Perceptions of State

Perceptions of State PDF

Author: Philip Moremen

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2024-06-30

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1108835155

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Explores when, why, and how the US and other countries comply with international law through interviews with senior US officials.

The Performative State

The Performative State PDF

Author: Iza Yue Ding

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2022-09-15

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1501760394

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What does the state do when public expectations exceed its governing capacity? The Performative State shows how the state can shape public perceptions and defuse crises through the theatrical deployment of language, symbols, and gestures of good governance—performative governance. Iza Ding unpacks the black box of street-level bureaucracy in China through ethnographic participation, in-depth interviews, and public opinion surveys. She demonstrates in vivid detail how China's environmental bureaucrats deal with intense public scrutiny over pollution when they lack the authority to actually improve the physical environment. They assuage public outrage by appearing responsive, benevolent, and humble. But performative governance is hard work. Environmental bureaucrats paradoxically work themselves to exhaustion even when they cannot effectively implement environmental policies. Instead of achieving "performance legitimacy" by delivering material improvements, the state can shape public opinion through the theatrical performance of goodwill and sincere effort. The Performative State also explains when performative governance fails at impressing its audience and when governance becomes less performative and more substantive. Ding focuses on Chinese evidence but her theory travels: comparisons with Vietnam and the United States show that all states, democratic and authoritarian alike, engage in performative governance.

Perception and Misperception in International Politics

Perception and Misperception in International Politics PDF

Author: Robert Jervis

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-05-02

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 1400885116

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Since its original publication in 1976, Perception and Misperception in International Politics has become a landmark book in its field, hailed by the New York Times as "the seminal statement of principles underlying political psychology." This new edition includes an extensive preface by the author reflecting on the book's lasting impact and legacy, particularly in the application of cognitive psychology to political decision making, and brings that analysis up to date by discussing the relevant psychological research over the past forty years. Jervis describes the process of perception (for example, how decision makers learn from history) and then explores common forms of misperception (such as overestimating one's influence). He then tests his ideas through a number of important events in international relations from nineteenth- and twentieth-century European history. Perception and Misperception in International Politics is essential for understanding international relations today.

Torn Between America and China

Torn Between America and China PDF

Author: Daniel Novotny

Publisher: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 427

ISBN-13: 9814279595

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How can a developing, democratic and predominantly Muslim country like Indonesia manage its foreign relations, while facing a myriad of security concerns and dilemmas in the increasingly complex post-Cold War international politics, without compromising its national interests and sacrificing its independence? Approaching this problem from the vantage point of the Indonesian foreign policy elite, this book explores the elite's perceptions about other states and the manner in which these shape the decision-making process and determine policy outcomes. The combined qualitative and quantitative research strategy draws on a unique series of in-depth interviews with 45 members of the Indonesian foreign policy elite that included the country's (present and/or former) presidents, cabinet ministers, high-ranking military officers, and senior diplomats. Among all state actors, Indonesian relations with the United States and China are the highest concern of the elite. The leaders believe that, in the future, Indonesia will increasingly have to manoeuvre between the two rival powers. While the United States during George W. Bush's presidency was seen as the main security threat to Indonesia, China is considered the main malign factor in the long run with power capabilities that need to be constrained and counter-balanced.

State Formation

State Formation PDF

Author: Christian Krohn-Hansen

Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)

Published: 2005-09-20

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

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A refreshing look at the meaning of socialism in Venezuela from the point of view of the country's ordinary citizens.

Public Perception of Local Governments

Public Perception of Local Governments PDF

Author: Pawel Swianiewicz

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13:

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"Public Perception of Local Governments" concentrates on changes in public attitudes towards local governments, and on differences in approaches towards various components of the respective municipal systems. As local governments become increasingly important in citizens' everyday lives, political institutions and public actors who can demonstrate greater sensitivity towards public opinion are vital for the success of future reforms. The hidden message of this work is that without regular and systematic analysis of public opinion, viable local government policies will become even more difficult to design and implement in the future. The book comprises research on this issue in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. "Public Perception of Local Governments" seeks to answer three basic questions: (1) What is the public's opinion on the newly created local governments? (2) How did general public opinion influenced the various decentralization reforms of the past decade? (3) What are the typical forms of communication with the general public at the local level?

Good Enough for Government Work

Good Enough for Government Work PDF

Author: Amy E. Lerman

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2019-06-14

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 022663020X

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American government is in the midst of a reputation crisis. An overwhelming majority of citizens—Republicans and Democrats alike—hold negative perceptions of the government and believe it is wasteful, inefficient, and doing a generally poor job managing public programs and providing public services. When social problems arise, Americans are therefore skeptical that the government has the ability to respond effectively. It’s a serious problem, argues Amy E. Lerman, and it will not be a simple one to fix. With Good Enough for Government Work, Lerman uses surveys, experiments, and public opinion data to argue persuasively that the reputation of government is itself an impediment to government’s ability to achieve the common good. In addition to improving its efficiency and effectiveness, government therefore has an equally critical task: countering the belief that the public sector is mired in incompetence. Lerman takes readers through the main challenges. Negative perceptions are highly resistant to change, she shows, because we tend to perceive the world in a way that confirms our negative stereotypes of government—even in the face of new information. Those who hold particularly negative perceptions also begin to “opt out” in favor of private alternatives, such as sending their children to private schools, living in gated communities, and refusing to participate in public health insurance programs. When sufficient numbers of people opt out of public services, the result can be a decline in the objective quality of public provision. In this way, citizens’ beliefs about government can quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy, with consequences for all. Lerman concludes with practical solutions for how the government might improve its reputation and roll back current efforts to eliminate or privatize even some of the most critical public services.