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10041. The Future of Power

Author:
John Coffey
Publication Date:
09-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
PRISM
Institution:
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Abstract:
In his latest book, Joseph Nye presents a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted dimensions of power and advances a framework for what he calls “liberal realism.” Nye writes for the “intelligent reader” rather than an academic audience and offers a set of recommendations for a smart power strategy in the 21st century Smart power, he explains, is “the combination of the hard power of coercion and payment with the soft power of persuasion and attraction.”

10042. Weak Links: Fragile States, Global Threats, and International Security

Author:
Pauline Baker
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
PRISM
Institution:
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Abstract:
Imagine a debate erupting in the United States over how much the government should invest in cancer research. (Such a debate might well emerge from the budget cutting that we are going to face over the next few years.) One school of thought argues that we should continue to fund the research generously because men have about a 1 in 2 chance of developing cancer at some point in their lives, and women have a 1 in 3 chance. Impressive statistics, says the other side, but while millions may contract cancer, the actual number of cancer deaths is estimated to be less than 600,000 in 2011. Millions of Americans may suffer and we should make them comfortable, but cancer is not an existential threat to America. We need not continue funding the search for a cure.
Political Geography:
United States and America

10043. Volunteering in Japan and Germany: How moral citizenship strengthens society and the state

Author:
Patrick Hein
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
For many years the prevailing image of Japan and Germany was one of “strong state, weak civil society”. The market and the state dominated public life. This article traces the role of the state in the civil society traditions of Japan and Germany and questions the “state versus civil society” institutional approach. First, it proposes a normative theoretical framework that overcomes the state/civil society dichotomy by highlighting the impact of political culture on institutional patterns of governance. Second, it contends that  modern volunteering is agent based and driven by concerns for “moral citizenship” going beyond mere advocacy and traditional political activism. Third, it argues that libertarian value changes represent a shift towards greater autonomy and self-assertiveness among citizens. The article concludes that selfless volunteering has been incremental in shaping a more legitimate state and a more self responsible society in both countries.
Political Geography:
Japan and Germany

10044. Changing games and evolving contexts: Political bargaining in European energy disputes

Author:
Fabio Franch
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
Game theory fails to adequately account for an evolving context which can affect the preferences of disputing actors, an issue which the author find to be likely to systematically produce inaccurate explanations and predictions. Empirical evidence is presented that supports the claim that the start of recent natural gas crises has damaged the GDP growth of 9 external European countries. A Pooled Panel Nonlinear Auto Regressive Conditional Heteroskedasti city (PP-NARCH) model and Box-Tiao intervention models are selected to support the validity of what is defined as a 'Fully-Fuzzy' (FF) game. The findings presented here are then enriched with a summary of the most relevant statements, agreements, and partnerships which are likely to have exerted pressure on Russia and the other negotiating country.
Political Geography:
Russia and Europe

10045. Costs and benefits of natural experiments in political science

Author:
Elena Labzina
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
Natural experiment is a research design that is widely employed in modern Political Science. Yet, in the existing literature the features of the concept are ambiguous. The major aim of this article is to refine the related theory and argue natural experiments provide valid estimates in terms of causal inference. First, the author summarizes briefly and develops the related theory:  the 'as-if' treatment randomization assumption is redefined with the introduction of  the expected exchangeability treatment assumption, which enables their classification more as natural experiments. Second, based on the renewed theory, the author proposes an algorithm for the assessment of assumed natural experiments. Third, the algorithm is applied to five illustrative cases of recent natural experiments from Political Science. As a result, it is found that only two of them may be considered capable of providing valid inference. The major empirical finding is these two valid  natural experiments are 'hidden' experiments, e.g. the individual(s) who were unaware that they assigned treatment had performed  the randomization. This leads to the conclusion that the mysterious “nature” in nature experiments is human beings.

10046. Secularization of politics and law

Author:
Candan Turkkan
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
This paper offers a theoretical analysis of the interplays of secularization in the sphere of law and the sources of legality in liberal democracies. First section focuses on the sphere of law, and argues that not only its form and content, but also its enforcement has become secular. These surely happen simultaneously with secularization in a different yet related aspect of governance – namely, the practices of law-making. The following section argues that secularization in this particular area of who makes the law has taken place in conjunction with the rise of liberal, parliamentary, constitutional democracy that attributes the constituent power of the politico-legal system to the people. A direct effect of this is observable in the ways people identify (identity) with the politico-legal system and how the system represents (representation) the people have changed; this is extensively discussed in the last section.
Topic:
Law
Political Geography:
North America

10047. Nick Couldry, Sonja M. Livingstone, and Tim Markham, Media consumption and public engagement. Beyond the Presumption of Attention

Author:
Lucia Vesnic-Alujevic
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
The consumption of media in everyday life is not a new topic and has been present in different studies of media, political communication since the time when mass media began to play an important role in the society. However, it is interesting to study media consumption in contemporary society because of many changes on one side in media landscape, influenced by the appearance of new information and communication technologies, and on the other with the decrease of political participation in many democratic societies. For democratic governments, citizen participation, at the first place as voters, should be a key element in the process of establishing goals in a society. Mass media represents a place where ideas and interests can be freely presented and discussed, but they have also served as a sort of assistance for political participation, thus they have an important role both in everyday life and also in politics.
Topic:
Communications

10048. Iñaki Garcia Blanco, Sofie Van Bauwel, and Bart Cammaerts (eds.), Media Agoras. Democracy, Diversity and Communication

Author:
Daniel Şandru
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
The normative theory of democracy often states that, among the conditions needed for democracy to function, consensus between leaders and social groups, freedom of speech and access to alternative sources of information are those which contribute decisively to the configuration of a public space wherein debate reveals its significance in relation to “the fallacy of electoralism” stressed by the studies on democratisation. In other words, the contemporary understanding of democracy – also supported by empirical analyses specific to comparative politics – no longer illustrates the belief that this system resides only in “free and fair” electoral processes – a condition which is necessary but not sufficient for the existence of democracy – but stresses instead the need to include debate in decision-making processes, by giving an opportunity to speak to all the groups activating in the social space.
Topic:
Communications

10049. Marc Morjé Howard, The Politics of Citizenship in Europe

Author:
Ivana Tomovska
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
The empirical study of citizenship policy in Europe still represents a poorly understood topic. A number of studies concentrate on the rights and practices of citizens as well as the issues of new migrants and their citizenship status. However, to the present there has been very scarce analysis produced treating comparative studies of citizenship across Europe and providing both historical and quantitative analysis.
Political Geography:
Europe

10050. Sigal R. Ben-Porath, Tough Choices: Structured Paternalism and the Landscape of Choice

Author:
Jiří J. Šebek
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Central European University Political Science Journal
Institution:
Central European University
Abstract:
State paternalism smacks of an undue subordination to authorities, this is a common intuition. Sigal R. Ben-Porath might however change one's opinion as she has explored the term in depth in areas related to choice, regulation of intimacy, children and education, and oppressed and illiberal subcultures. While examining the value laden “paternalism”, Ben-Porath managed to tap a strong vein which is present in contemporary liberal democracies, that of a link between the debate on policy and the practice of implementing political ideals in particular circumstances. Ben-Porath approached this “last mile” problem with a challenging claim: structured paternalism delivers real options to choose from to citizens whose limited circumstances would not otherwise allow them to realise their civic rights.