Recommending Books for Purchase (Bulletin 84 - June 2020): Political Science

The book analyzes different critical attitudes towards European integration from a multidisciplinary perspective. By applying both quantitative and normative-theoretical approaches, the contributors assess the causes and effects of the popularity of EU-critical positions and doctrines, such as souverainism, neo-nationalism and neo-populism. The book also presents country studies to compare populist movements and parties, such as the Five Stars Movement in Italy, Syriza in Greece and UKIP in the UK. It offers insights into the historical and normative roots of the diverse anti-European standpoints, and the various political demands and agendas connected with these views, ranging from rejections of EU institutions to demands for institutional reforms and propositions for alternative projects.

This book focuses on the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development project intended to connect Asia with Europe, the Middle East and Africa. By introducing a new analytical approach to the study of economic corridors, it gauges the anticipated economic and geopolitical impacts on the region and discusses whether the CPEC will serve as a pioneer project for future regional cooperation between and integration of sub-national regions such as Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Further, it explores the interests, expectations and policy approaches of both Chinese and Pakistani local and central governments with regard to the CPEC's implementation. Given its scope, the book will appeal to regional and spatial sciences scholars, as well as social scientists interested in the regional impacts of economic corridors. It also offers valuable information for policymakers in countries participating in the Belt-and-Road Initiative or other Chinese-supported development projects.

This book delves deep into the Social Construction of Theory, comparative epistemology and intellectual history to stress the interrelationship between diverse cultures during the colonial period and bring forth convincing evidence of how the 19th century was shaped. It approaches an interesting relation between the linguistic studies of 19th century's scientific world and subsequent widespread acceptance of the empirically weak theory of the Aryan invasion. To show entangled history in a globalized world, the book draws on the Aryan Invasion Theory to highlight how different socio-religious parties commonly shape a new theory. It also explores how research is affected by the so-called social construction of theory and comparative epistemology, and deals with scholarly advancement and its relation with contemporary socio-political demands. The most significant conclusion of the book is that academic studies are prone to comparative epistemology, even under the strict scrutiny of the so-called scientific methods.

This book addresses how digitalization has influenced the institutions, practitioners and audiences of diplomacy. Throughout, the author argues that terms such as 'digitalized public diplomacy' or 'digital public diplomacy' are misleading, as they suggest that Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) are either digital or non-digital, when in fact digitalization should be conceptualized as a long-term process in which the values, norms, working procedures and goals of public diplomacy are challenged and re-defined. Subsequently, through case study examination, this book also argues that different MFAs are at different stages of the digitalization process. By adopting the term 'the digitalization of public diplomacy', this book will offer a new conceptual framework for investigating the impact of digitalization on the practice of public diplomacy.

This book is the first comprehensive study to respond to the ongoing debates on political sciences' fragmentation, doubtful relevance, and disconnect with the larger public. It explores the implications of the argument that political science ought to become more topic-driven, more relevant and more comprehensible for "lay" audiences. Consequences would include evolving a culture of public engagement, challenging tendencies toward liars' rule, and emphasizing the role of "large" themes in academic education and research, the latter being identified as those areas where severe democratic erosion is occurring - such as escalating income and wealth disparities pushing democracy towards plutocracy, ubiquitous change triggering insecurity and aggression, racist prejudice polarizing societies, and counter-terrorism strategies subverting civil liberties.  Political science needs to address these pressing problems ahead of other issues by in-depth research and broadly accessible public narratives, including solution-orientated normative notions. This need provides the final justification for evolving a discipline where problems would take priority over methods and public relevance over sophisticated specialization.  

This book explains in simple language the change of perspective and the transition of the systems for poverty alleviation, based on the fifteen-year development of China's poverty alleviation policy. Written by scholars from the International Poverty Reduction Center in China, Peking University and the China Agricultural University who have been engaged in the field of poverty alleviation for many years, the contributions combine views on China's poverty reduction policy with the authors' personal experiences. It is a valuable reference resource for researchers at the forefront of poverty alleviation and also appeals to anyone interested in poverty alleviation and China's poverty alleviation changes.

"The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy quickly established itself as a classic when it first appeared in 1981. This edition makes it even better, incorporating as it does new material about the Cold War and up-dating to include subsequent developments. Filled with insights and penetrating analysis, this volume is truly indispensable." --Robert Jervis, Author of How Statesmen Think "Freedman and Michaels have written a thorough and thought-provoking guide to nuclear strategy. The authors analyze the causes of both wise and unwise strategic decisions in the past and thereby shine a bright light on dilemmas we face in our common nuclear future." --Scott Sagan, Stanford University, USA   "With its comprehensive coverage, clear and direct language, and judicious summaries of a vast literature, this new and wholly revised edition of The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy will be essential reading for any student of nuclear history, strategic studies, or contemporary international relations." --Matthew Jones, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK "Sir Lawrence Freedman''s The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy has been the first port of call for three generations of academics and policy-makers wanting to familiarize themselves with the subject matter. The success of this book could have led Professor Freedman to satisfy himself with regular updates or afterwords. But the tireless author is now gracing us with an entirely revised edition of his masterpiece nearly forty years after its initial publication, taking into account findings from archives and declassified documents. At the same time, The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy remains true to its original purpose and spirit: an easy to read manual, light with footnotes, focusing on policy rather than on theory, and thus the best possible introduction to an arcane subject. In an era when nuclear strategy issues seem to be becoming relevant again, its historical scope and breadth will make its reading or re-reading even more useful - if only because knowing about the absurdity of the Cold war arms race is a prerequisite if one does not want to repeat its mistakes." --Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, France "This updated and improved edition of the classic text on the evolution of nuclear strategy is a must read for anyone attempting to understand the nuclear predicament and where it is heading. Impressive in every respect!" --T.V. Paul, James McGill Professor of International Relations, McGill University, Canada, and the author of The Traditon of Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons "After the end of the Cold War, we hoped for a world in which nuclear weapons would have ''low salience'', or might even disappear into virtual, non-assembled arsenals.  Alas, they are coming to the fore again.  With changes in political context and technology, it is thus pressing that ''the Bible'' on the Evolution of Nuclear Strategy should be updated.  Lawrence Freedman''s great classic has been admirably updated with the help of Jeff Michaels.  The work, just as its previous editions, thus remains the definitive and authoritative point of reference on nuclear strategy in the twenty-first century." --Beatrice Heuser, Chair of International Relations, University of Glasgow, Scotland First published in 1981, Lawrence Freedman''s The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy was immediately acclaimed as the standard work on the history of attempts to cope militarily and politically with the terrible destructive power of nuclear weapons. It has now been completely rewritten, drawing on a wide range of new research, and updated to take account of the period following the end of the cold war, and covering all nuclear powers.

This book provides a short, comprehensive, critical analysis of trafficking in human beings. Despite the size and scope of this criminal activity, there remains a need for an accurate, objective, contemporary examination of this threat as the nature of this crime and the strategies developed to counter it are fluid. Trafficking harms not only the lives of those trafficked but equally families and communities, as well as national economies and social cohesion. As this crime spans the spectrum of social science disciplines and fields of study, together with its increasing exposure in the media, this has led to a sharp increase in interest in this topic within the academic community and amongst policy makers, criminal justice practitioners and the wider public. This book draws on current research, the authors' expert knowledge and insight into current counter-trafficking practices to provide a critical analysis of the crime and strategies to counter its prevalence.   

This book addresses the essential topic of child survival in Tanzania, especially focusing on the role of mutual assistance, which has received little attention to date. Further, it identifies a range of key factors for child survival by combining a literature review, regional data analysis, and case studies. These studies center on rural villages in high Under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) regions and assess their strengths and weaknesses regarding child survival. By focusing on deprived rural areas as of 2002 and evaluating the improvements in the 2012 census data, the book also highlights the potential held by rural semi -subsistence economies.  An analysis of the focus villages indicates that children in food-sharing circles had better chances of survival. However, food sharing is not necessarily inclusive; a significant number of children have fallen out of such circles, especially in mainland villages. Furthermore, monetary support for children's medicine has often failed to arrive in time. Lastly, the book argues that, in addition to direct factors such as access to health services, water and sanitation, food intake, and education, it is essential that children receive inclusive support at various levels: family, community, village, national, and international.

Danielle Gluns examines how urban housing governance reacts to the onset of urban growth in an internationally comparative perspective. The study is based on in‐depth case studies of Washington, D.C., which is an example of primarily market‐based interactions, and Vienna, which has traditionally pursued an active steering role of the local state. The author assesses the goals of urban development formulated by local actors and analyzes their translation into housing policies within the respective governance structures. She demonstrates that path dependence is an important feature of urban housing governance, with relationships, ideologies, and physical urban structures leading to stability. Even so, change is possible, as both systems integrate new policy elements. At the same time, both structures perpetuate inequality in the urban housing system by excluding some of the most disadvantaged groups from decision‐making.

This book develops a case for feminist gender training as a catalyst for disjuncture, rupture and change. Chapter 1 traces the historical development and current contours of the field of gender training. In Chapter 2, the key critiques of gender training are substantively engaged with from the perspective of reflexive practice, highlighting the need to work strategically within existing constraints. Questions of transformative change are addressed in Chapter 3, which reviews feminist approaches to change and how these can be applied to enhance the impact of gender training. Chapter 4 considers the theory and practice of feminist pedagogies in gender training. In the final chapter, new avenues for gender training are explored: working with privilege; engaging with applied theatre; and mindfulness/meditation. The study takes gender training beyond its often technocratic form towards a creative, liberating process with the potential to evoke tangible, lasting transformation for gender equality.

​This book articulates and explores the realities of contemporary international anti-corruption law. As corruption has increasingly become a major topic in international affairs, Liu analyzes the global collaboration against transnational bribery. As China's economic reforms are increasingly articulated in a language of law, governmentality, and anti-corruption, it is essential that scholars, policymakers and legal theorists around the world understand the issues at stake. In this elegant text, Liu lays out the issues clearly, establishes methodologies for analysis, and provides policy proposals for the years to come.

With our highly connected and interdependent world, the growing threat of infectious diseases and public health crisis has shed light on the requirement for global efforts to manage and combat highly pathogenic infectious diseases and other public health crisis on an unprecedented level. Such disease threats transcend borders. Reducing global threats posed by infectious disease outbreaks - whether naturally caused or resulting from a deliberate or accidental release - requires efforts that cross the disaster management pillars: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. This book addresses the issues of global health security along 4 themes: Emerging Threats; Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery; Exploring the Technology Landscape for Solutions; Leadership and Partnership. The authors of this volume highlight many of the challenges that confront our global security environment today. These range from politically induced disasters, to food insecurity, to zoonosis and terrorism. More optimistically, the authors also present some advances in technology that can help us combat these threats. Understanding the challenges that confront us and the tools we have to overcome them will allow us to face our future with confidence.

This extended essay investigates the meaning of imperialism in Syria, providing a valuable addition to the ongoing debate on the Syrian crisis through the lens of imperialism, modern warfare, and geopolitics. It offers a detailed analysis of how the Syrian war has been the product of imperialist ambitions. The author begins by situating the Syrian conflict in the regional historical continuum, positing that the modern imperialist war visited upon Syria is both a production domain intrinsic to capital, and an application of the law of value assuming a highly destructive form. Such processes, particularly the measure of war as a component of accumulation by waste and militarism, are peculiar to the imperialism of the United States, which the author argues is the sole imperialist power at play in Syria, and globally. With so many international forces vying with one another in this country, and some prominent Western scholars equally ascribing imperialism to the US, Russia and China, defining "who the imperialist is" can help to clear some of the fog in the war of positions, as a misplaced or ideologically motivated assessment can provide the wrong party with a justification for prolonging the war. This book will be of interest to academics in the social sciences and Middle Eastern studies, but will also appeal to all readers with an interest in patterns of global development, postcolonialism and neoliberal imperialism. 

This book analyzes the development of Islam and Muslim communities in the West, including influences from abroad, relations with the state and society, and internal community dynamics. The project examines the emergence of Islam in the West in relation to the place of Muslim communities as part of the social fabric of Western societies. It provides an overview of the major issues and debates that have arisen over the last three to four decades surrounding the presence of new Muslim communities residing in Western liberal democracies. As such, the volume is an ideal text for courses focusing on Islam and Muslim communities in the West.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Catalonian crisis in Spain from a historical, political and legal perspective. Using the precedents of Québec, Scotland, and partially Veneto and Bavaria, the author highlights some of the key issues of contemporary secessionist nationalism, including its relationship with sovereignty, the right to have a referendum, and the capacity of a particular territory to amend the constitution in order to admit secession.

This book investigates the changing meanings of power and politics in the Internet age and questions whether the political category of the citizen still has a meaningful role to play in the highly-mediated dynamics of an increasingly networked world. To answer such questions, the book analyses and compares the impact of the Internet on the relationship between state, citizens, and politics in three countries: the USA, Italy, and China. The book's journey starts in the mid-90s and ends in 2016. It pays particular attention to Obama 2008 and Trump 2016 presidential campaigns,  the ascendance to power in Italy of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, and to the enduring Chinese government's struggle to control the Internet public opinion. The book challenges the traditional understanding of power through which the strong typically prevails over the weak. This leads to a clearer understanding of the wider role citizens can play (and must play) in a networked political sphere, while it also warns the reader on the many risks citizens face in a post-truth world. The book challenges the traditional understanding of power through which the strong typically prevails over the weak. This leads to a clearer understanding of the wider role citizens can play (and must play) in a networked political sphere. 

This handbook questions, debates and subverts commonly held assumptions about disability and citizenship in the global postcolonial context. Discourses of citizenship and human rights, so elemental to strategies for addressing disability-based inequality in wealthier nations, have vastly different ramifications in societies of the Global South, where resources for development are limited, democratic processes may be uncertain, and access to education, health, transport and other key services cannot be taken for granted.  In a broad range of areas relevant to disability equity and transformation, an eclectic group of contributors critically consider whether, when and how citizenship may be used as a lever of change in circumstances far removed from UN boardrooms in New York or Geneva. Debate is polyvocal, with voices from the South engaging with those from the North, disabled people with nondisabled, and activists and politicians intersecting with researchers and theoreticians. Along the way, accepted wisdoms on a host of issues in disability and international development are enriched and problematized.  The volume explores what life for disabled people in low and middle income countries tells us about subjects such as identity and intersectionality, labour and the global market, family life and intimate relationships, migration, climate change, access to the digital world, participation in sport and the performing arts, and much else.  

This book presents an innovative democratic framework that ensures public participation, based on applying principles of good governance to facilitate urban transport decision-making in an integrated and structured manner. While - given the need for mobility in cities - transport is crucial for urban development, problems such as the fragmentation of institutions, decision-making, and unequal knowledge concentrations represent major hurdles to effective governance outcomes (especially those that go beyond technical and regulatory aspects).  Substantial investments continue to be pumped into the urban transportation sector, with cities lacking the necessary capacities or governance mechanisms to ensure optimal returns on these investments. The book introduces the transport governance framework, which is intended to provide an integrated and structured approach to facilitate decision-making processes in the urban transport sector, focusing on how decisions are made rather than what decisions are made. It also discusses the initial testing of the framework in several cities across India. In addition, it examines the application of the TAPC (transparency, accountability, participation, and capacity building) principles of good governance to key aspects of urban transport - policy, planning, standards, budgets, execution, and regulation.

Planetary defense from near-Earth objects such as asteroids is a far more nuanced and challenging topic than it might seem. Each day, technology is making it easier to detect asteroid impact threats in advance, but at present, there is still no easy way to design and implement any form of global defense. This book examines how various asteroid deflection methods can change global political affairs. The authors believe that the final policy for potential Earth impacts should be based on practical engineering solutions and innovative architectural structures, while at the same time reflecting the most recent political science contributions in ethical security studies and security cosmopolitanism. Their focus is not limited to effective engineering solutions, but rather extends to how such proposals resonate in possible political structures of the future.  Planetary defense cannot be achieved with technology alone; the chapters in this volume highlight the issues that arise when space science and technology intersect with political science. This complex interdisciplinary project not only demands global participation and collaboration, but also proposes the way we can achieve it. The authors explore various concepts of governance and their far-reaching implications for planetary defense and vice versa--how scientific progress in Solar System observations and asteroid collision engineering influence political science and put pressure on the international legal framework.  The text is intentionally written for a diverse scholarly and diplomatic audience in a style accessible to non-specialists and practitioners and can be read by those across diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

This book deals with the events leading up to the 1936 Popular Olympics which would have united the Popular Front in opposition to the Berlin Olympics. It also discusses the days after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War which began on the same day the games were due to start. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, the book traces the biographies of several Popular Olympians who would go on to volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. The book also examines the planned events and locations for the Popular Olympics as well as the international funding that the games secured. The book argues that the events were a departure from Workers' Sport as well as the IOC's Olympic games and represented an important cultural manifestation of the Popular Front.

This book presents the findings of research conducted by scholars and activists associated with the Agrarian South Network, based mainly in Africa, Asia and Latina America. The research articulates a Southern perspective on the "new scramble" for Africa, with a view to strengthen tri-continental solidarities. The book explains the significance of the new scramble in terms of the economic structures inherited from the late-nineteenth-century scramble and the subsequent post-independence period. The renewed competition for Africa's land and natural resources and the resumption of economic growth at the turn of the millennium have revived concerns regarding the continent's position in the world economy and the prospects for its development in the twenty-first century. In this regard, the book addresses two related issues: the character of the expansion of Southern competitors in relation to the more established Western strategies; and the impact of the renewed influx of investments in land, minerals, and associated infrastructure. The findings are presented with empirical rigor and conceptual clarity, to enable the reader to grasp what really is at stake in the twenty-first century - an epic struggle to reclaim Africa from the monopolies that exercise control over its land, minerals, labour, and destiny.

"A very valuable and much needed book on a central element in the processes of social change: the construction and reconstruction of social norms as they move between global and local levels."  --Naila Kabeer, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK "This book explores how gender equality norms are ever-evolving and argues convincingly that we cannot take their effectiveness, nor their acceptance, for granted." --Judith Kelley, Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, USA "In an era of increasing resistance to gender equality, this is a much-needed volume that attends to how gender equality norms are interpreted and contested in governance organisations ranging from the UN and the EU to Mercosur and women's NGOs in India and Uganda." --Ann Towns, University of Gothenburg, Sweden This edited collection provides a new theoretical approach to the study of how global norms influence social processes. It analyses the institutional and highly political processes whereby actors - be they local, national, regional or trans-national - engage with global norms of gender equality. The editors bring together key thinkers who emphasise how context and history effect norm engagement and how particular groups and actors tend to be marginalised from discussions of global norms. By proposing a situated approach that underlines the contingent, multi-level processes that occur when actors interpret, use, manipulate, bend, or betray norms, notions of norm diffusion are fundamentally challenged. This book makes a further crucial contribution to the study of norms and gender equality in global governance by analysing very different empirical contexts, from New Delhi and St. Petersburg to the Organisation of American States, and from Kampala and New York to the European Union.

This book provides a detailed account of transnational practices undertaken by Indian 'high-tech' workers living in the United States. It describes the complexities and challenges of adapting to a new culture while clinging to tradition. Asian-Indians represent a significant part of the professional and 'high-tech' workforce in the United States, and the majority are temporary workers, working on contractual jobs (H1-B and L1 work visa category). Further, it is not unusual for Indian immigrant workers to marry and have children while working in the U.S. Gradually, they learn to negotiate the U.S. cultural terrain in both their place of work and at home in the U.S. As such there is the potential that they will become transnational, developing new identities and engaging in cultural and social practices from two different nations: India and the U.S. Against this background, the book describes the nature and extent of transnational practices adopted by high-tech Indian workers employed in the United States on temporary work visas. The study reveals that the temporary stay of these professionals and their families in the U.S. necessitates day-to-day balancing of two cultures in terms of food, clothing, recreation, and daily activities, creating a transnational lifestyle for these young professionals. Transnational activities at the workplace, which are forced by the work culture of the MNCs that employ them, can be considered as 'transnationalism from above.' Simultaneously, being bi-lingual at home, cooking and eating Indian and Western food, socializing with Indian and American friends outside work, and all the cultural activities they perform on a day-to-day basis, indicates 'transnationalism from below'. The book is of interest to researchers and academics working on issues relating to culture, social change, migration and development.

This book discusses "culture" and the origins of the Anglo-American special relationship (the AASR). The bitter dispute between ethnic groups in the US from 1914-17--a period of time characterized as the "culture wars"--laid the groundwork both for US intervention in the European balance of power in 1917 and for the creation of what would eventually become a lasting Anglo-American alliance. Specifically, the vigorous assault on English "civilization" launched by two large ethnic groups in America (the Irish-Americans and the German-Americans) had the unintended effect of causing America's demographic majority at the time (the English-descended Americans) to regard the prospect of an Anglo-American alliance in an entirely new manner. The author contemplates why the Anglo-American "great rapprochement" of 1898 failed to generate the desired "Anglo-Saxon" alliance in Britain, and in so doing features theoretically informed inquiries into debates surrounding both the origins of the war in 1914 and the origins of the American intervention decision nearly three years later.