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Professional pathways to the presidency
\"During presidential elections a quadrennial debate emerges which, although it differs in the particulars, reflects the same structure in each reincarnation. Although the issue positions taken by the candidates vary over the years, their claim to qualification for the presidency follows a common pattern. Each candidate discusses his or her prior experience as preparation for one or more of the requirements of the office and then lays claim to the legacy of one of the great presidents who followed the same trajectory to the White House.Missing from this debate is a systematic analysis of how different job experiences prepared the population of all presidents for service. For each of the greats who followed a particular pathway to the presidents there is a failure who shared the pathway. In this book I combine the quantitative evaluation of presidential performance with mixture of qualitative and quantitative analyses of professional qualifications. The recent C-SPAN surveys provide us with a nuanced measure of presidential performance by asking historians to rate the Presidents on ten constituent attributes of: Public Persuasion, Moral Authority, Relations with Congress, Performance within Context of Times, Crisis Leadership, International Relations, Vision/Setting an Agenda, Economic Management, Administrative Skills, and Pursued Equal Justice for All. The sub-score for 'Relations with Congress' measures how well the president performs as 'legislator-in-chief' so that I can see whether former legislators work better with congress. Similarly the measure of 'Administrative Skills' indicates whether experience as a governor leads to better performance as the national chief executive. The evaluation of 'Economic Management' looks at whether those presidents with business experience do a better job in dealing with the economy. C-SPAN's nuanced measure of presidential performance allows a more careful evaluation of how prior experience affects particular aspects of presidential greatness than was previously possible\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
European and American Extreme Right Groups and the Internet
How do right-wing extremist organizations throughout the world use the Internet as a tool for communication and recruitment? What is its role in identity-building within radical right-wing groups and how do they use the Internet to set their agenda, build contacts, spread their ideology and encourage mobilization? This important contribution to the field of Internet politics adopts a social movement perspective to address and examine these important questions. Conducting a comparative content analysis of more than 500 extreme right organizational web sites from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, it offers an overview of the Internet communication activities of these groups and systematically maps and analyses the links and structure of the virtual communities of the extreme right. Based on reports from the daily press the book presents a protest event analysis of right wing groups' mobilisation and action strategies, relating them to their online practices. In doing so it exposes the new challenges and opportunities the Internet presents to the groups themselves and the societies in which they exist.
eBook
Poland's Memory Wars
This volume of essays and interviews by Polish, British, and American academics and journalists provides an overview of current Polish politics for both informed and non-specialist readers. The essays consider why and how PiS, Law and Justice, the party of Jarosław Kaczynski, returned to power, and the why and how of its policies while in power. They help to make sense of how \"history\" plays a key role in Polish public life and politics.
The descriptions of PiS in Western media tend to rework old stereotypes about Eastern Europe that had lain dormant for some time. The book addresses the underlying question whether PiS was simply successful in understanding its electorate, and just helped Poland to revert to its normal state. This new Normal seems quite similar to the old one: insular, conservative, xenophobic, and statist.
The book looks at the current struggle between one 'Poland' and another; between a Western-looking Poland and an inward-looking Poland, the former more interested in opening to the world, competing in open markets, and working within the EU, and the latter more concerned with holding onto tradition.
The question of illiberalism has gone from an 'Eastern' problem (Russia, Turkey, Hungary, etc.) to a global one (Brexit and the U.S. elections). This makes the very specific analysis of Poland's illiberalism applicable on a broader scale.
eBook
The populist temptation : economic grievance and political reaction in the modern era
\" In the last few years, populism--of the right, left, and center varieties--has spread like wildfire throughout the world. The impulse reached its apogee in the United States with the election of Trump, but it was a force in Europe ever since the Great Recession sent the European economy into a prolonged tailspin. In the simplest terms, populism is a political ideology that vilifies economic and political elites and instead lionizes 'the people.' The people, populists of all stripes contend, need to retake power from the unaccountable elites who have left them powerless. And typically, populists' distrust of elites shades into a catchall distrust of trained experts because of their perceived distance from and contempt for 'the people.' Another signature element of populist movements is faith in a savior who can not only speak directly to the people, but also serve as a vessel for the plain people's hopes and dreams. Going back to the 1890s, a series of such saviors have come and gone in the US alone, from William Jennings Bryan to Huey Long to--finally--Donald Trump. In The Populist Temptation, the eminent economic historian Barry Eichengreen focuses on the global resurgence of populism today and places it in a deep context. Alternating between the present and earlier populist waves from modern history, he argues that populists tend to thrive most in the wake of economic downturns, when it is easy to convince the masses of elite malfeasance. Yet while there is more than a grain of truth that bankers, financiers, and 'bought' politicians are responsible for the mess, populists' own solutions tend to be simplistic and economically counterproductive. Moreover, by arguing that the ordinary people are at the mercy of extra-national forces beyond their control--international capital, immigrants, cosmopolitan globalists--populists often degenerate into demagoguery and xenophobia. There is no one solution to addressing the concerns that populists raise, but Eichengreen argues that there is an obvious place to start: shoring up and improving the welfare state so that it is better able to act as a buffer for those who suffer most during economic slumps. For example, America's patchwork welfare state was not well equipped to deal with the economic fallout that attended globalization and the decline of manufacturing in America, and that played no small part in Trump's victory. Lucidly explaining both the appeals and dangers of populism across history, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not just the populist phenomenon, but more generally the lasting political fallout that follows in the wake of major economic crises. \"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The Institutionalisation of Political Parties in Post-authoritarian Indonesia
The Institutionalisation of Political Parties in Post-authoritarian Indonesia: From the Grass-roots Up provides detailed examination of how much the local party branches of Partai Golkar, Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan, Partai Amanat Nasional, and Partai Keadilan Sejahtera in Malang (East Java) have institutionalized since the end of New Order era (1966-1998). Based on extensive fieldwork and observation, this book provides a new bottom-up perspective on how activities, administration and membership of each party has changed, and why some parties have more developed organizational prowess and stronger institutional base than others.
eBook
Confirming elections : creating confidence and integrity through election auditing
\"Prior to the disputed 2000 presidential election, for most Americans the administration of elections was never a concern. Largely, the administration of elections, the technologies used in the process, and the general procedures used were typically of concern only to election officials, candidates running for office and those managing their races, and a very few academics. This volume begins to fill that vacuum by bringing together in one book a number of essays that citizens, academics, election officials, policy makers, and other stakeholders can read to become better informed about procedures that used today to audit elections and election administration, and to learn more about new approaches to improve existing election audit procedures. \"-- Provided by publisher.
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Trust Us
In Scandinavia, there is separation in the electorate between those who embrace diversity and those who wish for tighter bonds between people and nation. This book focuses on three nationalist populist parties in Scandinavia-the Sweden Democrats, the Progress Party in Norway, and the Danish People's Party. In order to affect domestic politics by addressing this conflict of diversity versus homogeneity, these parties must enter the national parliament while earning the nation's trust. Of the three, the Sweden Democrats have yet to earn the trust of the mainstream, leading to polarized and emotionally driven public debate that raises the question of national identity and what is understood as the common man.
eBook
How to choose a leader : Machiavelli's advice to citizens
\"One of the greatest political advisers of all time, Niccolلo Machiavelli thought long and hard about how citizens could identify great leaders--ones capable of defending and enhancing the liberty, honor, and prosperity of their countries. Drawing on the full range of the Florentine's writings, acclaimed Machiavelli biographer Maurizio Viroli gathers and interprets Machiavelli's timeless wisdom about choosing leaders. The brief and engaging result is a new kind of Prince--one addressed to citizens rather than rulers and designed to make you a better voter. Demolishing popular misconceptions that Machiavelli is a cynical realist, the book shows that he believes republics can't survive, let alone thrive, without leaders who are virtuous as well as effective. Among much other valuable advice, Machiavelli says that voters should pick leaders who put the common good above narrower interests and who make fighting corruption a priority, and he explains why the best way to recognize true leaders is to carefully examine their past actions and words. On display throughout are the special insights that Machiavelli gained from long, direct knowledge of real political life, the study of history, and reflection on the great political thinkers of antiquity. Recognizing the difference between great and mediocre political leaders is difficult but not at all impossible--with Machiavelli's help. So do your country a favor. Read this book, then vote like Machiavelli would\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Change they can't believe in
Are Tea Party supporters merely a group of conservative citizens concerned about government spending? Or are they racists who refuse to accept Barack Obama as their president because he's not white?Change They Can't Believe Inoffers an alternative argument--that the Tea Party is driven by the reemergence of a reactionary movement in American politics that is fueled by a fear that America has changed for the worse. Providing a range of original evidence and rich portraits of party sympathizers as well as activists, Christopher Parker and Matt Barreto show that what actually pushes Tea Party supporters is not simple ideology or racism, but fear that the country is being stolen from \"real Americans\"--a belief triggered by Obama's election. From civil liberties and policy issues, to participation in the political process, the perception that America is in danger directly informs how Tea Party supporters think and act.
The authors argue that this isn't the first time a segment of American society has perceived the American way of life as under siege. In fact, movements of this kind often appear when some individuals believe that \"American\" values are under threat by rapid social changes. Drawing connections between the Tea Party and right-wing reactionary movements of the past, including the Know Nothing Party, the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s, and the John Birch Society, Parker and Barreto develop a framework that transcends the Tea Party to shed light on its current and future consequences.
Linking past and present reactionary movements,Change They Can't Believe Inrigorously examines the motivations and political implications associated with today's Tea Party.
eBook