A Conceptual History of Political Regimes: Democracy, Dictatorship, and Authoritarianism

Author(s): Adam Przeworski / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2017

The labels we attach today to distinguish political regimes have histories. Applying them without understanding these histories is sometimes anachronistic and ethnocentric. I have little new to say about “democracy” and “dictatorship”, so that the discussion of these concepts is just a reminder. “Authoritarianism”, however, is a dubious neologism. I advance two claims: (1) In all regimes the power to command and be obeyed entails some dose of reason-giving, (2) What distinguishes regimes is the form and the extent to which the authority of rulers is monopolised by physical force. I conclude that the concept of “authoritarianism” adds little to the distinction between democracy and dictatorship.

A CYBERNETICS APPROACH TO THE SOVEREIGN DEBT CRISIS

Author(s): Alexandra Maria Constantin / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

The purpose of this paper is to approach the sovereign debt crisis from a cyberneticsperspective, as a system that includes several interrelated subsystems. We emphasize thedynamic nature and sustainability of the sovereign debt system. The paper also discusses thetransition from a sovereign debt dynamic system to a sovereign debt crisis dynamic system,transition included in the feedback control loop of the dynamic system of national economy.

A Defence of Gender-based Affirmative Action Grounded on a Comparison of the United States and of the European Union Models

Author(s): Oana Crusmac / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2019

This article presents a defence of gender-based affirmative action programmes against its critiques. It starts from an overview of the history and main criticisms addressing affirmative action programmes, and then proposes several arguments against these criticisms. Several rationales are to be found at the core of this article: first, women still face discrimination in regard to access to education and employment. This position relies on the statistical data referring to both the U.S. and the E.U. Second, gender-based affirmative action should be treated differently than race-based affirmative action since women’s discrimination on the labour market stems mainly from traditional gender norms largely exerted within the family and exercised through state’s family policies (e.g. childcare policies). Third, despite the fact that the article defends gender-based affirmative action against the main critiques, it also argues that this measure alone is an inefficient method to tackle gender inequality. The article concludes that gender-based affirmative action programmes are not effective methods to tackle gender inequality because they address only one part of the problem, namely gender inequality encountered in the public sphere (education and employment), while completely ignoring family and caring responsibilities.

A Distant Mirror: Poland between the Visegrad Group and the Eastern Alliance

Author(s): Artur Roland Kozlowski,Andrzej Piskozub / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

The article offers an overview of the position of the Visegrad Group in the history of Central-Eastern Europe. The Group emerged in the 14th Century as a coalition of three medieval kingdoms: Poland, Bohemia and Hungary. Towards the end of the century, Poland favoured an alliance with Lithuania, motivated by the conflict of both states with the Teutonic Order. The shift involved a personal union under the Jagiellonian dynasty, which in the course of time evolved into an actual union (the Union of Lublin, 1569) creating the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów). Nationalist ideology, which emerged after the partitions of the Commonwealth towards the end of the 18th Century, resulted in the disintegration of entire Central-Eastern Europe into nation states formed on the basis of ethnic differences. The present study have aimed to verify the potential of the cultural contribution of the Visegrad Group and the Eastern Alliance for the development of European integration processes. The influence of these groups of countries in the external environment in the development of European civilization has been presented in terms of historiosophical. Today, the former medieval partners are members of the European Union, where they revive the Visegrad Group in order to pursue their narrow interests, thus affecting the progress of European integration. Unlike the Visegrad Group there is Easter Alliance perceived as a bloc of countries with a potential for introducing progressive ideas for a constructive development of the European Union.

A Governance Approach to the Management of Quality Assurance in the University for Development Studies, Ghana

Author(s): Richard Nalarb Yakubu,Suuk Laar,Gilbert Ansoglenang / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2019

The study examines the structure of governance of quality assurance in the University for Development Studies, Ghana. The study adopts a qualitative descriptive research design. The data was obtained through in-depth interviews and document study. Three staff of the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance and 13 Faculty/School Quality Assurance Officers were interviewed. The study revealed that quality assurance governance in the University has evolved over the years and there is devolution of quality assurance activities to the Quality Assurance Officers and Committees in the Campuses of the University. However, what remains unresolved is the full implementation of the governance structure as stipulated in the Quality Assurance Policy of the University. The paper recommends that there should be key appointments of qualified personnel to fill the staff gap to make the quality assurance governance structure functional. It is further recommended that the independence and integrity of the Quality Assurance Committees at the Faculty/School and Departmental level need to be ensured by excluding Deans and Heads of Departments from the Committees.

A Historical Analysis of the Failure of the Eurasian Economic Integration

Author(s): Konstantin Yevgenyevich Meshcheryakov,V. G. Burkov,Ruslan Gabdrashitovich Shamgunov,Lyubov Alekseevna Berdegulova,Milana V. RAGULINA / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2019

Since the fall of the USSR, the development of the integration process has become a foreign policy priority of the former Soviet territory. However, Moscow has failed to achieve this goal: no established structure could lead to significant integration. This research provides a historical review of the Eurasian economic integration. Employing an analysis of the international agreements and treaties that were behind the activities of the Eurasian integration unions, we reveal the specific features of economic integration communities’ evolution in the post-Soviet territory within the period from the Soviet Union collapse to the present date and assess their true fails and gains. The findings reveal that the Eurasian integration appears to have evolved mostly “on paper” in the form of various documents but has had no practical implementation. Its development was characterized by permanent cycles, which member countries attempted to overcome, establishing new integration entities. However, their interest gradually faded, making EAEU feel like the last attempt to implement a Eurasian integration processes.

A kárpátaljai magyarok lélekszáma és a népesedésüket befolyásoló tényezők a SUMMA 2017 felmérés alapján

Author(s): Patrik Tátrai,József Molnár,Katalin Kovály,Ágnes Eross / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 3/2018

According to the last Ukrainian census in 2001, 152 thousand people declared Hungarian ethnicity in Transcarpathia. Since that time, there is no reliable and up-todate data on the ethno-demographic development of the region’s population; however, for instance, migration flows particularly salient since the outbreak of the armed conflict in East Ukraine in 2014 must have contributed to transformations of the ethnic structure. Thus, this paper aimed at exploring the demographic development of Hungarians in Transcarpathia based on the survey “SUMMA 2017”. According to the survey results, the number of Hungarians fell to around 130 thousand by the middle of 2017. Hungarians living in urban areas and in the ethnic contact zone lost the highest numbers. Behind this negative trend one can find emigration as main reason, however negative natural change also contributed to decreasing numbers. The third factor, assimilation has not played an important role in changes of the number of Hungarian population.

A konszenzusok felszámolása – Jobboldali populizmus és a „gender-ideológia” fenyegetése

Author(s): Eszter Kováts / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 22/2017

Since 2012, several European countries have seen the rise of conservative and, in part, fundamentalist social movements fuelled by the animosity against the perceived threat of „gender ideology” or „gender theory”. Being opposed to women’s rights, LGBTQ issues, certain administrative policy instruments (such as gender mainstreaming) as well as the public financing of gender studies departments, the advocates of these platforms tend to regard all political and non-governmental actors, administrative staff and scientific researchers who focus on these issues as a single homogeneous group and an organised lobby. This is partly manifested in grassroots or religiously-affiliated movements and partly in the agenda of right-wing and populist parties. More and more researchers are convinced by the transnational character of the movements as well as the broad impact of discourses and practices reaching across national borders and issues that we are not dealing with isolated cases, but a coherent phenomenon. Contrary to the three most frequent interpretative frameworks, i. e. the national/local political context, the discourse/mobilisation of the Roman Catholic Church, and the conservative backlash, I discuss these movements in the context of the rise of right-wing populism and on the basis of theoretical explanations seeking to grasp the demand side. On the one hand, I argue that the study of this phenomenon provides important clues for understanding the reasons behind the gain of populist forces in Europe and beyond. On the other hand, I propose that „gender” is not the final target for these movements which should primarily not be understood as mobilizations against equality. Rather, the emergence of these movements is a symptom of a larger crisis, and their ideologies are the surface, where „gender” is a symbolic glue. These mobilizations are rather the throes of a contest for redefining liberal democracy where, in the interpretation of its adversaries, „gender ideology” embodies numerous deficits of the established global power order and the so-called progressive actors, and they react to these by re-politicizing certain issues. Therefore, the interpretations limited to a ‘fight between values’ are rather an obstacle to understand the phenomenon, by repudiating or obscuring this important structural realignment. Based on Chantal Mouffe’s concept of ‘consensus’ and her critique of the established hegemony of consensus in liberal democracy, I discuss the contribution of three phenomena that are characteristic of the so-called progressive actors (including the feminis and LGBTQ actors), namely the neoliberal consensus, the human rights consensus and the consensus about liberal progress, to the rise of the movements against ‘gender ideology’.

A politika, mint politikai probléma. Kis János és Schlett István a politika autonómiájáról

Author(s): Attila Gyulai / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 4/2016

Political realism claims that politics can be understood only on its own terms. Realist political theory attempts to have the autonomy of politics recognized and to emancipate politics from the authority of other domains such as ethics, economy or aesthetics. After the democratic transition, Hungarian political theory has claimed autonomy of politics as opposed to technocratic and other deterministic approaches. The study discusses two texts of Hungarian political theory which, differing from the mainstream, conceived the problem of the autonomy of politics in the context of the relationship between politics and morality. János Kis’ ‘Politics as a Moral Problem’ and István Schlett’s answer to that book, ‘Morality as a Political Problem’ represent the two main standpoints in the realist – moralist debate described by contemporary realist theory, however, neither of them fi ts into those positions perfectly. The differences analysed in this article emerge regarding the autonomy of politics. As a conclusion, it is supposed that the concept of the autonomy of politics cannot account for a realist approach to politics.

A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY

Author(s): Albert Ogien / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

This paper endorses a pluralist conception of politics, which articulates three proposals : 1) the order of politics is scattered throughout society ; 2) its institutionalization takes place in a multitude of ways which are not confined to those acknowledged by State administrations ; and 3) forms of political action manifest themselves under modes that often go far beyond the usual bounds set by official political. In such a perspective, politics is not conceived of as if it were totally detached from the daily life of the members of a society. It thus contends that in their political dealings citizens make use of an ordinary conception of politics and democracy which endows them with a specific idea of the common good and of the rights a State should guarantee to nationals. This contention is empirically put to test through two case studies of political claim staking: civil disobedience and gatherings (encampments, occupations). The article eventually suggest that democracy should be seen as a method for organizing ordinary social relations on the basis of a principle : respecting the plain autonomy and unconditional equality of any citizen.

A STUDY ON DEFENSE ACQUISITION MODELS WITH AN EMERGING MARKET PERSPECTIVE. THE CASE OF TURKEY

Author(s): Mustafa Kemal Topcu,Murat Mala,Selim Müslüm / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

With the end of the Cold War, the static environment, characteristic of thebipolar world, has changed quickly into a dynamic and complicated environmentwith new actors. These changes have also affected the countries’ armed forces andnew approaches to procurement/acquisition come into progress. After the Cold War,countries have focused on responding to changing threats with their decreasing defensebudgets. In this study, acquisition models and their effects on Turkey’s technologyacquisition and defense industry are evaluated. The evaluation is performed basedon criteria such as contribution to national economy, customization, acquisition cost,time and risk, life cycle cost, and technology acquisition. Major acquisition modelsin this study are determined as direct procurement, production under license, jointventure, indigenous development, production via international consortium. Finally,it is observed that the best model is indigenous development while the others willserve as technology acquisition for indigenous development.

A System Analysis of Political Life

Author(s): David Easton / Language(s): Croatian / Issue: 01/1977

Politički sistem može se definirati na mnogo načina, što zavisi od elementa koji želimo naglasiti. Iz razloga koji su navedeni na drugom mjestu, u najopćenitijem smislu veoma je korisuo opisali politički sistem kao niz interakcija kojima se vrijednosti na autoritativan način raspodjeljuju u nekom društvu.

A terapeutaszerep mint retorikai stratégia Bibó István politikai gondolkodásában

Author(s): Gábor Kovács / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 12/2016

Abordări germane contemporane în domeniul istoriei și teoriei relațiilor internaționale: lupta între realism și idealism continuă de zor

Author(s): Elena-Daniela Vasilescu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: II/2006

Discussion on the books of Ulrich MENZEL, Zwischen Idealismus und Realismus. Die Lehre von den Internationalen Beziehungen, Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 2001, 286 pages and Siegfried SCHIEDER, Manuela SPINDLER (Hrsg.), Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen, Leske+Budrich, Opladen, 2003, 544 pages

ACADEMIC JOURNAL OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE

Frequency: 1 issues / Country: Romania

The Academic Journal of Law and Governance (AJLG) marks a new starting point in Romanian and European research dedicated to public law and administrative sciences.

The Academic Journal of Law and Governance (AJLG) intends to bring forward to the European and international academic scene, the efforts conducted by Romanian researchers and their European counterparts in investigating the developments in public law and administrative sciences with a clear focus on the European continent. Reflecting the diversity of the two fields of study, the Journal intends to publish peer-reviewed research articles, case and national studies that will grow the scientific knowledge on the European continent from both general and comparative points of view.

The Academic Journal of Law and Governance (AJLG) is the official journal of the Romanian Academic Society of Administrative Sciences.

Acharya, Amitav. 2014. The End of American World Order. Cambridge: Polity Press, 157 pp.

Author(s): Marija Popovic / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

Achieving Competitive Advantage by using the Tourist Potential of Cross-border Areas

Author(s): Oleg PETELCA,Halyna PROTSYK / Language(s): English / Issue: 26/2018

This research aims to identify the advantages of cross-border cooperation in tourism in order to remove the barriers that hinder the development of the border areas. The research is based on the literature on the management of cross-border tourism and the results obtained by the Republic of Moldova in the field of tourism following the cross-border cooperation between Romania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova in Prut river area. In the context of increased flexibility of governance structures and related cross-border regionalization processes, effective cooperation is possible to optimize the use of tourism potential to gain competitive advantage over other regions.

ACTIVITATEA DE CERCETARE ŞTIINŢIFICĂ, DEZVOLTARE TEHNOLOGICĂ ŞI INOVARE UN DOMENIU STRATEGIC NEGLIJAT

Author(s): I. Gabriel Nastase / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 20/2014

The problems regarding funding of the R&D area (below 0.5% of GDP), below the majority level of EU countries, deficitary (including the presence of corruption) organizing of R&D activity, destruction of human resources, of specialists who work in the R & D area, their humiliation and lack of social dialogue, are the main factors who contribute systematically, for 25 years, "step by step", to the irreversible destruction of R & D.

Adaptacja polityczna Singapuru w Stowarzyszeniu Narodów Azji Południowo-Wschodniej

Author(s): ANNA GRZYWACZ / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 4/2015

The article focuses on the analysis of Singapore’s political adaptation. The author attempts to answer the following question: What kind of strategy of political adaptation has been adopted by Singapore as regards its activity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? The paper verifies the hypothesis that Singapore’s political adaptation is characterised by creativity, which means that Singapore strives to adjust to the changes taking place in the regional environment and tries to influence its shape. The article is divided into several parts. In the first one, the author discusses the concept of political adaptation, the second one focuses on the vision and principles of Singapore’s foreign policy, and the subsequent ones describe the country’s activity in ASEAN.

Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Romania: Current Issues and Future Perspectives

Author(s): Alexandru Clain / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

One of the main objectives of the Education and Training 2020 Strategy is to increase participation rates in lifelong learning across EU member states. In spite of the fact that almost six years have passed since the strategy was adopted, empirical data shows that Romania has the lowest participation rate of adults in lifelong learning among EU member states, of only 1.5%. Starting from this premise, the present paper has two main objectives. The first objective is to determine the current state of affairs regarding the participation of adults in Romania in lifelong learning in general, and in adult education in particular, by looking at the main EU benchmarks in the field of lifelong learning. The second objective is to conduct a critical assessment of the current policy framework for lifelong learning in Romania, with special focus on the National Education Law from 2011 and the National Strategy for Lifelong Learning 2015 – 2020, in order to identify the main features of the policy framework, as well as potential issues and risks that could have a negative impact with regard to reaching desired results. Furthermore, several recommendations, which could contribute to increasing the participation of adults in lifelong learning, will be made.