Avant que ca ne soit trop tard

Author(s): Alin Fumurescu / Language(s): French Issue: 1-2/1997

L'euphorie a passe. Apres la fete de la chute du communisme on se reveille un peu etourdi, avec une planete pleine de megots, de verres sales et de coflits a gerer. Le monde a change, les acteurs et les concepts aussi. Memes les guerres. Essayant de tenir le pas, l'ONU a modifie, a son tour, ses modalites d'action. Au debut ca semblait fonctionner tres bien, puis on s'est rendu compte qu'en effet cela ne marchait pas du tout. Pourquoi? Et quoi faire? Voila les questions auxquelles on va essayer de repondre. Avant que ca ne soit trop tard.

Social Exclusion in Contemporary Europe? (Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives)

Author(s): Valentin Naumescu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2000

A new "social evil" has been identified and nowadays it seems to become the central issue of the advanced social studies. Beginning with early 1990`s, both in US and Western Europe, social researchers, political scientists and especially students in Anthropology talk about exclusion as the main `disease` of contemporary societies. Feminists, multiculturalists and other `theorists of difference` strongly demand societal recognition and participation for certain groups (often called `minorities`), traditionally considered excluded from public life or located at the borderline. As we shall notice later, exclusion and marginality have clear and distinct meanings, even they use to focus on the same kind of problems. `Who is in and who is out?` this is one of the major interrogations that often press social researchers to identify limits of the communities and to describe the core of these groups. It is self-evident that such a rigid and exclusivist approach cannot assimilate the liberal theory of the open society and thus fail in the effort of explaining dynamic processes like social mobility, frontiers` dissolution or cultural globalization. According to Robert Goodin, ,,the solution is not to make our communities more inclusive but rather to change their nature- making them at one and the same time both less exclusive and less inclusive”.

La Politica Europea dell’Italia

Author(s): Beatrice Semzaconi / Language(s): Italian Issue: 1/2000

È passato mezzo secolo dalla prima realizzazione dell’unità europea: quella Comunità del carbone e dell’acciaio considerata come la prima tappa del processo dell’integrazione europea, e l’Europa è una realtà fondamentale e irreversibile nella vita dei Paesi che ne fanno parte. Nella prima parte di questo saggio si farà una presentazione generale dell’integrazione europea, delle principali tappe di questo processo evolutivo. Nella seconda parte si presenterà la politica europea dell’Italia, evocando sia le fasi del europeismo concreto dell’Italia, sia quelle del europeismo di basso profilo. L’Italia compie le grandi scelte europeiste grazie alla politica di De Gasperi, l’uomo politico che ha portato l’Italia nel nucleo dei paesi costituenti la CECA. Il vero problema dell’Italia è l’inconsecvenza della sua politica estera. L’Italia fu per lungo tempo percepita nell’Unione europea come "un membro europeo che ha dei problemi", come "il malato d’Europa".

Integration and National Interest. Current Issues of Hungary’s Foreign Policy

Author(s): Katalin Vass / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2000

For the last few years Hungary’s trend in foreign policy was to realize an equilibrum between three aims closely related to each other. These are the obligation to the case of Euro-Atlantic integration, the implementation of good relations with the neighboring states and the undertaken of moral and political responsibility towards Hungarian minorities across the frontiers of the country. This triple priority of the Hungarian governmental policy is widely supported by the Hungarian political classes and parliamentary parties, which doesn’t mean the existence of total agreement in Hungarian public life regarding the hierarchy and the relation between these aims. This orientation of the Hungarian foreign policy may be considered a successful one. Hungary has already attracted a full one-half of Western investment in Eastern Europe since 1989 and in April 1994 Hungary became the first state in Eastern Europe to make formal application for European Union membership. A smooth and painless passage through the probationary "ante-chamber" from associate to full membership is conditional upon firm economic stewardship, strict observance of civil rights and unqualified respect for existing state borders. The official strategy of Hungarian governments in the 1990’s has been to recognize reluctantly the existing borders and at the same time to foster good relations with Hungary’s neighbors to effect a closer community of all Hungarians.

European Knowledge Society: Assumptions, Premises, Structures and Options

Author(s): Uwe H. Bittlingmayer / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2000

The current European situation seems rather paradoxical: On one hand, the Monetary Union prepares for the biggest common market world-wide, while on the other hand the NATO-war against Milosevic's Yugoslavia clearly shows, that the vision of a united Europe still remains an unrealistic dream. But, apart from all political and even military tensions, the perspective for everybody supporting the European idea is quite clear. The aim is an encompassing and peaceful European integration, getting further than only providing a common market. The European nation-states have to grow close socially, culturally and politically, too. All European countries should develop at least approximately the same living conditions and life chances.

Mutations dans la gestion des territoires dans quelques pays de l’Europe Centrale et Orientale apres 1989

Author(s): Marius Suciu / Language(s): French Issue: 1/2000

La chute du communisme dans les pays de l’Europe Centrale et Orientale a déterminé, à coté des changements démocratiques concernant les rapports entre l’Etat et le citoyen, des amples mutations concernant les rapports entre l’Etat et les collectivités locales. Tous ceux-là ont eu des conséquences importantes sur les modalités d’administration des collectivités locales. Dans cet article nous allons faire une analyse comparative au niveau des quelques pays centrales et est européens sur l’évolution du processus de réforme dans le domaine de la gestion des collectivités locales.

SUMAR - SOMMAIRE - CONTENTS - INHALT

Author(s): Nicolae Paun,Valentin Naumescu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2000

The Great Depression

Author(s): Cristina Iancau / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2000

The Great Depression constitutes a major topic to analyze from different angles (political and economic ones) American pragmatic statal policies in the field of dealing with the reality of economic crises. The paper attempts to bring an interpretation on the policies of the New Deal.

Immigration in Industrial and Postindustrial America

Author(s): Victor Mihai Stoica / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2000

The paper looks into the question of immigration in industrial and postindustrial America, attempting to constitute an overview upon the issues of the status of American urban communities and cultural stereotypes.

America at the Beginning of the New Century-Challenges, Figures and Policies

Author(s): Luminita Matei / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2000

In this century, the economies of advanced industrial countries are currently undergoing substantial technological transformations. These rapid changes are unprecedented in economic history and are the consequence of the technological innovation that can be realized in the production of the IT equipment.

SUMAR - CONTENTS - INHALT - SOMMAIRE

Author(s): Nicolae Paun,Valentin Naumescu / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2002

L’idée de la liberté chez John Rawls

Author(s): Adrian Gorun / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2002

L’auteur présente la conception de John Rawls sur l’idée de la liberté en le mettant en rélation avec la reseau conceptuelle qui permet une meilleure comprehension du problème – l’équité, la balane égalité-inégalité, l’idée de règle du jeu, la pratique sociale. En plus, il détermine le rapport du sens de la liberté chez Rawls avec le sens que le liberalisme classique lui donne pour trouver les similitudes et les différences entre ces deux sens.

Le Parlement Europeen et les premieres elections au suffrage universel direct: une approche historique

Author(s): Beatrice Semzaconi / Language(s): French Issue: 1-2/2002

Questo saggio mette in luce il modo nel quale si è arrivati alla prima elezione diretta del Parlamento europeo. L’idea di eleggere con voto diretto e universale il Parlamento europeo era prevista gia nel Trattato CECA. Tuttavia, ostacoli d’ordine politico e tecnico hanno ritardato queste prime elezioni, avvenute solo nel giugno del 1979. Il saggio prende in esame i progetti che hanno portato all’elezione diretta del Parlamento europeo, con un’attenzione speciale al progetto Dehousse del 1960 e al progetto Patjin del 1973. Una sezione del saggio è dedicata alle procedure elettorali che riguardano l’evento europeo del 1979: la data delle elezioni, la ripartizione dei seggi nel nuovo parlamento direttamente eletto, il modo di scrutinio, le leggi elettorali ecc.

Europa auf dem Weg zur Föderation?

Author(s): Jenő Szőke / Language(s): German Issue: 1-2/2002

Am 12. Mai 2000 hielt der deutsche Außenminister Joschka Fischer eine Rede in der Humboldt-Universität in Berlin mit dem Titel „Vom Staatenbund zur Föderation – Gedanken über die Finalität der europäischen Integration.”

Die grundrechtsarten und funktionen in Grundrechtecharta der Europäische Union

Author(s): Ciprian Păun / Language(s): German Issue: 1-2/2002

An der Schwelle zum nächsten Jahrhundert und zugleich zum nächsten Jahrtausend steht die Europäische Union vor grossen Herausforderungen. Auf das überraschende Ende des Ost-West Konflikts folgte eine Übergangsperiode in den internationalen Beziehungen und in der europäischen Politik, die gekennzeichnet ist durch einen enormen Bedarf an Anpassung und Neuordnung der Beziehungen zwischen Staaten und Gesellschaften.

A State of Despair: Roma (Gypsy) Population During Transition - Transylvanian Case Studies -

Author(s): Gabriel Troc / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2002

This paper tries to assess the present living conditions of a minority that is generally perceived as being to a greater extent “different” to the rest of the population, be that to life-styles, culture or economic strategies. While a general picture of this population is also intended, the paper’s main focus is on poverty and poverty reproduction among some of the rural Roma (Gypsy) people. More precisely, it tries to find what relations could be uncovered between the poverty of a minority group and a certain construction of ethnicity. I assumed that in order to trace this connection a microscopic and detailed research of all the aspects of life of a community is needed. I done such a research between 1999 and 2001 in the village Nusfalău (Sălaj), where I could track the history of two Roma communities from 1850 up to the present. The results of this research, which I’m presenting in this paper, put in comparison a very poor Roma community, whose daily life is pictured in great details, with a rich one, trying to explain how variables like history, mobility, degree of assimilation and traditional work patterns - in connection with different constructions of ethnicity - determine or prevent the state of poverty. One of the most unexpected and puzzling finding of the research is that the more assimilated a rural Roma community is, the greater are the chances to remain poor or even to become extremely poor during transition, and the less assimilated or “traditional” a community stay, the greater are the chances to cope or to enrich during transition.

Das Nationalitätenproblem in Russland

Author(s): Alexander S. Grossman / Language(s): German Issue: 02/1994

Mic dicţionar al tranziţiei: integrare europeană

Author(s): Vintilă Mihăilescu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 502/2002

Vintilă Mihăilescu goes further with his dictionary of transition talks about European integration. This term is used often nowadays, although the transformation of the Romanian centralized institution is far from being done. The journalist is interested if the people understand the notion. He presents some interesting figures on this.

Miniştri care nu au citit programul politic al PSD

Author(s): Cristian Ghinea / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 502/2002

Cristian Ghinea makes some comments regarding the new program of SDP called “Toward Normality” (“Spre normalitate”). Prime Minister, Adrian Năstase and General Secretary of SDP, Cosmin Guşă complained about a poor reflection on the program and such fewer real examination of it. The columnist provide evidences that the program is not ideal at all.

O lege inutilă

Author(s): Mircea Vasilescu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 502/2002

Mircea Vasilescu suggests that the “Pruteanu Law” (concerning the correct use of Romanian language) is useless because there is no law that can prevent mistakes, but some educational programs for everyone interested. The journalist refers to the other similar projects (Mussolini, Ceauşescu or Toubon law in France) with no result.