Jeffrey S. Lantis
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199535019
- eISBN:
- 9780191715952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199535019.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Politics
This chapter surveys the countries and treaties in the study. It outlines the comparative case study method that will be used throughout the book to explore episodes of treaty ratification struggles, ...
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This chapter surveys the countries and treaties in the study. It outlines the comparative case study method that will be used throughout the book to explore episodes of treaty ratification struggles, including breakdowns and near-breakdowns of international cooperation. Selection of the types of case studies to examine is based upon several criteria, including their fit to the relevant variables in the study and representation of contemporary debates on treaty ratification. Cases represent a range of democratic political systems, in three distinct regions of the world, with key institutional differences. Finally, the chapter examines the actual treaty ratification processes in the five democracies under study: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United States.Less
This chapter surveys the countries and treaties in the study. It outlines the comparative case study method that will be used throughout the book to explore episodes of treaty ratification struggles, including breakdowns and near-breakdowns of international cooperation. Selection of the types of case studies to examine is based upon several criteria, including their fit to the relevant variables in the study and representation of contemporary debates on treaty ratification. Cases represent a range of democratic political systems, in three distinct regions of the world, with key institutional differences. Finally, the chapter examines the actual treaty ratification processes in the five democracies under study: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United States.
David P. Wright
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195304756
- eISBN:
- 9780199866830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304756.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This introduction provides an overview to the comparative study of the Covenant Code and Mesopotamian law, particularly the Laws of Hammurabi. It provides a summary of the argument of the book and ...
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This introduction provides an overview to the comparative study of the Covenant Code and Mesopotamian law, particularly the Laws of Hammurabi. It provides a summary of the argument of the book and contrasts the views of other recent academic studies, including those of Eckart Otto, Raymond Westbrook, Ludger Schwienhort-Schönberger, Ralf Rothenbusch, and Bernard Jackson. It also discusses methodological questions and problems arising in the comparative study of Near Eastern law, including similarities as proof of literary borrowing and the "hermaneutics of legal innovation" (as pioneered by Bernard Levinson) or compositional logic of the text.Less
This introduction provides an overview to the comparative study of the Covenant Code and Mesopotamian law, particularly the Laws of Hammurabi. It provides a summary of the argument of the book and contrasts the views of other recent academic studies, including those of Eckart Otto, Raymond Westbrook, Ludger Schwienhort-Schönberger, Ralf Rothenbusch, and Bernard Jackson. It also discusses methodological questions and problems arising in the comparative study of Near Eastern law, including similarities as proof of literary borrowing and the "hermaneutics of legal innovation" (as pioneered by Bernard Levinson) or compositional logic of the text.
Federico Varese
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297369
- eISBN:
- 9780191600272
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829736X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Russian Politics
This book researches the question of what the Russian Mafia is, and challenges widely held views of its nature. It charts the emergence of the Russian Mafia in the context of the transition to the ...
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This book researches the question of what the Russian Mafia is, and challenges widely held views of its nature. It charts the emergence of the Russian Mafia in the context of the transition to the market, the privatization of protection, and pervasive corruption. The ability of the Russian State to define property rights and protect contracts is compared with the services offered by fragments of the state apparatus, private security firms, ethnic crime groups, the Cossacks and the Russian Mafia. Past criminal traditions, rituals, and norms have been resuscitated by the modern Russian Mafia to forge a powerful new identity and compete in a crowded market for protection. The book draws on and reports from undercover police operations, in-depth interviews conducted over several years with the victims of the Mafia, criminals, and officials, and documents from the Gulag archives. It also provides a comparative study, making references to other mafia in other countries (the Japanese Yakuza, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, American–Italian Mafia and the Hong Kong Triads). The book has an introduction and conclusion and between these is arranged in three parts: I. The Transition to the Market and Protection in Russia (three chapters); II. Private protection in Perm (two chapters investigating the emergence and operation of the mafia in the city of Perm); and III. The Russian Mafia (three chapters).Less
This book researches the question of what the Russian Mafia is, and challenges widely held views of its nature. It charts the emergence of the Russian Mafia in the context of the transition to the market, the privatization of protection, and pervasive corruption. The ability of the Russian State to define property rights and protect contracts is compared with the services offered by fragments of the state apparatus, private security firms, ethnic crime groups, the Cossacks and the Russian Mafia. Past criminal traditions, rituals, and norms have been resuscitated by the modern Russian Mafia to forge a powerful new identity and compete in a crowded market for protection. The book draws on and reports from undercover police operations, in-depth interviews conducted over several years with the victims of the Mafia, criminals, and officials, and documents from the Gulag archives. It also provides a comparative study, making references to other mafia in other countries (the Japanese Yakuza, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, American–Italian Mafia and the Hong Kong Triads). The book has an introduction and conclusion and between these is arranged in three parts: I. The Transition to the Market and Protection in Russia (three chapters); II. Private protection in Perm (two chapters investigating the emergence and operation of the mafia in the city of Perm); and III. The Russian Mafia (three chapters).
Uwe Kischel
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- April 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198791355
- eISBN:
- 9780191833830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198791355.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, Comparative Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
This chapter examines the methods used in comparative law. Today, functional comparison is considered the classic form of comparative law. The vast majority of comparative studies follow this method ...
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This chapter examines the methods used in comparative law. Today, functional comparison is considered the classic form of comparative law. The vast majority of comparative studies follow this method and the quality of any given comparative law study is often judged according to its principles. According to Zweigert and Kötz, the fundamental principle of comparative law is functionalism, according to which only law which fulfills the same function can be compared. At its core, this straightforward approach provides an exemplary description of the essential components of any individual comparison between two developed legal systems. However, attacks on the functional method has been increasing for decades. The chapter then describes these critiques and the alternatives they propose.Less
This chapter examines the methods used in comparative law. Today, functional comparison is considered the classic form of comparative law. The vast majority of comparative studies follow this method and the quality of any given comparative law study is often judged according to its principles. According to Zweigert and Kötz, the fundamental principle of comparative law is functionalism, according to which only law which fulfills the same function can be compared. At its core, this straightforward approach provides an exemplary description of the essential components of any individual comparison between two developed legal systems. However, attacks on the functional method has been increasing for decades. The chapter then describes these critiques and the alternatives they propose.
Michael Burgess
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199606238
- eISBN:
- 9780191752476
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199606238.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, Comparative Politics
The chapter provides a brief intellectual biography of Riker and examines in detail his major contribution to the study of federalism. His distinctive approach to and understanding of federalism is ...
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The chapter provides a brief intellectual biography of Riker and examines in detail his major contribution to the study of federalism. His distinctive approach to and understanding of federalism is revealed and a textual exegesis of his major works on federalism is conducted. This shows his scholarly work and interest in federalism to have been surprisingly patchy and short-lived but it also identifies him as having made a significant theoretical contribution to federalism in the empirical tradition of political science as a science. Riker’s references to and uses of the federal spirit were therefore idiosyncratic and the chapter carefully presents his interpretation of it in a manner consistent with his uncompromising social scientific approach. It exposes the normative assumptions and values that lie at the core of his analysis which are very much in the American liberal democratic tradition.Less
The chapter provides a brief intellectual biography of Riker and examines in detail his major contribution to the study of federalism. His distinctive approach to and understanding of federalism is revealed and a textual exegesis of his major works on federalism is conducted. This shows his scholarly work and interest in federalism to have been surprisingly patchy and short-lived but it also identifies him as having made a significant theoretical contribution to federalism in the empirical tradition of political science as a science. Riker’s references to and uses of the federal spirit were therefore idiosyncratic and the chapter carefully presents his interpretation of it in a manner consistent with his uncompromising social scientific approach. It exposes the normative assumptions and values that lie at the core of his analysis which are very much in the American liberal democratic tradition.
Theodore R. Marmor, Richard Freeman, and Kieke G. H. Okma
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300149838
- eISBN:
- 9780300155952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300149838.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter explores the methodological questions raised by concerns about weaknesses in international comparison in health policy. The core question is how one nation can learn from another ...
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This chapter explores the methodological questions raised by concerns about weaknesses in international comparison in health policy. The core question is how one nation can learn from another competently in health care policy. The chapter is organized as follows. The first section describes the political context of health and welfare state reform debates during the last three decades of the twentieth century. The second section takes up the topic of cross-national policy learning more directly, addressing some of the promises and methodological pitfalls of such work. The third section focuses on health reform debates, reviews the claims of convergence among industrialized countries, and outlines the expansive scholarship on comparative health policy. The fourth section addresses the purposes, promises, and pitfalls of comparative studies in health policy. The fifth section groups the works in categories that highlight the character, possibilities, and limits of this comparative literature. The concluding section returns to the chapter's basic theme: the real promise of comparative policy scholarship and the mixed portrait of performance to date.Less
This chapter explores the methodological questions raised by concerns about weaknesses in international comparison in health policy. The core question is how one nation can learn from another competently in health care policy. The chapter is organized as follows. The first section describes the political context of health and welfare state reform debates during the last three decades of the twentieth century. The second section takes up the topic of cross-national policy learning more directly, addressing some of the promises and methodological pitfalls of such work. The third section focuses on health reform debates, reviews the claims of convergence among industrialized countries, and outlines the expansive scholarship on comparative health policy. The fourth section addresses the purposes, promises, and pitfalls of comparative studies in health policy. The fifth section groups the works in categories that highlight the character, possibilities, and limits of this comparative literature. The concluding section returns to the chapter's basic theme: the real promise of comparative policy scholarship and the mixed portrait of performance to date.
Daniel J. Funk and Patrik Nosil
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520251328
- eISBN:
- 9780520933828
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520251328.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Although the contribution of natural selection to speciation was not an explicit empirical focus of most of the twentieth century, it was often assumed to be an important factor in the evolutionary ...
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Although the contribution of natural selection to speciation was not an explicit empirical focus of most of the twentieth century, it was often assumed to be an important factor in the evolutionary diversification of lineages. A challenging task is identifying the potential contributions of ecological divergence to reproductive barriers that are not inherently ecological, including sexual isolation, cryptic postmating isolation, and intrinsic hybrid inviability. This chapter shows how particular comparative approaches can be used to identify and quantify ecological contributions to reproductive isolation and speciation, focusing on herbivorous insects. First, it discusses the nature and study of ecological speciation, and presents some advantages of evaluating herbivorous insect systems for such investigations. The chapter then describes recently developed comparative approaches that have provided insights on this topic. It also analyzes available herbivore data sets to illustrate these methods and the evidence they provide on ecology's role in herbivore speciation, highlights important issues pertaining to the conduct and interpretation of these comparative studies, and suggests future directions for advancing the multidimensional study of ecological speciation through the creative application of comparative approaches.Less
Although the contribution of natural selection to speciation was not an explicit empirical focus of most of the twentieth century, it was often assumed to be an important factor in the evolutionary diversification of lineages. A challenging task is identifying the potential contributions of ecological divergence to reproductive barriers that are not inherently ecological, including sexual isolation, cryptic postmating isolation, and intrinsic hybrid inviability. This chapter shows how particular comparative approaches can be used to identify and quantify ecological contributions to reproductive isolation and speciation, focusing on herbivorous insects. First, it discusses the nature and study of ecological speciation, and presents some advantages of evaluating herbivorous insect systems for such investigations. The chapter then describes recently developed comparative approaches that have provided insights on this topic. It also analyzes available herbivore data sets to illustrate these methods and the evidence they provide on ecology's role in herbivore speciation, highlights important issues pertaining to the conduct and interpretation of these comparative studies, and suggests future directions for advancing the multidimensional study of ecological speciation through the creative application of comparative approaches.
Yingjin Zhang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824833374
- eISBN:
- 9780824870584
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824833374.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter examines the scale of the national used to occupy the central attention in film studies and argues that the resulting myth of a unified national cinema in a given nation-state must be ...
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This chapter examines the scale of the national used to occupy the central attention in film studies and argues that the resulting myth of a unified national cinema in a given nation-state must be demystified. It first reconceptualizes Chinese cinema in relation to the shifting problematics of national cinema and transnational film studies in both the theoretical and historical contexts. It then considers interdisciplinarity in Chinese film studies in the West and how it benefits audience study, along with the thorny issues of piracy and cross-mediality. It also discusses film studies from a different perspective than transnationalism and speculates on what might be gained from comparative film studies, arguing that it is a subfield larger than transnational film studies. The chapter urges scholars to move beyond the national cinema paradigm and to explore the transnational and comparative frameworks of film studies.Less
This chapter examines the scale of the national used to occupy the central attention in film studies and argues that the resulting myth of a unified national cinema in a given nation-state must be demystified. It first reconceptualizes Chinese cinema in relation to the shifting problematics of national cinema and transnational film studies in both the theoretical and historical contexts. It then considers interdisciplinarity in Chinese film studies in the West and how it benefits audience study, along with the thorny issues of piracy and cross-mediality. It also discusses film studies from a different perspective than transnationalism and speculates on what might be gained from comparative film studies, arguing that it is a subfield larger than transnational film studies. The chapter urges scholars to move beyond the national cinema paradigm and to explore the transnational and comparative frameworks of film studies.
Alan Deyermond
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263952
- eISBN:
- 9780191734083
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263952.003.0032
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter comments on the accomplishments and future prospects of medieval studies in Great Britain. It highlights the intellectual power, range and originality of British medievalists of the ...
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This chapter comments on the accomplishments and future prospects of medieval studies in Great Britain. It highlights the intellectual power, range and originality of British medievalists of the twentieth century and stresses the need to expand the scope of medieval studies to include other fields such as comparative literary studies. It also discusses the problems of British medieval studies including the compartmentalization of medievalist institutions and the publication of medievalist monograph series devoted to history, or to language and literature, or to other narrower areas.Less
This chapter comments on the accomplishments and future prospects of medieval studies in Great Britain. It highlights the intellectual power, range and originality of British medievalists of the twentieth century and stresses the need to expand the scope of medieval studies to include other fields such as comparative literary studies. It also discusses the problems of British medieval studies including the compartmentalization of medievalist institutions and the publication of medievalist monograph series devoted to history, or to language and literature, or to other narrower areas.
Theodore R. Marmor
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390131
- eISBN:
- 9780199775934
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390131.003.015
- Subject:
- Law, Medical Law
This chapter addresses the past four decades of American health care politics, asking whether the idea of fragmentation provides a central and helpful analytical perspective. Part I reviews the ...
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This chapter addresses the past four decades of American health care politics, asking whether the idea of fragmentation provides a central and helpful analytical perspective. Part I reviews the highlights of health policy disputes from the 1970s to the 2000s. Part II places the United States in comparative perspective. Part III discusses the regulation versus competition debate that has been such a dominant part of American medical care discussion since the 1970s. Part IV discusses the issues raised by efforts to reform Medicare, and questions whether the theme of fragmentation illuminates those policy disputes. Part V concludes that fragmentation refers to many disparate features of American medical care and politics, and is illuminating only when tied to specific institutions, internests, and ideas.Less
This chapter addresses the past four decades of American health care politics, asking whether the idea of fragmentation provides a central and helpful analytical perspective. Part I reviews the highlights of health policy disputes from the 1970s to the 2000s. Part II places the United States in comparative perspective. Part III discusses the regulation versus competition debate that has been such a dominant part of American medical care discussion since the 1970s. Part IV discusses the issues raised by efforts to reform Medicare, and questions whether the theme of fragmentation illuminates those policy disputes. Part V concludes that fragmentation refers to many disparate features of American medical care and politics, and is illuminating only when tied to specific institutions, internests, and ideas.
Ji Zhang
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824835545
- eISBN:
- 9780824871291
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824835545.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
Is the world one or many? This book revisits this ancient philosophical question from the modern perspective of comparative studies. The investigation stages an intellectual exchange between Plato, ...
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Is the world one or many? This book revisits this ancient philosophical question from the modern perspective of comparative studies. The investigation stages an intellectual exchange between Plato, founder of the Academy, and Ge Hong, who systematized Daoist belief and praxis. The book not only captures the tension between rational Platonism and abstruse Daoism, but also creates a bridge between the two. The book is a unique study of Daoism and Platonism, avoiding the common assumptions of either interpreting Daoism through the western perspective or favoring rational cognitive thought over empirical instrument studies.Less
Is the world one or many? This book revisits this ancient philosophical question from the modern perspective of comparative studies. The investigation stages an intellectual exchange between Plato, founder of the Academy, and Ge Hong, who systematized Daoist belief and praxis. The book not only captures the tension between rational Platonism and abstruse Daoism, but also creates a bridge between the two. The book is a unique study of Daoism and Platonism, avoiding the common assumptions of either interpreting Daoism through the western perspective or favoring rational cognitive thought over empirical instrument studies.
Vladimir Rys
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847426413
- eISBN:
- 9781447303176
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847426413.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter studies the use of macro-sociological factor analysis in comparative studies of post-community societies during the early 21st century. It compares the social product of the institution ...
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This chapter studies the use of macro-sociological factor analysis in comparative studies of post-community societies during the early 21st century. It compares the social product of the institution and takes into consideration the ‘cultural factor’. The concept of practical applicability is introduced, before the discussion shifts to the possible use of macro-sociological factor analysis in current studies.Less
This chapter studies the use of macro-sociological factor analysis in comparative studies of post-community societies during the early 21st century. It compares the social product of the institution and takes into consideration the ‘cultural factor’. The concept of practical applicability is introduced, before the discussion shifts to the possible use of macro-sociological factor analysis in current studies.
Chak Kwan and Graham Bowpitt
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861344311
- eISBN:
- 9781447302551
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861344311.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This chapter considers the concepts of human dignity and social policy, starting with an example of the treatment of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of American soldiers. It moves on to a discussion of ...
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This chapter considers the concepts of human dignity and social policy, starting with an example of the treatment of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of American soldiers. It moves on to a discussion of a study of dignity, which can help evaluate whether the current direction of social policy can actually promote human well-being. It introduces the concept of welfare-to-work programmes, comparative studies of welfare recipients, the Esping-Andersen model, and comparative social policy.Less
This chapter considers the concepts of human dignity and social policy, starting with an example of the treatment of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of American soldiers. It moves on to a discussion of a study of dignity, which can help evaluate whether the current direction of social policy can actually promote human well-being. It introduces the concept of welfare-to-work programmes, comparative studies of welfare recipients, the Esping-Andersen model, and comparative social policy.
Paolo Dardanelli
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719070808
- eISBN:
- 9781781701393
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719070808.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This book is an in-depth comparative study of Scottish devolution and an analysis of the impact of the European dimension. With a focus on the periods leading up to the referendums in 1979 and 1997, ...
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This book is an in-depth comparative study of Scottish devolution and an analysis of the impact of the European dimension. With a focus on the periods leading up to the referendums in 1979 and 1997, it investigates positions and strategies of political parties and interest groups, and how these influenced constitutional preferences at mass level and, ultimately, the referendum results themselves. Based on analysis of an extensive body of quantitative and qualitative sources, the book builds an argument which challenges the widespread thesis that support for devolution was a consequence of Conservative rule between 1979 and 1997. It shows that the decisive factors were changing attitudes to independence and the role of the European dimension in shaping them.Less
This book is an in-depth comparative study of Scottish devolution and an analysis of the impact of the European dimension. With a focus on the periods leading up to the referendums in 1979 and 1997, it investigates positions and strategies of political parties and interest groups, and how these influenced constitutional preferences at mass level and, ultimately, the referendum results themselves. Based on analysis of an extensive body of quantitative and qualitative sources, the book builds an argument which challenges the widespread thesis that support for devolution was a consequence of Conservative rule between 1979 and 1997. It shows that the decisive factors were changing attitudes to independence and the role of the European dimension in shaping them.
Ariel I. Ahram, Patrick Köllner, and Rudra Sil (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190846374
- eISBN:
- 9780190869595
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190846374.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Politics
Area studies scholarship has been indispensable for the development of social scientific knowledge. However, it risks becoming marginalized without more concerted efforts to demonstrate its relevance ...
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Area studies scholarship has been indispensable for the development of social scientific knowledge. However, it risks becoming marginalized without more concerted efforts to demonstrate its relevance for contemporary social science. This volume showcases comparative area studies (CAS). CAS incorporates familiar elements from past comparative research but draws them together into a strategy for balancing context-sensitive understandings of diverse locales with cross-regional qualitative research on questions that matter to social science disciplines. Part II considers the epistemological, methodological, and practical concerns driving CAS as well as the pitfalls of doing cross-regional comparative research. The chapters emphasize the distinctive gains from extending one’s field of vision beyond one’s primary area of expertise (and the costs of not doing so). Part III presents studies that illustrate how creatively designed contextualized comparisons of cases from different regions generate novel insights into a range of substantive topics—from protests and rebellions to anti-corruption campaigns, resource booms, and the organization of production. The final chapter recasts the significance of CAS in light of current debates on social science methods, suggesting that cross-regional contextualized comparison can partly compensate for some of the blind spots in the most common forms of qualitative and mixed-method research. The volume demonstrates that the pursuit of area expertise and the search for social scientific knowledge need not be a zero-sum game as long as we make conscious efforts to connect scholarly debates unfolding within separate area studies communities to each other and to the theoretical problems driving social science research.Less
Area studies scholarship has been indispensable for the development of social scientific knowledge. However, it risks becoming marginalized without more concerted efforts to demonstrate its relevance for contemporary social science. This volume showcases comparative area studies (CAS). CAS incorporates familiar elements from past comparative research but draws them together into a strategy for balancing context-sensitive understandings of diverse locales with cross-regional qualitative research on questions that matter to social science disciplines. Part II considers the epistemological, methodological, and practical concerns driving CAS as well as the pitfalls of doing cross-regional comparative research. The chapters emphasize the distinctive gains from extending one’s field of vision beyond one’s primary area of expertise (and the costs of not doing so). Part III presents studies that illustrate how creatively designed contextualized comparisons of cases from different regions generate novel insights into a range of substantive topics—from protests and rebellions to anti-corruption campaigns, resource booms, and the organization of production. The final chapter recasts the significance of CAS in light of current debates on social science methods, suggesting that cross-regional contextualized comparison can partly compensate for some of the blind spots in the most common forms of qualitative and mixed-method research. The volume demonstrates that the pursuit of area expertise and the search for social scientific knowledge need not be a zero-sum game as long as we make conscious efforts to connect scholarly debates unfolding within separate area studies communities to each other and to the theoretical problems driving social science research.
Typhaine Leservot (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9781846314834
- eISBN:
- 9781846316265
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/UPO9781846316265.003
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
The Manifesto published in the French journal Le Monde on March 16, 2007 introduced the term littérature-monde. This chapter explores the history of the concept of littérature-monde or ‘world ...
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The Manifesto published in the French journal Le Monde on March 16, 2007 introduced the term littérature-monde. This chapter explores the history of the concept of littérature-monde or ‘world literature’. It shows how littérature-monde's shared history with comparative literature studies makes it an ideal medium with which to promote the development of a field of comparative studies that in turn would help advance Francophone studies. The chapter considers an earlier manifestation of the concept of world literature: the German Weltliteratur, a term first used by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1827.Less
The Manifesto published in the French journal Le Monde on March 16, 2007 introduced the term littérature-monde. This chapter explores the history of the concept of littérature-monde or ‘world literature’. It shows how littérature-monde's shared history with comparative literature studies makes it an ideal medium with which to promote the development of a field of comparative studies that in turn would help advance Francophone studies. The chapter considers an earlier manifestation of the concept of world literature: the German Weltliteratur, a term first used by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1827.
Anthony R. Fiorillo and David A. Eberth
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520242098
- eISBN:
- 9780520941434
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520242098.003.0028
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Taphonomy is the study of all biotic and abiotic factors that influence the preservation of organismal remains after death. This chapter discusses dinosaur taphonomy, including its importance, ...
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Taphonomy is the study of all biotic and abiotic factors that influence the preservation of organismal remains after death. This chapter discusses dinosaur taphonomy, including its importance, historical trends, and future potential. It also examines taphonomic parameters and analytical methods and their applications to dinosaur fossils, sites, and formations. The chapter also groups examples of taphonomic studies of dinosaurs into three categories: 1) monotaxic-site studies (sites with single individuals or dominated by multiple individuals of one taxon); (2) multitaxic-site studies (sites consisting of two or more taxa and any number of individuals); and (3) comparative-site studies (comparisons of sites that are studied in the context of stratigraphy, sedimentology, and/or paleogeography). Taphonomic studies of dinosaur fossil sites provide important insights into paleobiology, paleoecology, stratigraphy, and geology of dinosaurs.Less
Taphonomy is the study of all biotic and abiotic factors that influence the preservation of organismal remains after death. This chapter discusses dinosaur taphonomy, including its importance, historical trends, and future potential. It also examines taphonomic parameters and analytical methods and their applications to dinosaur fossils, sites, and formations. The chapter also groups examples of taphonomic studies of dinosaurs into three categories: 1) monotaxic-site studies (sites with single individuals or dominated by multiple individuals of one taxon); (2) multitaxic-site studies (sites consisting of two or more taxa and any number of individuals); and (3) comparative-site studies (comparisons of sites that are studied in the context of stratigraphy, sedimentology, and/or paleogeography). Taphonomic studies of dinosaur fossil sites provide important insights into paleobiology, paleoecology, stratigraphy, and geology of dinosaurs.
Mark Freedland FBA, Paul Craig QC FBA, Catherine Jacqueson, and Nicola Kountouris
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199233489
- eISBN:
- 9780191716324
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199233489.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law, Employment Law
The present book examines the developing legal regimes and regulation of public services in the UK and other European countries. Public services are examined though a case-study of the complex area ...
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The present book examines the developing legal regimes and regulation of public services in the UK and other European countries. Public services are examined though a case-study of the complex area of public employment services. These are job-placement and vocational training services which aim to maximize employment and minimize unemployment within EU member States' Active Labour Market policies. Employment services are seen as being at the centre of a complex web of rules in both hard and soft forms of law deriving from the EU, national public law and from private, and at times contractual, agreements. The analysis also suggests that they also lie at the crossroads of a series of trends in regulation, and priorities have been inspired by an array of conflicting policy rationales. These policy rationales include the establishment of an open and competitive European internal market, the establishment of an efficient welfare state, the scaling down of state administrative machinery, the fulfillment of core public service responsibilities, and the creation of public private entities for the discharge of essential social services. The investigation also proved that public employment services provide a highly informative and novel case study of the interaction and conflict between the economic and social aims of the EU and between regulation at national and supranational levels, and the changing forms which this regulation has taken.Less
The present book examines the developing legal regimes and regulation of public services in the UK and other European countries. Public services are examined though a case-study of the complex area of public employment services. These are job-placement and vocational training services which aim to maximize employment and minimize unemployment within EU member States' Active Labour Market policies. Employment services are seen as being at the centre of a complex web of rules in both hard and soft forms of law deriving from the EU, national public law and from private, and at times contractual, agreements. The analysis also suggests that they also lie at the crossroads of a series of trends in regulation, and priorities have been inspired by an array of conflicting policy rationales. These policy rationales include the establishment of an open and competitive European internal market, the establishment of an efficient welfare state, the scaling down of state administrative machinery, the fulfillment of core public service responsibilities, and the creation of public private entities for the discharge of essential social services. The investigation also proved that public employment services provide a highly informative and novel case study of the interaction and conflict between the economic and social aims of the EU and between regulation at national and supranational levels, and the changing forms which this regulation has taken.
Pål Repstad
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447318972
- eISBN:
- 9781447328957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447318972.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sociology of Religion
This chapter illustrates the challenge of obtaining notably rich data from the respective localities, while at the same time being able to draw effective and insightful comparisons. Comparative case ...
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This chapter illustrates the challenge of obtaining notably rich data from the respective localities, while at the same time being able to draw effective and insightful comparisons. Comparative case studies contain an inherent tension between offering a useful and problem-oriented opportunity for conducting research keeping the local situation in mind and seeking more general patterns, which may turn out to be fruitful and rewarding for social science in the long run. The inherent tension in the case study method shows that there is no perfect research design for study in social science. However, when an international group of researchers has been given the means to conduct a large international study and has succeeded in the painstaking job of establishing an international framework, there are some good arguments to develop a design for the study with a minimum level of standardisation, to increase the possibilities of identifying causal mechanisms.Less
This chapter illustrates the challenge of obtaining notably rich data from the respective localities, while at the same time being able to draw effective and insightful comparisons. Comparative case studies contain an inherent tension between offering a useful and problem-oriented opportunity for conducting research keeping the local situation in mind and seeking more general patterns, which may turn out to be fruitful and rewarding for social science in the long run. The inherent tension in the case study method shows that there is no perfect research design for study in social science. However, when an international group of researchers has been given the means to conduct a large international study and has succeeded in the painstaking job of establishing an international framework, there are some good arguments to develop a design for the study with a minimum level of standardisation, to increase the possibilities of identifying causal mechanisms.
Mark Freedland, Paul Craig, Catherine Jacqueson, and Nicola Kountouris
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199233489
- eISBN:
- 9780191716324
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199233489.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law, Employment Law
This chapter provides the first comparative reconstruction and analysis of the different historical, political and legal traditions in the conceptualisation of public services (or ‘services of ...
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This chapter provides the first comparative reconstruction and analysis of the different historical, political and legal traditions in the conceptualisation of public services (or ‘services of general interest’). Focus is on the two different, and perhaps opposite, national models of regulation embodied by the British and the French regulatory regimes. While inevitably European integration is acting as a catalyst for change in respect of both models, the starting point could be hardly more different. But EC law is increasingly engaging and challenging this regulatory base. Since 2004, the EC has been keen in preserving a concept of services of general economic interest (e.g., telecoms, network industries, etc.) and ‘universal service obligation’, and its sectoral liberalization approach have also guaranteed that some degree of national diversity still persists. Rather than talking about convergence and divergence dynamics, the conclusions point at a growing level of liberalization but with disparate national impacts.Less
This chapter provides the first comparative reconstruction and analysis of the different historical, political and legal traditions in the conceptualisation of public services (or ‘services of general interest’). Focus is on the two different, and perhaps opposite, national models of regulation embodied by the British and the French regulatory regimes. While inevitably European integration is acting as a catalyst for change in respect of both models, the starting point could be hardly more different. But EC law is increasingly engaging and challenging this regulatory base. Since 2004, the EC has been keen in preserving a concept of services of general economic interest (e.g., telecoms, network industries, etc.) and ‘universal service obligation’, and its sectoral liberalization approach have also guaranteed that some degree of national diversity still persists. Rather than talking about convergence and divergence dynamics, the conclusions point at a growing level of liberalization but with disparate national impacts.
