Suchergebnisse

IN THE LAST DECADE THE DUTCH TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGIME HAS TWICE BEEN RADICALLY TRANSFORMED. THIS ARTICLE SHEDS LIGHT ON THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE PROCESS OF LIBERALIZATION AND THE EUROPEANIZATION OF PUBLIC POLICY. IT ARGUES THAT THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PICTURE DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONE SHOULD A ADOPT A MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD ATTITUDE TO THE ISSUE OF STATE POWER AND AUTONOMY. THE FUTURE OF THE DUTCH ECONOMY AND OF NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS IN THE INFORMATION AGE STILL DEPENDS ON THE POLICIES AND CAPACITIES OF THE DUTCH STATE.

Current theorization of economic globalization has ignored the importance of nationalism. Drawing on the works of Friedrich List, the economic roles of the nation-state are clarified. Four characteristics of the economic process make the state indispensable: (1) the collective nature of economic activity, (2) the fragmentation of interests & identities within the developed economy, (3) the necessity of long-term investments, & (4) the cultural nature of productive power. The conclusions are that current theories of globalization underestimate the autonomy & importance of the nation-state in directing economic activity, especially in managing human capital, & that nationalism as an ideology is not opposed to globalization. Instead, nationalism often rises in response to increasing globalization of economic concerns. Laissez-faire conceptions of political economy ignore both of these conclusions. 50 References. Adapted from the source document.

One of the few areas of consensus in the research on Israeli politics is that of the political weakness of the Israeli business sector during the first two decades of statehood. The author claims that this consensus does not, however, justify the avoidance by scholars of the Israeli polity of conducting a systematic research into the factors that shaped the weakness of such an important sector, and therefore aims to suggest an explanation of the power of the Israeli businesses through an examination of the role and the behaviour of one of the leading interest groups in Israeli society—The Manufacturers' Association of Israel (MAI). The passive role played by the MAI in shaping the industrial-development policy during the period 1956–65 is analysed through: (a) analysis of the organisational resources of the MAI; and (b) examination of the MAI's role in two cases of public-policy making, namely the Textile Industry Development Plan and the Trade Liberalisation Program. The current political science literature regarding the factors that are often mentioned as shaping the power of business only partially explains the weakness of Israeli businesses. The author's main arguments are that nationalism can explain the weakness of the MAI better than can any other factor, and that the literature concerning the power of business should therefore pay more attention to the relationship between nationalism and the power of business. In the concluding part of the paper the findings are used as a basis for a discussion of the weakness of the Israeli civil society, and of the role played by nationalism in shaping this weakness.