Michael D. McDonald and Ian Budge
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199286720
- eISBN:
- 9780191603327
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199286728.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The book proposes a unifying conception which shows that the differences between ‘majoritarian’, ‘consensus’ and other forms of representative democracy are superficial compared to what unites them. ...
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The book proposes a unifying conception which shows that the differences between ‘majoritarian’, ‘consensus’ and other forms of representative democracy are superficial compared to what unites them. The common element is the empowerment of the median voter by making the party (s)he votes for the median party in the legislature. Comparative evidene covering 21 democracies from 1950-1995 is assembled to check out the descriptive credentials of this idea, in contrast to the government mandate which forms the normal description and justification of democracy as providing ‘a necessary link between popular preferences and public policy’. Although, spontaneous majorities rarely emerge, median voter - median party correspondences do (72% of all governments, 82% under PR). Policy correspondence, distortion, long term bias, and responsiveness are examined in both static and dynamic terms. They reveal that underneath short-term fluctuations, the long-term equilibrium positions of governments and median voters map each other closely. Many other questions about democracy are also raised and investigated — economic and retrospective voting (‘ kicking the rascals out’): policy incrementalism, etc. — giving the book an appeal to different groups of specialists in political science. The comparative data on voting, on electoral party and government preferences, and on actual policy outputs are unsurpassed with regards to comprehensiveness over nations and time.Less
The book proposes a unifying conception which shows that the differences between ‘majoritarian’, ‘consensus’ and other forms of representative democracy are superficial compared to what unites them. The common element is the empowerment of the median voter by making the party (s)he votes for the median party in the legislature. Comparative evidene covering 21 democracies from 1950-1995 is assembled to check out the descriptive credentials of this idea, in contrast to the government mandate which forms the normal description and justification of democracy as providing ‘a necessary link between popular preferences and public policy’. Although, spontaneous majorities rarely emerge, median voter - median party correspondences do (72% of all governments, 82% under PR). Policy correspondence, distortion, long term bias, and responsiveness are examined in both static and dynamic terms. They reveal that underneath short-term fluctuations, the long-term equilibrium positions of governments and median voters map each other closely. Many other questions about democracy are also raised and investigated — economic and retrospective voting (‘ kicking the rascals out’): policy incrementalism, etc. — giving the book an appeal to different groups of specialists in political science. The comparative data on voting, on electoral party and government preferences, and on actual policy outputs are unsurpassed with regards to comprehensiveness over nations and time.
Ian Carter
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294535
- eISBN:
- 9780191598951
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294530.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
When liberal political philosophers talk of equalizing, increasing or maximizing freedom (or liberty), they implicitly assume freedom to be a measurable attribute. Freedom is one of the currencies of ...
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When liberal political philosophers talk of equalizing, increasing or maximizing freedom (or liberty), they implicitly assume freedom to be a measurable attribute. Freedom is one of the currencies of a liberal theory of distributive justice, and is therefore assumed to be something that individuals can possess in varying degrees. Yet it is rarely clear what is meant by claims about degrees of freedom. To make sense of such claims, we need to clarify the concept of overall freedom and ask whether its measurement is theoretically possible. This concept is important because freedom has, for liberals, non-specific (or content-independent) value–i.e. value that is independent of the value of being free to do specific things. Liberals prescribe not only that individuals have certain specific freedom-types but also that they have a measure of (overall) freedom. Attempts to make sense of the concept of overall freedom by weighting particular options in terms of their values are erroneous, as these do not account for freedom’s non-specific value. On the other hand, a closer examination of the problems of the individuation of actions and of the various types of constraints on freedom shows overall freedom to be measurable in a way that reflects its non-specific value. To this end, actions need to be individuated in spatio-temporal terms and constraints on freedom need to be characterized in terms of the physical compossibility of actions. The comparative judgements about freedom implied by this analysis (with reference both to individuals and to groups) are more coherent with our intuitive judgements than might at first be expected.Less
When liberal political philosophers talk of equalizing, increasing or maximizing freedom (or liberty), they implicitly assume freedom to be a measurable attribute. Freedom is one of the currencies of a liberal theory of distributive justice, and is therefore assumed to be something that individuals can possess in varying degrees. Yet it is rarely clear what is meant by claims about degrees of freedom. To make sense of such claims, we need to clarify the concept of overall freedom and ask whether its measurement is theoretically possible. This concept is important because freedom has, for liberals, non-specific (or content-independent) value–i.e. value that is independent of the value of being free to do specific things. Liberals prescribe not only that individuals have certain specific freedom-types but also that they have a measure of (overall) freedom. Attempts to make sense of the concept of overall freedom by weighting particular options in terms of their values are erroneous, as these do not account for freedom’s non-specific value. On the other hand, a closer examination of the problems of the individuation of actions and of the various types of constraints on freedom shows overall freedom to be measurable in a way that reflects its non-specific value. To this end, actions need to be individuated in spatio-temporal terms and constraints on freedom need to be characterized in terms of the physical compossibility of actions. The comparative judgements about freedom implied by this analysis (with reference both to individuals and to groups) are more coherent with our intuitive judgements than might at first be expected.
Christopher Hood, Henry Rothstein, and Robert Baldwin
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199243631
- eISBN:
- 9780191599507
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199243638.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Why does the regulation of risks to human health and safety vary so dramatically from one policy domain to another? Why are some risks regulated aggressively and others responded to only modestly? Is ...
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Why does the regulation of risks to human health and safety vary so dramatically from one policy domain to another? Why are some risks regulated aggressively and others responded to only modestly? Is there any logic to the techniques we use in risk regulation? This book addresses these important questions by systematically examining variety amongst risk regulation regimes across policy domains, analysing the significant driving forces shaping those regimes, and identifying the causes of regulatory failure and success. In order to do so, the book develops a systems‐based concept of a ‘risk regulation regime’, which enables comparative description and analysis of the rules, institutional arrangements, and cultures that are bound up with the handling of risk within and between regimes. Using that framework, the book analyses how regimes and their constituent components are differentially shaped by three major driving forces—namely, the pressures exerted by market failure, by public opinion, and by organized interests inside and outside the state apparatus—and blame‐avoidance responses of regimes in the face of pressures for greater openness. The book applies the method to analyse a range of risk regulation regimes that cross the divide between ‘natural’ and ‘socially created’, state‐created and market‐created, ‘voluntary’ and ‘involuntary’, high‐tech and low‐tech, individually, and corporately produced risks. Those regimes include the release of paedophiles into the community, air pollution, local road safety, radon, pesticides, and dangerous dogs. The analysis reveals both variations and paradoxes that can neither be identified by single case studies, nor be easily explained by macro‐oriented approaches to understanding risk regulation. The Government of Risk shows how such an approach is of high policy relevance as well as of considerable theoretical importance.Less
Why does the regulation of risks to human health and safety vary so dramatically from one policy domain to another? Why are some risks regulated aggressively and others responded to only modestly? Is there any logic to the techniques we use in risk regulation? This book addresses these important questions by systematically examining variety amongst risk regulation regimes across policy domains, analysing the significant driving forces shaping those regimes, and identifying the causes of regulatory failure and success. In order to do so, the book develops a systems‐based concept of a ‘risk regulation regime’, which enables comparative description and analysis of the rules, institutional arrangements, and cultures that are bound up with the handling of risk within and between regimes. Using that framework, the book analyses how regimes and their constituent components are differentially shaped by three major driving forces—namely, the pressures exerted by market failure, by public opinion, and by organized interests inside and outside the state apparatus—and blame‐avoidance responses of regimes in the face of pressures for greater openness. The book applies the method to analyse a range of risk regulation regimes that cross the divide between ‘natural’ and ‘socially created’, state‐created and market‐created, ‘voluntary’ and ‘involuntary’, high‐tech and low‐tech, individually, and corporately produced risks. Those regimes include the release of paedophiles into the community, air pollution, local road safety, radon, pesticides, and dangerous dogs. The analysis reveals both variations and paradoxes that can neither be identified by single case studies, nor be easily explained by macro‐oriented approaches to understanding risk regulation. The Government of Risk shows how such an approach is of high policy relevance as well as of considerable theoretical importance.
Colin Crouch
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199286652
- eISBN:
- 9780191713354
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199286652.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
Over the last decade, the neo-institutionalist literature on comparative capitalism has developed into an influential body of work. This book assesses this literature and proposes a major ...
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Over the last decade, the neo-institutionalist literature on comparative capitalism has developed into an influential body of work. This book assesses this literature and proposes a major re-orientation of the field. It critiques many aspects of this work and finds a way of modelling how creative actors trying to achieve change — institutional entrepreneurs — tackle these constraints. Central to the account is the concept of governance, as it is by recombining governance mechanisms that these entrepreneurs must achieve their goals. In seeking how to analyse the spaces in which they operate, the book criticises and deconstructs some dominant approaches in socio-political analysis: to typologies, to elective affinity and complementarity, to path dependence. It develops a theory of governance modes, which includes potentially decomposing them into their core components. Finally, it proposes a reorientation of the neo-institutionalist research programme to take more account of detailed diversity and potentiality for change. The book is primarily theoretical, but it makes liberal use of examples, particularly from studies of local economic development and politics.Less
Over the last decade, the neo-institutionalist literature on comparative capitalism has developed into an influential body of work. This book assesses this literature and proposes a major re-orientation of the field. It critiques many aspects of this work and finds a way of modelling how creative actors trying to achieve change — institutional entrepreneurs — tackle these constraints. Central to the account is the concept of governance, as it is by recombining governance mechanisms that these entrepreneurs must achieve their goals. In seeking how to analyse the spaces in which they operate, the book criticises and deconstructs some dominant approaches in socio-political analysis: to typologies, to elective affinity and complementarity, to path dependence. It develops a theory of governance modes, which includes potentially decomposing them into their core components. Finally, it proposes a reorientation of the neo-institutionalist research programme to take more account of detailed diversity and potentiality for change. The book is primarily theoretical, but it makes liberal use of examples, particularly from studies of local economic development and politics.
Steven Heine and Dale Wright (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195367645
- eISBN:
- 9780199777181
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367645.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Zen Masters contains ten articles by prominent scholars about the most significant “product” of the Zen tradition—the life and teachings of the masters or patriarchs who have made this ...
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Zen Masters contains ten articles by prominent scholars about the most significant “product” of the Zen tradition—the life and teachings of the masters or patriarchs who have made this kind of Buddhism the most renowned in the world. In contrast to most other forms of Buddhism, sacred literature in Chan or Zen primarily consists of religious biographies, or stories about the lives of Zen masters. The emergence of these narratives, often in anecdotal style, concerning the practices and teachings of the patriarchs in the late Tang and early Song dynasties in China provided new and vivid models for what it meant to be awakened. Iconic images of these often irreverent, blasphemous patriarchs spread quickly, and became the basis of a new school that rose to prominence throughout East Asia. The focus of these collected essays is a critical examination of the “image” of the Zen master as it has been projected over the past millennium, in both classic literature and the lives of modern examples, in order to capture a sense of the history and evolutionary quality of narratives about Zen patriarchs. What it means to be a Zen master is something that changes over time and is related to social context. The masters are selected from different historical periods and geographical areas, ranging from medieval China to early modern Japan and contemporary America. Essays in this volume highlight which elements of Zen identity came into focus during various periods of history, and attempt to show how each of these factors stands in relations to earlier and later Zen personalities. The audience for this volume will include both specialists and more general readers. The potency of the Zen master’s image is so far-reaching that there will be an enthusiastic readership from all quarters of interest in Buddhism and in the image of sainthood more generally. Teachers of comparative religion, those analyzing diverse images of spiritual practice, and instructors of the history of the Buddhist tradition will be able to use this volume for classroom purposes. Practitioners of Zen will find the volume particularly helpful in their efforts to imagine and engage what Zen enlightenment means for understanding human behavior and comportment.Less
Zen Masters contains ten articles by prominent scholars about the most significant “product” of the Zen tradition—the life and teachings of the masters or patriarchs who have made this kind of Buddhism the most renowned in the world. In contrast to most other forms of Buddhism, sacred literature in Chan or Zen primarily consists of religious biographies, or stories about the lives of Zen masters. The emergence of these narratives, often in anecdotal style, concerning the practices and teachings of the patriarchs in the late Tang and early Song dynasties in China provided new and vivid models for what it meant to be awakened. Iconic images of these often irreverent, blasphemous patriarchs spread quickly, and became the basis of a new school that rose to prominence throughout East Asia. The focus of these collected essays is a critical examination of the “image” of the Zen master as it has been projected over the past millennium, in both classic literature and the lives of modern examples, in order to capture a sense of the history and evolutionary quality of narratives about Zen patriarchs. What it means to be a Zen master is something that changes over time and is related to social context. The masters are selected from different historical periods and geographical areas, ranging from medieval China to early modern Japan and contemporary America. Essays in this volume highlight which elements of Zen identity came into focus during various periods of history, and attempt to show how each of these factors stands in relations to earlier and later Zen personalities. The audience for this volume will include both specialists and more general readers. The potency of the Zen master’s image is so far-reaching that there will be an enthusiastic readership from all quarters of interest in Buddhism and in the image of sainthood more generally. Teachers of comparative religion, those analyzing diverse images of spiritual practice, and instructors of the history of the Buddhist tradition will be able to use this volume for classroom purposes. Practitioners of Zen will find the volume particularly helpful in their efforts to imagine and engage what Zen enlightenment means for understanding human behavior and comportment.
Gary Herrigel
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557738
- eISBN:
- 9780191720871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557738.003.0098
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
The chapter introduces the core arguments of part one. It outlines how the argument for creative action and recomposition in the postwar history of the steel industry in the US, Germany and Japan ...
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The chapter introduces the core arguments of part one. It outlines how the argument for creative action and recomposition in the postwar history of the steel industry in the US, Germany and Japan undermines the view, developed by the Varieties of Capitalism school of institutionalism, that countries have comparative institutional advantages in international industrial competitionLess
The chapter introduces the core arguments of part one. It outlines how the argument for creative action and recomposition in the postwar history of the steel industry in the US, Germany and Japan undermines the view, developed by the Varieties of Capitalism school of institutionalism, that countries have comparative institutional advantages in international industrial competition
Gary Delany DeAngelis and Warren G. Frisina (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Teaching the Daode Jing (DDJ) was written for non‐specialist faculty who are including the DDJ in a widening group of courses in Asian studies, religion, philosophy, history, humanities ...
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Teaching the Daode Jing (DDJ) was written for non‐specialist faculty who are including the DDJ in a widening group of courses in Asian studies, religion, philosophy, history, humanities and political science. It provides up‐to‐date information on contemporary scholarship and detailed discussion of classroom strategies that have been successfully employed in a variety of teaching environments. Contributors include well‐known scholars of Daoism such as Livia Kohn, Norman Girardot, Robert Henricks, Russell Kirkland, Hans‐Georg Moeller and Michael LaFargue. In addition, there are essays by Eva Wong (Daoist practitioner), David Hall (philosophy), Gary DeAngelis (mysticism), and a jointly written essay on pedagogical strategies by Judith Berling, Geoffrey Foy, and John Thompson (Chinese religion). Their essays address questions such as: Should we capitalize on popular interest in the DDJ in our classrooms? Which, among the many translations and scholarly approaches ought we to use? Is it appropriate to think of the DDJ as a religious text at all? There are several times in many of the essays where the attention to concrete classroom practice is brought clearly into focus. Thus, readers will find several specific tips that can be used in their own classrooms.Less
Teaching the Daode Jing (DDJ) was written for non‐specialist faculty who are including the DDJ in a widening group of courses in Asian studies, religion, philosophy, history, humanities and political science. It provides up‐to‐date information on contemporary scholarship and detailed discussion of classroom strategies that have been successfully employed in a variety of teaching environments. Contributors include well‐known scholars of Daoism such as Livia Kohn, Norman Girardot, Robert Henricks, Russell Kirkland, Hans‐Georg Moeller and Michael LaFargue. In addition, there are essays by Eva Wong (Daoist practitioner), David Hall (philosophy), Gary DeAngelis (mysticism), and a jointly written essay on pedagogical strategies by Judith Berling, Geoffrey Foy, and John Thompson (Chinese religion). Their essays address questions such as: Should we capitalize on popular interest in the DDJ in our classrooms? Which, among the many translations and scholarly approaches ought we to use? Is it appropriate to think of the DDJ as a religious text at all? There are several times in many of the essays where the attention to concrete classroom practice is brought clearly into focus. Thus, readers will find several specific tips that can be used in their own classrooms.
David Rueda
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199216352
- eISBN:
- 9780191712241
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216352.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The analysis in this book disputes entrenched interpretations of the comparative political economy of industrialized democracies. It questions, in particular, the widely-held assumption that social ...
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The analysis in this book disputes entrenched interpretations of the comparative political economy of industrialized democracies. It questions, in particular, the widely-held assumption that social democratic governments will defend the interests of labour. The evidence shows that labour has become split into two clearly differentiated constituencies: those with secure employment (insiders) and those without (outsiders). The book focuses on three policy areas: employment protection (representing the main concern of insiders), and active and passive labour market policies (the main concern of outsiders). The main thrust of the argument is that the goals of social democratic parties are often best served by pursuing policies that benefit only insiders. The implication of the book's insider-outsider model is that social democratic government is associated with higher levels of employment protection legislation but not with labour market policy. The book also argues that there are factors that can reduce insider-outsider differences and weaken their influence on social democratic governments. These hypotheses are explored through the triangulation of different methodologies. The book provides an analysis of surveys and macrodata and a detailed comparison of three case-studies: Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands.Less
The analysis in this book disputes entrenched interpretations of the comparative political economy of industrialized democracies. It questions, in particular, the widely-held assumption that social democratic governments will defend the interests of labour. The evidence shows that labour has become split into two clearly differentiated constituencies: those with secure employment (insiders) and those without (outsiders). The book focuses on three policy areas: employment protection (representing the main concern of insiders), and active and passive labour market policies (the main concern of outsiders). The main thrust of the argument is that the goals of social democratic parties are often best served by pursuing policies that benefit only insiders. The implication of the book's insider-outsider model is that social democratic government is associated with higher levels of employment protection legislation but not with labour market policy. The book also argues that there are factors that can reduce insider-outsider differences and weaken their influence on social democratic governments. These hypotheses are explored through the triangulation of different methodologies. The book provides an analysis of surveys and macrodata and a detailed comparison of three case-studies: Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands.
D. Gary Miller
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199285051
- eISBN:
- 9780191713682
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199285051.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This comparative lexicographical account of Latin suffixes in English explores the rich variety of English loanwords formed by the addition of one or more Latin-derived suffixes, such as -ial, -able, ...
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This comparative lexicographical account of Latin suffixes in English explores the rich variety of English loanwords formed by the addition of one or more Latin-derived suffixes, such as -ial, -able, -ability, and -id. It traces the histories of over 3,000 words, revealing the range of derivational patterns in Indo-European, Latin, and English. It describes the different kinds of suffixes, shows how they entered English via different channels at different times (especially French and Anglo-French), and considers the complexity of competition between native Germanic and borrowed forms. The Proto-Indo-European ancestry of each formative is discussed, if known. The information that etymological dictionaries supply for root origins is thus provided for suffixes. This is followed by a sketch of the suffix’s synchronic status in Latin, and a statement concerning its relative productivity in English word formation. Finally, the book contains a list of the Indo-European roots cited.Less
This comparative lexicographical account of Latin suffixes in English explores the rich variety of English loanwords formed by the addition of one or more Latin-derived suffixes, such as -ial, -able, -ability, and -id. It traces the histories of over 3,000 words, revealing the range of derivational patterns in Indo-European, Latin, and English. It describes the different kinds of suffixes, shows how they entered English via different channels at different times (especially French and Anglo-French), and considers the complexity of competition between native Germanic and borrowed forms. The Proto-Indo-European ancestry of each formative is discussed, if known. The information that etymological dictionaries supply for root origins is thus provided for suffixes. This is followed by a sketch of the suffix’s synchronic status in Latin, and a statement concerning its relative productivity in English word formation. Finally, the book contains a list of the Indo-European roots cited.
Don Ringe
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199284139
- eISBN:
- 9780191712562
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284139.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This introductory chapter explains the rationale of the book and its intended audience. It indicates briefly the author’s positions on the uniformitarian principle, linguistic descent, the regularity ...
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This introductory chapter explains the rationale of the book and its intended audience. It indicates briefly the author’s positions on the uniformitarian principle, linguistic descent, the regularity of sound change, linguistic reconstruction, and the comparative method.Less
This introductory chapter explains the rationale of the book and its intended audience. It indicates briefly the author’s positions on the uniformitarian principle, linguistic descent, the regularity of sound change, linguistic reconstruction, and the comparative method.
