Global Political Changes Research Articles

Engaging Globalization: Critical Theory and Global Political Change

Globalization implies global social and political change. Irrespective of whether one identifies globalization as primarily driven by economics or as a cultural phenomenon occurring in the context of technological change and a transformation of lifestyles, it is now clear that the social sciences face the challenge of somehow 'making sense of it. The study of international relations, it could be argued, has been complicated by this challenge, and as a result it begins to reach out in a more interdisciplinary manner, including an opening to more sociologically informed research agendas. Approaches in international relations associated with various forms of critical theory have especially put forward theoretical work, sometimes accompanied by empirical findings, with which to assess and substantiate the nature, quality, and scope of social change in the era of globalization (whether this is understood as an ideology, masking trends that have essentially always accompanied the expansion of modern capitalism, or whether it is seen as something qualitatively new). In the IR discipline, the term critical theory has become a shorthand reference for a variety of attempts to break with the molds of theorizing presented by the dominant strands of realism/neorealism, or liberalism/neoliberalism. Thus, it has come to represent the commentary from the margins of the discipline in manifestations as diverse as neo-Gramscian readings, reformulations of Marxist theory, the spectrum of feminist challenges, poststructuralist inquiries, and the theoretical work originating with the Frankfurt school. (1) Although the affinities among these strands of theorizing from the margins have frequently been stressed, (2) there remain serious disagreements over core issues of theorising with a critical motive, which typically revolve around the claims that critical theorists make for their projects. From among the plurality of critical interventions, Andrew Linklater's appropriation of the reformulated approach of Frankfurt school critical theory--mainly as developed in the work of Jurgen Habermas--has made the most consistent bid for integrating the widest possible range of critical concerns into a more unified version of critical theory for international relations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this gesture of embrace--still evident in Linklater's Transformation of Political Community (3) -- has invited the embraced themselves to reassert their positions with reference to the theoretical suggestions of the embracer. More often than not, the response to Linklater's inclusiveness has been to question the validity of core elements of his theory. In what follows, I want to engage with some of these criticisms insofar as they continue, as I see it, to misconstrue Habermas's grounding of normative theory and criteriology, which he advances through his conception of the discourse-ethical model of norm validation. These misconstruals, I argue, arise in part from the way in which Linklater himself integrates discourse ethics into his theory with emancipatory intent. Following this reconstruction of the potential of the discourse-ethical conception of norm validation for international-relations theory, I focus on what I perceive to be at the core of Habermas's critical project, the dialectic of lifeworld and systems, with a focus on its applicability in international-relations theory. Here, I take into account recent trends toward developing functionalist accounts of integration for the further study of globalization. (4) In my final section, I consider some issues on which Habermas's theory appears insufficiently refined and suggest them as items for furth er investigation. The purpose of this investigation is to underline the relevance of critical theory for attempts to make sense of the globalization challenge. If political community and social bonds are undergoing significant changes, the self-conscious approach to theorizing social life and political authority from a critical perspective that avoids classification in either classical liberal or republican terms promises a more thorough understanding than approaches that remain couched in a conceptual language that is today challenged by actual change. …

The Global Political Economy and Post-1989 Change: The Place of the Central European Transition. By Elizabeth de Boer-Ashworth. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. 203p. $65.00

This book attempts to draw upon some heterodox, mainly Marxist, approaches to Western influence on Central European political economies in the 1990s. It also argues that the European Union's (EU's) role in the Central European transformation was qualitatively more positive than the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

Governance of transboundary pollution in the Danube River

Two major issues now influence the effective governance of transboundary pollution in major watercourses such as the River Danube: One is institutional responsiveness in light of changes in global politics and the other relates to the dynamics of the river ecosystem itself. As a result of shifts in economic and political activities arising from globalization a new geography is taking shape in which many nation-states have become 'hollowed-out' and unable to deal properly with environmental issues across varying geographic scales. Without strong institutional frameworks and clear leadership, pathological syndromes can flourish, leading to further significant environmental problems and disparities in ecosystem health. Similarly, ecosystems do not exist in a steady state; they constantly react to both external and internal changes in ways that cause sudden, and sometimes dramatic, shifts in their make-up. Changes can occur because of subtle long-term alterations as well as catastrophic events. However, if an ecosystem has a high degree of resilience it may recover from a catastrophic event without any intervention. It is very important to understand whether or not particular ecosystems are or are not likely to recover, so that appropriate contingency planning, especially for transboundary aquatic ecosystems, can be undertaken. However, embedding resilience within current management regimes requires a shift in thinking from operating on an ad hoc basis where ecosystems are treated as static entities to one based on the generic principles of dynamical systems. This paper explores the ramifications of various ecological, legal and social processes on transboundary aquatic system management of the River Danube in central and eastern Europe.

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING ENVIRONMENTAL MENTALITY AND BEHAVIOR

Introduction We proceed from a broad definition proposed by Milton (1996:33): is a concern to protect the environment through human effort and responsibility wherever and in whatever form it exists, and we will use this term rather loosely, synonymously with such concepts as mentality or friendliness. Environmentalism is a certain way of thinking about the environment and a practical way of relating to it. Modern environmentalism as a particular field of thought and actions is quite a recent invention, its emergence is usually dated to late 1960s and early 1970s, resulting from various intellectual developments and forms of practice. Macnaghten and Urry (1998:73) describe contemporary environmentalism as risen from ... English Romanticism, the traditions of preservationism, critique of postwar modernization, science-based critiques of unlimited growth, the expansion of ecology and nature conservation expertise, the counter-cultural movement, the mediatization of social life.... Environmentalism is a complex social phenomenon, covering various forms of thought and practice, including new elements of individual lifestyle (selective consuming, recycling), green-colored group initiatives (from local save the forest initiatives to Greenpeace actions), and global political programs, conventions and agendas. common denominator for such a variety of forms is a concern about the state of natural environment, and a concern about human-nature relations. Environmentalism became one of the most influential social and political paradigms of the late 20th century, remaining at the same time quite controversial. First of all because it has started to question the very foundations of the mainstream Western political and economical establishment, trying to find the balance between the obviously contradictory forces of a modern world. As Matthew Gandy (1997:154) describes it: The postmodern era, as distinctive historical period since the early 1970s, is a deeply paradoxical one for environmental discourse. On the one hand, social and economic developments have facilitated the emergence of post-material political concerns with lifestyle issues such as environmental quality. On the other hand, the underlying dynamic of global social, economic and political change has been towards neoliberal deregulation, higher levels of worldwide consumption and an acceleration in environmental degradation and resource use at a global level. Contemporary environmental discourse has scarcely begun to reconcile these contradictory developments. emerging need for such a reconciliation has inevitably meant that environmental issues gradually overcame the limits of being a field of study predominantly for natural sciences. Contemporary environmentalism is first of all a social and political issue, studied by very different disciplines, from biology to economy, from psychology to law and medicine. In this article we will make an attempt to approach the issue from the social-psychological viewpoint. Our aim is analytical--to clarify the main concepts that are used when speaking about environmentalism in the context of person-nature relations. We will also present some hypotheses about the specific features of environmentalism in transitional societies, which might stand as a framework for empirical studies of the issue in this part of the world. Components of environmentalism Departing from the person-environment interaction perspective, empirical manifestations of environmentalism may be analytically divided into three kinds of phenomena. Firstly, a cognitive representation about the situation in the natural and human world, secondly--an evaluation or standpoint in relation to this situation, thirdly--an activity or restraint from activity in relation to the environment. first, cognitive (or non-evaluative) component of environmentalism may be revealed in generalized and specific knowledge (and misconceptions) about the environment and environmental consequences of human activities; ecological beliefs and belief systems; representations of public environmental debates on environmental issues; categories, meanings and explanations that are organized in the form of lay theories and myths of nature; perception and understanding of ecological threats and available options, etc. …

The global political economy and post-1989 change: the place of the Central European transition

List of Tables Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction Western Development Approaches Central Europe: Introduction to the Case Studies Poland Czech Republic Hungary The E.U. Effect and the Question of Eastern Enlargement Summary and Conclusion Bibliography Index

Relations Before States:

In recent years, paradigmatic debates in International Relations (IR) have focused on questions of epistemology and methodology. While important in their own right, these differences have obscured the basic divide in the discipline between substantialism, which takes entities as primitives, and relationalism, which takes processes of social transaction as the basic building blocks of theory. We argue that while both approaches can be fruitful, theories of processes and relations are better suited to address certain questions, most notably those involving change in global politics. Drawing on work in International Relations, sociology and philosophy, we examine what such theories entail and discuss areas of research for which they are especially suited.

Foreign direct investment and country risk: Further empirical evidence

Global political and economic changes over the last decade have resulted into massive capital inflows to developing countries, most of these flows are foreign direct investments. In light of threats of political instability in the forms of civil wars, illegal capital flight, financial market instability, and political corruption, etc., further assessment of country risk is warranted. We examine the relationship between FDI and political and economic risks for 26 countries for the years 1992, 1993, and 1994 by using regression analysis and cross section data. The results indicate a significant relationship between FDI and these risks. This study provides more reliable estimates by using a current and eclectic measurement of risks represented by Euromoney indexes of political and economic risks. In the previous studies the perception of risk was narrowly defined and also political instability events were mistakenly interpreted as political risks.

Globalizing Human Rights: The Work of Transnational Human Rights NGOs in the 1990s

Globalizing Human Rights: The Work of Transnational Human Rights NGOs in the 1990s Jackie Smith (bio), Ron Pagnucco (bio), and George A. Lopez (bio) I. Introduction This paper summarizes the results of a mailed survey sent to nearly 300 transnational human rights organizations, of which more than half responded. The survey was designed to identify the geographic distributions of human rights organizations, their political activities, their work with international agencies, their organizational structures and resources, their links with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and their definitions of human rights goals. This study is part of a larger project to better understand how the work of transnational human rights NGOs influences global political and social change. [End Page 379] A. Background 1 Research on the development of international human rights law and institutions has identified the crucial role played by nongovernmental agents in defining international human rights norms, developing institutional mechanisms to ensure adherence to international norms, and monitoring national and local human rights practices. In recent years, researchers have made more concerted efforts to understand how NGOs operate and interact with other global actors to promote changes in local and global policies. 2 This research grows in part from the observation that a growing number of NGOs are engaging in international political activities. An increasing number of these groups are organized across national boundaries. This study is directed toward a better understanding of the work being done by transnational human rights NGOs. Much of the existing research on transnational human rights NGOs consists of: case studies of individual organizations working for human rights; 3 comparative studies of a select number of organizations; 4 studies of the work of human rights organizations and institutions in specific countries or regions; 5 and studies of the political processes surrounding human rights standard-setting and enforcement. 6 This study complements previous research [End Page 380] with a systematic survey of the population of transnational human rights NGOs, addressing questions about how these groups are organized and how they seek to influence global human rights work. The survey was intended to help answer, in a systematic way, a series of questions involving the array of transnational human rights NGOs, their locations, resources, structures, and memberships. Special emphasis was placed on the distribution between the Global North and South, and whether these transnational human rights NGOs are mass-based organizations with many individual members or, rather, are comprised largely of small professional staffs. There is an underlying assumption that the structure and the configuration of organizations within the movement will have important consequences for the human rights movement’s goals, strategies, and impacts. In addition, the mandates of these NGOs were compared, with emphasis on the difference in the goals on which these NGOs focus and the categories of rights that are receiving their attention. It will be interesting to see what these differences reveal about the human rights movement. What are the strategies and activities of international human rights NGOs? Is there some kind of specialization or division of labor among them? Do all the groups work with international institutions? How much attention does the human rights movement devote to public education on human rights, standard-setting, implementation, and enforcement? What do the differences in activities tell about the human rights movement? How fragmented and competitive are the NGOs? Is this a diffuse and uncooperative human rights movement, or is there some degree of integration and cooperation? Below follows a description of some of the broad characteristics of international human rights NGOs in an attempt to begin to answer these questions. B. The Survey The survey used in this study was developed in consultation with human rights advocates, scholars of international human rights politics, and researchers familiar with organizational surveys. 7 Several items in the survey [End Page 381] build upon previous studies of national social change organizations such as those John McCarthy has made of US-based organizations working to combat drunken driving 8 and to promote empowerment of the poor. 9 It also builds upon a survey of national and local US-based peace movement organizations 10 and a broad study of US voluntary associations by Dennis Young and colleagues. 11 Relying on previous studies...

Theories linking culture and psychology: universal and community-specific processes.

Psychological theories and research often assume nations are culturally homogeneous and stable. But global demographic, political, and economic changes and massive immigration have sparked new scholarly and policy interest in cultural diversity and change within nations. This chapter reviews interdisciplinary advances linking culture and psychological development. These challenge and strengthen the external and ecological validity of psychological theories and their applications. Seven theoretical perspectives are reviewed: individualism-collectivism; ecological systems; cultural-ecological; social identity; ecocultural and sociocultural; structure-agency; and multiple worlds. Reviews of each theory summarize key constructs and evidence, recent advances, links between universal and community-specific research and applications, and strengths and limitations. The chapter traces complementarities across theories for the case of personal and social identity. It concludes by discussing implications for science and policy. By viewing theories as distinct yet complementary, researchers and policy makers can forge interdisciplinary, international, and intergenerational collaborations on behalf of the culturally diverse communities of which we are a part.

Tamed Power: Germany in Europe

Revolutionary changes in global and European politics have reawakened old fears that Europe will be dominated by an unpredictable German giant. The same changes have fueled new hopes for Germany and Europe as models of political pluralism in a peaceful and prosperous world. In fact, Peter J. Katzenstein explains, the current reality is too complex to fit either expectation. Katzenstein contends that a multilateral institutionalization of power is the most distinctive aspect of the relationship between Europe and Germany. Only the observer who is aware of this important fact can understand why Germany is willing to give up its new sovereign power. Although Germany is larger than any other member of the European Union and plays a crucial role in the economic and political life of Eastern Europe, its power is now funneled through the institutions of the European Union rather than erupting in a narrow, power-defined sense of national self-interest. The empirical chapters of this book explore the institutionalization of power relations between the European Union and Germany, as well as the relations of Germany and the European Union with most of the smaller European states.

Analysis of the origin, situation and future prospects of the de-centralisation process of the Spanish health system

The de-centralisation of health services in any country is a process that involves profound change. This is what has occurred in Spain, where the entities that have received authority for de-centralised services (Autonomous Communities) are regional and have assumed political as well as administrative responsibilities within, what could be defined as, a process of "devolution". Firstly, the reasons behind the Spanish process are analysed. The nature of the process enables it to be confirmed that it has been a result of causes non-related to the health sector, which has had to adapt to the global political change. A second feature is the coinciding of territorial distribution of authority and services with the possibility of further de-centralisation of a functional nature in the managing of health centres and services. The combination of both types of processes has enabled a large number of diversification possibilities for the Spanish Health System. This study refers, in quantitative terms, to the increase or decrease in differences between regions, the de-centralisation process and, therefore analyses certain general qualitative effects. Developing of ways to co-ordinate the health system, to be studied later, has been limited and further developments are necessary in this area. Finally, future prospects of a de-centralised Spanish health system are considered in relation to two principal issues: firstly, the level of difference amongst autonomous health services that is compatible with the ability to maintain health protection for all citizens throughout Spain and, as the case may be, establishing of the limits to guarantee such level; secondly, defining of the relations between autonomous health services in terms of cooperation of competition.

Psychiatry in Vietnam: a personal impression

After the fall of South Vietnam to North Vietnamese forces in 1975, Vietnam has remained virtually isolated from the rest of the world. With the global political changes of the past 10 years. the Hanoi Government succeeded in reducing Vietnam's international isolation in part by attempting to open the country's door to foreign visitors. The country stretches along the eastern coast of the Indo-Chinese peninsula and is slightly larger than Italy. It is ‘S-shaped’, broad in the north and south and very narrow in the centre (Fig. 1). The country's main cultivated areas are the Red River delta in the north and the Mekong delta containing Ho Chi Min city (Saigon) in the south.

Ethnicity and education for democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article reviews recent global political changes and describes how they have helped to recreate interest in a democratic agenda in Africa. In the past, two of the major obstacles to democracy in post-independence Africa have been ethnic conflict and the resulting authoritarian political systems. However, there have been exceptions to this and neither authoritarianism nor democracy have become fully institutionalised. If, in the future, democratic political institutions in Africa are going to be sustained by a supportive political culture, then schools will have to consciously educate for democracy rather than support authoritarianism as they tend to do at the moment. In particular they will need to educate for ethnic tolerance and mutual respect and this will require changes both in classroom and whole school organisation.

German Maquiladora? Foreign workers in the process of regional economic restructuring

Abstract In the late 1980s and early 1990s the German Federal government signed a number of bilateral agreements providing the framework for the recruitment of workers from Central and East European countries. This article analyzes the goals, instruments and (planned as well as unintended) implications of these policies. The analysis is based on the hypothesis that this is—far from a radical reappraisal—just a conservative modernization of the German migration regime. The new regulations combine piecemeal reactions to the global political changes with provisions intended to support the growth of the German economy. Methodologically the paper combines official employment statistics with information from exploratory interviews conducted with commuters in the German‐Czech border region.

Political modernization in Slovenia in the 1980s and the early 1990s

Slovenia's history and geographical position have made its emergence from ‘real socialism’ idiosyncratic. The global political change that marked the end of Marxist‐Leninist rule was ushered in by a number of gradual changes concerning both modifications to Slovenia's political culture and the development of social factors. The new social movements played a key transformative role in the process of regime change, but it could not have been decisive without an evolution within the existing structure of power itself. The holding of free elections in the spring of 1990 confirmed the move to pluralism; but since the institutional framework remained substantialy unchanged, there is a risk, during the transition period, that a weak opposition will be overpowered by the strong executive emerging from the process of change.

The process of democratization in Latin America

During the 1980s, Latin America experienced the longest and deepest wave of democratization in its history. The origins of this process of transformation are to be found in the interaction between domestic and international forces. At the international level, the key events were the oil shocks of the 1970s, the related expansion of international lending, and the subsequent debt crisis. The speed and extent to which these changes were translated into democratization were conditioned by the political alignments of the private sector and structural fragilities of authoritarianism at the national level. The persistence of the democratization trend through time reflects the importance of other factors, including global political change, the receding threat of the revolutionary left, the internationalization of capital markets, constraints on domestic policy choice, and political learning, which have converged at the domestic level to reduce the incentives and opportunities for authoritarian reversals.

To anticipate the future, models simulate US. pistachio prices

Models developed on U.S. pistachio production simulate grower prices under scenarios of varying import levels and carryover stocks. Grower prices have significantly varied for 13 years, partly because of changes in import levels and domestic production. Bearing acreage has increased dramatically, and as nonbearing acreages mature, substantial growth in production is expected. In 1979, the fledgling U.S. pistachio industry produced 1,000 tons; in 1990, production was more than 58,000 tons. Anticipating future grower prices under alternative market scenarios is of interest, particularly as global political conditions change.

The Korean Peninsula: Prospects for Arms Reduction under Global Detente (review)

BOOK REVIEWS133 Korean, Japanese, and Western scholarship in the subject, P'yöngyang remains a Churchillian enigma wrapped in a riddle encased in mystery. The outside world's understanding of North Korea continues to be clouded by a fog of propaganda and counterpropaganda. So, while a political scientist such as Scalapino seeks to discern, albeit cautiously, certain trends in North Korea, I, as a historian, can only cross my fingers, wait for the next event to happen, and then try to grasp its significance retrospectively. The Korean peninsula is likely to remain an exciting, if still unpredictable, political terrain for some time to come. Scalapino's lucid book does offer an urbane perspective on Korea's recent history, but it is by no means a definitive synthesis of the subject. Vipan Chandra Wheaton College The Korean Peninsula: ProspectsforArms Reduction under GlobalDetente, edited by William J. Taylor, Cha Young-koo, and John Q. Blodgett. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1990. Price not given. Recent changes in global politics have provided an unprecedented opportunity for talks on arms reduction and the reunification of North and South Korea. The collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe and the consolidation of reform politics in the Soviet Union, along with the U.S. initiative for the reduction of tactical nuclear weapons, offer a valuable opportunity to resolve the dangerous and ultimately unnecessary confrontation of the two Koreas. But the relationship between North and South Korea has not kept pace with these global changes. Indeed, the Korean peninsula remains one of the most volatile potential sites of local conflict—the kind of international conflict that will characterize the new age of detente. The Cold War, unfortunately, still lingers in the peninsula. Why is this so? And how can this situation be corrected, and the chances for peace and unification enhanced? These are the questions that should be posed when we discuss "prospects for arms reduction under global detente" in the Korean context. What this book's eighteen writers, Korean and American, attempt to do is just that—well, almost. The book deals with such comprehensive issues as the new global detente and the Korean peninsula (Part 1) and the context for arms reduction (Part 2), and the more specific question of issues and prospects for arms control in Korea (Part 3). The book's main themes are as follows. First, the changing global environment is conducive to peace and arms reduction on the peninsula (see especially John Q. Blodgett's article "Conclusions and Policy Implications"). Second , in spite of this favorable climate, the North Korean leadership shows no signs of flexibility, especially in military matters (see Oh Chang Il's "Military Talks in Korea: An Overview"). Third, the governments of the United States and 134BOOK REVIEWS the Republic of Korea should therefore take the initiative in negotiations for arms reduction and peace (William J. Taylor, Jr., and Michael J. Mazarr, "The Future of ROK-U.S. Security Ties"). At the same time, ROK-U.S. relations should be changed along the lines of the new global detente (Cha Young-koo, "The Future of ROK-U.S. Military Relations"). Finally, the alliance should be alert to the possibility of military provocation by North Korea (see especially Oh Kwan-chi, "The Military Balance on the Korean Peninsula"). This reviewer's general impression is that the authors are still more or less obsessed with the Cold War confrontation between East and West: They are pessimistic about the prospects for democratic reform in the Soviet Union, and they believe that the Russians and the North Koreans are still building a military capability in Northeast Asia; that the North Korean peace and arms-reduction proposals have all been mere propaganda; that the North Korean leadership has not abandoned its prime objective of unification by force; that North Korea's military capability is superior to that of South Korea. Given the backgrounds of the authors, it is not surprising that they hold such obstinately conservative views: Among the eighteen authors, six were military officers on active duty at some point in their lifetime, and most of the others have careers in government or related institutions. On the issue of arms reduction, they undoubtedly represent...

The Corporation and Public Policy in the 1990s

Throughout the industrialised and developing world, corporate policy making and public policy making are converging. Governments are making deliberate and conscious choices about their economies and the forms of industrial organisation that will best accomplish broad social and economic objectives. Senior managers of enterprises face the influence of government policy in creating, shaping, and guiding the development of markets. The issues raised by this reality range well beyond the old regulation/deregulation debates of the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, government and business are more entwined – and more inextricably linked as partners – because of recent global political and economic changes. This article assesses the prospects for the corporation and public policy in the decade ahead.

The World Geopolitical System in Retrospect and Prospect

Abstract In a time of profound international change, geopolitical analysis is important to an understanding of the dynamic workings the world system. This analysis should be grounded in a coherent, progressive theory. Long before the recent upheavals in Eastern Europe, global political change had rendered obsolete geopolitical theories of world dominance based upon the spatial centrality of such areas of movement as the Heartland, Rimland or Polar Arctic. An alternative theory first offered by this author more than two decades ago was based upon a hierarchical framework of geostrategic realms and geopolitical regions in dynamic equilibrium with one another. Since then, the geopolitical region has assumed greater importance with the emergence of second-order powers, including asymmetrical states. As the world system continues to evolve developmentally, it will gain greater stability with the emergence of a new international entity-the “gateway” state. This new type of state will add a vital link to a world...