To what extent do the ideas of the 'Third Way' represent a new form of politics?
To what extent do the ideas of the 'Third Way' represent a new form of politics? In this essay I intend to examine the underlying concepts of the Third Way, I shall endeavor to explain, to some extent how the Third Way may possibly represents a new form of western politics. I shall carry out my argument with specific reference to the solutions that the Third Way has to offer on some of the major issues confronting New Labour's contemporary policies. I shall in be difficult to do justice to such a large topic in such a short essay, as the Third Way has proven to be a very ambiguous subject. What I am proposing is to structure this essay in such a manor that I shall be able to address three or four of the central ideological concepts surrounding the 'Third Way' as advocated by Giddens and Blair. So how does one define the Third Way? It's critic's claim that it is 'void of any real substance'. They think it's a 'collaboration of policies, which are with out any real content'. (Alex Callinicus, 2001) They explain the Third Way as being 'undefinable, an obscure set of doctrines which have been taken from existing ideologies on order to form a somewhat incoherent set of new policies'. Certain sociologists have suggest that 'the underlying concept of the Third Way is in no way unique' and 'that it's remnants can be found littered throughout the twentieth century where a
Outline the key themes of constructivist theory in international relations. How do you think it helps us better understand international politics. In the 1980s International relations theory was dominated by
Question: Outline the key themes of constructivist theory in international relations. How do you think it helps us better understand international politics. In the 1980s International relations theory was dominated by traditional neo-realism and neo-liberal schools of thought; both theories concentrated on the materialistic and individualistic positions of states. However the end of the cold war allowed for the origins of new intellectual institutions, which challenged existing theories of international politics. Constructivism derived from existing sociological theory to illustrate how as a social science, it would enable a better understanding of how important state identities and norms are in world politics. Thus fill in the gaps on issues that neo-realists and neo-liberals chose to overlook. Between the two radical opposites of post-modernism and realism social constructivists see themselves as occupying the 'middle ground'. This can cause a problem as the middle ground between such divergent theories can create a large span of approaches that range form simply discussing the materialistic and rationalist structure of states, to those who chose to operate in a poststruculaism manner. Therefore as Jill Steans states, various theorists use 'the image of an arch between the poles of rationalism and reflectivism to symbolise the middle ground.'(Steans 2005: 184) By
PastExam_egovernment
Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 2 E-Government Defined 4 The Benefits of E-Government 7 Implementing E-Government 9 Conclusion 21 Bibliography 23 Abstract This paper looks at e-government. E-government is defined as the delivery of government through (mostly) the Internet and how the public is clamouring for increased access to government via modern electronic means. Following the definition of e-government is a look at the benefits of e-government, including the potential ability of e-government to streamline, personalize, and improve government delivery of services and information to both businesses and the public. The paper next takes a look at how e-government can and should be implemented. The section includes a look at what commercial technology is available today for governments to take advantage of in developing their own e-government services. This also includes some suggestions of specific vendors and consultants of various software products that are currently being utilised by governments in the delivery of e-government services. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of what the limitations for e-government might be and some possible solutions to these problems. Introduction E- government is a reality. In the United States virtually all departments and agencies in the government have developed or have in the
Evaluate the reasons for and against the use of primary elections in the selection of presidential candidates
Primaries essay Evaluate the reasons for and against the use of primary elections in the selection of presidential candidates Primary elections are elections held before the presidential election used to determine which candidates from each party would be competing in the presidential election. Primaries come in varying degrees of participation. There are closed primaries, which allow members affiliated to a party to participate. This gives more choice than the caucuses, which reserve this choice to party members only. There are also open primaries, which allow party members to vote either Republican or Democratic regardless of their party affiliation. The widest level of participation is the result of a blanket primary which allows all constituents to vote whether they are affiliated to a party or not. The alternative to using primary elections to elect presidential candidates is the caucus system whereby the vote for a candidate was reserved to party members only. Only some states still use this system such as Iowa and North Dakota. It could be said that the use of primary elections enhances the democratic process. Primaries have been known to encourage political involvement, voters feel that they can play an active role in the decision making process and as a result turnout at presidential elections have increased. This was seen in the state of Michigan from
What makes International Relations a discipline, and why did the discipline not develop in the 17th Century rather than in the early 20th Century?
Q1. What makes International Relations a discipline, and why did the discipline not develop in the 17th Century rather than in the early 20th Century? Introduction The journey of the modern man, which began in Africa, with a small band of hunter-gatherers, has come full circles, after nearly 80,000 years1 and a population of 6 billion, covering the earth in diverse races, ethnicities and nationalities. Man has been divided along these ethnic and social lines even before the advent of the modern state system. Though they have been living in relative isolation, in a less populated world, they were connected through the advent of trade, journeying2, and the darker means of war and conquest. There had been relations between these ancient societies, which are the precursors to the modern day nation states. This relationship was evident during the times of the Egyptian Pharaohs, who established ties with parallel rulers elsewhere, formed alliances and pacts that would protect them from the marauding nomads of the steppes of Caucasian heartland.3The Free city states of Greece practiced the art of diplomacy and international cooperation during time of war and strife. The Homeric tales of Iliad is one classic example, when the rulers of the Greek States rallied around the mighty Achilles and his Myrmidon army to win the battle for them4. Thucydides gives an account of alliances
To what extent can Beitz's claim for a 'cosmopolitan international morality' be sustained?
To what extent can Beitz's claim for a 'cosmopolitan international morality' be sustained? The main difference between Beitz and other moral cosmopolitanists such as John Rawls (whoÆs work Beitz based much of his theory on) is that he extends the moral cosmopolitan theory (previously confined to the ædomesticÆ realm) to that of an æinternationalÆ realm. Beitz argues æthat a suitable principle can be justified by analogy with the justification given by Rawls in a æTheory of JusticeÆ for an intrastate distributive principle.Æ (Beitz 1979b:8) Essentially, Beitz wants ideal theory to become a goal within the non-ideal world. In order to realize this, he must assume that there already exists sufficient interdependence among states that can constitute a cooperative scheme. He must also assume that the natural duty of justice provides the motivation and grounds for fulfilling it. If there was no natural duty of justice, then there would be no compelling reasons for individuals to apply principles of justice to the non-ideal world. In short, I shall attempt to show how BeitzÆs claims for a æcosmopolitan international moralityÆ cannot be sustained since he postulates a disjunctive relationship between ideal theory and the non-ideal world. Therefore, BeitzÆs ideal only serves as a feasibility condition instead of an existence position. The central problem for Beitz
Liberal democracy is just the tyranny of the majority. Discuss with reference to at least two concepts from liberal political thought.
"Liberal democracy is just the tyranny of the majority." Discuss with reference to at least two concepts from liberal political thought. We all live in a liberal democratic country. Most of us appreciate it. The United Kingdom may not be perfect but at least we have democracy. We are free, we have thousands of possibilities to achieve success in our lives - what more could we want? Well, what if we are wrong? What if liberal democracy is nothing more but the tyranny of the majority? Maybe we are not free at all because in fact the majority decides what we can and cannot do. In my work I am going to try to answer the question: "Is liberal democracy just the tyranny of the majority?". The issue of the tyranny of the majority goes back as far as Plato's famous work titled Republic. In 399 B.C. Plato's master, Socrates, was sentenced for death and executed. 56% of the jury, which consisted of 500 male citizens of Athens, found him guilty of disbelieving the gods recognized by the state, and corrupting the youth. It was the reason why Plato was against democracy - he thought the mob has no knowledge enough to lead a country and believed the state should be ruled by a philosopher king who knows what people's needs are. In Republic he says: 'Till philosophers become kings, or those now named kings and rules give themselves to philosophy truly and rightly ... states will have no
The State of African Politics : A Setback for Democracy
Natalie Cecini Cross Cultural Perspectives, SOC 315 The State of African Politics; A Setback for Democracy Prof. Shaun Sullivan March 1, 2009 Although it has been a long and hard road, the path to democracy is obtainable by suffering African nations. Progress is being made slowly, but there are some missing pieces that need to be resolved in order to make democracy work for the people. Overcoming a long history of violence and military rule is the challenge that confronts many nations, as for so long it was the only way to be heard and counted. The practice of democracy in African nations has been a shaky experiment where although many of the necessary motions are in place, the underlying theme is corruption. The true power that should be in the hands of voters is still being fought for by coups, which gain support as the people become unsatisfied with the choices for candidacy and the democracies that reek of state failure. In many African nations, politics still seem to revolve around ethnicity rather than on other common grounds. Creating an infrastructure to spread relevant information that will allow open discussions between the people and their government and between people of different backgrounds and allow them to reap the benefits of democracy and will put government officials in a position of accountability. Fortunately, the kinks are slowly being
Security & Policy Issues for the Former USSR
Security & Policy Issues for the Former USSR On the 26th of December 1991, the Soviet parliament voted itself, and the USSR, out of existence. The hastily formed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an association with neither constitution nor statutes, took its place. At its inception, Russia hoped the CIS would maintain a 'common space' concerning strategy, economics, law, communications, and so forth. However, many of the successor states, most notably the Ukraine, view the CIS as an emergency organisation; only a useful vehicle for handling the Soviet inheritance and dismembering the old structures in a rational and peaceful manner. Given historical the history of the region, there remains great suspicion among the former Soviet republics that Russia will once again seek to control the disparate states which constituted the USSR. It is against this complex background of distrust, economic dislocation, and rising ethnic tensions, that foreign policy and security issues have to be formed. Policy formation and implementation is influenced by two distinct factors: relations with the outside world, primarily the industrialised nations of the West, and relations among members of the CIS. In this respect we will first assess the salient issues pertaining to the CIS's 'foreign' contacts, and then examine the delicate political relationships between Russia and the rest of the
Why did the post-1997 Labour Government institute a programme of constitutional reform?
Why did the post-1997 Labour Government institute a programme of constitutional reform? The absence of any codified constitution within the United Kingdom has led to the development of an unwritten constitution that is derived from common law, statute law, convention and tradition. Described by Burke as 'checkered and speckled....crossly indented and whimsically dovetailed....such a piece of diversified mosaic'1, it contrasts greatly to the entrenched, written constitution of the United States of America, where the relationship between the government and the citizen is closely regulated and legislated. The fusion of powers within the unitary state of the UK has led to a focus on the sovereignty of Parliament. Whereas in the USA, the government is only able to make amendments to the original constitution, British Parliament is not obligated to adhere to any law passed by a previous government. Hence, the lack of entrenchment, the unwritten, often ambiguous, nature of the UK constitution and the ease at which reform can occur are major factors contributing to the programme of reform executed by the Labour Government subsequent to their 1997 victory in the General Election. The political climate that existed in 1997 was due to a strict eighteen-year period of Tory dominance. The 1980's saw a determined attempt to weaken the power of local government in order to protect the
