The rise and limits of populist parties and movements in Europe
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
Any success of a populist party is often considered as a threat, a rise endangering Democracy. Even if there is a lot of passion over this issue, it is true that there has been a rise of populist parties in Europe, from the 1980s to late 1990s, a rise which has stabilized or reversed recently....
Do the U.S. really constitute a united country? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
The people who wrote the Constitution and those who voted it had a goal to create that is “a more perfect union”. Still what is the measure of the perfection? Two hundred years of independent history, of steady and reputed democracy? What does “a union” mean? Finally, does USA...
Improving women's condition - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Introduction Each year, on march 8th , the media speak about women's condition insofar as it is « The International Women's day », a kindly initiative in a world where they represent the half of the population. Nowadays, women are still discriminated against : inequalities at work or...
Limits to transnationalism in social movements: The case of the farmers' protests in the European Union - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 13 pages - Political science
Farmers are among the most vigorous protestors against the European Union. However, contrary to some other groups, the farmers fail to cooperate. Transnational movements are quite rare, and quasi inexistent. It is for this reason that it is interesting to focus on this group in order to...
The Proliferation of Local Governments - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
According to John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, "individual liberty is individual power". Applied to local governments, this motto seems to be a good general explanation for their recent proliferation: it is a quest for independence and liberty that seems to have led...
Minority Political Incorporation in San Diego - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
As San Diego's first Latino mayor, succeeding a White Republican, the key issue of your mandate will be the political incorporation of minorities that mobilized to elect you. Your election is a beginning: minority groups legitimately expect a change in city politics: they want a true...
Post communist transition - Paper 3 - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
After the collapse of the Soviet system, corruption in post-communist countries surged. Some of the post-communist nations were more successful in dealing with corruption than others. Do you believe that corruption was and still is a big obstacle to the development of these nations? Please...
In your view could the collapse of socialism/ communism have been avoided or postponed in Central and Eastern Europe? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
The main issue is indeed to know whether the system of the Soviet Union could have been reformed in order to last longer. Some reforms could have been conceivable but they were so deep, so huge that it would have led to a complete transformation of the whole system with, for example, redefining...
The return of History and the end of dreams - publié le 29/09/2010
Book review - 5 pages - Political science
In the early 1990s, Fukuyama predicted the End of History. One is witnessing a shift in geopolitics, moving from a unipolar world to a multipolar one, or even bipolar according to Chinese scholars like Jin Carong, special advisor in foreign policy for the Government . As Kagan wrote in his book,...
News media : is the "fourth estate a power? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 7 pages - Political science
Today, the permanent and instantaneous flow of information pass through a wide range of channels, called 'the media'. There are two types of channels: print media (e.g. newspapers) and broadcast media (e.g. television, radio). It is precisely the capacity to create information, that is at...
National Security as an ambiguous symbol, by Arnold Wolfers
Book review - 2 pages - Political science
In this text written in 1952, Arnold Wolfers tries to point out the scope of the concept of national security, its meaning and its various implications as well as the way the states deal, and should deal, with it. We will first clarify the evolution of the notion of national interest, which...
Can an ethical case ever be made for the use of torture during interrogation? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 11 pages - Political science
In the ancient Greece and Rome, the testimony of a slave would not be taken into account in a judicial investigation, unless the statement had been obtained after the subject was submitted to torture. Nowadays, although torture has been banned from legal systems and condemned at the international...
What are the main obstacles to the provision of global public goods? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Global public goods are hard to define. Even though, there is a consensus about the definitions of public goods and collective goods, there exists different approaches. Public goods are supposed to be available for all and they are characterized by two principles: non-rivalry, which means that...
Race and gender as structuring factors of election: A typically American reality?
Worksheets - 1 pages - Political science
Does racism still prevail in the US? The last election in the United States was a forceful reminder that race and gender have always played a role in the American elections and, more generally, in the American society. It is only in 1920 that American women were allowed to vote and much later in...
Effective leadership in public administration: "The great leader is seen as servant first", Robert K. Greenleaf - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 8 pages - Political science
Globalization, decentralization, economic uncertainties, and other contemporary challenges ask for a new kind of governance and a new role for public agents in every country. Governments have to reshape the public sector to cope with this environment that requires civil servants to assume new...
Women and Unions in Contemporary Japan - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 15 pages - Political science
Post-war Japan has seen considerable change with regard to women. The 1946 Constitution guaranteed for the first time, the equality of men and women under the law. Subsequently, the revised Civil Code and a range of domestic laws, including the Fundamental Law of Education and the Labor Standards...
To what extent does media coverage of grass-root citizen activity promote citizen activism? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 2 pages - Political science
The American citizen has evolved as a well-behaved political spectator, keen towards national affairs. The combination of an authoritative presentation style on behalf of the network news organizations and a lack of thorough coverage on citizen activist groups has cultivated a pacified audience...
How democratic is the British government? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
In fact, we could set a few provisional requirements to the evaluation of a government as democratic in order to analyze the British particular case. These requirements would be of different natures, and would be related first to the institutional system, then to the society itself. Indeed, the...
Measuring the efficacy of the weekly presidential radio address - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 7 pages - Political science
The first presidential radio address in United States history was delivered by President Warren G. Harding on June 14th, 1922. He delivered a speech in Baltimore, MD and it was broadcasted by WEAR (now WFBR). Perhaps more historic than this was the first official radio address delivered in 1921...
Does devolution constitute a challenge to the British political tradition? - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
In 1998, the New Labor government passed the Scotland Act, the Government of Wales Act and the Northern Ireland Act, enforcing devolution in the United Kingdom. In order to determine if devolution constitutes a challenge to the British political tradition, one needs to look at pre-devolution...
The Iraq war: an International Relations Theory Analysis - publié le 29/09/2010
Case study - 16 pages - Political science
On the nineteenth of March 2003 America and its allies started their invasion of Iraq. This intervention had the official goal of the struggle against a terrorism-friendly country, to avoid the expansion of mass destruction weapons and establish a democratic breakthrough in the Middle East. This...
"Does the United Kingdom Still Have a Constitution?" by Anthony King - publié le 29/09/2010
Book review - 5 pages - Political science
"Does the United Kingdom Still Have a Constitution?" is a book written by Anthony King. It is composed of four chapters based on the Hamly Lectures delivered at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in 2000. The book also contains a short chapter written by John Bridge about the Hamlyn Trust...
Explain the reasons for the durability of the National Front
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Even though it is not the biggest extreme-right party in Europe, the French National Front finds a particular resonance internationally, considering its long-lasting influence on the national political field. Often wrongly considered as a simple heir of Poujadism, it can no longer be considered...
Evaluate Charles Taylor's arguments against neutralist liberalism
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
Every society needs cohesion to survive. However, we are likely to have different views on how to implement and manage this cohesion. In this context, the state has a primary role regarding this task as it is often seen as the only alternative to anarchy. The question then arises as to the basis...
Interest groups and voter ignorance - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Certain interest groups are often depicted as pursuing only their self-interest. They are supposed to "push government to enact policies that benefit small constituencies at the expense of the general public". These criticisms lead to the creation of a new word: lobbying, which designates the...
How effective is the communitarian critique of liberalism? Use Rawls, Sendel and McIntyre to organise your arguments - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
Communitarianism is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community in the functioning of political life, in the analysis and evaluation of political institutions, and in understanding human identity and well-being. It was developed in the 1980s and '90s in...
The debate of the carrying of arms in the United State and the role of the NRA (National Rifle Association) - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
The question of the regulation of handguns is 'one of the most divisive social issues in American society' because 'firearms in general, and handguns in particular, are emblematic of individual autonomy and freedom from government intrusion' . This debate is actually centered on...
Mel Lastman, Mayor of a Megacity (Toronto: 1998-2003) - publié le 29/09/2010
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Melvin Douglas 'Mel' Lastman was born to Polish-Jewish immigrants in 1933. He entered into politics in 1969, after having created a chain of stores in the area of Toronto. According to legend, at the age of 22, he borrowed $2,000 and a truck to open his first appliance store; and the...
Security and emancipation
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
The 20th century has witnessed many struggles for emancipation, and a strong emphasis put on security agenda in many countries. Regarding emancipation, many examples come to our mind like the decolonization era, after World War II, the feminist struggles for equality between genders all over the...
How does Gramsci understand social cohesion and consent?
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Antonio Gramsci is without doubt, a spiritual follower of Marxism. Drawing the consequences of his experiences of worker's movements and communist party politics, as well as of his numerous readings and philosophical influences, he has greatly contributed to the evolution of Marxist thought...
