Minority Nations in Multinational Federations

Minority Nations in Multinational Federations PDF

Author: Min Reuchamps

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-12-17

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1317634721

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Multinational federations rest on the coexistence of two or more nations within a single polity. Within these federations, minority nations play a significant role as their character differs from the other building blocks of the federation. This edited volume offers a comprehensive comparison of two such minority nations - Quebec in Canada and Wallonia in Belgium - which exemplifies many dimensions, themes and issues highly resonant to the study of federalism and regionalism across the globe. Quebec and Wallonia have experienced several decades of federal dynamics where both regions have had to find their way as a minority nation in a multinational federation. For those studying federalism and regionalism their importance lies in a number of characteristics, but principally in the fact of these minority nations have transformed into mini-states with fully fledged legislative powers within their federation. This book seeks to study the specific dynamics within these small worlds and between them and the rest of the federation. This text will be of key interest to students and scholars of federalism, nationalism and regionalism, comparative politics and policies, political ideas and social movements.

The Oxford Handbook of Legislative Studies

The Oxford Handbook of Legislative Studies PDF

Author: Shane Martin

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2014-06-19

Total Pages: 800

ISBN-13: 0191019070

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Legislatures are political bodies essential to democracy and the rule of law. They present social scientists with numerous intriguing puzzles, with far-reaching implications for our understanding of political institutions. Why, and how, have these ancient assemblies, established in pre-democratic times, survived the transition to mass democracies? How have they adapted? How do they structure such processes as budgeting, legislation, and executive oversight? How do their members get selected, and what consequences flow from differences in these rules? What roles do committees and political parties play in contemporary legislatures? What functions do legislatures perform in autocratic, semi-democratic or recently democratized societies? What explains the similarities and differences in legislative rules, powers and recruitment? What are the policy and other consequences of variation in how legislatures are organized and function? The 33 chapters in The Oxford Handbook of Legislative Studies, written by 47 of the most distinguished legislative scholars, provide a comprehensive and up-to-date description and assessment of the state of the art in legislative studies. Key themes explored include theoretical paradigms and methodological approaches to the study of legislatures, representation and legislative careers, internal organization, the role of parties within legislatures and the role of legislatures in policy making and accountability. The Handbook also explores the emergence of parliaments in historical and contemporary contexts, including new democracies and trans-national institutions.

Workshop on Improving Regional Ocean Governance in the United States, December 9, 2002, Hotel Washington, Washington D.C.

Workshop on Improving Regional Ocean Governance in the United States, December 9, 2002, Hotel Washington, Washington D.C. PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13:

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Workshop addressed these themes: diversity of regional ocean contexts in the U.S., and the major ocean and coastal problems in each region; key issues in regional ocean governance; lessons from existing efforts at regional ocean governance in the U.S. and other countries; major options for improving ocean governance in the U.S.; and desirable features of a regional ocean governance system. The use of marine protected areas (MPA) networks in a regional ocean governance context is emphasized by the participants

Legislatures of Small States

Legislatures of Small States PDF

Author: Nicholas D J Baldwin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-04-02

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1135102988

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This book provides a comparative study of the legislatures of small nations, states and territories, to explore the extent to which size is a factor in how they function and fulfil the roles and responsibility of a legislature. Though the physical nature and environment of states is a neglected subject in political science research, this book examines the impact of small state size on the structure and functions of legislatures and contributes to a better understanding of the interplay of physical and social factors. Focussing on legislatures in democratic nations or in territories that are parts of democratic units, the book features case studies on Malta, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man, Commonwealth Caribbean, Nunavut (Canada), Pacific islands, Swaziland, and Scotland. Contributors employ an interdisciplinary approach to examine both the outcomes and causes of different political mechanisms, and bring to the surface underlying correlation between small states through their analysis. Legislatures of Small States will be of interest to students and scholars of international politics, comparative politics and legislative studies.

Federal Challenges and Challenges to Federalism

Federal Challenges and Challenges to Federalism PDF

Author: John Erik Fossum

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-12-07

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1351579460

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Discussing what we may learn from thinking about the EU in federal terms represents a two-fold challenge. It is on the one hand a matter of establishing ‘how federal’ the EU is (the EU’s federal challenge). On the other, the EU has federal features but is not a state, thus raising the question of whether federal theory and practice may have to be adapted to take proper account of the EU (the EU’s challenge to federalism). The contributions to this collection supplement and extend existing scholarship through focusing on two important lines of inquiry. The first focuses on the relationship between federalism and democracy, with particular emphasis on how federal systems respond to and deal with citizens’ interests and concerns, within and outside the political system. Representation is explored both in the process of federalization, and as a feature of established systems. The second line of inquiry places the emphasis on the relationship among the governments of federal systems. The focus is on intergovernmental relations, and the particular merits that emanate from studying these from a federal perspective. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of European Public Policy.