Overpromising and Underperforming?: Understanding and Evaluating New Intergovernmental Accountability Regimes
Public reporting has been used experimentally in federal-provincial relations since the mid-1990s as an accountability mechanism to promote policy effectiveness, intergovernmental cooperation, and democratic legitimacy. Our understanding of how well it is working, however, remains limited to very specific policy sectors – even though this information is essential to policy makers in Canada and beyond. Overpromising and Underperforming? offers a deeper analysis of the use of new accountability mechanisms, paying particular attention to areas in which federal spending power is used.
This is the first volume to specifically analyse the accountability features of Canadian intergovernmental agreements and to do so systematically across policy sectors. Drawing on the experiences of other federal systems and multilevel governance structures, the contributors investigate how public reporting has been used in various policy fields and the impact it has had on policy-making and intergovernmental relations.
Political Change in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is a vast and complex region, comprising countries with remarkably diverse histories and cultures. Jacques Bertrand provides a fresh and highly original survey of politics and political change in this area of the world. Against the backdrop of rapid economic development and social transformation in several countries, he explores why some countries have adopted democratic institutions, while others have maintained stable authoritarian systems or accepted communist regimes. Bertrand presents a historically grounded account of capitalist countries and state-socialist countries, delving into the historical experience of individual countries, whilst simultaneously providing a comparative framework with which to draw parallels and foster a better understanding of the political and economic dynamics both within and between the countries. With powerful yet accessible analysis and detailed coverage, this book offers students and scholars a thorough and thought-provoking introduction to the political landscape of Southeast Asia.
Democratization and Ethnic Minorities
Many new democracies are characterized by majority dominance and ethnocentrism. Varying paths or transitions toward democracy create very different outcomes for how ethnic identities, communities and politics are recognized. This book illustrates the varied consequences of democratization, from ethnic violence, new forms of accommodation to improve minorities’ status, or sometimes only minor improvements to life for ethnic minorities. The book treads a nuanced path between conflicting myths of democratization, illustrating that there are a variety of outcomes ranging from violence or stability, to the extension of rights, representation, and new resources for ethnic minorities. Contributors discuss the complex mechanisms that determine the impact of democratization of ethnic minorities through five factors; inherited legacies from the pre-transition period, institutional configurations, elite strategies, societal organization and international influences. Global in scope, this book features a broad range of case studies, both country specific and regional, including chapters on Nigeria, Kenya, Turkey and Taiwan, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Southeast and East Asia. This book provides new insights and makes at important contribution to existing debates. Democratization and Ethnic Minorities will be essential reading for students and scholars of democratization, nationalism, ethnic conflict and ethnic politics, political science, history, and sociology.
Trade Shows in the Globalizing Knowledge Economy
Trade Shows in the Globalizing Knowledge Economy presents a radically innovative view on trade shows as knowledge-rich places, where firms learn through observation and interaction with other economic actors, and as enablers, rather than mere consequences, of globalization. Traditionally seen as marketing tools, trade shows are conceptualised as temporary clusters that facilitate the creation and diffusion of knowledge across geographical distances, even in the age of social media.
Segmented Cities: How Urban Contexts Shape Ethnic and Nationalist Politics
Segmented Cities? offers answers to some of the most pressing questions of our day: Is globalization drawing urban populations together or tearing them apart? Does immigration exacerbate or ameliorate existing ethnic and nationalist conflicts in divided cities? Can institutional design help decision makers engender integration in diverse and contested urban settings, or are such interventions counterproductive?
Subversive Itinerary: The Thought of Gad Horowitz
Subversive Itinerary investigates the theoretical evolution of the influential political theorist Gad Horowitz, as well as the historical impact of his ideas on Canadian life and letters. Bringing together dynamic new works by both established and emerging scholars, along with three new articles by Horowitz himself, this volume examines the concepts he developed and extends his approach beyond the current historical moment. The book includes a history of Horowitz’s engagements as a public intellectual through appraisals of his early, mid, and late-career contributions, from the sixties to the present day. Along the way, the contributors present innovative new work in Canadian political thought, continental theory, Jewish philosophy, Buddhism, and radical general semantics. Subversive Itinerary demonstrates how Horowitz’s itinerary delivers invaluable tools for understanding issues of critical importance today.