in its substance. How is the new model of major-country relations conceptualized and developed? What renders it possible? Is the major-country conflict inevitable? These are the basic issues addressed in this book. Now, China-US relations are at a critical juncture. The international community is watching the world's two largest economies and is quite concerned about the future of one of the world's mostcomplicated bilateral relationships. This timely publication of Professor Tao Wenzhao provides us with a realistic approach to managing this vital relationship in a candid and balanced way.

This book discusses in an accessible way how emerging globalizing processes are setting the stage for new forms of social and political struggle in Latin America, with increased involvement of multilateral and foreign actors, and impacts of global political populism and populist social media. These are opening up new strategies and opportunities for activists, and offer new arenas of contestation for international organizations. The book analyzes the struggles of select marginalized groups, specifically the urban poor, indigenous groups, women's and LGBTQ groups, and the vulnerable middle classes. Each case is examined in the context of a distinct struggle for citizenship, identity, inclusion, and or the rule of law. The study offers a broad historical analysis of the region through the context of these struggles. It tackles some of the most pressing issues surrounding the current politics of Latin America, including identity politics, cultural appropriation, social mobilization and protest, neoliberal reform, reproductive rights and sexual autonomy, corruption, the influence of religion and patriarchy, crime and social justice, inequality and poverty, the informal economy, and urban exclusion. In doing so, it details not only how these are not new struggles, but also how they have evolved over time. In the contemporary period, the book explores how the actors as well as character of their struggle are changing through a globalized interchange of ideas and processes. The book covers a wide geographical area in Latin America, with a particular focus on countries with Spanish or Portuguese colonial backgrounds, and is for researchers, students and laypersons interested in new globalizing forces affecting Latin American society and polity.

This book addresses common themes relating to the teaching and research nexus in the knowledge-based society through historical, comparative and empirical perspectives. It analyzes traditions of academic systems and national initiatives, and other factors affecting the main characteristics of the teaching and research nexus in eleven case countries from Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The book identifies key challenges of the academy, and trends in relation to the teaching and research nexus. The focus of case countries is on the attitudes and activities of the academy, as reported in the international comparative survey “The Academic Profession in the Knowledge-Based Society” (APIKS) in 2017-18. The data compared with previous international comparative survey “The Changing Academic Profession” (CAP) in 2007-08 in most chapters to make time series changes. The book discusses the teaching and research nexus in the case countries similar to and different from those of reference countries drawing on findings from the international databanks of the two international comparative surveys and previous research.

This book offers a practical guide for policy advisors and their managers, grounded in the author's extensive experience as a senior policy practitioner in New Zealand's Westminster-style system of government. A key message is that effective policy advising is less about cycles, stages and steps, and more about relationships, integrity and communication. Policy making is incremental social problem solving. Policy advising is mostly learned on the job, like an apprenticeship. It starts with careful listening, knowing one's place in the constitutional scheme of things, winning the confidence of decision makers, skillfully communicating what they need to hear and not only what they want to hear, and learning to lead from behind, scheme virtuously and play nicely with others. The author introduces a public value approach to policy advising that uses collective thinking to address complex policy problems, evidence-informed policy analysis that also factors in emotions and values, and the practice of “gifting and gaining” (rather than “trade-offs”) in the long-term public interest. Theory is illustrated by personal anecdote and each chapter offers practical processes, tools, techniques and questions for reflection, to help readers master the art and craft of policy advising. This second edition has been substantially revised and updated. It provides an expanded, step-by-step approach to stakeholder analysis and prioritisation in relation to an agency's own strategic frame; it aligns and integrates theory about the public interest, public value and anticipatory governance; and it updates a “fair go” multi-criteria decision analysis matrix with the latest iteration of the N.Z. Treasury's Living Standards Framework.

This book discusses the interaction between and the impact of overlapping actions by regional organizations while dealing with critical events. It compares all the sub-regions in South America and Africa from this perspective and creates new knowledge through cross-regional gleanings. The book analyses types of institutional interaction among regional organizations and the effects of overlapping actions on the coexistence or fracturing of regional processes. It examines and compares the dynamics of these interactions in both South America and Africa. The book contributes to the study of comparative regionalism by providing generalization and institutional learning based on a cross-regional approach. It gives to students, researchers and interested readers an understanding of the complexity of regional affairs in multi-organizational environments.

This book scrutinizes the frequently ignored agency of Global South sub-national actors in their interactions with China, using a multidisciplinary approach and eleven case studies. Contributors examine China's presence in the Global South on a country-by-country basis, analyzing how various non-state and sub-state actors are responding to the rise of China and whether they are attracted by the cooperation models that China proposes or deterred by its new assertiveness. Contributions cover diverse and heterogeneous geographies of the Global South, ranging from Papua-New Guinea to Argentina and from Madagascar to the Russian Far East. Examining such diverse cases, contributors focus on two interrelated questions: What is the actual economic, political, and social impact of China's growing presence in the Global South? And, critically, how do the citizens of the Global South understand and interpret China's rise? Taken together, the case studies develop a comprehensive picture of a complex and sometimes problematic process of China's inclusion into the economic, social, and political realities of the Global South.This book identifies and fills the gaps in the existing literature on China's rise by offering a nuanced perspective on China's relations with the countries of the Global South that captures such variables as social context, intersubjective meanings, and identities. By focusing China's relations with the Global South, it also provides an important addition to the literature on international politics of development and China's role in the transformation of the South-South cooperation.

This book discusses the central role education and research play in generating both value and comparative advantages in the (imageries of) global competition, competitiveness and transnational value chains. They are seen as assets placed at the forefront of developments that are arguably reshaping individuals, society and economy. This edited volume explores these developments in terms of changing relations between society, economy, science and individuals. The idea that we live in global knowledge societies and knowledge-based economies or that present-day productive systems constitute an industry 4.0 have gained currency as descriptions of contemporary society that are said to bear direct and indirect consequences for political, economic, and social orders. In this context, innovation, science and education are central themes in contemporary discussions about the future of modern societies. Innovation is enthusiastically embraced as the panacea for all sorts of societal issues of our times; science is equally deemed to play a decisive role in solving current problems and in heralding a bright future with more wealth and more welfare for all citizens; education is conferred the task to producing individuals equipped with both skills and competences considered key to innovation but also displaying the attitudes and dispositions that will secure continuous innovation and economic growth.

This book contributes to the studies on learning processes occurring outside “traditional” socialization settings such as family and school, by analysing civic and political participation and learning experiences. In this perspective, the book delves into the connections between the concepts of learning and participation and, in various ways and from different perspectives, critically interrogates learning and participation as interrelated phenomena, with the aim of revealing complexities implicated in pathways to adulthood. Being interdisciplinary in its nature (contributors come from disciplinary backgrounds such as educational sciences, child and youth studies, social work, sociology and political science), the volume provides an up-to date analysis of contemporary issues connected to youth participation and learning. The work taps into central areas of everyday life of young people and youth meaning-making and generates and presents qualitative knowledge about what it means to be young in Europe today.

For small-scale fisheries around the world, the Blue Growth and Blue Economy initiatives may provide sustainable development, but only insofar as they align with the global consensus enshrined in the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. If states do nothing to fulfill the promises they made when they endorsed these guidelines in 2014, the Blue Economy will come at a loss for small-scale fisheries and further their marginalization in the ocean economy. Under the umbrella of Blue Justice, this book demonstrates that these risks are real and must be considered as states implement their sustainable ocean development plans. These are human rights issues, which are embedded into governance principles and institutions and which make a difference for small-scale fisheries people in their daily lives. In stressing the importance of policies and institutions that build on the experiences of small-scale fisheries people in the contexts in which they operate, this book draws on case studies of small-scale fisheries from countries on all continents to clarify what Blue Justice entails for small-scale fisheries and make suggestions for real change. “Through the Blue Justice paradigm, this book flags the relevance of recognizing the potential impact that different factors, including the Blue Economy approach, could bring to fishing communities, their livelihoods, cultural traditions, and other potential multidimensional conflicts. Vulnerability in fishing communities can increase and inequalities can be reinforced at different levels if individuals and community capabilities are not strengthened… A first of its kind, not to be missed, this book is informative, purposeful, and pertinent in an era of change”. Silvia Salas, CINVESTAV, Marine Resources Department, Mérida, Mexico'The studies reveal that Blue Justice is a ‘governability'issue, which requires establishing ‘right'institutions, that are transdisciplinary (integrated), participatory, and holistic. It is implicit from these writings that the SSF Guidelines and Blue Growth initiatives do not form two different discourses, and that the implementation of the former would resolve many of the justice issues caused by the latter, in favor of small-scale fisheries and their communities'. Oscar Amarasinghe, Professor & Chancellor, Ocean University of Sri Lanka and President, Sri Lanka Forum for Small Scale Fisheries (SLFSSF)

This book examines the use and potential impact of deepfakes, a type of synthetic computer-generated media, primarily images and videos, capable of both creating artificial representations of non-existent individuals and showing actual individuals doing things they did not do. As such, deepfakes pose an obvious threat of manipulation and, unsurprisingly, have been the subject of a great deal of alarmism in both the news media and academic articles. Hence, this book sets out to critically evaluate potential threats by analyzing human susceptibility to manipulation and using that as a backdrop for a discussion of actual and likely uses of deepfakes. In contrast to the usual threat narrative, this book will put forward a multi-sided picture of deepfakes, exploring their potential and that of adjacent technologies for creative use in domains ranging from film and advertisement to painting. The challenges posed by deepfakes are further evaluated with regard topresent or forthcoming legislation and other regulatory measures. Finally, deepfakes are placed within a broader cultural and philosophical context, focusing primarily on posthumanist thought. Therefore, this book is a must-read for researchers, students, and practitioners of political science and other disciplines, interested in a better understanding of deepfakes.

The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the ensuing trial of Derek Chauvin for murder a year later has rubbed raw the bloodiest stain on the United States'history and its world reputation. The nine minutes and 29 seconds during which Chauvin's knee crushed the spark of life out of Floyd was not unusual in the history of the United States. Before the U.S. Civil War, slaves were routinely beaten to death for disobeying orders or running away, then often lynched. In roughly two centuries, Blacks have achieved nominal freedom. But, as this book's opening chapter and expert essays that follow indicate, freedom has been conditional based on inequity of wealth, social, and legal discrimination. None of this is new in the United States; what is new is the number of people rising up in protest, a figure in the millions around the world after Floyd's murder.This book supplies a readable, scholarly account of recent issues in race and racism in the United States that will be useful for general readers, undergraduate students, and their professors. It will be useful in many fields, including Black studies, other ethnic pursuits, United States history, law, criminal justice, intercultural communication, et al. The work contains a powerful historical narrative followed by several important, essays on subjects including George Floyd's murder, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and many other victims of systematic racism.

This handbook presents the roots of symbolic racism as partly in both anti-black antagonism and non-racial conservative attitudes and values, representing a new form of racism independent of older racial and political attitudes. By doing so, it homes in on certain historical incidents and episodes and presents a cogent analysis of anti-black, Jim Crowism, anti-people of color (Black, Latino, Native Americans), and prejudice that exists in the United States and around the world as a central tenet of racism. The book exposes the reader to the nature and practice of stereotyping, negative bias, social categorization, modern forms of racism, immigration law empowerment, racialized incarceration, and police brutality in the American heartland. It states that several centuries of white Americans'negative socializing culture marked by widespread negative attitudes toward African Americans, are not eradicated and are still rife. Further, the book provides a panoramic view of trends of racial discrimination and other negative and desperate challenges that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face across the world. Finally, the volume examines xenophobia, racism, prejudice, and stereotyping in different contexts, including topics such as Covid-19, religion and racism, information manipulation, and populism. The book, therefore, is a must-read for students, researchers, and scholars of political science, psychology, history, sociology, communications/media studies, diplomatic studies, and law in general, as well as ethnic and racial studies, American politics, global affairs, populism, and discrimination in particular.

In this timely book, Brazilian political philosopher Marcos Nobre analyzes the social and political roots of the election of Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil and shows how this process is connected to the rise of new far-right movements threatening democracy around the world. Nobre describes the rise of the movement that elected Bolsonaro as a reactionary and anti-democratic highjack of the democratic impulse unleashed by the June 2013 uprisings, when millions of Brazilians took to the streets to protest against a dysfunctional political system, and frames the Brazilian case within the global crisis that exposed the limits of a democracy based on the neoliberal consensus after the 2008 financial crisis. According to Nobre, the June 2013 uprisings in Brazil was part of the global cycle of popular protests that swept many countries between 2011 and 2013, reclaiming a new model of democracy which could go beyond bureaucratic and technocratic parties and cabinets. However, in Brazil, as in many other places, this initial democratic impulse was captured by new far-right movements which are now posing serious threats to democracy. This book intends to collaborate in a change of attitude, both theoretical and practical, that may help finding ways of fighting the authoritarian threat to democracy as well as of deepening democracy as a life form. The decline of neoliberalism not only did not produce any effectively progressive realist alternative, but also opened the way for a dispute over models of society in which democracy itself has ceased to represent the primary reference in disputes over the best way to regulate life in society. Democracy is no longer self-evident, it is in danger. And the only way to save it is by inventing new democratic practices to overcome the limits imposed by institutional political systems no longer capable of channeling the real struggles in the societies they claim to represent.

This book explores key contemporary issues of democracy in our globalized and highly technologized world. Written from an interdisciplinary perspective, with contributions including the fields of philosophy, political science, media studies, linguistics, and aesthetics, it reflects on the characteristics of the democratic state and democratic social practices.The book features contributions on topics such as the status of political parties, the separation of powers and the rule of law, bureaucracy and meritocracy, equality, forms of democratic participation and governance, comparisons between historical and contemporary democratic practices, individual rights, propaganda, political engagement, and consent. Further, it discusses how global information flows and new technologies affect democratic processes, including topics such as cyber-activism and open-source software as a means of empowerment to ethnocentric and class-centric technological design, globalization and media neutrality, and the mechanization of public administration. Overall, the book demonstrates how historical, philosophical, technical, and institutional issues relate to contemporary democracy. It will appeal to political theorists, social scientists and everybody interested in contemporary democracy.

This book focuses on the current internal and external situation China is facing both from a macro perspective and a theoretical height, and puts forward practical development strategies and diplomatic ideas. It is of great methodological significance. At home, the development thought after the conclusion of the hundred-year change is the guiding thought for China's further development, and abroad, the international communication and the construction of international order highlighted by the hundred-year change also have important reference significance for the world's development.

With cost-benefit analysis, economic sciences cultivate a specific decision-making procedure, which has also been partially adopted in politics. Although economists do not experience the approach as normative, on closer examination the approach can be identified as an economic ethics. The present philosophical and at the same time transdisciplinary (with special legal and economic components) treatment examines the persuasive power of this approach using climate change as an example, as the most important sustainability issue. The objections raised against the economisation of decision-making with regard to the utilitarian tradition, such as the criticism of the orientation towards weighing up options, the alleged lack of distributive justice or the tendency to describe people in behavioural science as selfish, are hardly or not at all convincing on closer examination. In several respects, however, it turns out that cost-benefit analysis faces insoluble problems. Firstly, the theoretical basis of (hidden normative) cost-benefit analysis in philosophical empiricism does not seem tenable. This means the idea of empiricism that normative questions must be transformed into questions of factual (countable and reproduceable) preferences of people. Secondly, there are massive collisions of cost-benefit analysis with a liberal-democratic constitutional law, whose principles are universal ethical principles. This concerns both freedom rights (which must not depend on the ability of humans to pay) and the model of democracy and respect for the rule of law. Thirdly, insoluble problems of application arise for cost-benefit analyses, which are particularly (but not only) apparent in the context of climate protection, in general considerations as in the case of legislation as well as in individual analyses, as done when constructing a coal-fired power plant. A strongly deflated cost-benefit analysis could nevertheless contribute factual material – such as partial aspects of decision consequences that can actually be depicted in monetary terms – to ethical or legal decision-making processes. In this respect the approach appears helpful and complementary, but not beyond that.

A timely contribution to the study of peace psychology in Latin America, this volume describes clinical, psychosocial, and community interventions with victims from Mexico to Chile from the 1970s onward. Chapters analyze how to conceptualize complex processes such as the appropriation of children and political repression, raising psychological, juridical, and political implications for the victims, their families, human rights organizations, and society. Also included are studies and analyses of political processes in countries currently undergoing crises such as Venezuela and Colombia and the challenges posed by the peace process from a political psychology perspective. All authors present the results of studies or clinical cases illustrating creative methodologies and practices in different contexts. This book provides the context for differences in the victims'damages and the treatment approaches and methodologies adopted in each case. The authors outline psychological perspectives grounded in ethical and professional choices based on recognizing people's dignity while seeking rehabilitation and reparations for victims, families, and communities. It paves the way for reparations and rehabilitation, and ultimately to the establishment of democracy and peace in this part of the world.Readers will benefit fromunderstanding the relationship between mental health and human rights understanding ethical and professional dimensionsa broadened knowledge of working with victims

This book considers gender as a convenient tool for making new boundaries within the European Union. It offers a political analysis based on sociological surveys conveyed by the author in 2008–2021. It emphasises the utmost necessity of a proper understanding of specific gender political technologies applied in ethnic and religious diasporas within the EU borders, by EU ruling elites, to avoid ideological collapse in relations with diaspora political groups and general members. The book demonstrates that uncritical application of EU gender equality programs within diasporas may transform gender to a dangerous political force destabilising the European Union. The monograph will be of interest for political science researchers, legislators, and administrators that work with political dimension of gender.

This aim of this open access book is to launch an international, cross-disciplinary conversation on fatherhood engagement. By integrating perspective from three sectors—Health, Social Policy, and Work in Organizations—the book offers a novel perspective on the benefits of engaged fatherhood for men, for families, and for gender equality. The chapters are crafted to engaged broad audiences, including policy makers and organizational leaders, healthcare practitioners and fellow scholars, as well as families and their loved ones.

This Open Access book explores the role of morality in social movements. Morality has always been central to social movements whether it be in the form of the moral foundations of movement claims, politics and ideologies, the values motivating participation, the new moral principles envisioned and practiced among movement participants, or the overall struggle over society's moral values that movements engage in. This is evident in movements emerging from recent interlinked crises: the crisis of human rights, the climate crisis, and the developing crisis of democracy. In analyzing these current events through a variety of theoretical, methodological, and empirical lenses, this book brings morality to the forefront of the discussion, allowing for a rethinking of its role.The book is divided into five parts. The first part introduces and explores the central concept of the book, outlining the dominant existing approaches to morality and ethics in the extant movement and civil society literature. The following three parts investigate morality in relation to topics and movements that are either prominent to contemporary politics or salient to the question of morality. In these empirically informed parts, the authors apply a diverse selection of methods spanning fieldwork, historiography, traditional and novel statistical analytical methods, and big data analysis to a diverse selection of data. Topics discussed include refugee solidarity movements, male privilege and anti-feminism movement, environmental and climate justice movements, and religious activism. The fifth and closing part of the book focuses on the more abstract theoretical question of the relationship between morality and ethics and activist practices and points to future research agendas. This book will be of general interest to students, scholars and academics within the disciplines of political sociology, -science and -anthropology and of particular interest to academics in the subfieldsof social movement and civil society studies.

This timely collection of chapters written by international experts bridges the gap between peace psychology and restorative justice. The Editors combined their respective fields of expertise to start a much-needed debate on the potential but also risks that are associated when implementing restorative justice in the peace psychology field. The volume highlights how psychological theory and research can inform and evaluate the potential of restorative practices in formal and informal educational settings as well as the criminal justice space. The chapters cover both negative and positive peace across levels while introducing the reader to various case studies from across the world. All in all, the book explores how restorative justice can promote positive peace through its connection fostering dialogue, empathy, forgiveness, and other key psychological elements of peace.

European integration efforts are on the brink of collapse. In its current state, the European Monetary Union is unintentionally acting more as a dis-integration factor than as a unifying element. Dirk Meyer provides descriptions, analyses and background information on the current crisis. The book is the result of more than ten years of work on the subject.

The book outlines post-Soviet style of health management in Central Asia. Regional studies on Central Asia to date have focused on states, politics, religion and inter-ethnic relations but not on the health system within the region. Soviet-style policies have also covered only other aspects relevant for the region. This book highlights the public health situation of the region with a focus on drug abuse, HIV/AIDS in the context of increased mobility, and drug trafficking routes which became even more porous after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Based on a qualitative study, the empirical data in the book was collected during long-term fieldwork conducted in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in 2010-2011 as well as shorter stays in Uzbekistan between 2012-2016. The analysis of the empirical material largely draws on the works of Foucault, particularly his concept of biopolitics when analyzing Soviet-style health management that is still practiced in the region. Applying the Foucauldian genealogical method, this study has been structured to trace the genealogy of epidemics to understand the historical path of drug abuse in the region as well as the discursive genealogy of drug politics and drug abuse. Applying the same genealogical method of Foucault, the formative and discursive trajectory of the institution of Uchyot was traced to contextualize the health governance methods that have historical legacy of Soviet-style governance and control of the total population. Drugs and Public Health in Post-Soviet Central Asia: Soviet-Style Health Management is a unique resource for academic specialists, practitioners/professionals, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in public health, as well as a range of scholars and professionals in sociology, political science, anthropology, and anyone with an interest in the Central Asia region, drug addiction, or HIV. The book also could appeal to international donors in the field of HIV/drug addictionwho are working in the region.

The book interprets and recombines, within a subjective trajectory, some roots, pathways and conceptual frames of the planning thought that worked either as dissenting imaginations or generative source to critically question the modernist epistemologies. ‘Critical planning and design'is presented in this book as a field of research inspired by critical urban theory and developed along with ideas and theories that prove to be radical, alternative, dialectical to the mainstream history of planning.In this book, scholars present what they consider as the most important books in the field of planning, public policy and design. They have been asked to write about a book and its author, in their preferred manner. This freedom allowed passionate and original contributions.Three main threads - the three parts of the book - shape the choices of the authors. The first concerns the reconstruction of some genealogical roots of planning (including Cerdà, YonaFriedman, Alberto Magnaghi, and Ian McHarg). The second thread groups the authors who dialogue with contemporary protagonists of the planning debate (including John Friedmann, Leonie Sandercock, Doreen Massey, David Harvey, Tom Sievert, and Patzy Healey). The third thread includes authors who dig into relevant writings in social and philosophical sciences (including Max Weber, Charles Lindblom, Henri Lefebvre, Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari, Georges Didi-Huberman, Robert Nozick, Pand hilip K Dick).The book is addressed to researchers of planning and urban studies, who value the critical re-reading of some fundamental books. Including thoughtful and critical arguments on influential thinkers of the past two centuries, the book will enable students, scholars and researchers of planning, design, political science, geographical, environmental, and urban studies to better understand the socio-spatial and ecological transformations under the contemporary transitionwhile relying on a “usable past”. The book is also addressed to a wider audience of readers interested in the problems of the city and space.

This interdisciplinary book consists of three parts which examine the European Union policies on research and innovation, education and life-long learning, as well as the European Union Pillar on social rights and youth policies. In the first part, high-level experts analyze the European Research Area and its current enhancement, with emphasis on mobility and employability of researchers, especially in times of crises.In the second part, the governance architecture of the European Education Area(s) is explored and the new objectives of the Bologna Process, as well as the EU institutional framework of the recognition of skills and qualifications, are analyzed. Life-long learning is also important for the individual development of human capital especially for socially vulnerable people who could also benefit from literacy policies and skills development. The second part concludes with the evaluation of the EU education and training policy based on social indicators in theframework of the EU 2020 Strategy.In the third part, the book turns to Social Europe and the balancing between ordo-liberalism and ordo-socialism. It examines the EU Pillar of Social Rights and its impact on youth policies. It analyzes the EU youth policies e.g. on youth credit and their interaction with young people's employment and education possibilities, with emphasis on the young people'not in education, employment or training'(NEETs).

This Handbook offers an array of internationally recognized experts'essays that provide a current and comprehensive examination of all dimensions of international population policies. The book examines the theoretical foundations, the historical and empirical evidence for policy formation, the policy levers and modelling, as well as the new policy challenges. The section Theoretical Foundations reviews population issues today, population theories, the population policies'framework as well as the linkages between population, development, health, food systems, and the environment. The next section Empirical Evidence discusses international approaches to design and implement population policies on a regional level. The section Policy Levers and Modelling reviews the tools and the policy levers that are available to design, implement, monitor, and measure the impact of population policies. Finally, the section New Policy Challenges examines the recurrent and emerging issues in population policies. This section also discusses prospects for demographic sustainability as well as future considerations for population policies. As such this Handbook provides an important and structured examination of contemporary population policies, their evolution, and their prospects.