Polder Politics


Book Description

This title was first published in 2001: Under the name of the "polder model", the Dutch model of democracy has received favourable attention from journalists, administrators and political leaders. This book presents a thorough analysis of Dutch democracy as a specimen of consensus democracy. The Dutch administrative tradition of consensus, consultation and compromise is reflected in current trends towards networks and new interactive technologies. This insightful account is an excellent resource for courses on European studies, comparative politics, public policy and administration.




The Advisory Roles of Political Scientists in Europe


Book Description

"This remarkable volume shows the diversity of social and public contributions made by political scientists across Europe. The range of advisory roles is impressive and encouraging for colleagues concerned about the difference they can make in the world. It deserves to be used by academics and practitioners who seek to praise and defend the importance of political science research." - Claire A. Dunlop, University of Exeter, UK "This book provides unique insights into how political scientists engage in policy advice and how their advisory roles vary across Europe. This variation reflects variations and trends in European policy advisory systems-a must-read for every political scientist and anyone interested in better understanding policy advisory systems." -Thurid Hustedt, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin "Political scientists usually observe policymaking, but this book demonstrates that they also become involved in that process. Using qualitative and quantitative data the authors provide an interesting and timely account of the role of political scientists in advising governments and shaping policy. This is a very welcome addition to the literature on policy advice." - B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USA This open access book centres on the advisory roles of political scientists in Europe. Based on a cross-national survey, the book offers a comparative analysis of the viewpoints and activities of university-based political scientists on external engagement. Political scientists in Europe appear more extrovert as academics than sometimes thought. In their professional functioning they engage in delivering knowledge and advice to all kinds of stakeholders in the policy process. This volume contains twelve in-depth country studies where different trends are visible, from political regime change to pressure for impact of academic work. The findings from this comparative analysis may inform our orientation on interaction between academics and their social and political environment, and what this means for education and training in university programs in political science. Marleen Brans is Professor at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium. Arco Timmermans is Professor of Public Affairs at Leiden University, the Netherlands.




Informal Relations from Democratic Representation to Corruption


Book Description

Informal relations have been one of the major research topics of the social sciences since the 1990s. In order to allow for meaningful comparisons between different combinations of the positive and negative effects of informal relations on democratic representation, this book focuses on post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe as a particular region where formal democratic rules have been established, but competing informal rules are still strong. A broad spectrum of related analytical concepts is discussed from different perspectives and from different academic disciplines, then empirical cases of the relationship between informal relations and democratic representation are analyzed. The contributions span the whole continuum, as we perceive it, from civil society networks seen as supporting democratic representation to the perversion of democratic representation through political corruption. The final part of the book takes a closer look at corruption through four case studies from Russia.




The Politics of Scientific Advice


Book Description

Controversies over issues such as genetically engineered food, foot-and-mouth disease and the failure of risk models in the global financial crisis have raised concerns about the quality of expert scientific advice. The legitimacy of experts, and of the political decision-makers and policy-makers whom they advise, essentially depends on the quality of the advice. But what does quality mean in this context, and how can it be achieved? This volume argues that the quality of scientific advice can be ensured by an appropriate institutional design of advisory organisations. Using examples from a wide range of international case studies, including think tanks, governmental research institutes, agencies and academies, the authors provide a systematic guide to the major problems and pitfalls encountered in scientific advice and the means by which organisations around the world have solved these problems.




Democratic Legitimacy


Book Description

It's a commonplace that citizens in Western democracies are disaffected with their political leaders and traditional democratic institutions. But in Democratic Legitimacy, Pierre Rosanvallon, one of today's leading political thinkers, argues that this crisis of confidence is partly a crisis of understanding. He makes the case that the sources of democratic legitimacy have shifted and multiplied over the past thirty years and that we need to comprehend and make better use of these new sources of legitimacy in order to strengthen our political self-belief and commitment to democracy. Drawing on examples from France and the United States, Rosanvallon notes that there has been a major expansion of independent commissions, NGOs, regulatory authorities, and watchdogs in recent decades. At the same time, constitutional courts have become more willing and able to challenge legislatures. These institutional developments, which serve the democratic values of impartiality and reflexivity, have been accompanied by a new attentiveness to what Rosanvallon calls the value of proximity, as governing structures have sought to find new spaces for minorities, the particular, and the local. To improve our democracies, we need to use these new sources of legitimacy more effectively and we need to incorporate them into our accounts of democratic government. An original contribution to the vigorous international debate about democratic authority and legitimacy, this promises to be one of Rosanvallon's most important books.




Governing through Expertise


Book Description

A unique analysis of bioethical expertise, 'expert knowledge' which claims authority in the ethical analysis of issues relating to science and technology.




Opportunities and Challenges for New and Peripheral Political Science Communities


Book Description

"The volume demonstrates that political science on the European fringes has seized opportunities and shown a remarkable development. On the other hand, perils of deinstitutionalization mainly caused by lack of resources and democratic backsliding may darken the discipline's future. It is a must read for all those interested in political science as a discipline and for policy-makers as well." -Hans-Dieter Klingemann, Emeritus Professor, Berlin Social Science Centre, Germany "As Gabriel Almond famously noted, political science has always been a discipline divided into a great variety of schools and sects. This volume brings a perspective on this perennial theme which is as fresh as it is fascinating. What this reveals is the essential fragility of the discipline due to its power-challenging foundations - an insight which is of increasing significance for the discipline in all parts of the world." -Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield, UK "This volume shows how the autonomous status reached by political science in the analysed countries cannot be guaranteed against persistent threats and significant risks of de-institutionalization. A book that deserves to be read by all those who have at heart both the future of the discipline and the quality of democracy." -Giliberto Capano, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Bologna, Italy This open access book offers an updated examination of the institutionalisation of political science in sixteen latecomer or peripheral countries in Europe. Its main theme is how political science as a science of democracy is influenced and how it responds to the challenges of the new millennium. The chapters, built upon a common theoretical framework of institutionalisation, are evidence-based and comparative. Overall, the book diagnoses diversity among the country cases due to their take-off points and varied political and economic trajectories. Gabriella Ilonszki is Professor Emerita of Political Science at Corvinus University Budapest, Hungary. Christophe Roux is Professor of Political Science at the University of Montpellier, France.




European Studies


Book Description

In commemoration of the founding of the Council of European Studies fifty years ago, this volume brings together some of the most influential Europeanists writing today to take stock of the subject and to consider the most fruitful avenues for future research.




The Future of Political Science


Book Description

This book contains some of the newest, most exciting ideas now percolating within political science. One hundred authors each contribute a brief essay about a single novel or insufficiently appreciated idea on some aspect of political science.