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This open access book examines the diverse strategies implemented by national and local European governments to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than focus on individual national case studies, it brings together leading scholars and policymakers to analyse the wide range of containment policies utilised across the continent at various levels of government. In doing so, the volume assesses Covid-19 crisis-management experiences to identify good practices based on comparative and fine-grained evidence. It argues that such a stock-taking exercise is crucial to better prepare European polities and societies for future crises, including climate change and environmental disasters. The book will appeal to scholars and students of public policy, crisis-management, public administration, international relations and comparative law.

The book offers explanations for the striking variation in the outcomes of European integration crises. It analyzes eight major cases over the entire integration process, starting from the early 1950s and lasting until very recently. All cases went beyond a single policy field or member state but affected key features, principles, and objectives of European integration. As such, they qualify as “constitutional crises”. My cases comprise the crisis of the European Defence Community (1952-54); the empty chair crisis (1965-66); the oil crisis (1973-74); the budgetary rebate crisis (1979-84); the end of the Cold War crisis (1989-92); the Constitutional Treaty crisis (2004-07); the Euro crisis (2009-12); and the migration crisis (2015-16). Taking a historical-comparative perspective, the book shows that crises have been an integral part of the European integration process since its beginning. European integration, after all, started with a major setback when member states in 1954 failedto realize plans for a European army through the European Defense Community.

The book examines how US media, public opinion, interest groups and think tanks respond to US Presidents'attempts to market their foreign policies in the MENA Region. The scope of the analysis extends from the war on terror to the so-called Arab Spring. It focuses on some case studies including the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Iran nuclear deal. The book fills a gap in the literature pertaining to analyzing US foreign policy in the MENA area from a political communication perspective rather than from IR or a political-theory angle, which remains the dominant literature. In so saying, the book will appeal to students, researchers as well as thinks tanks and policy makers.

This book delves deep into the complex dynamics surrounding the Iran nuclear deal and its subsequent fracture. In a post-2018 world, following the United States'withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, this work dissects the ramifications of this geopolitical shift, particularly with respect to Iran's nuclear ambitions. The book's central premise revolves around the idea that Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities is intricately tied to its enduring conflicts with Iraq, Israel, and the United States. It argues that the nuclear deal had the potential to quell these conflicts, particularly the long-standing rivalry between Iran and the U.S., thus reshaping Iran's relationships in the Middle East. However, with the U.S. exit from the agreement and its accusations of Iranian sponsorship of terrorism, Iran now perceives a heightened threat, potentially leading it to consider nuclear weapons as a deterrent against a potential war with the U.S. The book challengesconventional international relations paradigms with regards to Iran: realism, which typically predicts all conflicting states will seek nuclear weapons regardless of cooperative arrangements, is shown to ignore the nuanced connection between cooperation and proliferation propensity; and liberalism's emphasis on cooperation is critiqued in this case for overlooking the negative consequences of failed cooperative endeavours. The book highlights the importance of trust and compliance in the success of cooperative agreements, as well as the adverse effects of their breakdown. The work contributes significantly to our understanding of international relations in the Middle East. It draws on an extensive examination of prior research while presenting novel theoretical insights. The detailed case study of Iran's nuclear aspirations before, during, and after the nuclear deal serves as a compelling application of the theoretical framework. Finally, the book provides an in-depth exploration of the intricate web of geopolitics, trust, and cooperation that has shaped the trajectory of Iran's nuclear ambitions. It offers not only theoretical contributions to the field of international relations but also valuable policy insights for managing this critical international issue.

The Palgrave Handbook of Sovereign Wealth Funds provides a comprehensive, detailed analysis of these funds from a multidimensional perspective consisting of 33 chapters divided into seven sections. Section I provides background material about SWFs, providing a foundation for the remainder of the handbook. Section II examines various controversies, governance, and accountability topics involving SWFs. Section III discusses the political, legal, and tax aspects of SWFs. Section IV reviews numerous topics involving SWF management. Section V deals with SWFs'policies, preferences, and performance. Section VI provides descriptive analyses of SWFs based on country or region. It also offers a comparison of SWF similarities and differences across countries. Section VII concludes by examining special issues and the future of SWFs.This handbook spans the gamut from theoretical to practical while offering the right balance of detailed and user-friendly coverage. Discussion of relevant research permeates the handbook. Although other books are available on SWFs, few are as comprehensive or provide a multidimensional perspective from academics and practitioners. This handbook fills a gap by showing how SWFs are a growing and dynamic force in international finance.

This open access book argues that a new policy approach is required in order to tackle the numerous problems the world is currently facing. The priority should be on achieving better outcomes for people, especially those facing deprivation or precariousness, by meeting their basic needs. In order to achieve this, the book develops a monitoring system that can act as an objective, an incentive, and a criterion of success for policy makers at all levels of government and in civil society, as well as providing information to guide specific actions. In doing so, the book aims to promote good health and positive social functioning by providing a new approach to help assess how well basic human needs are being met. This involves monitoring the outcomes of the economy that ought to satisfy these needs. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy, official statistics and monitoring, public health and wellbeing, as well as practitioners.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of multi-level governance, political communication and public opinion in Italy during the Covid-19 emergency. Italy's territorial arrangements of blending aspects of unitary and federal systems within a ‘regionalized'framework underscore the tensions between centralization and decentralization, a theme echoed in many other nations. Given the state of flux and lack of clear direction of Italian regionalism at the onset of the pandemic, the analysis provides particularly interesting insights into the effects of this unprecedented crisis on regional dynamics. Covid-19 acted as a catalyst, amplifying and exacerbating existing territorial disparities, while also highlighting the resilience and adaptability of some regions. The book delves into the national and sub-national responses to the pandemic, examines how politicians and regional leaders presented them, and how citizens perceived these responses. Through this analysis, it provides deeper insights into the intricate interplay between centralization and decentralization, as well as the diverse strategies employed to address a wide spectrum of health, social, and economic challenges. Ultimately, by moving from institutions to citizens, the book reflects on how external shocks can both challenge the democratic underpinnings of decentralization and offer opportunities to strengthen them.

This book provides a uniquely detailed analysis of presidential elections in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. The authors explore the changing dynamics of voting patterns, religious politics, politicians'behaviour and the broader political system to offer new insights into presidential systems in Africa and beyond. In doing so, they address an often-neglected area of political science and cast light on the political challenges facing one of the world's largest democracies. The book's comprehensive coverage of Nigerian presidential elections – and the lessons they hold for developing countries across the globe – is a valuable resource for researchers, students, international institutions and non-governmental organisations.

This book brings together leading scholars and practitioners from around the globe to examine the current roles of and future trends in local government structures and mechanisms in 16 different federal and federal-type countries. In doing so, this volume explores pressing topics such as the institutions of local government, constitutional recognition, financial management, intergovernmental relations, political culture, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the role of local government in federal systems. Contributors to this volume provide a timely and comprehensive account of the integral role local governments play in federal countries and offer fascinating perspectives on how these roles may change as individual federal systems evolve. These individual analyses are contextualized in a comparative perspective in order to gain a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities of various local government dynamics in different regions around the world.This is an open access book.

This book investigates India-ASEAN partnership and their overlapping perspective on the Indo-Pacific region and big powers'contestation and competition in this region providing specific nuances and newer insights. It is policy-oriented and examines the confluence of ASEAN's Outlook for Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). It brings out various contemporary geopolitical drivers that highlight the hidden complementarities and gaps in India-ASEAN multi-sectoral connectivity and its future. The book provides a balanced assessment of evolving trends, undergirded by theoretical debates and empirical analyses with diverse sub-regional and country perspectives of the intersection between the potential for regional convergence, domestic capacity issues, and security interests. It is thus of immense use for thinktanks and media commentators, policy makers, and researchers of Indo-Pacific & Asian affairs, international relations, and China-US relations, interested in evolving contours of Indo-Pacific geopolitics.