Malta at the turn of the 19th Century.

Malta at the turn of the 19th Century. In 1530 under the surveillance of the Grand Master L'Isle D'Adam, the Order of St.John came to Malta and after 267 years the Order under Grand Master Hompesch left the Maltese Islands. The knights managed to change the island from one dependant upon agriculture to one economically stable. In fact, they gave to our islands great stability, as the military order gave security and safety by means of various fortifications and the development of the marvellous Grand Harbour. During this time we had an increase in the population of the islands, which reached that of 80,000 people. One can also mention the social stability brought by the order, as various projects were carried out, including the development of new towns, new fortified city, new water supply system (Aqueducts), more jobs created such as corsair, building, cultivation of cotton and last but not least trade. During these times there were 3 authorities, which had their own prisons, law courts and jurisdiction over a number of people in Malta. These authorities were, the Order of St.John, the Inquisition that protected the Christian Church from heresy etc. and the Church. The last two had their own patentees, law courts and prisons, an example being the church prison in Birgu. Amongst these authorities one could note several quarrels and arguments. Those people under the

  • Word count: 16206
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Civil Service Reform.

Civil Service Reform The Conservative governments after 1979 set out to radically reform the organisation of the state as part of an agenda to revolutionise the nature and priorities of British government. In 1979, a Prime Minister was elected who was determined to reform the civil service as part of a broader scheme to transform the nature of British government. Mrs Thatcher came to power in 1979 with the conviction that certain policies, and certain reforms in the structure of government, were necessary if Britain's economic and social decline was to be halted. Thatcherism brought an ideological approach to politics, determined to drive through widesweeping changes. The power given to a government with a parliamentary majority in Britain enabled the Conservatives to achieve these reforms, especially since they won four consecutive elections (1979, 1983, 1987 and 1992) and were in power for 18 years. the personal importance of Mrs Thatcher to the whole project of reform, 'Mrs Thatcher's 'anti-civil service bias' was central to her political identity. In many ways, she was an 'outsider' and an anti-Establishment figure, loathing those institutions that she felt had 'failed' Britain - the City, the unions, the BBC, the Church of England, as well as the civil service .........[S]he had no truck with the 'gentleman in Whitehall knows best' approach and abhorred the

  • Word count: 14846
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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The Impact of Electoral Design on the Legislature.

The Impact of Electoral Design on the Legislature The way that chief executives and legislators are elected in two-party and multiparty systems has an impact on various aspects of legislators' primary roles and responsibilities. A major feature of political systems concerns the formula by which the seats are attributed to the winning legislative candidates (assuming the citizens can vote). Certain types of electoral systems may provide for greater stability and/or fewer opportunities for executive or government turnover when combined with other political factors. Changes in a system may reduce or increase political conflict. There are three broad categories of electoral design that are examined below (1) plurality-majority; (2) proportional representation; and (3) semi-proportional. Chart I provides a comparative analysis of the potential advantages of each type of system. Electoral design influences legislative behavior by shaping circumstances under which a member wins election or re-election. Other important influences on those circumstances include: the perceived value of legislative seats, the degree of electoral competition, the system for nominating candidates, and the size of the district. An additional variable to consider is constituency size. Constituency size varies considerably; from fairly discrete geographical units to whole countries (as in the Netherlands).

  • Word count: 14010
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Decentralization and development of modern local government systems in Eastern Europe

Decentralization and development of modern local government systems in Eastern Europe Decentralization and development of modern local government systems were fundamental components of transition in Central Europe. During this first decade of demolishing centralized states and unifying public services, various local government models were designed. Political mechanisms, economic systems, inherited institutions and management practices were restructured in these countries. Several shifts in objectives and modifications in the speed of changes characterized the long learning process of establishing new local governments. Ten years after the political transformation, this book is an attempt to assess the most important elements of local government systems, to present the similarities and differences in the existing models of eight countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The country reports focus on the major components of decentralization and local government operation: * legal and constitutional frameworks and structures of local governments; * local politics, decision-making and internal organization; * local government administration and service delivery mechanisms; * fiscal issues and financial management. Evaluation of local governments is based on some objective indicators, showing the progress of decentralization and level of local autonomy. At the same

  • Word count: 10911
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Prospects for India's development

PROSPECTS FOR INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT 24 April 2000 Business 487 Professor Marvin Zonis Leonardo Cherman Meredith Persily Debra Strober Tomoko Tanaka Gary Wong ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The India group would like to thank CNA Financial, Deutsche Bank, Diamond Technology Partners, and Pfizer for making our trips possible. Through their support, we were able to perform primary research in New Delhi, Bangalore, Goa, Jaipur, and Bombay. The additional regional perspective provided tremendous value to us when developing our hypothesis about the Indian market. In addition, we would like to thank the many interview contacts who welcomed us to their country and candidly provided information and perspective to us. Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 Table of Contents 3 I. The Bottom Line 4 II. Model and Variables 4 In order to develop a model for India we analyzed the following variables: 4 III. Data and Analyses 4 A. The Political Environment 4 Current Status 4 Barriers to Progress 5 B. Labor Policy 7 Snapshot 7 Status and Barriers 7 C. Privatization and Liberalization of Key Industries 9 Snapshot 9 Initiatives 9 Barriers 10 D. Financial Reforms and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) 11 Snapshot 11 Status 11 Initiatives and Barriers 12 E. Information Technology Sector 13 Snapshot 13 Status 14 Impact on Investment

  • Word count: 10845
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Serfdom – Emancipation, etc

History Revision Notes Serfdom - Emancipation, etc Graham Stephenson: History of Russia 1812-1945 The economic basis of the nobility was the land. By the beginning of the 19th century private estates were everywhere worked by peasant serfs, who were by far the most numerous class in the State, and who were entirely deprived of political and personal rights. The bonds of serfdom had been strengthened during the 18th century with the intention of compensating the nobility for their lack of political power. But the direction of policy changed with the accession of Alexander I in 1801. From that date the autocrats, at first timidly and then with desperate courage, attacked serfdom because it was inhumane, because it was inefficient, and because it gave too much social influence to the nobility. Emancipation came in 1861; the long delay perhaps being testimony to the obstinacy of the nobility. The peasant question festered for too long. It helped to set the intelligentsia against the State and prevented Russia from taking steps towards industrialisation at an early date. Defeat in 1812 might even have been an advantage; the total victory over Napoleon strengthened the arguments of those who claimed that Russian institutions were not in need for reform. There were widespread fears that Nap. would provoke social war in Russia by declaring emancipation during his

  • Word count: 9475
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Minority Rights, Identity Politics and Gender in Bangladesh: Current Problems and Issues

Minority Rights, Identity Politics and Gender in Bangladesh: Current Problems and Issues Introduction Minorities have been variously defined in international forums. First the following definition was constructed prior to the Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in 1977 to Article 27 of International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (16 Dec. 1966) Minorities were considered to be a group numerically inferior to the rest of the population of the state, in a non-dominant position, whose members being citizens of a state, possess ethnic beliefs or linguistic characteristics differing from the rest of the population and show if only implicitly, a sense of solidarity directly towards preserving their culture, traditions, religions or language. (Capotorti, 1991, 96) In Article 11 of the UN Declaration on Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic religious and Linguistic Minorities 18 Dec. 1992, it is stated that states should protect the existence of national or ethnic, cultural or religiously defined identity of minorities within their respective territory. Under certain circumstances foreigners can come within the range of this definition. According to the first definition protection of minorities are linked to citizenship. Here the criterion of citizenship is considered essential for their protection. This is a rule

  • Word count: 8831
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Asian Values in Singaporean Perspective.

Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen Lecturer: Prof. Mark R. Thompson, PhD. Working Paper: Stephan Ortmann Wednesday, April 02, 2003 "Asian Values" in Singaporean Perspective Erwin-Rommel-Str. 59 R 6006 91058 Erlangen [email protected] http://moneybin.tripod.co.jp Magister HF: Politikwissenschaft . NF Amerikanistik 2. NF Englische Linguistik Table of Contents . Introduction 2 2. The Definition of "Asian Values" 4 3. The Creation of a Singaporean Identity 8 3. The "Negative" Side of "Asian Values" 11 5. "Asian Values" and the Need for Legitimacy 13 6. Conclusion 19 7. Bibliography: 21 . Introduction Singapore is one of the so-called Tiger States, or economic miracles of Asia, a small city-state that has been able to modernize in little more than half a century. While other nations in the neighborhood struggled economically, Singapore adopted an economic plan of austerity, liberalism, and trade that made it especially interesting in the eyes of Western companies who saw in Singapore the window to a large Asian market. This economic miracle occurred, as nearly every analyst has noted, because of the management of the ruling party, the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the country since 1965 without interruption. In the course of the PAP's leadership the democracy in Singapore was restricted in an effort to maintain its power. Thus today

  • Word count: 8737
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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This assignment identifies and discusses the major social and political trends expected to affect Spoornet the railway business unit of Transnet over the next 10 years.

MILPARK BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA ASSIGNMENT COVERSHEET STUDENT NUMBER: M B 2 0 0 2 9 9 2 5 E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] *(Provide contact telephone number if you don't have an e-mail address) or SYNDICATE GROUP NUMBER: 3 STUDENT NUMBERS OF GROUP MEMBERS: mb20030085 mb20029925 mb20030075 mb20030015 mb20029495 Indicate with one X in each column the class with which you completed this module: Submission date: MODE INTAKE 2 0 0 3 0 FT 2001_1 PT 2001_2 Module BR 2001_3 MFL FMD MEN OL 2002_1 MPO PIN MST 2002_2 HRS CFI SMA 2002_3 SOM CST CDI 2003_1 2003_3 Submission type: Individual 1 First submission Individual 2 Resubmission* Syndicate Retake *Attach a copy of the marked first submission Retake resubmission* *R200 will be charged for each resubmission PLAGIARISM DECLARATION: I confirm that I understand the Milpark Business School policy on plagiarism and that I will be penalised if this assignment infringes on that policy. I confirm that I have carefully read through the assignment before submission and that I thoroughly understand its contents. Initialled (for syndicate work all group members are to initial this declaration) PROVISIONAL RESULT: Syndicate Assignment Group 3 - Wild West PT03_1 MBA Stage 1 Management Environment Tania H. Adendorff (mb20030085 ) Farouk Dawood (mb20029925 ) Craig

  • Word count: 8125
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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Comparative Analysis: The churches and their affect on society and politics in the cases of South Africa and Namibia.

Dept. Peace & Conflict Research Uppsala University BICS - 2002 Comparative Analysis: The churches and their affect on society and politics in the cases of South Africa and Namibia. In this essay I aim to throw light upon the topic of interaction between the churches, society and politics in South Africa and Namibia and the effects of the liberation events of 1990 upon this interaction. First I will give and introduction to the focuses of this essay. Then I will illustrate why I feel the effectiveness of the churches as a force for socio-political change in the cases of South Africa and Namibia varies. Next I will present a theory that will attempt to explain this variation. Following that I will discuss the two cases individually, giving empirical data to illustrate how the two cases apply to the theory. Finally I will make a comparative analysis of the empirical data, to see how it corresponds to the theory. Introduction 1990 was a landmark year in the histories of both South Africa and Namibia. In both countries huge yokes of oppression were cast away. In South Africa apartheid legislation was repealed, while South African occupation in Namibia finally ended. However, despite the 'official' end to these conflict situations, their legacy is still present and threatening to peace. Following the end of repressive South African governance in both countries, the problems

  • Word count: 7690
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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