Metamorphosis of the Administrative Welfare State
Extraits
Non classé
Metamorphosis of the Administrative Welfare State
The book's conceptual framework is built upon an analysis of different varieties of rationality. A conception of political rationality is elaborated. First, orientations of contemporary administrative theory and research are analysed from the point of view of that rationality. Next, the same viewpoint is applied to an analysis of an entity called the 'administrative welfare state'. This concept is used to cover the typical institutional shape of the leading highly developed countries until the 1980s. The strengths and the weaknesses of the contemporary 'new public management' reforms are also evaluated from the point of view of political rationality. Finally, steps are taken to define elements of actual reform programmes in the terms of the political rationality.
07/1997
Sciences politiques
L'État-providence- The Welfare State. Un débat philosophique- A Philosophical Debate
Le présent livre rassemble un certain nombre de communications qui ont été présentées au colloque annuel de l'Institut International de Philosophie Politique, qui s'est tenu à Maastricht en 1984. Présentée par Guus J.M. van Weers, professeur à l'Université Erasmus de Rotterdam, cette collection donne une idée de la réflexion difficile et complexe dans laquelle la philosophie s'engage pour expliciter à la fois la nature profonde et la crise actuelle d'une fonction très contestée de l'Etat, celle par laquelle il se doit de garantir le bien être humains. La "Providence" est-elle la voie détournée vers la "Toute-Puissance", ou simplement le chemin hésitant d'une charité sociale dépersonnalisée ? Les textes rassemblés ici ne donnent pas de réponse, mais ils révèlent l'existence d'une interrogation légitime chez ceux dont la tâche n'est pas seulement de faire comprendre le fonctionnement d'une institution sociale, mais de s'interroger sur son sens. Le livre contient des contributions en français et en anglais. The book contains contributions in French and in English.
08/1993
Non classé
Efficiency of Income Redistribution through Agricultural Policy
Since government can use manifold policy instruments at various levels, which influence various social groups, the evaluation of the efficiency of income redistribution is not straight forward. The study in hand contributes to the literature by first applying a multimarket framework to recent theoretical developments in transfer efficiency analysis. A three-stage vertically-structured model including the bread grains market as well as agricultural input industries and the food processing industry is developed and econometrically estimated. This model and standard welfare measures are used to judge the Austrian agricultural policy. It is revealed that in addition to farmers, downstream and upstream industries benefit considerably from agricultural policy. Using nonlinear optimization procedures, it is shown that the applied policy is not Pareto efficient. Applying an optimal policy instead of the current one could Pareto improve the social state by 1.7 billion Austrian Shilling.
10/1997
Economie
The United States of Google
Chaque année, à Austin, au Texas, le gotha du web se réunit en grande pompe. Les patrons de Google y sont accueillis en véritables rock-stars. Ou plutôt, en sauveurs. Les Etats ne parviennent pas à réduire leurs émissions de CO2 ? Google construit précisément son propre parc à énergie solaire. Les Etats ne réussissent pas à réguler le trafic routier ? Google construit justement une voiture sans chauffeur. Les Etats échouent à moderniser les régions sous-développées d'Afrique, d'Asie et d'Amérique latine ? Google veille à ce que chacun ait accès à Internet. Google et, de manière plus générale, les grands services de l'Internet (le plus souvent californiens) sont en train de prendre, sans qu'on s'en rende compte, la place de l'Etat, des Etats, dans la gestion quotidienne de nos droits et libertés. Dans quelle mesure doit-on s'en inquiéter ?
03/2015
Romans graphiques
The Electric State
Fin 1997, une adolescente en fuite et son robot jouet jaune voyagent vers l'ouest à travers des Etats-Unis étranges, où les ruines de gigantesques drones de combat jonchent la campagne avec les déchets mis au rebut d'une société de consommation de haute technologie en déclin. Alors que leur voiture approche du bord du continent, le monde à l'extérieur de la fenêtre semble s'effilocher à un rythme de plus en plus rapide, comme si quelque part au-delà de l'horizon, le noyau creux de la civilisation s'était finalement effondré.
06/2022
Droit
Le droit administratif français
French administrative law is living law, in a context. Définition and history. Instruments and methods. Scope : the administrative law institutions (the concept of corporate body, the state, the other public law agencies, the private agencies which perform public duties) ; the concept of public service (context, extension). Basic principles : prérogatives (powers, protection) ; constraints (the principles of legality and responsibility). The civil service : catégories (diversity of employers and status) ; careers (recruitment, stages, ending) ; ethics (duties, political and social rights). Judicial control : its organization (the dudity of jurisdictions, the organization of administrative justice) ; its functioning (rules of procédure, efficacy).
06/1984
Physique, chimie
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS. 2nd edition
The widespread use of the first edition of Physical Properties of Polymers as a textbook encouraged the authors to expand and update this introduction to polymer science. All of the original topics have been enriched with the latest developments in these fast-moving areas. Two new topics have been added to provide comprehensive treatment. The contents have been divided into sections on physical states of polymers and characterization techniques. Chapters on physical states include discussions of the rubber elastic state, the glassy state, melts and concentrated solutions, the crystalline state, and the mesomorphic state. Characterization techniques described are molecular spectroscopy and scattering techniques. In addition to academic use, this volume offers a well-rounded source of basic information needed by polymer physical chemists, polymer physicists, polymer engineers, and all scientists whose work involves polymers.
11/1999
Sciences politiques
The Structure of Political Communication in the United Kingdom, the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany
Political Communication in The United Kingdom, the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany differs in terms of what the peoples expect to take issue with, how they are prepared to talk about them, which choices they can make to solve problems and, finally, whom or which organizations they delegate to resolve them. This comparative media study of The Economist, Time and Der Spiegel attempts to extract the differences in politics of the three societies.
11/1987
Economie
Employment, Well-Being and Gender
This book examines welfare effects of gender-related inequalities in Korean households and labor markets. It uses subjective well-being data to show that reductions of excessive levels of working hours did improve family well-being in the past decade. Moreover, benefits from major life events like marriage can differ greatly by sex if traditional gender roles dominate and women contribute much less than men to household earnings. Furthermore, the study examines dynamics in rural East Asian economies and their impact on individual welfare outcomes. Both land redistribution and productivity-enhancing reforms are found to have been highly beneficial for Korean development. The Indonesian case study demonstrates the importance of cash-crop decisions and the growing non-farm sector for rural development.
04/2012
Droit
Activation Policies for the Unemployed, the Right to Work and the Duty to Work
Since the 1990s and the 2000s, Western social protection systems have experienced a turn towards activation. This turn consists of the multiplication of measures aimed at bringing those who are unemployed closer to participation in the labour market. These measures often induce a strengthening of the conditions that must be met in order to receive social benefits. It is in this well known context that the authors gathered in this book decided to take a closer look at the relationship between activation policies for the unemployed and the right and the duty to work. If activation measures are likely to increase transitions towards the labour market, we can also make the assumption that they may, particularly when they are marked with the seal of coercion, hinder or dramatically reduce the right to freely chosen work. In such circumstances, the realisation of the "right to work", which is often stated to be the aim of those who promote activation, tends in practice to be reduced to an increasing pressure being exerted on the unemployed. In this case, isn't it actually the duty to work that is particularly reinforced ? After an historical and philosophical perspective on the issue, this assumption is confronted with the developments observed in the United States and in France, and then with the guidelines laid down in international human rights instruments. What follows is a discussion of two alternatives to the dominant activation model : the basic income guarantee and the employment guarantee.
06/1987
Sciences politiques
A Morbid Democracy. Old and New Populisms
The crisis of democracy in Europe and the inability of the political parties and élites to adequately meet the challenges of globalisation exposes the increasingly fragmented middle classes to the temptations of Euroscepticism, and, in some cases, xenophobia. This appears to be a portrait of contemporary reality, but the current crisis has deep roots. The Spanish thinker José Ortega y Gasset described the pathologies of the mass man and of the nascent democratic system as far back as the beginning of the twentieth century, in a significant text entitled Una democracia morbosa, which appears to foreshadow the present state of affairs. The crisis of the average man, the degradation and devaluation of culture appear to be the distinctive traits of the new, post-ideological democracy of our times, known as "audience democracy". The political parties, faced with this profound crisis, in some cases seek dangerous shortcuts through demagogic and rhetorical use of the term "people", while the charismatic figure of the leader gains in prestige as a reference model. Resentment, caused by lack of representation of the just demands of the citizens, can turn to anger and destabilise the institutions of democracy. There is therefore an urgent need for an inclusive Europe with a renewed welfare system, based around the citizenry and not the masses.
09/1987
Histoire internationale
Manufactories in Germany
In eighteenth century Germany goods were produced in manufactories as well as by independent craftsmen and artisans employed by capitalists. The manufactories using tools and manually operated machines foreshadowed in many respects the factories of the nineteenth century. State and local support for the manufactories was aimed at reducing unemployment, maintaining military strength and securing foreign currency. Although not all manufactories were successful they provided a valuable heritage of industrial and commercial skills which were profitable to later entrepreneurs. However, those who - like Karl Marx - considered the manufactories to be a stage in the process of industrialisation have been proved wrong.
12/1985
Religion
A Study of Conversion Among The Angas of Plateau State of Nigeria With Emphasis on Christianity
This is so far the most-detailed information on the Angas (Ngas), the largest ethnic group on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria. The book draws up a sketch of both the political and ecclesiastical history of the people. This is followed by socio-anthropological data about the people including a description of the traditional religion of the Angas (Ngas). The material serves as the necessary springboard for discussing the factors that were responsible for the conversion of the Angas (Ngas) people of Nigeria. The author concludes his thesis by giving a theoretical analysis of some of the theories of conversion per se and opting for a Hortonian theory as the most cogent. It is certainly an indispensable work dealing with conversion to and from any religion although in this case Christianity is used as a focus.
01/1992
Histoire de l'art
Sota : state of the art. Une anthologie d'Art Numérique
Un must pour les amoureux d'artbooks ! State of the Art - A Digital Art Anthology réunit le travail de douze artistes numériques légendaires au sommet de leur art. De Star Wars à Madagascar en passant par Godzilla ou Dragons, ils ont tous travaillé pour des clients prestigieux : grands studios de cinéma, de jeux vidéo ou éditeurs renommés. Chacun des douze chapitres du livre est consacré à un artiste et se compose d'une page d'interview (en anglais) et de quinze à vingt pages d'illustrations en grand format. Réalisé en collaboration avec IAMAG, une plateforme dédiée à l'apprentissage et à la diffusion de l'art numérique, cet ouvrage est un must pour les collectionneurs d'artbooks !
10/2023
Non classé
The History and some Problems of Television Service in Anambra State of Nigeria
The television medium has reached the heights of complication. This complication is the aftereffect of the fact that broadcasting in itself (both TV and Radio) recognizes little or no boundaries. Broadcasting breaks the boundaries of, inter alia, political, cultural, linguistic, socio-economical and socio-psychological identities. It reaches extensive "possibilities" embracing, collecting and connecting nationalities and people, languages and cultures. This situation must continue to raise the question why such a global-transcontinental and transnational communications' "inter-flux". This work is in this context an aid towards possible solutions of the present question on the TV-medium. The interest of this work can be said to be the presentation of facts that brought Anambra State of Nigeria to this "embrace" of the world's extensive television technology.
12/1986
Sociologie
Ethnicity, Structured Inequality, and the State in Canada and the Federal Republic of Germany
This volume focuses on the reshaping of ethnicity in Berlin and Toronto that resulted from the economic stagnation, industrial restructuring, and return to conservative government in Canada and the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1980s. It addresses a broad range of issues crystalizing around ethnicity, inequality, and the state. It approaches these problems using such diverse methods as systems theory, questionnaires, interviews, various quantitative measures, and historical analysis. Ethnicity is discussed as it functions at the workplace, in the family, in neighborhoods, in immigrant and other organizations, and in the immigrants' relation to the state through its mediating bureaucracies.
06/1991
Non classé
Read Ancient African scripts from any current African language. Volume 2
The son of Douaouf, the brilliant, scribe of the early XIIth Dynasty Xty " Khety " said this : "The man continues to subsist after reaching the haven of death and his actions are beside him in a heap. " If regression is the main cause of the alarming situation of Africa and its tails the perceptibles consequences at all levels, the solution to this problem is eminently political. It inevitably involves the constitution of a pan-African State. For men, there is no unity without memory of the past. In fact, the construction of a federal state inevitably involves the restoration of African historical consciousness. There is no national and federal identity without a common language. The unification of Africa will only be possible if it takes the measure of its linguistic unification issue. To a lesser extent but like Cheikh Anta Diop in his book titled the Cultural Unity, I was animated throughout this heuristic by the idea that only the true knowledge of the past can maintain the consciousness and the feeling of a historical continuity essential to the consolidation of a nation for the purpose of building a multinational state in line with its past. Like Cheikh Anta Diop, I build my sureness on the legitimate idea that a people who lost a significant part of their historical memory must engage in the investigation of their past in every possible way. This investigation can take the contours of a reconnection with its past through so-called old languages. But a people can not live only with by merely repeating of what others tell them about themselves. The investigation through its linguistic past allows especially a direct knowledge of oneself. In addition to the fact that this knowledge simply highlights its weaknesses, it allows also to become aware by an introspective and therefore reflective of its real abilities and strengths. It structures being and the consciousness of being to resist any form of servile and degrading ideology. This quest for the past, not founded on blind passion but objectivity, nourishes a healthy ambition for a real universalism. To know one's past is already to project one's future. To know one's past is to give oneself the capacity to be able to bring to others in a perspective of giving and receiving. To know one's past is to refuse intellectual guardianship and wait-and-seeism. To know one's past is to be reborn.
05/2020
Non classé
Read Ancient African scripts from any current African language. Volume 1
The son of Douaouf, the brilliant, scribe of the early XIIth Dynasty Xty " Khety " said this : "The man continues to subsist after reaching the haven of death and his actions are beside him in a heap. " If regression is the main cause of the alarming situation of Africa and its tails the perceptibles consequences at all levels, the solution to this problem is eminently political. It inevitably involves the constitution of a pan-African State. For men, there is no unity without memory of the past. In fact, the construction of a federal state inevitably involves the restoration of African historical consciousness. There is no national and federal identity without a common language. The unification of Africa will only be possible if it takes the measure of its linguistic unification issue. To a lesser extent but like Cheikh Anta Diop in his book titled the Cultural Unity, I was animated throughout this heuristic by the idea that only the true knowledge of the past can maintain the consciousness and the feeling of a historical continuity essential to the consolidation of a nation for the purpose of building a multinational state in line with its past. Like Cheikh Anta Diop, I build my sureness on the legitimate idea that a people who lost a significant part of their historical memory must engage in the investigation of their past in every possible way. This investigation can take the contours of a reconnection with its past through so-called old languages. But a people can not live only with by merely repeating of what others tell them about themselves. The investigation through its linguistic past allows especially a direct knowledge of oneself. In addition to the fact that this knowledge simply highlights its weaknesses, it allows also to become aware by an introspective and therefore reflective of its real abilities and strengths. It structures being and the consciousness of being to resist any form of servile and degrading ideology. This quest for the past, not founded on blind passion but objectivity, nourishes a healthy ambition for a real universalism. To know one's past is already to project one's future. To know one's past is to give oneself the capacity to be able to bring to others in a perspective of giving and receiving. To know one's past is to refuse intellectual guardianship and wait-and-seeism. To know one's past is to be reborn.
05/2020
Histoire internationale
Strange Adventures
Strange Adventures examines portrayals of womanhood in the works of prize-winning French author Pierrette Fleutiaux. Fleutiaux's refreshing pictures of womanhood offer insights into how women can become more whole, substantial and free in themselves and in their relationships, as well as how they can contribute to the external world through their creativity and leadership. The study demonstrates how Fleutiaux's heroines navigate the external, bodily and inner situations of adolescence, early adult life, marriage, motherhood, maturity, leadership and death, in the process developing greater inner resources of wisdom, compassion and resilience. This volume considers selections from Fleutiaux's oeuvre, from her first short fiction Histoire de la chauve-souris to her recent Loli le temps venu, including Métamorphoses de la reine (Goncourt de la nouvelle) and Nous sommes éternels (Prix Femina). Using a theoretical framework which draws on Jungian concepts and the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, the study analyses women's individuation trajectories at each stage of life. Throughout, Fleutiaux's depictions are shown to pose a challenge to existing conceptions of womanhood and individuality, thus opening up new understandings of what it means to be a woman, and to be human.
03/2016
Histoire de France
The Borders of Schengen
Currently, we are witnessing a "border game" with participants on a global scale. The massive movement of illegal immigrants and refugees who have arrived in Europe over the last few months has led political leaders, activists' movements and anonymous citizens to rethink practices and discourses. The media have multiplied news stories about mobilization initiatives that go well beyond the sphere of the state and even operate on the fringes of the law. Nationalism and identity issues have found their way onto the EU and its member-states' agenda while the international community argues about the urgency to collaborate to address one of the greatest problems seen in Europe since the Second World War. Schengen borders have been suffering reconfigurations on an almost daily basis and Schengen has even been temporarily suspended in some countries, with the ghost of the end of the Union hovering over Europe. The series of multidisciplinary texts collected in this book offer the reader a variety of perspectives on the understanding of the Schengen area. Broadly speaking, this volume includes reflections on subjects that embrace the debates on the concept and practices of the free movement of persons within Europe, the security dimension of the European Union, illegal immigration and migration management, human rights and the role of various players and interests. This is the book to read if you wish to understand the latest developments in the Schengen area on its 30th anniversary.
09/1993
Non classé
Stages of Exile
This book brings together twelve specially commissioned essays that showcase current research on Spanish Republican exile theatre and performance, including work by some of the foremost scholars in the field. Covering a range of periods, geographical locations and theatrical phenomena, the essays are united by the common question of what it means to ‘stage exile', exploring the relationship between space, identity and performance in order to excavate the place of theatre in Spanish Republican exile production. Each chapter takes a particular case study as a starting point in order to assess the place of a particular text, practitioner or performance within Hispanic theatre tradition and then goes on to examine the case study's relationship with the specific sociocultural context in which it was located and/or produced. The authors investigate wider issues concerning the recovery and performability of these documentary traces, addressing their position within the contemporary debate over historical and cultural memory, their relationship to the contemporary stage, the insights they offer into the experience and performance of exile, and their contribution to contemporary configurations of identity and community in the Hispanic world. Through this commitment to interdisciplinary debate, the volume offers a new and invigorating reimagination of twentieth-century Hispanic theatre from the margins.
09/2011
Monographies
Hilma af Klint. The Five Notebook 1
In 1896, Hilma af Klint and four other like-minded women artists left the Edelweiss Society and founded the "Friday Group", also known as "The Five". They met every Friday for spiritual meetings, including prayers, studies of the New Testament, meditation and séances. The medium exercised automatic writing and mediumistic drawing. Eventually they established contact with spiritual beings whom they called "The High Ones". In 1896, the five women began taking meticulous notes of the mediumistic messages conveyed by the spirits. In time, Hilma af Klint felt she had been selected for more important messages. After ten years of esoteric training with "The Five", aged 43, Hilma af Klint accepted a major assignment, the execution of The Paintings for the Temple. This commission, which engaged the artist from 1906 to 1915, changed the course of her life. In 1908, Rudolf Steiner, leader of the German Theosophical Society, held several lectures in Stockholm. He also visited af Klint's studio and saw some of the early Paintings for the Temple. In 1913, Steiner founded the Anthroposophical Society, which af Klint joined in 1920 and remained a member for the rest of her life.
01/2022
Philosophie
«Phädon», or «On the Immortality of the Soul»
This is the first modern translation of Moses Mendelssohn's classic work of 1767, the Phädon. It includes Mendelssohn's own introduction and appendix, as well as footnotes and explanatory introduction by David Shavin. (Charles Cullen's translation of 1789 is the only other extant translation.) The "modern Socrates" of the German classical period, Mendelssohn has created a beautiful translation and elaboration of Plato's Phädo led to a revolution in thought, and a subsequent renaissance in Germany. The debt of the German classical period to ancient Greece is embodied in Mendelssohn's Phädon, as is the promise of the American Revolution. The translation and accompanying notes recapture Mendelssohn's unique marriage of depth of thought and breadth of appeal.
12/2006
Non classé
Priscilla, (White) Queen of the Desert
Written for an international audience, Priscilla, (White) Queen of the Desert speaks to the current crisis in queer rights and representation in the context of colonial nations. Focusing on issues of identity, but exploring concerns as wide ranging as morality, same-sex marriage, state sanction, families, and history, this book will appeal to students, activists and academics alike. Asking hard questions of queer rights movements, and the identity politics that often inform them, the book calls for a sustained engagement with the theorisation of queer racial identity and queer race privilege.
09/2006
Gestion
Development Program Monitoring and Evaluation System Effectiveness
This book is a contribution to the building of a knowledge base for the effectiveness of M&E-Systems in the field of development management. The primary focus is to contribute to the clarification of what rigorous frameworks would apply to understand and meaningfully measure M&E-System effectiveness. The book has the aim of translating outcomes from Dr. Ba's thesis research on M&E-System effectiveness into an actionable contribution to better reach development practitioners and managers. The book is mainly devoted to development managers and M&E experts who wish to find superior ways of managing M&ESystems for improved decision-making and measured risk-taking in moving development policies and programs towards the greater freedom and welfare of people mainly in Africa. The book focuses on M&E-System effectiveness and how it influences the dynamic capabilities of development organizations and institutions in managing development programs and projects. The book presents the challenges in seeking an effective M&E-System, examines the gaps and limits in assessing it, and finally proposes ways to rigorously measure its effectiveness. The book may also contribute to the scientific and professional discussions on what would be the meaningful framework to better understand the success factors that underlie an effective M&E-System and also how they help improve development management.
06/2019
Mathématiques
Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics. Teachers' understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States
This book describes the nature and development of the "profound understanding of fundamental mathematics" that elementary teachers need to become accomplished mathematics teachers, and suggests why such teaching knowledge is much more common in China than in the United States, despite the fact that Chinese teachers have less formal education than their U.S. counterparts.
The studies described in this volume suggest that Chinese teachers begin their teaching careers with a better understanding of elementary mathematics than mat of most U.S. elementary teachers. Their understanding of the mathematics they teach and-equally important-of the ways that elementary mathematics can be presented to students, continues to grow throughout their professional lives.
Teaching conditions in the United States, unlike those in China, militate against the development of elementary teachers' mathematical knowledge and its organization for teaching. The concluding chapter of the book suggests changes in teacher preparation, teacher support, and mathematics education research that might allow teachers in the United States to attain profound understanding of fundamental mathematics.
01/1999
Non classé
«America's my Home»- Interviews with Young Blacks from Georgia
This book presents six interviews with young, upwardly mobile blacks from the state of Georgia, USA, as a contribution to American oral history and culture. The time span covered comprises the years 1960 to 1975, a period which marked a transitional phase in race relations. The interviewees state their experiences with and feelings on desegregation, their political and ethnic loyalties, their aspirations in life, and their value systems. Despite a varied socio-economic background, they show a heightened sense of racial and cultural identity and an integrationist orientation with Martin Luther King as a culture hero.
12/1983
Histoire de France
«Die Welt war meine Gemeinde»- Willem A. Visser ’t Hooft. A Theologian for Europe between Ecumenism and Federalism
Willem A. Visser 't Hooft (1900–1985), Dutch pastor and theologian, was one of the most significant personalities in the Protestant Ecumenical movement. Deeply influenced by Karl Barth, and filled with a strong Ecumenical spirit, he was closely involved in the founding of the World Council of Churches, of which he was elected General Secretary. During the Second World War, many Protestants became convinced of the need for an international political system which, beside uniting the nations and peoples of Europe, would guarantee them fundamental freedoms and mutual respect for their historical, cultural and confessional traditions. The directors of the WWC were strongly committed to federalism, partly because of the political traditions of the states from which their member churches originated (Switzerland ; Great Britain and its Commonwealth ; the United States), and partly because of their conviction that a simple confederation of states, based on the model of the League of Nations, would be completely incapable of containing national ambitions. In spring 1944, Visser 't Hooft welcomed into his Geneva home the representatives of the European Resistance, who, under the leadership of Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi, signed the International Federalist Declaration of the Resistance Movements. These historic transnational encounters, aimed not only at coordinating military action or seeking diplomatic contacts but at exploring ways to "build" peace and re-establish the future of the Continent on new foundations, marked a profound break with the past.
12/1985
Histoire internationale
National Heroes and National Identities. Scotland, Norway and Lithuania
This book investigates the concept of the heroic, questions what it is that makes the national hero an indispensable appendage to any possible interpretation of national identity, and asks why scholars stop short before coming to terms with this elusive phenomenon. It finds answers by following heroic traditions in Scotland, Norway and Lithuania from the early modern period to the twentieth century. The book argues that heroic traditions – prevailing trends in situating heroes in national history – owe much to the early modern state. Both national heroes and the nation state had been conceived with a similar moral political mindset that looked for new ways to identify sources for commonality. The confluence of political theory and Realpolitik attested to three classical types of polities, i.e. civitas popularis (democracy), regnum (kingship), and optimatium (aristocracy), as found at that time in Scotland, Norway and Lithuania respectively. The author shows the varied impact these patterns had on heroic traditions. The long record of national heroes in Scotland is explained as a vestige of the legacy of civic humanism, the continuing traditions of the heroic king-lines in Norway are seen as a result of long-standing absolutism, while the belated arrival of national heroes in Lithuania is excused by the country's aristocratic if at times oligarchic past.
02/1993
Economie
Time Sensitivity of Passengers and Market Structure in the Airline Industry
The international airline industry is characterized by radical changes in regulation and firm behavior. Open-sky agreements abolish market entry restrictions, and global strategic alliances replace the government controlled national carriers. With deregulation and the restructuring of firms still in progress, the future design of market structures cannot easily be predicted. Will airlines behave competitively or is there danger of collusion ? Do large networks lead to monopoly supply ? And what are the effects of open skies on consumer welfare ? Roland Fischer answers these questions by developing an economic model that combines traditional monopoly and oligopoly theory with specific features of air transport markets, like hub-and-spoke systems and passengers' valuation of time. The theoretical results are completed by case studies, which illustrate firm behavior and the development of market structures in an increasingly liberal environment.
07/1997
