The New Power Elite by
Revisiting C. Wright Mills' classic, an analysis of power structures in the neoliberal era and America's drift toward authoritarianism.
In 1956, radical icon C. Wright Mills wrote The Power Elite, a scathing critique of elite power in the United States that has become a classic for generations of nonconformists and students of social and political inequality. With rising rates of inequality and social stratification, Mills' work is now more relevant than ever, revealing a need for a fresh examination of American elitism and the nature of centralized power.
In The New Power Elite, Heather Gautney takes up the problem of concentrated political, economic, and military power in America that Mills addressed in his original text and echoes his outrage over the injustices and ruin brought by today's elites. Drawing from years of experience at the highest levels of government and in the entertainment industry, Gautney examines the dynamics of elite power from the postwar period to today and grounds her analysis in political economy, rather than in institutional authority, as Mills did. In doing so, she covers diverse, yet interconnected centers of elite power, from the US State and military apparatus, to Wall Street and billionaires, to celebrities and mass media. Gautney also accounts for changes in global capitalism over the last forty years, arguing that neoliberalism and the centering of the market in political and social life has ushered in ever more extreme forms of violence and exploitation, and a drift toward authoritarianism.
A contemporary companion to Mills' work through a fresh critique of elites for the new millennium, The New Power Elite offers a comprehensive look at the structure of American power and its tethers around the world.
Understanding Public Services by
Dive inside this textbook for an accessible guide to the discipline of public services. Perfect for students, it offers a comprehensive account of core public service topics and explains the fundamental elements of working in the public services. Outlining their role in the welfare state, it explores the policies, providers and legalities shaping the context in which public services operate. Students will study concepts of organisational change, strategy, management, leadership and funding, and engage with timely discussions around contemporary public issues such as equality, sustainability and climate change. Key features to support student learning include: •objectives at the beginning of each chapter; •case studies and examples; •end of chapter summaries; •reflective questions; •further reading recommendations and resources. Bringing together authors with expertise in politics and public policy, social policy and law, this book is essential reading for everybody studying public services.
It's ok to be angry about capitalism by
It's OK to be angry about capitalism. It's OK to want something better. Bernie Sanders takes on the 1% and speaks blunt truths about a system that is fuelled by uncontrolled greed, and rigged against ordinary people. Where a handful of oligarchs have never had it so good, with more money than they could spend in a thousand lifetimes, and the vast majority struggle to survive. Where a decent standard of living for all seems like an impossible dream.
How can we accept an economic order that allows three billionaires to control more wealth than the bottom half of our society? How can we accept a political system that allows the super-rich to buy elections and politicians? How can we accept an energy system that rewards the fossil fuel corporations causing the climate crisis? How can we let it happen any longer? We must demand fundamental economic and political change. This is where the path forward begins.
It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism presents a vision of what would be possible if the political revolution took place. If we would finally recognize that economic rights are human rights, and work to create a society that provides them. This isn't some utopian fantasy; this is democracy as we should know it. Is it really too much to ask?
Inside the Deal by
“The Brexit you'll never hear about from a British negotiator. An important book.” – ROBERT PESTON, ITV Political Editor
As a close aide to Michel Barnier, Stefaan De Rynck had a front row seat in the Brexit negotiations. In this frank and uncompromising account, he tells the EU's side of the story and seeks to dispel some of the myths and spin that have become indelibly linked to the Brexit process. From the mood in the room to the technical discussions, he gives an unvarnished account of the deliberations and obstacles that shaped the final deal and offers a rare and fascinating insight into how a major negotiation is run.
It's Not Where You Live, It's How You Live by
is ground-breaking and compelling book takes us deep into the world of a public housing estate in Dublin, showing in fine detail the life struggles of those who live there. The book puts the emphasis on class and gender processes, revealing them to be the crucial dynamics in the lives of public housing residents. The hope is that this understanding can help change perspectives on public housing in a way that diminishes suffering and contributes to human flourishing and well-being. Combining long-term research into residents’ lived experience with critical realist theory, it provides a completely fresh perspective on public housing in Ireland and arguably, beyond.
The Service Organization. How to deliver and lead successful services, sustainably by
All organizations are becoming service organizations. But most weren’t built to deliver services successfully end-to-end, and the human, operational and financial impacts are abundantly clear. In the digital era the stakes are even higher, given how rapidly services change. Yet default working practices (governance, planning, funding, leadership, reporting, programme and team structures) inside large organizations haven't changed. Rather than modernize just one service at a time, it's the underlying organizational conditions that need to be transformed ― anything less is futile.
The Service Organization is the result of years of research and consulting, as well as dozens of interviews with executives. It explores significant challenges that leaders will recognize, and turns them into solvable puzzles by providing practical advice and tools that reimagine what the organization does from the perspective of its customers ― and it organizes the activity needed to deliver the best outcomes. This book is for everyone involved, from designers to technologists and from operational staff to policymakers and leaders. It includes surprisingly simple and doable, but non-obvious, steps that don’t depend on seniority or pay band and that are typically overlooked by even the most progressive professions, teams and companies.
Kate Tarling sets a bold, ambitious and practical agenda for all service organizations. Her book is full of behind-the-scenes examples from the global companies, public sector bodies and non-profits that are now delivering and leading successful services. It shows how to reinvent organizations so they rely not just on ‘transforming technology’ but on putting the success of their services at the heart of how they operate.
Business research methods by
This extremely popular text is the complete introduction to doing business research and is the ideal guide for students embarking on a research project.
The authors have extensively revised this sixth edition to make it the most engaging and relevant text available. New chapters on quantitative methods and visual research offer extensive coverage of these areas and even greater practical support in applying these techniques, while cutting-edge material on inclusivity and bias in research, feminist perspectives, and decolonial and indigenous research is also introduced.
'Student experience' features provide practical tips, presenting personal insights and advice from fellow students to help you avoid common mistakes and follow others' successful strategies when undertaking your own research project. For the sixth edition, the 'Research in Focus' features provide a greater global range of examples, including new case studies from China, Denmark, Germany, Spain, and India, all of which demonstrate how fascinating and essential research can be.
Above all else, the book places strong emphasis on those challenges faced most frequently by students, such as choosing a research question, planning a project, and writing it up. Presenting essential topics in a concise way, Business Research Methods will provide you with key information without becoming overwhelming: it is now even clearer, more focused, and more relevant than ever before.
The Special Criminal Court: Practice and Procedure by
The Special Criminal Court: Practice and Procedure is the first general textbook in four decades to cover all aspects of the Special Criminal Court. It is a comprehensive and detailed review of the Court s rulings, legislative developments, and procedural and evidential rules. In light of the fact that the Special Criminal Court is a creature of statute, the procedural rules are extraordinarily specific and this book sets these out comprehensively and clearly, so as to be accessible and useful to the practitioner. It provides practitioners with all relevant material on the practical considerations, procedural requirements, and evidential issues specific to the Special Criminal Court.
The book covers the range of offences typically tried by the Court, and contains detailed discussions on:
- The most recent case law and legislative developments
- Subversive crime and the special evidential requirements relating to subversive crime
- The rules of the Special Criminal Court and the specific procedure applicable in that court
- The challenges taken to the Special Criminal Court regime in light of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights
- Witness protection
- Investigative powers
- Surveillance
- Accomplice evidence
- Disclosure and privilege in the context of the Special Criminal Court
- Organised crime
This won't hurt. How medicine fails women by
The idea that medicine is gender-neutral is a myth. This isn't inflammatory rhetoric; it's simply true. From the way pain is felt, to how heart attacks are diagnosed, to the very role society plays in the health of the body, the medical landscape in place today is one that was designed for, and by, men.
This book is about all the ways medicine is not gender-neutral, from research to treatment to diagnosis. Throughout history, flawed mindsets have paved the way for sub-par treatment, and the prevailing attitudes that still exist today have had terrible repercussions for women and their bodies.
Blending fascinating examples with historical and cultural context, and reflecting on her own personal experience with healthcare, Dr Marieke Bigg explores how women's bodies have been ignored, misunderstood and misdiagnosed, whilst keeping an eye to a better future. This is a sharp and honest must-read, and an empowering tool for anyone committed to making this world safer to navigate for all.
Handbook on Teaching and Learning for Sustainable Development by
Exploring the important role of education in both pursuing and implementing sustainable development, this timely Handbook highlights how teaching methods at schools and universities can impact the future. It looks at ways not only to inform students about matters related to sustainable development, but also to empower them to adopt behaviours and actions that lead to more sustainable lifestyles.
Chapters from an international team of contributors present and analyse experiences of different learning processes and methods, showcasing the impact of curriculum-related issues and teacher training. Using different pedagogical approaches, case studies and interdisciplinary initiatives, the Handbook explores a broad range of technological approaches and tools to foster better teaching and learning for sustainable development. It provides key insights into the implementation of teaching initiatives in helping to promote sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This Handbook will be crucial reading for those investigating curriculum policies and issues, and looking to enhance students’ understanding of sustainability in schools and universities.
Employee Total Rewards Strategy by
From now into the future, we believe that Total Rewards are going to be the differentiator of great organizations vs. good ones. It's the most powerful way to motivate employees to accomplish organization objectives. This book provides a step-by-step road map for the development of the appropriate Total Rewards Strategy to suit any organization's broader organizational and people strategies. The reader will find in this book a way to break down the organization strategy into an operational set of principles that will result in a Total Rewards Strategy that directly supports desired outcomes.
The Crisis of Governance by
Owen E. Hughes investigates governance across sectors including corporate, international and political governance, arguing that governance, as a general concept and an operational system, is in crisis. Hughes reasons that the crisis is in governance in general, in how societies run themselves, in how companies are run and how international organizations are run.
This critical book examines the ways in which governance enables the smooth running of these societies, companies and organizations, from sub-national to international levels, and how the setting up of structures or institutional arrangements can impact this. These structures, institutions and arrangements are explored from legal, ethical and behavioural perspectives to provide a well-informed introduction to the crisis of governance. The book further examines debates over the facts, lies, science and policies behind governance, scrutinising the conflicts between democracy and autocracy in governance.
The Crisis of Governance will be a beneficial resource for both undergraduate and graduate courses in public administration and management. Academics, students and scholars interested in public affairs, international politics and corporate economics will also find value in this timely book.
The culture code. The secrets of highly successful groups by
How do you build and sustain a great team?
The Culture Code reveals the secrets of some of the best teams in the world - from Pixar to Google to US Navy SEALs - explaining the three skills such groups have mastered in order to generate trust and a willingness to collaborate. Combining cutting-edge science, on-the-ground insight and practical ideas for action, it offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.
Start with why. How great leaders inspire everyone to take action by
Why are some people more inventive, pioneering and successful than others?
And why are they able to repeat their success again and again?
Because it doesn't matter what you do, it matters WHYyou do it.
Those who have had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate in the same way - and it's the opposite to most. In Start with Why, Simon Sinek uncovers the fundamental secret of their success - understanding their WHY - to help you find your own.
How you lead, inspire, live, it all starts with why.
A woman in Defence: a soldier's story of the enemy within the Irish Army by
'A searing, honest and courageous account of professional soldiering in a toxic military culture' Senator Tom Clonan, retired army captain
During her 31-year career as a soldier in the Irish Defence Forces, Karina Molloy achieved many firsts. First female to get promoted to Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) rank. First to attempt the Army Ranger Wing selection course - Ireland's SAS equivalent - when it was considered impossible for women. And, to date, Karina has the most overseas service as a female senior NCO.
But despite a pioneering career, she faced many setbacks in an institution rife with misogyny - from sexual assault to routine bullying to promotional glass ceilings. And yet she persevered.
From Lebanon to Eritrea to Bosnia, A Woman in Defence is the often shocking story of a determined soldier who forged her way in a man's world, and who continues to fight to make the army a safer and more equitable place for women. What emerges is a damning exposé of a venerable Irish institution which has failed to defend and protect its own.
Constitutional law in Ireland by
his new edition includes the following: • A new chapter on the powers of government and the separation of powers which includes analysis of the landmark Supreme Court judgment in Kerins v McGuinness; • An expanded section on the impacts of Brexit on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland; • Recent judgments on the powers of government in interregnum periods; • Expanded analysis of journalistic protection in the wake of the Corcoran case; • Further analysis of current socio-economic rights issues such as the debate on the position of a right to housing in the constitution; • Detailed discussion on recent referendums such as Repeal the 8th, removal of blasphemy and time limits for divorce. Staying faithful to the First Edition the author has designed and written this text with the student in mind introducing and outlining the key principles of Irish constitutional law including the following: • The constitutional history of Ireland; • The concepts of the Nation and State with relation to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland, Ireland in the EU and International Relations; • A consideration of the doctrine of the separation of powers, the organisation and powers of the organs of government, including the Oireachtas, the Cabinet, the Courts and the President; • Constitutional Rights including Family, Life, Education and constitutional justice; • The process of constitutional interpretation, amendment and reform including a consideration of proposed referendums.
Work. Life. Lessons from leaders by
A collection of useful and interesting tips, hacks and insights from people who have made a mark in their field, and that readers might find helpful in their professional and personal lives.
External auditing and assurance. An Irish textbook by
This unique Irish textbook covers the entire audit process undertaken by independent external auditors, culminating in their independent auditor’s report. It is designed to inform students about the background to auditing and then lead them in detail through the practicalities of the auditing and assurance process.
External Auditing and Assurance: An Irish Textbook illustrates the context of the external auditing process as it relates to an entity's financial statements. The audit process is treated as a continuous discussion directly related to the final outcome, i.e. the auditor’s report, and the financial statements to which it refers. The specific audit procedures for each cycle in a set of financial statements are explained in detail, with worked examples that replicate the audit working papers and other documentation to complement this applied approach.
For this 4th Edition the text has been extensively updated to reflect the most recent ethical and auditing standards as issued by the IAASA and the FRC (as at 1 January 2022), including the new standards on quality management. Developments in the auditor's regulatory environment in both Ireland and the UK are explained, as well as relevant changes in company law and corporate governance.This edition also considers the wider issues affecting auditing, such as the impact of geopolitical events, and their implications for auditors.
Some key features of this new edition also include:
an extensively revised chapter on the application of data analytics, robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, blockchain and cloud computing and their impact on the audit;
an increased focus on professional scepticism and professional judgement;
a new chapter on non-audit engagements.
Understanding the internal audit function in the Irish public sector by
In recent years, the role of the internal audit function has gained increasing prominence. It is now seen as a cornerstone in the overall governance of public sector bodies. To understand how the internal audit function is executed in the Irish public sector, this book explores the approach set out in agency theory literature.
Informed by a comprehensive literature review, a study of 127 public sector bodies was undertaken. The findings from this study offer insight into the distinct perspectives of board chairpersons and CEOs across various themes relevant to the execution of the internal audit function. Among the most significant findings is that the function is not viewed by its most key stakeholders as a primary driver of continuous improvement within their organisations.
The findings also reveal that outsourcing of internal audit services is common across the sector, which gives rise to many practical consequences. Several key insights illuminated by the study have practical implications for public sector bodies seeking to realise more meaningful results from the efforts currently directed towards the internal audit function.
The author concludes that an overemphasis on assurance activities can be to the detriment of the other value-add functions that the internal audit function can deliver. While the internal audit is currently widely viewed as a divorced function, its real value will be realised only by integrating it within the organisation. Such integration will allow the sharing of enterprise-wide learning, thus enabling the function to become a primary driver of a permanent culture of continuous improvement.
Advanced Introduction to Elections and Voting by
Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.
Tackling the complex issues surrounding what shapes a person’s vote, this cutting-edge Advanced Introduction analyses the main findings in current research on electoral behavior to provide a comprehensive understanding of electoral choice.
Key Features:
Treats the voting decision as the cumulation of a lifetime of learning
Studies global voting examples, from Europe and the Anglo-American democracies to newly democratic states
Places the act of voting in context to cover all dimensions of the voting decision, examining the causes of an individual's vote and how that interacts with the design of the country's institutions
Considers the ideological effects of short-term factors like issues and leaders which dominate election campaigns, and long-term factors like social backgrounds, looking at how class and economic interests can influence voters
Analysing the incentives behind party loyalties and political participation, this Advanced Introduction will be an invaluable guide for students and scholars interested in political and electoral behavior and comparative politics.
Resisting AI. An anti-fascist approach to artificial intelligence by
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, yet it causes damage to society in ways that can’t be fixed. Instead of helping to address our current crises, AI causes divisions that limit people’s life chances, and even suggests fascistic solutions to social problems. This book provides an analysis of AI’s deep learning technology and its political effects and traces the ways that it resonates with contemporary political and social currents, from global austerity to the rise of the far right. Dan McQuillan calls for us to resist AI as we know it and restructure it by prioritising the common good over algorithmic optimisation. He sets out an anti-fascist approach to AI that replaces exclusions with caring, proposes people’s councils as a way to restructure AI through mutual aid and outlines new mechanisms that would adapt to changing times by supporting collective freedom. Academically rigorous, yet accessible to a socially engaged readership, this unique book will be of interest to all who wish to challenge the social logic of AI by reasserting the importance of the common good.
Republicanism, Crime and Paramilitary Policing, 1916-2020 by
This book examines the relationship between Irish republicanism, policing and crime from 1916 to the present day. While little academic attention has been paid to this aspect of republican history, crime and policing arose as issues in every era of the IRA's existence. This book describes republican attempts to deal with crime during the War of Independence, the problems caused by the Civil War split and how the organization grappled with accusations of criminality throughout much of the twentieth century. These questions emerged again with a vengeance during the modern Irish conflict after 1969 and persisted into the twenty-first century. During this period, the perceived connection between the IRA and gangland crime became established in both popular culture and state discourse, north and south of the border. This book contains much new information on the IRA's role in policing crime during the War of Independence. It looks at the way in which accusations of involvement in crime were weaponized during the Civil War and the IRA's attitude to crime and criminals thereafter. It also then examines the way in which the modern Northern Ireland conflict transformed the relationship between republicans and crime, north and south. Though written for a popular audience this book would also interest scholars in a variety of fields.
Employment law in Ireland by
mployment law is a rapidly expanding and increasingly important aspect of Irish legal practice. Significantly influenced and informed by developments at European Union level and by various Constitutional imperatives, it is composed not only of a complex body of legislation and case law, but also of determinations from specialist tribunals such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. This edition is fully updated with recent developments in case law and statutory developments including the Workplace Relations Act 2015, the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Paternity Leave & Benefit Act 2016, the Equality Act (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015, for example. This updated edition also includes a new chapter on protected disclosures i.e. whistle-blower protection and a new chapter on practice and procedure. In this book the authors draw together the various strands and sources of employment law as it applies in Ireland into a coherent framework. All aspects of employment law are considered, ranging from the legal concerns that apply before an employment contract is signed, to the various entitlements and obligations of employer and employee while the contract is ongoing, to the relevant legal framework governing the circumstances in which an employment relationship is terminated.
Contract law in Ireland by
In the six years since the last edition, contract law has been the subject of a large number of legislative changes. The Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 enacted a number of legislative changes to the rules of evidence and brought about the introduction of new mechanisms to admit commercial documents in evidence, enhancing the rather unsatisfactory and uncertain laws on bankers’ books evidence. Similarly, the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019 brings about legislative reform of consumer insurance contract law, rebalancing the rules on warranties and the duty of disclosure, as well as a number of rules of pleading that were too favourable to the insurer. In addition, the 2019 Act introduces a range of provisions that allow claimants to step into the shoes of an insolvent or uncontactable insured so as to be able to make a claim on the policy.
Further, two important Bills are at a very advanced stage. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022 will allow the 2015 Act to become fully effective. The protection of vulnerable persons is in need of extensive reform in Ireland and Chapter 16 takes account of these and other developments, including case law from both Irish jurisdictions. The Consumer Rights Bill 2022 is a landmark Bill that will radically change the consumer protection landscape, particularly on implied terms. The Bill is cross-referred to throughout the new text.
There has been an explosion in the volume of relevant lrish case law, due in the Republic, in the main, to the successful establishment of the Court of Appeal. There has been a significant increase in complex commercial litigation in Northern Ireland, attested to, for example, by the Peninsular v Dunnes litigation that went all the way to the UK Supreme Court. This Northern Irish case law is fully covered. Case law from other common law jurisdictions can also be found in this book.
Becoming a coach: The essential ICF guide by
Written by recognised coaching leaders and incorporating the very latest standards and competencies in the field, Becoming a Coach sets out a wide range of coaching models and shows how they can be integrated and combined in order to provide the best possible service to clients. Underpinned by the revised competencies set out by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 2020, this is the perfect textbook for coaching training and an ideal resource for any coach.
The authors provide a thorough exploration of a diverse array of contemporary tools, models, research, skills, considerations and approaches. Starting with the basics and working through to the techniques of the master practitioner, they structure the sometimes opaque field of coaching into a clear, practical and evidence-based format. Harnessing decades of expertise and experience in one powerful resource, Becoming a Coach equips anyone, no matter where they currently are on th
The coaching manual. The definitive guide to the process, principles and skills of personal coaching by
anslated around the world, and recommended reading on many coaching programmes this bestselling book is trusted globally as the definitive guide to coaching.
This carefully revised edition will guide you through the entire process from first meeting to when coaching ends, with methods, tips and techniques that simply work.
Understand and develop the core skills and beliefs of an effective coach
Know how to ask insightful questions that deliver valuable answers
Gain practical help to plan coaching assignments that accelerate and improve your results
Adeptly handle the main barriers to great coaching
Feel fully confident in your ability to coach in any situation
Whether you’re new to coaching or already an experienced coach, you’ll find clear guidance and principles to help you coach more effectively and with greater impact.
To support you further The Coaching Manual has a range of free to download resources – templates, tools and checklists.
Leading Transformative Change Collectively by
This book directly helps decision-makers and change agents in companies, NGOs, and government bodies become more proficient in transformative, collaborative change in realizing the SDGs.
This practitioner’s handbook translates a systemic – and enlivening – approach to collaboration into day-to-day work and management. It connects the emerging practice of multi-stakeholder collaboration to easily understandable models, tools, and cases. Numerous, concrete cases not only bring this methodology to life, but also help identify the challenges and avoid common mistakes. The book can be used as a guide to apply a breakthrough approach for navigating the complexity of stakeholder systems, designing results-oriented process architectures, ensuring the success of cross-sector change initiatives, and enlivening collaboration ecosystems for SDG implementation. It is designed to enhance high quality stakeholder engagement, dialogue, and collaboration.
A must-read, the book sets a new standard for the collaborative implementation of Agenda 2030 and is a foundational guide for leading sustainability transformations collectively to achieve climate change mitigation, social integration, equitable value chains, and broad sustainability challenges.
Imagining Pathways for Global Cooperation by
This book examines the role of imagination in initiating, contesting, and changing the pathways of global cooperation. Building on carefully contextualized empirical cases from diverse policy fields, regions, and historical periods, it highlights the agency of a wide range of actors in reflecting on past and present experiences and imagining future ways of collective problem solving.
Chapters analyse the mobilizing, identity, cognitive, emotional, and normative effects through which imaginations shape pathways for global cooperation. Expert contributors consider the ways in which actors combine multiple layers of meaning-making through practices of staging the past and present as well as in their circulation. Exploring the contingency and open-endedness of processes of global cooperation, the book challenges more systemic and output-oriented perspectives of global governance. Its synthesis of ways in which imaginations inform processes of creating, contesting, and changing pathways for global cooperation provides a novel conceptual approach to the study of global cooperation.
Interdisciplinary in approach, this authoritative book offers new ways of thinking about global cooperation to scholars and students of international relations, development studies, law and politics, international theory, global sociology, and global history as well as practitioners and policy-makers across various policy fields.
Sustainability Governance and Hierarchy by
Sustainability Governance and Hierarchy provides a solid, theoretically and empirically grounded reflection on the concept of "sustainability governance". This idea has been growing in popularity in social science literature, as well as among decision-makers and governance actors, as it brings together two vast fields of study that have sometimes been dismissed as vague or ideologically loaded. In order to link the concepts of "sustainability" and "governance", the book is organized around the exploration of hierarchy issues, which often lie in the background of the existing literature but are not the focus of analysis.
The chapters reflect ongoing controversies and dialogue between scientists with different theoretical and thematic backgrounds, who are all willing to participate in and contribute to a constructive effort to reach a more inclusive and more theoretically relevant stage for sustainability studies, being content with merely global analyses. The book is an innovative contribution to the hierarchy/non-hierarchy debate regarding governance arrangements in the field of sustainability and sustainability studies.
This book will be of interest to advanced students and scholars focusing on governance issues, sustainability studies, environmental studies, as well as on the methodological aspects of the social sciences (economy, geography, law, philosophy, political science, sociology, urbanism and planning).
The Revised European Social Charter by
This detailed Commentary explores the boundaries of social rights at a European level through analysis of the Revised European Social Charter (RESC), the most comprehensive regional document on social rights. The Commentary considers the treaty as the counterpart of the European Convention on Human Rights, examining how it sets out fundamental rights in the social field. It focuses primarily on the rich jurisprudence developed by the Charter’s monitoring body, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR).
Social Policy in Changing European Societies by
dopting an interdisciplinary approach this book provides a cutting-edge, in-depth account of social policy research today, how we got here, and where future research should be headed. It defines the core research agenda for the future covering multiple social policy fields, including care, family, health, and housing policy as well as gender equality, labour market policy, and welfare attitudes.
The book brings together a unique combination of scholars from social policy, sociology, political science, international relations, and law, who explore how European societies have changed over the last 20 years, the future challenges which need to be addressed and the role for social policy research. The editors argue that to advance research on European social policy, we need to develop a better understanding of the interplay between multiple policies, invest more resources in theoretical development, and effectively utilize perhaps the greatest asset of European social policy research – its multidisciplinarity.
Offering crucial insights into the dynamic nature of social policy research, this book will be a valuable guide for social policy scholars and students. Its discussion of a broad range of social policy areas will also be useful for practitioners and policymakers across a wide range of social policy fields.
Organizing for Societal Grand Challenges by
ocietal grand challenges have moved from a marginal concern to a mainstream issue within the field of organization and management studies. Organizing for Societal Grand Challenges unpacks how diverse forms of organizing help tackle - or reinforce - grand challenges, while emphasizing the need for researchers to expand their methodological repertoire and reflect upon scholarly practices.
This edited collection offers an organizational perspective on societal grand challenges in three sections: Diverse Forms of Organizing and Societal Grand Challenges; Scholarship and Societal Grand Challenges; Reflections and Outlook. The articles offer empirical and conceptual work that focus on a wide variety of regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, and engage with multiple grand challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, decent work, hunger, inequality, and poverty.
Drawing on varied theoretical lenses, the authors take stock of recent developments in the literature, present an overview of the current thinking, and set a foundation for future research on grand challenges in organization and management studies. The articles provide inspiration, insights, and instruments for developing timely and relevant knowledge to engage with the pressing societal grand challenges of our time.
Handbook on local and regional governance by
olistic in approach, this Handbook’s international range of leading scholars present complementary perspectives, both theoretical and empirically pertinent, to explore recent developments in the field of local and regional governance.
With a fresh outlook on the field, this Handbook builds significantly upon the existing literature to clarify the scope of the discipline, as well as providing tools, information, and research questions to better understand and further explore the field. Chapters provide theoretical and empirical context to current debates on local and regional governance and offer competing analytical lenses for studying the field. Topics explored include the intersecting roles, limits, opportunities, and influence of actors, democracy, place, scale, and networks, with examinations of social cohesion, intermunicipal decentralization, and emerging technologies. Particularly close attention is paid to relationships, as the Handbook introduces to the analysis the ways that actors, tiers of government, institutions and multiple jurisdictions exchange resources, coordinate action and produce decisions with collective impact in local and regional governance.
Interdisciplinary and international in scope, this Handbook will be an invigorating read for students and scholars looking to better understand contemporary policy, politics and subnational governance at local and regional levels.
How to use a discursive approach to study organizations by
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Discourse-based approaches to studying organizations have grown in significance over the last 25 years. This accessible and insightful book exemplifies how to use a discursive approach to study organizations. By drawing on her own empirical research, Cynthia Hardy aligns key theoretical assumptions with a range of case studies to demonstrate the value and adaptability of a discursive approach.
The book presents the key theoretical assumptions associated with a discursive approach and shows how to align them with the design of specific empirical studies. Cynthia Hardy also illustrates how data collection and analysis can be customized to suit the issues under investigation. By reviewing empirical settings that range from older workers to refugees, from businesses to voluntary organizations, from strategy making to inter-organizational collaboration, and from environmental regulation to chemical risk, the author shows the value and adaptability of this approach. Forward-thinking, the book concludes with a look towards the future challenges of the discursive approach, covering specific issues of resistance to and reflexivity in research on discourse.
Demonstrating the importance of empirical work, data collection, and analysis, this book will be a useful guide on discursive approach for students of organization and management studies. It will also prove useful for researchers studying HIV/AIDS organizations, refugees, and environmental regulation, which are particularly focused on in the book.
Riskwork: Essays on the organizational life of risk management by
This collection of essays deals with the situated management of risk in a wide variety of organizational settings - aviation, mental health, railway project management, energy, toy manufacture, financial services, chemicals regulation, and NGOs. Each chapter connects the analysis of risk studies with critical themes in organization studies more generally based on access to, and observations of, actors in the field. The emphasis in these contributions is upon the variety of ways in which organizational actors, in combination with a range of material technologies and artefacts, such as safety reporting systems, risk maps and key risk indicators, accomplish and make sense of the normal work of managing risk - riskwork.
In contrast to a preoccupation with disasters and accidents after the event, the volume as whole is focused on the situationally specific character of routine risk management work. It emerges that this riskwork is highly varied, entangled with material artefacts which represent and construct risks and, importantly, is not confined to formal risk management departments or personnel. Each chapter suggests that the distributed nature of this riskwork lives uneasily with formalized risk management protocols and accountability requirements. In addition, riskwork as an organizational process makes contested issues of identity and values readily visible. These 'back stage/back office' encounters with risk are revealed as being as much emotional as they are rationally calculative. Overall, the collection combines constructivist sensibilities about risk objects with a micro-sociological orientation to the study of organizations.
Elgar Introduction to Designing Organizations by
Presenting the emergence of new organizational designs in a novel way, this insightful book blends theory and practice to examine major trends and directions, the key ideas that underpin organizational design and how these ideas might be applied.
The authors explore how, in a world characterized by relentless change and volatility, traditional bureaucracies of the past are increasingly regarded as being too slow and centralized. Instead, emerging ideas, such as platforms, ecosystems, holacracies, agility and improvisation are gaining purchase. Focusing on key trends and forms of design, the book offers an approach to organizing that accommodates paradoxes and offers a fresh view on managing organizational design.
Rich in anecdotes and examples, the Elgar Introduction to Designing Organizations will be a useful guide for business and management scholars and advanced students with a focus on organizational studies and innovation. It will be beneficial for business managers thinking about how to design their organization so that it is fit for contemporary purposes.
Artificial Intelligence and Democracy by
his insightful book explores the citizen-government relation, as mediated through artificial intelligence (AI). Through a critical lens, Jérôme Duberry examines the role of AI in the relation and its implications for the quality of liberal democracy and the strength of civic capacity.
In his analysis of AI, Duberry covers three key objectives: illustrating where and how AI is used in the context of citizen-government relations; highlighting the specific risks of using AI for citizen-government relations; and calling for a dedicated framework for assessing AI in these contexts. The author assesses the promises and pitfalls of AI at various levels of the citizen-government relation, including citizen participation, civic technology and political communication. Employing empirical findings from in-depth case studies and interviews with 40 experts in the field, the book stresses the burgeoning need for an innovative, human-centric management of AI in the citizen-government relation based on risk assessment that prioritises equality, freedom, human rights and popular sovereignty.
Intervening at a key watershed in the history of digital politics, this timely book is key reading for researchers and scholars of political science and public policy, particularly those studying the digital landscape of contemporary policy and politics. It also offers significant empirical insights into the benefits and risks of AI for policymakers and civil servants working with new technologies.
Feminist Frontiers in Climate Justice by
Feminist Frontiers in Climate Justice provides a compelling demonstration of the deeply gendered and unequal effects of the climate emergency, alongside the urgent need for a feminist perspective to expose and address these structural political, social and economic inequalities. Taking a nuanced, multidisciplinary approach, this book explores new ways of thinking about how climate change interacts with gender inequalities and feminist concerns with rights and law, and how the human world is bound up with the non-human, natural world.
With contributions from leading scholars in law, feminism, human rights and politics, this book considers how equality is conceptualised experienced and used in policies, law and practice that are integral to climate justice. Chapters reveal how international and national policy and legal frameworks fall short on gender equality and climate justice. Overall, the book demonstrates that the climate crisis demands an ambitious and transformative approach to equality, including developing feminist ideas of care and social reproduction, to reconstruct law and policy towards a more just world for all.
This ground-breaking book will be essential reading for scholars across many areas of law including environmental law, human rights, public international law, law and gender, and law and development. Its discussion of the international framework alongside in-depth case
studies and assessments of women’s mobilization strategies will also be highly relevant to social scientists, officials in international organizations, policymakers, lawyers and activists.
Identified, Tracked, and Profiled by
Revealing the politics underlying the rapid globalization of facial recognition technology (FRT), this topical book provides a cutting-edge, critical analysis of the expanding global market for FRT, and the rise of the transnational social movement that opposes it.
With the use of FRT for policing, surveillance, and business steadily increasing, this book provides a timely examination of both the benefits of FRT, and the threats it poses to privacy rights, human rights, and civil liberties. Interviews with analysts and activists with expertise in FRT find that the anti-FRT movement is highly uneven, with disproportionate influence in Western democracies and relatively little influence in authoritarian states and low-income countries in the developing world. Through a global analysis of the uptake and regulation of FRT, chapters create a holistic understanding of the politics behind this technology. Concluding with a look towards the future prospects of FRT in the face of the growing size, reach, and power of its opposition, the book reflects more broadly on the power of transnational social movements and civil society activism to prevent the globalization and normalization of new technologies.
A visionary exploration of FRT, this book will be invaluable to students and scholars of politics and policy, alongside activists, stakeholders, and policy makers interested in the growing power of social movements to resist new technology.
Innovations in Transport by
This timely book explores the likely success or failure of potential transport innovations. Chapters examine societally relevant effects of transport transitions, including impacts on the environment, accessibility, safety and more. It focuses on complex innovations in which both public and private actors are involved.
Combining insights from innovation sciences with evolutionary economics, business economics, managerial sciences, psychology and history, the chapters consider state-of-the-art innovation theories applied to sustainable transport, with an emphasis on approaches to understanding behaviour. The book then explores a range of potential transitions, covering technological innovations such as vehicle electrification, e-bikes and light electric vehicles in city logistics, before moving on to look at service innovations including carsharing, mobility as a service and e-shopping.
Offering coverage of both frameworks and innovation examples themselves, this book will be an interesting read for transport studies and innovation scholars. It will also be a useful tool for policy makers and planners working in the area.
Migrants and Welfare States by
his timely book explores how Northern European countries have sought to balance their welfare states with increased levels of migration from low-income countries outside the EU. Using case studies of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, leading scholars analyse the varying approaches to this so-called ‘progressive dilemma’.
Providing an in-depth analysis of the relationship between public policies and the flow of migrants into these Northern European states, the book considers which destination-country policies most attract asylum seekers and other migrants. Chapters explore how the four states have responded to increased levels of immigration, examining their handling of issues related to integrating admitted applicants into the labour market, educating the children of immigrants, and naturalisation. Concluding with an investigation into contemporary public consensus regarding migrant selection, based on original survey experiments, the book sheds light on an issue that has become both politically and academically salient in Europe since the late 20th century.
Interdisciplinary in scope, this expansive book contributes to the emerging field of research in the intersection between European migration studies and welfare studies. Its examination of the states’ varying responses to increased migration will be of significant interest to researchers, policymakers, and public intellectuals in Northern Europe and beyond.
Towards sustainable welfare states in Europe by
This seminal book addresses the critical and urgent question of ‘what makes welfare states sustainable?’ in the era of climate change. Expert authors challenge traditional perspectives on questions of sustainability which have focused on population ageing, global economic turbulence and on containing current and future public social spending.
Public Service Ethics. Individual and institutional responsibilities by
The study and practice of ethics, in all its exemplary and execrable forms, matter now more than ever. It deals with one of the most gripping questions in life: "What is the right thing to do?"
Public Service Ethics: Individual and Institutional Responsibilities, Third Edition, introduces readers to this personally relevant and professionally challenging field of study. No matter the topic—the necessity of ethics, intriguing human behavior experiments, provocative approaches to decision-making, new theories to understand ethical actions, the role of ethics codes, whistleblowing incidents, corruption exposés, and the grandeur as well as decay of morality—there is no shortage of controversy. This book discusses these issues, explains how they arise, and suggests what can be done about them. The authors make the narrative user-friendly and accessible by highlighting dilemmas, challenging readers to resolve them, and enticing them to go beyond the text to discover and confront new issues. New to this Third Edition:
Exploration of fascinating and important new topics such as the Green New Deal, Black Lives Matter, oaths of office, classroom dishonesty, state corruption, the Biden administration, and the ethical challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and response.
In-depth profiles of newsworthy figures, including Michael Flynn, Alexander Vindman, Anthony Fauci, and John Lewis.
All new case studies drawing on actual and hypothetical events to give students an opportunity to apply concepts and analytical frameworks.
Transforming energy systems by
Recognizing the urgent need to transform energy systems to low-carbon alternatives, this timely book offers evidenced and credible ways to accelerate actions towards meeting the Paris Agreement goals and achieving net zero emissions. Steven Fries analyses through the lens of government, business and household actions―their policies and investments―the systemic changes needed to eliminate net carbon dioxide emissions from energy.
Fries explores how advancing low-carbon alternatives could maintain current economic activities while halting climate impacts. But his analysis of accumulating evidence on transforming energy shows how multiple market imperfections hold back alternatives. To overcome these barriers, the book develops heterodox energy reform strategies and ways to coordinate actions across countries, recognizing differences in their specializations and renewable resources. Going beyond orthodox economics, it sets out the role for supporting deployment of low-carbon alternatives in initial markets, calibrating emissions pricing to net zero emission goals, and adapting institutions and infrastructures to low-carbon alternatives. It also signposts policy sequencing and differentiation across sectors and countries.
Providing comprehensive energy policy assessments and sound reform strategies, this book will be essential reading for government policymakers and business investors. Its rigorous approach to systemic change also makes it a valuable reference for energy economics and environmental economics scholars.
The rise and decline of patriarchal systems. An intersectional political economy by
Why do patriarchal systems survive? In this groundbreaking work of feminist theory, Nancy Folbre examines the contradictory effects of capitalist development. She explains why the work of caring for others is under-valued and under-rewarded in today's global economy, calling attention to the organisation of childrearing, the care of other dependants, and the inheritance of assets. Upending conventional definitions of the economy based only on the market, Folbre emphasizes the production of human capabilities in families and communities and the social reproduction of group solidarities. Highlighting the complexity of hierarchical systems and their implications for political coalitions, The Rise and Decline of Patriarchal Systems sets a new feminist agenda for the twenty-first century.
Understanding Policy Decisions by
his book proposes a model for understanding how innovative policy decisions are taken in complex political and organizational systems as well as the possible strategies that the promoter of the innovation can employ in order to maximize the probability of successful adoption and implementation. It presents a conceptual framework for the analysis of decisional situations in order to design the most appropriate strategies for overcoming conflict (e.g. of the NIMBY variety) and/or increasing the engagement of potentially interested actors. The book includes a template for decisional case studies, a protocol for the definition of a decisional strategy, and an exercise in decisional analysis.
The Social Question in the Twenty-First Century by
Want, disease, ignorance, squalor, and idleness: first recognized together in mid-nineteenth-century Europe, these are the focus of the Social Question. In 1942 William Beveridge called them the “giant evils” while diagnosing the crises produced by the emergence of industrial society. More recently, during the final quarter of the twentieth century, the global spread of neoliberal policies enlarged these crises so much that the Social Question has made a comeback.
The Social Question in the Twenty-First Century maps out the linked crises across regions and countries and identifies the renewed and intensified Social Question as a labor issue above all. The volume includes discussions from every corner of the globe, focusing on American exceptionalism, Chinese repression, Indian exclusion, South African colonialism, democratic transitions in Eastern Europe, and other phenomena. The effects of capitalism dominating the world, the impact of the scarcity of waged work, and the degree to which the dispossessed poor bear the brunt of the crisis are all evaluated in this carefully curated volume. Both thorough and thoughtful, the book serves as collective effort to revive and reposition the Social Question, reconstructing its meaning and its politics in the world today.
COVID-19 and Social Determinants of Health by
Health and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have been exacerbated by central government-imposed austerity budgeting by local authorities and the health service. This book, part of the Social Determinants of Health series, extends the ideas developed in the previous volumes by reviewing the impact of COVID-19 on local and national governance from the perspectives of public health, social care and economic development. Drawing on case studies from across the UK and beyond, it explores the pandemic and other ‘wicked’ issues including climate change, homelessness, unemployment and domestic abuse through the lens of relationalism, and proposes necessary system changes.
National populism and borders: The politicisation of cross-border mobilisations in Europe by
Despite the recent wealth of literature on national populism, research has often overlooked one crucial aspect: the border. This innovative book bridges these key concepts, providing a new theoretical conceptualisation of the interplay between populism, nationalism and territorial borders. In this book, borders are not considered as mere institutional boundaries between nation states; on the contrary, the authors adopt a multi-dimensional view of borders as narratives, issues and territorial spaces of mobilisation. Reconsidering the contemporary politicisation of borders in Western Europe, the authors investigate how national populism deals with territorial borders and the various meanings they embody. Empirical case studies focusing on the Swiss borderlands explore parties' programmes and discourses, representatives' attitudes, as well as public opinion and voting behaviour, offering key insights into how political actors and citizens react to trends such as growing transnational flows, globalisation and European integration. This timely book, based on original party sources and surveys, will be an essential resource for students and scholars of political science, political sociology, border studies, European integration, Euroscepticism and Swiss politics. Its context-oriented analysis will also prove beneficial to practitioners and representatives involved in cross-border cooperation.
Debating European Citizenship by
This open access book raises crucial questions about the citizenship of the European Union. Is it a new citizenship beyond the nation-state although it is derived from Member State nationality? Who should get it? What rights and duties does it entail? Should EU citizens living in other Member States be able to vote there in national elections? If there are tensions between free movement and social rights, which should take priority? And should the European Court of Justice determine what European citizenship is about or the legislative institutions of the EU or national parliaments? This book collects a wide range of answers to these questions from legal scholars, political scientists, and political practitioners. It is structured as a series of three conversations in which authors respond to each other. This exchange of arguments provides unique depth to the debate.
Responsibility of Intellectuals by
With the publication of ‘The Responsibility of Intellectuals’ half a century ago, Noam Chomsky burst onto the US political scene as a leading critic of the war in Vietnam. Privilege, he argues, brings with it the responsibility to tell the truth and expose lies, but our intellectual culture only pays lip-service to this ideal. The essay has been described as ‘the single most influential piece of anti-war literature’ of the Vietnam war period. Since then, Chomsky has continued to equip a growing international audience with the facts and arguments needed to understand – and change – our world. According to The New York Times, Chomsky ‘may be the most widely read American voice on foreign policy on the planet today.’ This book revisits ‘The Responsibility of Intellectuals’ half a century on. It includes six new essays written to celebrate Chomsky’s famous intervention and explore its relevance in today’s world. Nicholas Allott, Chris Knight, Milan Rai and Neil Smith have studied and written about Chomsky’s thought for many years, while Craig Murray and Jackie Walker describe the personal price they have paid for speaking out. The book finishes with Chomsky’s recollections of the background to the original publication of his essay, followed by extensive commentary from him on its 50th anniversary. Praise for The Responsibility of Intellectuals 'While the book does not have a conclusion telling readers what we can learn from all this it does close with Noam Chomsky saying ‘an intellectual presupposes a certain amount of privilege. Privilege confers obligations and responsibility, automatically’ (p. 119). Intellectuals and perhaps even academics should keep this in mind. These obligations and responsibilities should be directed toward ending suffering as defined by what the Latin-American ethics philosopher Enrique Dussel calls the community of victims (Klikauer, 2014). Ending suffering is the ethical and intellectual duty of those who call themselves intellectuals.' Australian Universities Review " 'The Responsibility of Intellectuals' is a collection of essays subtitled 'Reflections by Noam Chomsky and others after 50 years'. Although there are similar themes running through the essays, they need to be read and analysed individually. Most of them express admiration for Chomsky’s activism or political viewpoint, but each represents the individual author’s work or thoughts." The Weekly Worker "The six essays in this book, complemented by Chomsky’s own replies and commentary during a question-and-answer session held at a University College London conference in 2017, explore what has changed over the last half century and assess the role of the intellectual in our contemporary Orwellian world, where revealing truth has to contend with newspeak and fake news." The Morning Star "Now 90 years old, Noam Chomsky remains one of the best-known intellectuals and critics of American foreign policy in the world. One of his first major interventions, from the time of the Vietnam War, was his celebrated essay “The Responsibility of Intellectuals”. At least for those sympathetic to his politics, it remains a classic statement of the case for academics and others to speak truth to power and to resist the ever-present pressures and temptations of being co-opted. The essay formed the subject of a conference at UCL marking its 50th anniversary in 2017, at which activists and academics explored what we can still learn from it as well as where it needs rethinking. The results have now been published in a collection, edited by Nicholas Allott, Chris Knight and Neil Smith, The Responsibility of Intellectuals: Reflections by Noam Chomsky and Others after 50 Years..." Times Higher Education '... a rich collection ... and one of the most remarkable essays is ['The abdication of responsibility'] by Craig Murray.' Labour Briefing
Decarbonising Economies by
Based on an interdisciplinary investigation of future visions, scenarios, and case-studies of low carbon innovation taking place across economic domains, Decarbonising Economies analyses the ways in which questions of agency, power, geography and materiality shape the conditions of possibility for a low carbon future. It explores how and why the challenge of changing our economies are variously ascribed to a lack of finance, a lack of technology, a lack of policy and a lack of public engagement, and shows how the realities constraining change are more fundamentally tied to the inertia of our existing high carbon society and limited visions for what a future low carbon world might become. Through showcasing the first seeds of innovation seeking to enable transformative change, Decarbonising Economies will also chart a course for future research and policy action towards our climate goals.
Wellbeing: alternative policy perspectives by
Governments in liberal democracies pursue social welfare, but in many different ways. The wellbeing approach instead asks: why not focus directly on increasing measured human happiness? Why not try to improve people's overall quality of life, as it is subjectively seen by citizens themselves?
The radical implications of this stance include shifting attention to previously neglected areas (such as mental health and 'social infrastructure' services) and developing defensible measures of overall wellbeing or quality of life indicators. Can one 'master' concept of wellbeing work to create more holistic policy-making? Or should we stick with multiple metrics? These debates are well-developed in health policy-making and in alternative 'capabilities' approaches to assessing quality of life. Most recently, the connections between wellbeing and political participation have come into sharper focus.
Wellbeing remains a contested concept, one that can be interpreted and used differently, with consequences for how it is incorporated into policy decisions. By bringing together scholars from economics, psychology and behavioural science, philosophy and political science, the authors and editors of this short volume explore how different disciplinary approaches can contribute to the study of wellbeing and how this can shape policy priorities.
Human Rights at the Intersections by
At a time when states are increasingly hostile to the international rights regime, human rights activists have turned to non-state and sub-state actors to begin the implementation of human rights law. This complicates the conventional analysis of relationships between local actors, global norms, and cosmopolitanism.
The contributions in this open access collection examine the "lived realities of human rights" and critically engage with debates on gender, sexuality, localism and cosmopolitanism, weaving insights from multiple disciplines into a broader call for interdisciplinary scholarship informed by practice. Overall, the contributors argue that the power of human rights depends on their ability to be continuously broadened and re-imagined in locales around the world. It is only on this basis that human rights can remain relevant and be effectively used to push local, national and international institutions to put in place structural reforms that advance equity and pluralism in these perilous times.
Made-To-Measure Future(s) for Democracy? by
his open access volume analyses the development of democracy at different levels of governance (from local to global). The Basque search for an institutional and democratic model that adapts to its social needs and solves its problems offers an interesting perspective for analyzing the way in which democracy is seeking new forms of materialization from the local to the global. The volume is divided into four parts.
The chapters in Part I analyze the tensions between the neoliberal vision of democracy and the voices contesting it, with projections at different levels of government. The chapters in Part II focus on the emerging framework and scales of Western democracy. The chapters in Part III present new forms of citizen participation, paying special - though not exclusive - attention to new practical strategies for Basque society. The volume concludes with a block of chapters on the relevance of reviewing the methodological and epistemological frameworks from which knowledge about democracy and mechanisms of citizen participation is generated (Part IV). By delving deeper into the idea and practice of democratic governance, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students from all disciplines of politics, international relations, sociology and law.
Successful Public Policy in the Nordic Countries by
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.
This book presents twenty-three in-depth case studies of successful public policies and programs in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland. Each chapter tells the story of the policy's origins, aims, design, decision-making, and implementation processes, and assesses in which respects - programmatically, process-wise, politically, and over time - and to what extent it can be considered to have been successful. It also points towards the driving forces of success, and the challenges that have had to be overcome to achieve it. Combined, the chapters provide a resource for researchers, educators, and students of public policy both within and beyond the Nordic region.
Constitutional Change in the European Union by
Europe’s future is contested between those who want to integrate further, those who prefer things to stay as they are, and those who would retreat into nationalism. These divisions impair the government of the European Union and weaken its ability to shoulder more responsibility for its unstable neighbourhood.
This open access book analyses the EU’s evolving constitution, arguing that the lack of effective federal government lies at the heart of its problems. It recommends reforms for each EU institution, including those involving treaty change. It makes the case for a unified executive, a more legitimate legislature, and the introduction of a federal treasury and supreme court. It proposes a fresh category of affiliate membership underpinned by a new European security council that would overcome the historic division between the EU and NATO.
The book is essential reading for practitioners and students of European integration.
EU Cohesion Policy Implementation - Evaluation Challenges and Opportunities by
This open access book is the result of the 1st International Conference on Evaluating Challenges in the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy (EvEUCoP 2022). It presents the recent findings, sparks discussion, and reveals new research paths addressing the use of novel methodologies and approaches to tackle the challenges and opportunities that are unveiled with the implementation of the EU cohesion policy. The authors cover a wide range of topics including the monitoring of data; the clearness of indicators in measuring the impact of interventions; novel evaluation methods, addressing the mid-term and terminal assessment; as well as case studies and applications on evaluations of the thematic objectives under the scrutiny of the cohesion policy, namely:• Research, technological development, and innovation; • Information and communication technologies;• Shift toward a low-carbon economy.
During the 2014-2020 programmatic period, member states were required to undertake assessments to evaluate the efficacy, efficiency, and impact of each operational program. Such evaluations are generally concerned with the compliance of projects and activities with programmatic priorities, as well as with funds' absorption capacity and refer to ex-ante and ex-post assessments. Hence, this book proposes the use of novel methodologies addressing the mid-term and terminal assessments that enable performing the efficiency appraisal of the operational programs and that can support decision-makers in the selection of projects that should be awarded for funding.
Demanding sustainability. Pillars to (Re) build a shared prosperity by
onger term thinking and new approaches to development and prosperity have never been more urgently required. Since 2020, the precarity of the global economy, links between ecological destruction and public health and disparities in levels of exposure and vulnerability to systemic disruption have all been thrown into stark relief. In this book the authors put forward a series of principles on which economic and development policy for the post-Covid era should be developed. These are outlined as five 'pillars' through which to (re-)build a shared prosperity in the aftermath of the Covid-19 global shock. The five pillars are an ecological prosperity (pillar one), a decarbonized economy (pillar two), a shared (cost) burden (pillar three), a transformative social sustainability (pillar four) and a just resilience (pillar five). The book provides a framework through which policymakers, decision-makers, politicians, community groups and the corporate sphere might begin to consider, map out, and plan for just transitions in their domains.
The Routledge Handbook of Democracy and Sustainability by
This handbook provides comprehensive and critical coverage of the dynamic and complex relationship between democracy and sustainability in contemporary theory, discourse, and practice. Distinguished scholars from different disciplines, such as political science, sociology, philosophy, international relations, look at the present state of this relationship, asking how it has evolved and where it is likely to go in the future. They examine compatibilities and tensions, continuities and changes, as well as challenges and potentials across theoretical, empirical and practical contexts.
This wide-spanning collection brings together multiple established and emerging viewpoints on the debate between democracy and sustainability which have, until now, been fragmented and diffuse. It comprises diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives discussing democracy’s role in, and potential for, coping with environmental issues at the local and global scales. This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of arguments, claims, questions, and insights that are put forward regarding the relationship between democracy and sustainability. In the process, it not only consolidates and condenses, but also broadens and captures the many nuances of the debate.
By showing how theoretical, empirical and practical accounts are interrelated, focusing on diverse problem areas and spheres of action, it serves as a knowledge source for professionals who seek to develop action strategies that do justice to both sustainability and democracy, as well as providing a valuable reference for academic researchers, lecturers and students.
Sustainability Matters: prospects for a just transition in Calgary, Canada's petro-city by
Calgary, Alberta is a culturally diverse urban metropolis. Sprawling and car-dependent, fast-growing and affluent, it is dominated by the fossil fuel industry. For 30 years, Calgary has struggled to turn sustainability rhetoric into reality. Sustainability Matters is the story of Calgary’s setbacks and successes on the path toward sustainability. Chronicling two decades of public conversations, political debate, urban policy and planning, and scholarly discovery, it is both a fascinating case study and an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of urban sustainability. A clear-eyed view of the struggles of turning knowledge into action, this book illuminates the places where theory and reality converge and presents an approach to municipal development, planning, and governance that takes seriously the urgent need to address climate change and injustice. Addressing a wide variety of topics and themes, including energy, diversity, economic development, and ecological health, Sustainability Matters is both a critique of current practice and a vision for the future that uses the city of Calgary as a microcosm to address issues faced by cities around the world. This is essential reading not only for every Calgarian working for a vibrant and sustainable future, but for all those interested in in the future of cities in a post-carbon world.
The Age of Sustainability: just transitions in a complex world by
With transitions to more sustainable ways of living already underway, this book examines how we understand the underlying dynamics of the transitions that are unfolding. Without this understanding, we enter the future in a state of informed bewilderment.
Every day we are bombarded by reports about ecosystem breakdown, social conflict, economic stagnation and a crisis of identity. There is mounting evidence that deeper transitions are underway that suggest we may be entering another period of great transformation equal in significance to the agricultural revolution some 13,000 years ago or the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago. This book helps readers make sense of our global crisis and the dynamics of transition that could result in a shift from the industrial epoch that we live in now to a more sustainable and equitable age. The global renewable energy transition that is already underway holds the key to the wider just transition. However, the evolutionary potential of the present also manifests in the mushrooming of ecocultures, new urban visions, sustainability-oriented developmental states and new ways of learning and researching.
Shedding light on the highly complex challenge of a sustainable and just transition, this book is essential reading for anyone concerned with establishing a more sustainable and equitable world. Ultimately, this is a book about hope but without easy answers.
The creative nudge. Simple steps to get you to think differently by
Creative thinking is something everyone can do. It's a way of looking at the world afresh, doing new things in new ways, taking risks. With The Creative Nudge, use 'nudge theory' to unleash your innate originality. A new behavioural science that reveals how small actions can have big impacts on our thinking, nudge theory powers this book. Using simple behaviour changes, retrain your brain and live a more creative and rewarding life.
The Fearless Organization by
Conquer the most essential adaptation to the knowledge economy The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth offers practical guidance for teams and organizations who are serious about success in the modern economy. With so much riding on innovation, creativity, and spark, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent--but what good does this talent do if no one is able to speak their mind? The traditional culture of "fitting in" and "going along" spells doom in the knowledge economy. Success requires a continuous influx of new ideas, new challenges, and critical thought, and the interpersonal climate must not suppress, silence, ridicule or intimidate. Not every idea is good, and yes there are stupid questions, and yes dissent can slow things down, but talking through these things is an essential part of the creative process. People must be allowed to voice half-finished thoughts, ask questions from left field, and brainstorm out loud; it creates a culture in which a minor flub or momentary lapse is no big deal, and where actual mistakes are owned and corrected, and where the next left-field idea could be the next big thing. This book explores this culture of psychological safety, and provides a blueprint for bringing it to life. The road is sometimes bumpy, but succinct and informative scenario-based explanations provide a clear path forward to constant learning and healthy innovation. Explore the link between psychological safety and high performance Create a culture where it's "safe" to express ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes Nurture the level of engagement and candor required in today's knowledge economy Follow a step-by-step framework for establishing psychological safety in your team or organization Shed the "yes-men" approach and step into real performance. Fertilize creativity, clarify goals, achieve accountability, redefine leadership, and much more. The Fearless Organization helps you bring about this most critical transformation.
Solving Public Problems by
How to take advantage of technology, data, and the collective wisdom in our communities to design powerful solutions to contemporary problems The challenges societies face today, from inequality to climate change to systemic racism, cannot be solved with yesterday's toolkit. Solving Public Problems shows how readers can take advantage of digital technology, data, and the collective wisdom of our communities to design and deliver powerful solutions to contemporary problems. Offering a radical rethinking of the role of the public servant and the skills of the public workforce, this book is about the vast gap between failing public institutions and the huge number of public entrepreneurs doing extraordinary things—and how to close that gap. Drawing on lessons learned from decades of advising global leaders and from original interviews and surveys of thousands of public problem solvers, Beth Simone Noveck provides a practical guide for public servants, community leaders, students, and activists to become more effective, equitable, and inclusive leaders and repair our troubled, twenty-first-century world.
Participation Income: an alternative to basic income for poverty reduction in a digital age by
his innovative book provides the first in-depth analysis of participatory income and its potential role in countering endemic poverty and unemployment in high-income countries. Heikki Hiilamo reviews the concept of basic income and specific basic income experiments before presenting participatory income as a viable alternative in the fight against poverty.
Highly topical, chapters explore pressing issues such as the effects of automation on the future of work and the links between social protection and eco-social transition. Putting forward the argument that any reform of social assistance should continue to enforce reciprocity with reduced means-testing, Hiilamo explores the practical advantages of the participation income model in reducing poverty and developing an eco-social welfare model.
Tackling one of the most heated current debates in social policy, this book will be a key resource for scholars and students in this field, particularly those with a focus on welfare and labour economics, labour policy and the sociology of work. Its use of examples and case studies will also benefit practitioners and policy makers.
Conceptualizing Femicide As a Human Rights Violation by
This thought-provoking book conceptualizes femicide as a multifaceted human rights violation and proposes state responsibility for group-related risks of violence against women and girls. In doing so, it reassesses the concept of femicide, analysing it in view of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, as well as several facets of human rights.
Angela Hefti challenges the common definition of femicide, extending it beyond the killing of women due to their gender to include elements of victim blame, sexual abuse, forced marriage and delayed investigations by authorities. Chapters address femicide in the context of the African, Inter-American and European regional and universal human rights systems. Case studies from Iraq, Nigeria and Mexico provide a fundamental understanding of the multidimensional and worldwide nature of femicide. Spanning several key academic debates, the book incorporates underlying feminist legal theory and approaches pertaining to the subordination of women and girls in society, arguing that femicide should qualify as an autonomous human rights violation.
Providing an impetus for further research on femicide, particularly on state responsibility for crimes committed by private actors, this book will be a crucial resource for academics in human rights and humanitarian law, criminal law and justice. The book will also be highly valuable to activists, practitioners, and lawyers with an interest in advancing aspects of femicide in international human rights law.
Law, Solidarity and the Limits of Social Europe by
This thought-provoking book examines the socio-legal mechanisms that drive EU constitutional tensions, as well as the role of principles and values in re-directing EU law and policy towards a democratic Social Europe. It addresses the current limits of Social Europe in relation to different areas of EU law, offering a critical assessment of the present status of EU integration.
Covering areas such as posting of workers, the right to collective bargaining, political rights and free movement for EU citizens, and asylum policy, chapters provide a cross-disciplinary and policy-oriented treatment of these subjects alongside focused legal analysis. Complementing traditional concepts and methodologies with newly emerged empirical elements, the book exposes the EU’s inherent tensions while also offering new perspectives on the ways in which EU constitutional principles, rooted in solidarity, could inform a future Social Europe.
Law, Solidarity and the Limits of Social Europe will be a stimulating read for scholars and students of EU law and social policy. It will also be of interest to legal practitioners, policy makers and civil society organisations working in fields related to Social Europe.
Being Human During COVID by
Science has taken center stage during the COVID-19 crisis; scientists named and diagnosed the virus, traced its spread, and worked together to create a vaccine in record time. But while science made the headlines, the arts and humanities were critical in people’s daily lives. As the world went into lockdown, literature, music, and media became crucial means of connection, and historians reminded us of the resonance of the past as many of us heard for the first time about the 1918 influenza pandemic. As the twindemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice tore through the United States, a contested presidential race unfolded, which one candidate described as “a battle for the soul of the nation."
Being Human during COVID documents the first year of the pandemic in real time, bringing together humanities scholars from the University of Michigan to address what it feels like to be human during the COVID-19 crisis. Over the course of the pandemic, the questions that occupy the humanities—about grieving and publics, the social contract and individual rights, racial formation and xenophobia, ideas of home and conceptions of gender, narrative and representations and power—have become shared life-or-death questions about how human societies work and how culture determines our collective fate. The contributors in this collection draw on scholarly expertise and lived experience to try to make sense of the unfamiliar present in works that range from traditional scholarly essays, to personal essays, to visual art projects. The resulting book is shot through with fear, dread, frustration, and prejudice, and, on a few occasions, with a thrilling sense of hope.
Ready for the next crisis? Investing in health systems resilience by 
Modernising staffing and court management practices in Ireland by 
Promoting health and well-being at work: Policies and practices by 
