Suchergebnisse

International audience ; In 2011, during and after the revolutionary events in Tunisia, over a third of the total prison population escaped. These widespread jailbreaks could have been a symbol of emancipation from an abusive state power; but in Tunisia they instead came to represent the threat of criminal destabilization, and rumors of conspiracies against the democratic movement. Beyond the anecdotal dimension of these unusual events, this chapter analyzes the changing meanings of mass prison escapes in times of political transition, as they can be interpreted as part of liberatory moves, or reframed in a security-oriented political imaginary fueling more punitive policies.

International audience ; In 2011, during and after the revolutionary events in Tunisia, over a third of the total prison population escaped. These widespread jailbreaks could have been a symbol of emancipation from an abusive state power; but in Tunisia they instead came to represent the threat of criminal destabilization, and rumors of conspiracies against the democratic movement. Beyond the anecdotal dimension of these unusual events, this chapter analyzes the changing meanings of mass prison escapes in times of political transition, as they can be interpreted as part of liberatory moves, or reframed in a security-oriented political imaginary fueling more punitive policies.

The influence of partisan politics on public policy is a much debated issue of political science. With respect to foreign policy, often considered as above parties, the question appears even more problematic. This comparison of foreign aid policies in 16 OECD countries develops a structural equation model and uses LISREL analysis to demonstrate that parties do matter, even in international affairs. Social-democratic parties have an effect on a country's level of development assistance. This effect, however, is neither immediate nor direct. First, it appears only in the long run. Second, the relationship between leftist partisan strength and foreign aid works through welfare state institutions and social spending. Our findings indicate how domestic politics shapes foreign conduct. We confirm the empirical relevance of cumulative partisan scores and show how the influence of parties is mediated by other political determinants. (American Political Science Review / FUB)

The volume brings together cutting-edge political economy analyses of the Palestinian people: those living in the occupied territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, those living within Israel, and refugees in Arab states. It is a must-read for those who wish to understand the historical origins and contemporary realities that face Palestinians. Ismael Abu-Saad, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Rachel Busbridge, Freie Universität, Germany Mushtaq H. Khan, University of London, UK Ingrid Jaradat Gassner, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel (BDS Campaign) Raja Khalidi, Bir Zeit University, Palestine Clemens Messerschmid, independent researcher Rami Nasrallah, International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC), Israel Nicolas Pelham, The Economist Sara Roy, Harvard University, USA Sobhi Samour, University of London, UK Mtanes Shihadeh, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Sahar Taghdisi-Rad, North Africa department of the African Development Bank, Tunisia

I INTEND TO FOLLOW AN ABSTRACT LINE IN ANSWERING THE question why political systems change. That is, I am not concerned with the infinity of descriptive reasons why change occurs in any concrete case. It may be argued that now is not the time to bother with such a trivial approach, particularly when the language of crisis is what must be used, and also understood, and not the language of abstraction.I think the answer to this is that for too long the evaluation of politics, and of government in particular, has become a 'pseudoactivity' in which descriptive categories like 'parliamentary control over the executive', or 'reform of the committee system' are comforting shibboleths which, although meant to contain some inner profundity have lost much of their original meaning. The truth is that the balance between normative givens and structural conditions is becoming so altered that the common-sense foundations of the discipline seem almost irrelevant.