Political Science News - IPSA Member's Books

Party Membership in Europe: Exploration into the anthills of party politics

mathieu.stlaurent — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:22:41 +0000

Edited by

Emilie Van Haute

Publisher:

University of Brussels

Release Date:

2011

Number of Pages:

232

ISBN:

978-2-8004-1513-0

http://dev.ulb.ac.be/cevipol/fr/publications-livres-details_partymembershipineur...

European political parties have been recruiting members of over a century. However, ’parties without partisans’ are conceivable today. Clearly, parties are changing, whether they are mutating, adapting or declining. In this context, it is crucial to understand the changes which affect party membership. It may indirectly affect the capacity of parties to perform their various functions in representative democraties.

This book aims at contributing to three major topics related to the study of party membership. The first part of the book is dedicated to the analysis of the general trends in party membership across Europe in a comparative and long-term perspective. It tackles some questions which have not received clear answers yet: Can we attest a decline in the long term? How can we interpret the changes over time? What are the potential explanations for the trends observed? In the second part of the book, the contributions focus on the demand side, i.e. on parties and their assessment of membership, based on case studies. It offers an in-depth look inside the parties and attempts to answer questions such as: How do parties recruit members? How do they evaluate this resource and manufacture their membership? The final part of the book reverses the focus and examines party membership at the micro level (supply side), based on interviews and party membership surveys. It deals with questions like: How do members see their role in the party? What influence do they claim? How do they take action?

This book provides new insights into party membership in Europe. Party membership decline should refer more specifically to mass-based parties or parties which traditionally develop stronger ties with other organisations. On the other hand, some parties are recruiting members when implementing strategies in favourable historical or institutional contexts. Finally, the book emphasizes that joining is not everything and urges to go beyond the classic questions of joining to study intra-party dynamics and processes.

This book is published in the framework of the IAP scientific network PARTIREP supported by the Belgian Science Policy. It gathers chapters from some of the best specialists on party membership in Europe and is edited by Emilie van Haute.

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party membership in europe : exploration intothe anthills of party politics

Les partis politiques québécois dans la tourmente

mathieu.stlaurent — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:53:26 +0000

Edited by

Réjean Pelletier

Publisher:

Presses de l'Université Laval

Release Date:

2012

Number of Pages:

411

ISBN:

978-2-7637-9734-2

http://www.pulaval.com/catalogue/les-partis-politiques-quebecois-dans-tourmente-...

De nos jours, les critiques à l’égard de la démocratie de représentation et des partis politiques qui en constituent l’élément central, sont de plus en plus vives et nombreuses. Cependant, en dépit des critiques, les partis politiques demeurent encore des instruments utiles et nécessaires à la vie démocratique, même s’ils inspirent peu de confiance.

Cet ouvrage a pour but de présenter un portrait assez large, mais fidèle, des partis présents sur la scène québécoise et représentés en Chambre. Ce portrait inclut aussi bien une analyse de leur financement et de leur composition que de leur positionnement idéologique et de leurs appuis électoraux, et montre qu’ils remplissent leurs promesses contrairement à la croyance populaire, mais sans pour autant susciter la confiance de l’électorat. L’ouvrage présente également un portrait de chacun de ces partis, abordé selon une perspective propre à chaque auteur.

Au total, ce tableau d’ensemble devrait permettre de mieux appréhender la nature et le fonctionnement des partis et la composition de leur électorat de façon à mieux comprendre et évaluer leur rôle dans une démocratie de représentation.

Pour visionner l'entrevue avec l'auteur, cliquez sur ce lien: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMLJ52ycovs&feature=youtu.be

The Geography, Politics and Architecture of Cities: The Creation of Culture

ivani.vassoler — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:04:43 +0000

Edited by

Ivani Vassoler-Froelich

Michael A. McAdams

Jesus Trevino-Cantu

Publisher:

Edwin Mellen Press Uk & US

Release Date:

2012

Number of Pages:

324

ISBN:

0-7734-2616-7

ISBN:

978-0-7734-2616-0

http://mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=8568&pc=9

The urban environment encapsulates an infinite variety of activities which are constantly in the state of flux. The disciplines that inform the study of urbanism are diverse such as sociology, history, geography, political science, urban planning, international relations, environmental studies, and literary criticism. Each discipline approaches urbanism differently but not isolated from those that also study it. The scholarly literature in urbanism is one of the most interesting because of the multifaceted approaches and perspectives employed to examine urban areas, the dynamic nature of urban areas themselves, and the varied analyses of urban settings. This book represents a “slice” of the variety that characterizes the urbanism literature. The multidisciplinary analyses and the dual focus on the developed and developing worlds provide, on one hand, an innovative view of the complexities of modern urban life around the world; on the other hand the chapters direct our attention to the challenges confronted by governments and societies to organize daily lives in an increasingly urbanized planet. The perspectives on urban environments presented in this book are a refreshing vision of urbanism that will intrigue and enlighten its readers. They capture the complexity of urban centers as places of politics, production, conflict, social interactions and dislocations, innovation, and where the local meets the global.

Reviews
“… provides us with a world-wide approach to help us escape our own provincialism and help us learn how our city is like other cities in the world, and how it might be different. As we read these chapters we can learn some specific content, better yet, we have opportunity to learn other ways to think about the city.” – Prof. B. Stanley Bittinger, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

“… brings together a diversity of perspectives on both planning and urbanism, which variously challenge or complement in well justified fashion the more traditional analyses.” – Prof. George Pomeroy, Shippensburg University

“This is an unusually international and interdisciplinary collection of essays on the modern city. Authors and subject matters come from Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, [the] United States, Bulgaria, Spain, Germany, and China among others. Among the Disciplines represented are Geography, Political Science, Architecture, Literary Studies, Economics, History, Cultural Studies, and Linguistics. We have in this volume the full spectrum of humanities and social sciences, with topics ranging from in-depth studies of some telling details of urban life, to general theoretical approaches to urbanism and urban planning.” – Prof. Karol Edward Soltan, University of Maryland, College Park

Table of Contents
Foreword: Karol Edward Soltan

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I: Urban Planning Theory and Practice

Chapter 1: Complexity Theory and Urban Planning
Michael McAdams

Chapter 2: Plans and Why They Fail
Jesus Treviño Cantú

Chapter 3: A Catalyst For Change: The Role of City Organizations in the Process of Urban Reform
Ivani Vassoler-Froelich

Chapter 4: Application of the Urban Realms Model to Istanbul
Mehmet Karakuyu

Part II: Urban Spaces: Physical and Imaginary Borders

Chapter 5: “Walls” As Political Metaphors
Vassil Anastassov

Chapter 6: Soft Social Infrastructure—An Instrument of Survival of Poor Populations in Urban Areas: A Case Study of the Roma in Bulgaria
Alexi Danchev

Chapter 7: Culture in the Digital Metropolis: Theoretical and Methodological Crossroads
Sheenagh Pietrobruno

Part III: Urban Development in the Global Periphery

Chapter 8: Political and Environmental Challenges of Border Communities: The Case of Colonias in South Texas
Nirmal Goswani and Joseph Jozwiak

Chapter 9: The Urban Structure of El Centro in Border Cities: A Case Study of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Michael McAdams

Chapter 10: A Mexican Border City in the Global Periphery: Piedras Negras and the Steel Manufacturing, 1935-1990
Michael S. Yoder

Part IV: Viewing the City Beyond the Built Infrastructure

Chapter 11: Barcelona 2004: A “Redeemed Flâneur’s” Report
Jesus Treviño Cantú

Chapter 12: Worldliness in Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul: Memories of a City
Verena Laschinger

Chapter 13: Americans in Paris, Paris in Americans: Symbolic Geography in the Novels of Henry James
Joshua Parker

Epilogue

Index

Contributors

ISBN10: 0-7734-2616-7 ISBN13: 978-0-7734-2616-0 Pages: 324 Year: 2012

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The Geography, Politics, and Architecture of Cities: Studies in the Creation and Complexification of Culture

A Practical Guide to Constitution Building

mathieu.stlaurent — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:04:08 +0000

Edited by

Markus Böckenförde

Nora Hedling

Winluck Wahiu

Publisher:

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)

Release Date:

2011

Number of Pages:

346

ISBN:

978-91-86565-38-1

http://www.idea.int/publications/pgcb/

A Practical Guide to Constitution Building contains seven stand-alone chapters, which may be ordered separately or as a collection in one box.

The content of a constitution provides a blueprint for the operation of a state, guarantees rights and outlines mechanisms for their enforcement, as well as shapes the future of a nation. Constitutions that emerge after conflict are often a result of negotiated settlements and competition between many forces including identity-based groups, former parties to conflict, political and military actors and international actors.

A Practical Guide to Constitution Building provides an essential foundation for understanding constitutions and constitution building. Full of world examples of ground-breaking agreements and innovative provisions adopted during processes of constitutional change, the Guide offers a wide range of examples of how constitutions develop and how their development can establish and entrench democratic values. Beyond comparative examples, the Guide contains in-depth analysis of key components of constitutions and the forces of change that shape them.

The Guide analyzes the adoption of the substantive elements of a new constitution by looking at forces for the aggregation or dissemination of governmental power, and forces for greater legalization or politicization of governmental power, and examining how these forces influence the content of the constitution. It urges practitioners to look carefully at the forces at play within their individual contexts in order to better understand constitutional dynamics and play a role in shaping a constitution that will put into place a functioning democratic government and foster lasting peace.

Download Free of Charge or Order Printed Copy online

Post-Communist Parliaments. Change and Stability in the Second Decade

mathieu.stlaurent — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:55:08 +0000

David M. Olson

Gabriella Ilonszki

Collection:

Library of Legislative Studies

Publisher:

Routledge

Release Date:

2011

Number of Pages:

155

ISBN:

978-0-415-56083-2

http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9780415560832/

At the end of the "founding" or initial decade, the new parliaments of post-Communist Europe had developed two distinct types: democratic and presidentially-dominated. Whilst in the early years, they had been characterised as "parliaments in adolescence," they have - through the second decade - continued to improvise but also elaborate their working relationships with both their chief executives and electorates.

This book examines these adaptations in seven parliaments, comparing both among them and with parliaments of west Europe. Their changes are traced through four distinct sets in context, members, internal structure, and working relationship with the executive. This research develops a common perspective for our understanding of both new and developed legislatures by tracing the steps through which new parliaments begin, adapt and become established.

This book was published as a special issue of Journal of Legislative Studies.

David M. Olson is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Senior Research Fellow in the Center for Legislative Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA.

Gabriella Ilonszki is Professor of Political Science at Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary.

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Post-Communist Parliaments: Change and Stability in the Second Decade (Library of Legislative Studies)

Perspectives of National Elites on European Citizenship

ptavaresdealmeida — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:54:02 +0000

Edited by

Nicolò Conti

Maurizio Cotta

Pedro Tavares de Almeida

Publisher:

Routledge

Release Date:

2012

Number of Pages:

146

ISBN:

978-0-415-68620-4

http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415686204/

Over the last two decades, the process of European integration has become interwoven with the theme of citizenship and the debate on the democratic quality of the EU and of its institutions has become more salient. What are the views about Europe which emerge when we interrogate the national elites of the four large South European countries, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and what is their vision of a supra-national citizenship in its different facets? Are these views sufficiently homogeneous and do they distinguish themselves from those of the rest of the European Union to the point of enabling us to talk about a "distinctive region of Europe"? Which interpretation(s) of European citizenship emerges from a systematic exploration of these opinions?

Using a set of survey and textual data collected in the framework of the IntUne project, the authors attempt to provide some original answers to these questions.

Editorial Reviews:

"This book contributes importantly to our understanding of European integration in a troubled period and is a valuable addition to the study of elites."

John Higley, Professor of Government and Sociology, University of Texas at Austin; Chair of IPSA Research Committee on Political Elites.

"In spite of the paramount relevance assigned to elites in virtually all political processes, most publications are still focused on mass-level citizens. This book is an exception. With an excellent integration of theoretical approaches and empirical findings, the authors make an invaluable contribution to the increasing literature on the European Union and the roles of elites in multilevel political systems."

José Ramón Montero, Professor of Political Science, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

"The entire debate on European citizenship makes a leap forward with this original empirical research so that it will become the standard book for anyone interested in the topic."

Leonardo Morlino, Professor of Political Science, School of Government, LUISS Guido Carli (Roma - Italy), and President of the International Political Science Association.

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Perspectives of National Elites on European Citizenship: A South European View

Young Minds Rethinking the Mediterranean

mensur.akgun — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 09:49:25 +0000

Edited by

Nihan Akıncılar

Anna Alexieva

Jennifer Brindisi

Evinç Doğan

Amanda E. Rogers

Beatrice Schimmang

Mensur Akgün

Lenka Peťková

Publisher:

Istanbul Kultur University - Global Political Trends Center

Release Date:

2011

Number of Pages:

144

ISBN:

978-605-4233-66-3

http://www.gpotcenter.org

This book is a compilation of the best papers presented by participants of the first “Euro-Mediterranean Forum for Young Researchers” in the following two categories: "Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue" and "Euro-Mediterranean Relations". The event, which took place in Istanbul between April 13-15, 2011 was jointly organized by Global Political Trends Center (GPoT Center) of Istanbul Kültur University, Chios Institute for Mediterranean Affairs (CIMA), Center for International and European Studies (CIES) of the Kadir Has University and the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory of the Hellenic Centre for European Studies (EKEM). The book can be downloaded from GPoT Center's website here.

Social Justice and Rule of Law: Addresing The Growth of a Pluralist Indonesia Democracy

ikhsandarmawan — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:55:15 +0000

Edited by

Thomas J Conners

Frank Dhont

Mason C. Hoadley

Adam D. Tyson

Publisher:

Diponegoro Publisher

Release Date:

2011

Number of Pages:

514

ISBN:

978-979-1837-58-3

Indonesia in the 21st century faces tremendous opportunities as well challenges.Having made significant progress in its transition to a genuinely democratic system in the past 13 years, this fourth populous country in the world, Indonesia must continue to address its great diversity, avoiding the many pitfalls that lay ahead. Social justice and the rule of law are critical issues that demand the attention of policymakers and intellectuals, all those with an interest in building a prosperous and confident nation ready to take its place as an important power in the world.

The 3rd Yale Indonesia Forum Conference, held in Diponegoro University, July 2010, addressed a variety of critical issues and points of contention related to social justice and the rule of law. This book is the result of the efforts of all participants and contributors,critiquing past errors and pointing optimistically to the future. This collection of papers demonstrates that cooperation and critical engagement between citizens and the democratically elected governmental structures of Indonesia are necessary to address the future challenges of social justice and the rule of law.

Changes for Democracy. Actors, Structures, Processes

mathieu.stlaurent — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:33:37 +0000

Leonardo Morlino

Collection:

Oxford Studies in Democratization

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Release Date:

2012

Number of Pages:

312

ISBN:

9780199572533

ISBN:

9780199698110

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/ComparativePolitics/?view...

In this major new work, based on an unprecedented range of empirical and theoretical reflection, Leonardo Morlino presents a broad-ranging and far-reaching analysis of the mechanisms and processes of democratization. Having reviewed the main theoretical positions in the literature, he goes on to discuss the key features required of a new definition of democracy and to highlight and discuss the existence of a new type of regime: the hybrid regime. The second and third parts of the book cover three geopolitical areas (Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Latin America) and examine the main issues in the process of democratization across each area, including the transition toward democracy, installation, consolidation and crisis. From this analysis a new, more nuanced theoretical position is developed and presented. The analysis provides the richest reflection yet on one of the most important political processes of the modern times. Changes for Democracy will be essential reading for all scholars and students of democratization.

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Changes for Democracy: Actors, Structures, Processes (Oxford Studies in Democratization)

Une droitisation de la classe ouvrière en Europe?

mathieu.stlaurent — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:34:58 +0000

Edited by

Jean-Michel De Waele

Mathieu Vieira

Collection:

Politiques comparées

Publisher:

Éditions Economica

Release Date:

2012

Number of Pages:

218

ISBN:

978-2-7178-6139-6

http://www.ulb.ac.be/oratio/notegen?f_context=unibooks&noteid=616&style=&f_type=...

Assistons-nous à une droitisation de la classe ouvrière en Europe ?

Sinon provocante, la question posée est assurément inconfortable pour la gauche tant elle remet en cause des corrélations naturalisées entre cette dernière et le monde ouvrier.

Depuis 2005 et l’arrivée d’Angela Merkel en Allemagne, les droites européennes ne cessent d’engranger les victoires électorales. Les échecs répétés des partis de gauche ont ainsi conduit de nombreux commentateurs à expliquer la droitisation de l’Europe par l’hégémonie culturelle de la droite qui aurait gagné la bataille des idées et par un glissement à droite voire à l’extrême droite d’une partie de l’électorat ouvrier.

Dans une perspective résolument comparative, cet ouvrage privilégie cette deuxième entrée et interroge les raisons, les enjeux et les effets de cette dynamique de désalignement. Où en est aujourd’hui le vote de classe chez les populations ouvrières ? Comment entendre la notion même de droitisation ?

En répondant à ces questions, cet ouvrage offre des outils pour mieux comprendre le formidable enjeu politique qui se noue aujourd’hui dans les démocraties européennes autour des classes populaires.

Table des matières

Introduction
Jean-Michel De Waele et Mathieu Vieira

PARTI E I. ÉTUDES COMPARATIVES

Chapitre 1 / Les tendances de droite au sein de la classe ouvrière. Réflexions sur les thèses de Seymour Martin Lipset
Daniel-Louis Seiler

Chapitre 2 / Comment aborder les métamorphoses du vote ouvrier en Europe
Nonna Mayer

Chapitre 3 / Les ouvriers sont-ils plus autoritaires et plus xénophobes que les autres groupes sociaux ?
Pierre Bréchon

Chapitre 4 / Les dimensions spatiales de la droitisation de la classe ouvrière
Michel Bussi, Christian Vandermotten et Gilles Van Hamme

Chapitre 5 / La classe ouvrière est-elle encore de gauche ? Analyse comparée en France et en Belgique
Elisabeth Dupoirier et André-Paul Frognier

PARTIE II. ÉTUDES DE CAS

Chapitre 6 / La social-démocratie des idéopôles. Une illustration française de la dissociation entre électorat populaire et électorat socialiste
Fabien Escalona et Mathieu Vieira

Chapitre 7 / La droitisation du vote des ouvriers en France. Désalignement, réalignement et renouvellement des générations
Florent Gougou

Chapitre 8 / Italie : la droitisation ouvrière au prisme des partis
Paolo Bellucci et Christophe Roux

Chapitre 9 / Les ouvriers polonais et la gauche : une relation en question
Jean-Michel De Waele et Maïté Leroy