The Posterity Project: Developing a Method for Long-Term Political Reform

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward B. Foley
Keyword(s):  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Ruzza ◽  
Giuseppe Gabusi ◽  
Davide Pellegrino

AbstractStarting from the imperfect nature of Myanmar's democracy, this paper aims to answer two questions. First, can Myanmar's transition be defined as a case of democratization, or is it, rather, a case of authoritarian resilience? To state this differently: is the progress enjoyed by Myanmar's polity the outcome of an ongoing process that is supposed to lead to a fully fledged democracy, or, rather, an attempt to enshrine elements of authoritarian governance under a democratic guise? Second, if the balance leans towards the latter instead of the former, how did authoritarian resilience work in Myanmar? The transition is analysed from a long-term perspective, moving from the 1988 pro-democracy uprising up to the most recent events. Data were collected from available published sources and from three fieldworks conducted by the authors in Myanmar. The paper concludes that Myanmar's transition is better understood as a case of authoritarian resilience than as democratization and highlights three core traits of Myanmar's authoritarian resilience: first, the very top-down nature of the political transformation; second, the incumbents’ ability to set the pace of political reform through the use of repression and political engineering; and third, the divide-and-rule strategy used as a means to keep contestations separated and local.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Erin Beck

Abstract A scholarly consensus depicts strong, autonomous domestic women's movements as critical for the passage of gender equality reforms, alongside openings in domestic and international political contexts. What, then, is a nascent women's movement seeking gender equality reforms to do if it lacks strength or a history of autonomous organizing? A long-term analysis of the Guatemalan women's movement's push for reforms to address violence against women demonstrates that one potential road forward is through a “politics of patience,” rooted in the pursuit of cumulative, incremental victories. Adopting a politics of patience allows nascent domestic movements in developing and post-transition contexts to achieve incremental victories that create future political openings while simultaneously building movement strength and autonomy over time. This finding highlights the temporal and strategic power of women's movements, as well as the iterative and potentially reinforcing nature of social mobilization and political reform.


1984 ◽  
pp. 421-552
Author(s):  
Alexander Altmann

This chapter highlights some of Moses Mendelssohn's attempts at political reform. It also takes a look at some civil reforms conducted on behalf of the Jews in Europe at the time. Here, the chapter shows how the role that Mendelssohn played in promoting the civil rights of Jews was wholly unpremeditated. Unlike his Bible project, they were not the results of long-term planning. Even so, they did grow out of deep-seated, life-long concerns, and they by no means reflected a newly awakened interest or a shift in his attitude. On the contrary, on many previous occasions Mendelssohn had acted as intercessor when Jewish communities were threatened with special measures of a cruel kind.


Author(s):  
Joel Gordon

This chapter examines the Free Officers' political agenda for their revolution. The officers' revolution was supposed to be only temporary, but they ended up overturning the liberal order in an attempt to clear the path for a turnover in party leadership. Their assertion of direct power was a reflection of the need for a bolder, more long-term strategy as far as Egypt's political reform was concerned. The chapter first considers the response of many liberals to the new regime before discussing the Command Council of the Revolution's (CCR) founding of a new political movement called Liberation Rally, designed to encourage national unity under the slogan “Lift up your head, my brother.” It then looks at the CCR's abolition of the monarchy and declaration of Egypt as a republic headed by Muhammad Nagib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. It also analyzes the show trials instigated by the government to prosecute old-regime figures for corruption and abuse of power.


2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Wei Zhang
Keyword(s):  

Subject Political reform in Hong Kong. Significance On June 18, the Legislative Council (LegCo) vetoed a Beijing-backed reform plan that would have instituted direct elections for the territory's highest official, the chief executive, in future elections. The reform package, heavily promoted by the local administration, ultimately received only eight 'yes' votes, a stinging rebuke for both the local and central governments. Opposition centred on a proposed nominating committee that would vet candidates before the general election. Democracy advocates saw this as a non-starter, since the committee would likely exclude candidates that were not docile towards Beijing. Impacts The constitutional reform process will stall in the short term. Pro-democracy advocates and legislators will face greater hostility from Beijing and the local government. Beijing is less likely to back measures to assuage public opinion, such as curbs on visits by mainlanders. Businesses and many residents will welcome a period of calm while the pro-democracy camp decides a long-term strategy. LegCo will become more dysfunctional, with pan-democratic legislators likely to block unrelated measures to express frustration.


1996 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Lewis

The 1980s were bracketed by crises in Africa, as protracted economic malaise was succeeded by a wave of political reform. Analysts have sought to understand the sources of economic decline as well as the political requisites for recovery in the region. Neoclassical and structuralist analyses have been challenged by state-centric views of economic change. The latter perspective emphasizes the need for capable developmental states as a basis for long-term adjustment, but a political theory of economic change is still lacking. Such a theory must address the institutional foundations of growth, as well as the shifting basis of social coalitions in African regimes. Political liberalization suggests the possibility of a new setting for economic reform, though the effects of political reform on institutions and coalitions remain ambiguous, and democratization cannot be regarded as a panacea for the region's developmental failure. Future research must look more closely at the interests and structures in transitional regimes, and scholars should adopt a more comparative vantage on Africa's challenges of reform.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. A. Ioannidis

AbstractNeurobiology-based interventions for mental diseases and searches for useful biomarkers of treatment response have largely failed. Clinical trials should assess interventions related to environmental and social stressors, with long-term follow-up; social rather than biological endpoints; personalized outcomes; and suitable cluster, adaptive, and n-of-1 designs. Labor, education, financial, and other social/political decisions should be evaluated for their impacts on mental disease.


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