Böcker i Routledge Research in Comparative Politics-serien

Comprising contributions from scholars, analysts and policymakers, this volume explores and debates how and why regional bodies such as the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are formed and sustained. Furthermore, it examines the drivers of, and impediments to, regionalism and integration. The debates regarding what and who constitute drivers are presented in a fresh, thematic and comprehensive manner. Leadership and core states are also critically examined, whilst material, ideational and normative factors are all assessed comparatively. Significantly, in light of the global financial crisis, the book considers the role of crisis as a driver of regionalism and integration.

This volume brings together leading authorities in the field of democratic citizenship and participation to address pertinent questions concerning the quality of the democratic political process at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Analysing causes and consequences of recent developments in democratic governance and citizenship it contributes new and original research to the ongoing debate on the crisis of representative democracy. The contributors deal with a broad range of issues including aspects of democratic citizenship and citizens' perceptions of system performance, political inequality and the democratic impact of participatory innovations.

This book examines the link between religion and nationalism in contemporary polities. By exploring case studies on India, Russia, Israel, Canada, Chechnya, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Catalonia and the Basque Country, it seeks to understand the relationship between these two key societal forms of diversity and assess the interaction between religious and nationalist perspectives. Expert contributors examine a variety of phenomena, including secular nationalism, secessionism, and polities in which religious pluralism is evolving.

Since the global financial crisis, government debt has soared globally by 40% and now exceeds an astonishing $100 trillion. Not all countries, though, have fared the same. Indeed, even prior to the financial crisis, the fiscal fates of countries have been diverging, despite predictions that pressures from economic globalization push countries toward more convergent fiscally conservative policies. Featuring the work of an international interdisciplinary team of scholars, this volume explains patterns of fiscal performance (persistent patterns of budget deficits and government debt) from the 1970s to the present across seven countries ¿ France, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and the United States. Employing a comparative case study approach, seldom employed in studies of fiscal performance, contributions illuminate the complex causal factors often overlooked by quantitative studies and advances our theoretical understanding of fiscal performance.

This book examines the contested philosophical foundations of multiculturalism and its, often controversial, applications in the context of migrant societies. It also explores the current theoretical debates about the extent to which multiculturalism, and related conceptual constructs, can account for the various ethical challenges and policy dilemmas surrounding the management of cultural diversity in our contemporary societies. The authors consider common conceptual and empirical features from a transnational perspective through analysis of the case studies of Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

It is widely believed that the state in developing countries is weak. The public sector, in particular, is often regarded as corrupt and dysfunctional. This book provides an urgently needed corrective to such overgeneralized notions of bad governance in the developing world. It examines the variation in state capacity by looking at a particularly paradoxical and frequently overlooked phenomenon: effective public organizations or `pockets of effectiveness¿ in developing countries.

Subnational political units are growing in influence in national and international affairs, drawing increasing scholarly attention to politics beyond national capitals. In this book, leading Russian and Western political scientists contribute to debates in comparative politics by examining Russia's subnational politics.

An examination of rewards of high public office in seven Asian political systems including case studies focusing on Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore.

Leading international experts and aspiring researchers from the fields of political science and sociology use a range of case studies from North America, Europe and Australia to guide the reader through the complexities of this debate offering an unprecedented comparative examination of public opinion and immigration.

This book presents recent reforms in selected African parliaments ¿ Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Benin, Zambia, Ethiopia, Liberia and Nigeria. It also presents cross-cutting innovations by African parliaments ¿ in fighting corruption, in providing development to constituents and in combatting climate change.

This is the first academic study of the impact of semi-presidentialism in emerging democracies outside of Europe.

This book addresses an important element of public governance, providing a systematic investigation of rewards for working in the public sector, and looks at the impacts of the choices of reward structures. It will be of interest to students and scholars of comparative public administration, international politics and government worldwide.

Explores the increasing importance of personality in leadership. It focuses on the relationship and psychological dimension between citizens and political leaders, with case studies on Britain and Northern Ireland, France, Italy, Poland, Japan and Thailand.

A comprehensive regional study of women in the political executive power.

Utilises a comparative approach to examine paradigm shifts in climate change policy in Germany and Japan.

Explores the problems in regulating the funding of political parties and election campaigns in a comparative framework. This book features case studies on in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.

This book explores the roles and visions foundations have of, and for, themselves in the new Europe.

The Politics of Charity examines the contemporary political role played by charity, as legally defined, in the developed democratic nations. It considers how this has come about, why it is now significant, what it is that is integral to the content and role of `charity¿ that allows it to hold such a pivotal political position and why this would seem to be non-transferable to undemocratic nations. It also identifies and assesses the political relevance of different types of charitable activity.

Brings together research from the Global North and the Global South to illuminate how contemporary motherhood is changed by the processes of globalization.

Social structure may historically have been of primary importance in accounting for the attitudes and behavior of many citizens, but the changes in social structure have diminished the role played by class and religious affiliation. This book explores the role played by the personalisation of leadership.

Examines the impact of the EU on the quality of democracy in eight post-communist countries: Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Ukraine and Armenia. Considering both the political and legal aspects, this title focuses on inter-institutional accountability.

Examines and compares women in local government and features case studies on the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Finland, Uganda, China, Australia and New Zealand.

Examines the ways in which controversies and political, legal, and social struggles for gender equality in Asia and Europe, raise conceptual questions and challenge our thinking on political theories of equality, citizenship and human rights.

Examines the role of civil society organizations in several advanced European democracies: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This book focuses on how voluntary organizations contribute to civic and democratic health and assesses the impact of different organizational types on social capital.

This book addresses an important element of public governance, and does so in longitudinal and comparative manner. The approach enables the contributors to make a number of key statements not only about the development of political systems but also about the differences among those systems. It provides a unique and systematic investigation of both formal and informal rewards for working in high-level positions in the public sector, and seeks to determine the impacts of the choices of reward structures. Covering 14 countries and drawing on a wide range of data sources, this work will be of great interest to students and scholars of comparative public administration, international politics and government.

This unique study presents the results of a cross-national analysis of citizenship and participation among citizens in twelve European democracies.

Examines the development of party politics in the region of Western Balkans, describing party politics and analyzing inter-ethnic or inter-party cooperation and competition.

Offers an assessment of how social and political involvement relates to theories of citizenship and democracy. This work provides a comparative assessment of the potential that voluntary organizations offer citizens for social and political participation in several European countries. It is intended for students and researchers.

Deals with the political representation of women in countries with parliamentary systems based on the Westminster model. Written by a major international team of authors, this study features twelve chapters on both contemporary and established parliaments, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Examines the way in which domestic and global institutions shape and reflect gender interests, and the extent to which feminists can challenge gender norms through political institutions. This book examines regional, national and international institutions. It is suitable for students of gender studies, political science and comparative politics.