Role Of Ideas Research Articles

The Historical Presidency: The Gilded Age Presidents and the Economy

AbstractDo presidents matter for America's economic performance? This article reports several findings and hypotheses derived from a set of least likely cases, the Gilded Age presidents. These executives are often dismissed as weak and ineffective non‐entities. However, statistical data and qualitative evidence suggest that presidents do matter, even during the Gilded Age. They are powerful and essential actors who can deeply affect American economic performance in three subtle ways. The (in)action of Gilded Age presidents during economic crises appears to have mattered most. More tentatively, presidential vision and skill at coalition building also appear to correlate strongly with economic performance. These findings are not merely of historical interest, as the similarities with the twenty‐first century are striking. These cases therefore have important implications for theories of presidential power and performance, American political development, and the role of ideas in politics.

Common Cause? Policymaking Discourse and the Prison/Welfare Trade-Off

This article advances our understanding of the well-documented trade-off between welfare and prisons by analyzing US congressional hearings on welfare and criminal justice policies in two periods: the “Great Society” of 1961–67 and the “neoliberal” era of 1981–96. Comparing policymakers’ conceptions about the causes of poverty and crime, about poor and criminal populations, and about the proper role of government, the findings show that conceptions across policy domains are similar in each period and have changed in similar ways over time. These changes correspond to markedly different policy responses to poverty and crime in the two periods, favoring welfare over prisons in the earlier period and prisons over welfare in the later period. The article discusses the implications for an understanding of the punitive turn in public policies, for theories of social control, and for research on the role of ideas in policymaking.

Ideias, mudança institucional, crise e pandemias

A recente crise gerada pela pandemia do Covid-19 gerou muitas preocupações imediatas, além de incerteza no que tange aos efeitos sociais que possa ter no futuro. Haverá uma mudança institucional em nossas sociedades? Em que direção: para um maior grau de liberdade ou maior avanço do papel do Estado? Neste artigo, buscaremos analisar como essa mudança institucional é produzida, centrando nossa atenção no papel exercido pelas ideias e valores que predominam na sociedade e como esses evoluem. Particularmente,consideraremos o papel das ideias utilizando como marco de comparação um mercado, no qual encontramos demandantes e ofertantes, destacando o papel que os empreendedores ocupam. Também veremos o que ocorre quando uma crise se desencadeia e em que medida impacta, tanto o tamanho de mercado, como a direção futura que a sociedade possa seguir. Na atualidade, é muito cedo para dizer para onde se inclinará o mercado das ideias depois da pandemia, mas analisaremos qual pode ser o impacto da crise, das possíveis soluções, seus resultados e o efeito sobre as ideias predominantes.

Slow Progress on UN Rapid Deployment: The Pitfalls of Policy Paradigms in International Organizations

AbstractWhen reform negotiations in international organizations (IOs) produce limited substantive progress, the diagnosis is typically a lack of political will. We identify a different dynamic: in protracted negotiations, international policy paradigms can emerge that enshrine a politically realistic but incomplete issue definition and thereby focus the debate on a subset of policy instruments that do not fully address the underlying problem. We draw on the multilateral negotiations literature to show how policy paradigms—which are widely explored in Comparative Politics, but largely neglected in International Relations—can emerge even in heterogenous IOs, where deep cognitive cohesion is unlikely. The risk of negotiation failure incentivizes negotiators to adopt and maintain “achievable” issue and goal definitions, which over time are accepted as axiomatic by diplomats, IO officials, and policy experts. The resulting international policy paradigms help avoid institutional paralysis, but can also impede more ambitious reforms. To establish the empirical plausibility of this argument, we highlight the contemporary international policy paradigm of rapid deployment in UN peacekeeping, which focuses more on establishing an initial brigade-sized presence than on rapid deployment of the full peacekeeping force. Drawing on primary documents and interviews, we identify the roots of this First Brigade policy paradigm in reactions to the UN's failure to respond to the 1994 Rwandan genocide and trace its consolidation during UN reform negotiations in the 2000s and early 2010s. We also demonstrate that an alternative explanation of the paradigm as reflecting operational lessons-learned does not hold: a brigade-sized initial presence is rarely sufficient for mandate implementation, does not reliably speed up full deployment, and creates risks for peacekeepers. By highlighting the existence and impact of international policy paradigms, our study adds to scholarship on the role of ideas in International Relations and provides a novel perspective on reform negotiations in IOs.

Quantifying scarcity: deforestation in the Upper Volga region and early debates over climate change in nineteenth-century Russia

ABSTRACT The paper examines the early history of environmental concerns in Russia. It focuses on a case study: the debates about a potentially detrimental impact of deforestation on water regimes, which took place in the 1830s–40s. It examines two sets of issues: the role of ideas about a growing scarcity of forest resources in Europe; and the actual state of forests in Russia that provided some evidentiary basis for these debates. It argues that these debates were possible at the convergence of several trends: an expanding role and objectives of the forest administration well-versed in European scientific debates of the age and at the same time a visible danger of deforestation in some regions of a strategic significance to the empire. The author also considers different expert cultures and evidentiary standards that could be observed during the debates.

Studying the History of Political and Lgal Doctrines in Russian Jurisprudence in the 20th — Early 21st Century: Conditions, Directions, Results

The paper is devoted to the role of the history of political and legal ideas in state construction, science and education. In this aspect, the problems related to amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation initiated by the President of the Russian Federation are considered. According to the author, these initiatives are a logical continuation of the planned changes in the political system, the mechanism (apparatus) of the state, the system of local self-government, contained in the most general form in the annual address of the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly. Such an early date for the address, the subsequent submission of the draft Federal Law to the State Duma without delay, and the work on implementing the provisions contained in it, leave no doubt that there is some strategy for Russia’s political development in the near future. In this regard, an assessment of the political situation in modern Russia is given and suggestions are made regarding the further evolution of the institutions of society and the state. The dialectical relationship between the national development model and its ideological justification is argued. The author emphasizes the special role of ideas in the history of Russian statehood. In addition, the paper reflects the assessment of the history of political and legal doctrines in the system of social sciences and legal education in the Soviet and post-Soviet period. There is evidence of the need to increase the role of theoretical and historical disciplines in the context of modern "hybrid" war and the strengthening of global competition for major geopolitical projects. The idea of reorienting Russian legal education from the study of legislation, which is changing so quickly that it does not actually take the form of knowledge, to the study of law in all its manifestations as a universal regulator of public relations.

Stella Chess and the History of American Child Psychiatry

Summary Throughout its history, American child psychiatry has been a hospitable specialty for women physicians. In its early years when practitioners were often steeped in psychoanalysis and influenced by theorists such as Anna Freud, many leaders within the field were women. By the 1960s and 1970s, child psychiatry was moving away from analysis and towards more research-based practice. The biography of an important leader in this area, New York University’s Stella Chess, illustrates the mechanism of that transformation and the role of ideas about mothers and working women. Chess, along with her husband and collaborator Alexander Thomas, gathered data to disprove the popular notion that mothers were to blame for children’s behaviour problems and demonstrated instead that issues resulted from a poor fit between a child’s temperament and his/her environment. Chess not only demanded that facts support theory, but also used her own parenting experiences and common sense to guide her work.

Introduction: religion and political thought in Irish history

ABSTRACT Historians of nineteenth and twentieth century Ireland have often overlooked the role of ideas, preferring instead to focus on socio-economic, political and demographic factors. This is never more pronounced then when religion is addressed, and where the influence of religious thought and theology is often folded neatly away into issues of sectarian division and institutional power. This article introduces a collection of essays that attempt to rectify this issue, by drawing out some of their corresponding features and locating them in shared thematic debates. It sets out the historiographical background and examines Ireland’s tangential position within the wider field of intellectual history. Looking specifically at the ideologically symbiotic relationship between Catholic and republican political thought, it argues that developing forms of neo-Thomism which sought to establish a rights-based defence of individual personality against the perceived incursions of both the market and the state, aligned closely with popular radical and republican notions of economic value and justice in Ireland.

Reconfiguring the Deserving Refugee: Cultural Categories of Worth and the Making of Refugee Policy

Studies on asylum give little explanatory power to the role of categories of worth in how lawmakers formulate asylum law in lack of a clear policy framework for determining eligibility for asylum status. This article contends that during periods of policy upheaval, distinctions of worth shift to forefront lawmaking: lawmakers renegotiate the moral boundaries between categories of deserving and undeserving refugees to give content in ambiguous law. In the United States, lawmakers drew on the concept of immutability—the notion that to be worthy of protection you must be targeted on account of traits beyond your control to change—to distinguish between “undeserving” Central Americans fleeing civil wars and gang violence, and “deserving” women subjected to gender violence. Understanding how categories of worth inform the formulation and implementation of law in periods of policy upheaval advances understandings of asylum policy and expands scholarship on the role of ideas about worth in processes of institutional change.

Policy divergence across crises of a similar nature: the role of ideas in shaping 19th century famine relief policies

This paper explores the phenomenon of policy divergence in response to crises of a similar nature. We argue that politically dominant interpretations of the nature of a crisis constitute a central mechanism that determines the shape of prevailing policy responses to that crisis. These interpretations lend legitimacy to views and policy proposals of certain political actors over others, which strengthens their position in the political bargain from which the eventual policy response emerges. As a consequence, political actors can exert a greater influence within the policy-making process even in the absence of a shift in the underlying institutional or political configuration of power. We illustrate this via a case study which explores two crisis episodes – the Great Irish Famine (1845–1850) and the Lancashire Cotton Famine (1861–1865) - in which one particular policy response was proposed by policymakers, yet the eventual legislative outcome differed significantly.

Роль идей в революционных процессах

Роль идей в революционных процессах

Crisis, narratives, and the construction of US-Middle East relations: continuity and change in world history and Trump’s America First

ABSTRACT This article sets out a novel constructivist conception of how we can analyse continuity and change in US foreign policy, and sets out the US relationship with the Middle East within the context of world history. It shows how the US has worked towards an imperium and deployed an imperial right over the long durée. The Trump administration has maintained this tradition. However, by better understanding the role and impact of crises, it is argued that analysts can be far more sensitive to the role of ideas and how reasons for action shape foreign policy. It is shown that the Trump administration adopts an America first policy-paradigm that moves away from a focus on free trade imperialism and towards indirect rule through authoritarian strongmen. Using advanced computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software it is demonstrated that the Global Financial Crisis opened a period of paradigm contestation.

The Ukrainian context of Comenius studies: philosophical, pedagogical, psychological aspects

The article describes philosophical, pedagogical and psychological aspects of Comeni-us’s scientific ideas based on the analysis of scientific findings of Ukrainian authors in different historical times. It is found that the works of the prominent educator began to be analyzed in detail by Ukrainian scholars in the second half of the 19th century. The article also thematically chronologizes studies on the work of John Amos Comenius: pedagogical ideas; biographical data; the role of ideas in the context of developing sciences of different fields, such as philosophy, history, pedagogy. The article shows that the philosophical aspect of Ukrainian Comeniology is characterized by the focus of scholars of the 19th century on Comenius’s theological ideas and, through their prism, on the functioning of the Ukrainian education system; the exemplarity of his figure in overcoming obstacles to Ukraine’s independence; the analysis of his ideas from the beginning of Ukraine’s independence through a nationally updated context of socio-cultural relations; the quintessence of the philosophical concept of “eternal peace”. The philosophical aspect of Ukrainian Comeniology is substantially connected with the pedagogical aspect: the everyday relevance of Comenius’s pedagogical ideas in all the analyzed historical periods of Comenius studies (from the middle of the 19th century up to the present day); the eloquence of the educator’s ideas, in particular the deterministic historical and social conditions of the teach-er’s professionalization and the image of the modern pupil; the permanent relevance of Comeni-us’s pedagogical principles (democracy, cultural conformity through national identity); ideas for schools teaching in national languages, etc. The psychological aspect of Ukrainian Сomeniology has not yet been revealed. Considerable attention has been paid to the psychological ideas of John Amos Comenius through the compilation of the quotations corresponding to the psycholog-ical concept of today.

Public Epistemologies and Intellectual Interventions in Contemporary Italy

Building on recent work in the sociology of intellectual interventions, the study of cultural boundaries of science, and the role of ideas in politics, the article develops a theory of public epistemologies as argumentative tools people use to support or oppose political positions. Two prominent public epistemologies that have recently crystallized in Italian politics are taken as illustrations, with special attention paid to the role of two academics (an economist and an immunologist) turned public intellectuals. The article argues that the rise of populism in Italy has contributed to unusual alignments between political and epistemological positions, which has made questions about science and expert knowledge much more relevant in contesting and supporting political decisions.

The Peculiarities of Ideas about Law and Justice among High School Students

Introduction. In recent decades, scholars have shown greater research interest in aspects of legal literacy of young people regarding democratic processes in the Russian society. However, despite increasing relevance of the problem of developing and strengthening the legal awareness of modern young people, including university students, this issue has not been sufficiently studied. Meanwhile, subjective misinterpretation of the concepts of law and justice, a low level of legal culture and legal nihilism can be the causes of youth offences, as well as the factors, which distort the worldview under formation.The present publication is aimed to investigate the role of ideas about the law and justice in the structure of legal awareness of students of higher education institutions.Methodology and research methods. In the course of the empirical research, the following psychodiagnostic methods were employed: the questionnaire created on the basis of L. A. Yasyukova’s and the procedures of free associations. To process the obtained data, the content analysis and the methods of mathematic statistics, the criterion φ* (Fisher’s angular transformation) and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion λ were used.Results and scientific novelty. Theoretical approaches to the problem under discussion have been analysed, according to which legal awareness is determined by the conditions of society. Instability of these conditions generates a “paradoxical personality” (M. I. Yenikeev), who accepts and rejects social norms. It is noted that the Russian legal culture is negatively affected by such factors as the dissonance between legal ideology and legal psychology, weakness of civil society institutions, deep financial and economic crisis, etc.The conducted survey manifested that the specifics of vocational education programme do not have a significant impact on the development of student perceptions of law and justice. The peculiarities of this component of legal awareness of students are revealed. The participants of the survey were convinced that the law should be fair; otherwise, it is not necessary to obey the law. The survey revealed that recognising the priority of legislation over conscience in administrative matters, the respondents believed that only just professionals should be at the head of state, regardless of their moral qualities. According to the respondents, orientation on honor and justice should be the basis of order in the society, but the participants noted the ambiguity of these concepts. On the one hand, students understand justice from the position of social balance (everyone receives what they deserve), on the other hand, they are convinced that social justice is ensured by equality. Young people are interested in the dynamics of the current legislation and believe that everyone should have basic legal knowledge, and ignorance of the law does not exempt a person from this responsibility. The respondents are sure that the law is the same for everyone and is enforceable equally by everyone; moreover, the law is designed to protect the interests of a particular person, not society as a whole. The majority of respondents generated the estimation that the ability to defend own rights is more significant than the performance of duties. The authors of the present research draw a generalised conclusion that university students’ perceptions of law and justice are inconsistent and contradictory.Practical significance. The research results can be used by teachers and psychologists of higher educational institutions, as well as by various experts to develop the programmes for formation of youth legal awareness.

Opposition to privatized infrastructure in Indonesia

For decades multilateral organizations have led efforts to privatize infrastructure in developing economies, where the policy has generated considerable controversy. A prominent line of thinking suggests that local officials oppose privatization in order defend their material interests, and thus vested interests are what ultimately hinders institutional change. This article argues, however, that the private interests of local officials should not be assumed. Their objections need to be placed in the specific context of long struggles over the role of the private sector in development, exogenous-induced institutional change, sectoral governance, and moderately successful public sector performance. By adopting a constructivist vantage point that focuses on the role of ideas and the delinking of subjective interests from objective ones, we observe that public officials define what constitutes success differently than what a standard neoliberal analysis would yield. These insights are drawn from a longitudinal case study of the tollway sector in Indonesia.

Ludwig von Mises, Sociology, and Metatheory

This paper discusses the epistemological status and potential scope of the discipline of sociology based on the writings of Ludwig von Mises. More specifically, it presents his epistemological distinction between theory and history, and argues that sociology can be integrated in this framework as a historical discipline. As such, it must be a praxeologically guided study of general or specific social phenomena that already occurred or are likely to occur. Additionally, this paper addresses the general insights provided by Mises to questions of interest to the field of sociology—the division of labor and the evolution of society, the social effects of socialism and capitalism, class analysis, and the role of ideas in social change—in order to infer from it the general tasks that sociology, as a historical discipline, can accomplish in its study of social phenomena.

The Impact of Brexit on EU Trade Policy

There has been increased interest in trade policy following the UK’s EU membership referendum. However, relatively little scholarly analysis has been produced on how Brexit will affect EU trade policy. Instead, the received wisdom has been that Brexit will shift the EU’s trade policy position in a less liberal direction. This is based on a ‘static’ analysis where the UK variable is simply removed from the figurative ‘function’ determining EU trade policy. We argue that this neglects the potential role of more ‘dynamic’ effects. First, the negotiations to determine the nature of the EU–UK future economic partnership are likely to involve a lengthy process with a still uncertain, and possibly evolving, destination. The outcome and process of arriving there will influence how economic operators and policymakers adapt their preferences and behaviour, including through possible relocation and the formation of new alliances. This will shape EU trade policy in potentially counterintuitive ways. Second, the absence of clear material structures from which actors can ‘read’ their interests highlights the importance of considering the role of ideas and political framing. How the vote for and consequences of Brexit are interpreted will likely shape what is considered an appropriate policy response. Examining EU trade policy since the Brexit vote, the article finds that rather than push the EU in a more illiberal direction, the referendum result has been used to reinforce the European Commission’s external liberalisation agenda. The Commission’s discursive response to Brexit and Donald Trump has been to portray the EU as a champion of free trade in an era of global populism.

Роль идей в социальных преобразованиях: поиск новых гносеометодологических оснований

Роль идей в социальных преобразованиях: поиск новых гносеометодологических оснований

Brexit and higher education in Europe: the role of ideas in shaping internationalisation strategies in times of uncertainty

Based on thematic data analysis of reports from a qualitative cross-country study, the article explores the perceptions of Brexit and collaborations with the UK in different EU countries through the lens of discursive institutionalism. We suggest that in the context of uncertainty characteristic of the post-Brexit referendum period, ideas related to economic concerns and strategic repositioning of national higher education systems subsume the values attached to the European dimension of higher education and research policies. The ideal of educational cooperation based on cultural diversity and national varieties is overridden by concerns expressed in terms of economic rationales. These findings corroborate research that argues that collaboration/cooperation has become a pragmatic and instrumental endeavour. In time, and if the current climate of uncertainty persists, this may further reconfigure institutional strategies and lead institutions to focus on problem-solutions rather than the pursuit of the political ends of cooperation.