http://www.lybrary.com/index.php?cPath=2547 Copyright © 2013 Lybrary.comAs Europe moves towards economic and political unification, many wonder why legal unification makes so little headway. In this concise but wide-ranging book, R. C. van Caenegem considers the historical reasons behind this legal diversity. He stresses the importance of the adoption on the Continent - but not in England - of the classical law of the Romans, and shows how the rise of the nation states led to a multitude of national codes of law. The impact of politics on legal development is another key factor, and as a graphic example van Caenegem provides a detailed account of how the German past was extolled in Nazi Germany. The book concludes with a consideration of the ongoing debate on the desirability - indeed, on the possibility - of European legal unification and of a federal constitution for a united Europe.http://www.lybrary.com/european-law-in-the-past-and-the-future-p-294218.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/european-law-in-the-past-and-the-future-p-294218.htmlFri, 17 May 2013 19:33:15 EDT IPolitical Change in Thailand provides an assessment of approaches to studying Thai politics, the various forces reshaping the forms of political activity and their roles in the fluid contemporary political environment. It provides a survey of the more enduring and powerful institutions such as the military, bureacracy and religion, and includes an assessment of the important but seldom scrutinized monarchy and its role in democratization.http://www.lybrary.com/political-change-in-thailand-p-293497.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/political-change-in-thailand-p-293497.htmlThu, 16 May 2013 11:17:51 EDT http://www.lybrary.com/political-change-in-thailand-p-293001.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/political-change-in-thailand-p-293001.htmlTue, 14 May 2013 07:46:41 EDT The book examines the reform of the communication sector in South Africa as a detailed and extended case study in political transformation - the transition from apartheid to democracy. The reform of broadcasting, telecommunications, the state information agency, and the print press from apartheid-aligned apparatuses to accountable democratic institutions took place via a complex political process in which civil society activism, embodying a post-social democratic ideal, largely won out over the powerful forces of formal market capitalism and older models of state control. In the cautious acceptance of the market, the civil society organizations sought to use the dynamism of the market while thwarting its inevitable inequities. Forged in the crucible of a difficult transition to democracy, communication reform in South Africa was navigated between the National Party's new embrace of the market and the African National Congress leadership's default statist orientation.http://www.lybrary.com/communication-and-democratic-reform-in-south-africa-p-292178.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/communication-and-democratic-reform-in-south-africa-p-292178.htmlSun, 12 May 2013 13:44:20 EDT http://www.lybrary.com/the-european-union-and-south-east-europe-the-dynamics-of-europeanization-and-multilevel-governance-p-291573.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/the-european-union-and-south-east-europe-the-dynamics-of-europeanization-and-multilevel-governance-p-291573.htmlWed, 08 May 2013 18:37:15 EDT This book is concerned with four central questions: Who made law? Where did a Roman go to discover what the law was? How has the law survived to be known to us today? And what procedures were there for putting the law into effect? In The Sources of Roman Law, the origins of law and their relative weight are described in the light of developing Roman history. This is a topic that appeals to a wide range of readers. The law student will find illumination for the study of the substantive law. The student of history will be guided into an appreciation of what Roman law means, as well as its value for the understanding and interpretation of Roman history. Both will find invaluable the description of how the sources have survived to inform our legal system and pose their problems for us.http://www.lybrary.com/the-sources-of-roman-law-p-290233.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/the-sources-of-roman-law-p-290233.htmlSun, 05 May 2013 21:44:23 EDT <span><span><span>This cogent but comprehensive book examines the international relations of the People's Republic of China since its founding in 1949. Noted scholar Robert G. Sutter provides a balanced assessment of the country's recent successes and advances as well as the important legacies and constraints that hamper it, especially in nearby Asia—long the focus of China's foreign policy attention. Advances the PRC has made in other parts of the world focus mainly on commercial interests, limiting its actual impact on world affairs. Sutter shows readers how to use China's rise in nearby Asia as a reliable barometer of how important and effective it actually will become internationally.</span></span></span>http://www.lybrary.com/foreign-relations-of-the-prc-the-legacies-and-constraints-of-chinas-international-politics-since-1949-p-290094.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/foreign-relations-of-the-prc-the-legacies-and-constraints-of-chinas-international-politics-since-1949-p-290094.htmlSun, 05 May 2013 14:36:41 EDT The Ritual of Rights in Japan challenges the conventional wisdom that the assertion of rights is fundamentally incompatible with Japanese legal, political and social norms. It discusses the creation of a Japanese translation of the word 'rights', Kenri; examines the historical record for words and concepts similar to 'rights'; and highlights the move towards recognising patients' rights in the 1960s and 1970s. Two policy studies are central to the book. One concentrates on Japan's 1989 AIDS Prevention Act, and the other examines the protracted controversy over whether brain death should become a legal definition of death. Rejecting conventional accounts that recourse to rights is less important to resolving disputes than other cultural forms,The Ritual of Rights in Japan uses these contemporary cases to argue that the invocation of rights is a critical aspect of how conflicts are articulated and resolved.http://www.lybrary.com/the-ritual-of-rights-in-japan-p-288495.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/the-ritual-of-rights-in-japan-p-288495.htmlThu, 02 May 2013 14:40:28 EDT Policy-Making and Diversity in Europe examines the European polity and its policy-making processes. In particular, it asks how an institution which is so riddled with veto points manages to be such an active and aggressive policy maker. HÈritier argues that the diversity of actors' interests and the consensus-forcing nature of European institutions would almost inevitably stall the decision-making process, were it not for the existence of creative informal strategies and policy-making patterns. Termed by the author 'subterfuge', these strategies prevent political impasses and 'make Europe work'. The book examines the presence of subterfuge in the policy domains of market-making, the provision of collective goods, redistribution and distribution. Subterfuge is seen to reinforce the primary functions of the European polity: the accommodation of diversity, policy innovation and democratic legitimation. Professor HÈritier concludes that the use of subterfuge to reconcile unity with diversity and competition with co-operation is the greatest challenge facing European policy-makinhttp://www.lybrary.com/policymaking-and-diversity-in-europe-p-287864.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/policymaking-and-diversity-in-europe-p-287864.htmlWed, 01 May 2013 09:40:31 EDT The emergence of interest group politics is one of the decisive factors in democratic transformation in post-communist society. Stephen Padgett argues that evidence from eastern Germany suggests that market transition produces rather open and fluid societies, in which group interests and identities are tenuous. Lacking a supportive social infrastructure, interest groups operate on 'entrepreneurial' lines, a form of associational activity which falls far short of pluralist ideals. With its accelerated transition to a market economy, eastern Germany provides a 'fast-forward' study of an 'advanced post-communist society' which enables us to anticipate the social structures and issues shaping interest-group politics in the newly-democratizing states of east-central Europe. Examining a number of different interest groups, and comparing a number of countries across east-central Europe, this book may also offer a vision of the future of interest-group politics in the West.http://www.lybrary.com/organizing-democracy-in-eastern-germany-p-287860.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/organizing-democracy-in-eastern-germany-p-287860.htmlWed, 01 May 2013 09:40:03 EDT This volume considers an array of power-sharing systems in divided cities and states, with critical evaluations of their merits and defects as well as explanations of their emergence, maintenance, and failings.http://www.lybrary.com/power-sharing-in-deeply-divided-places-p-284863.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/power-sharing-in-deeply-divided-places-p-284863.htmlThu, 25 Apr 2013 21:31:57 EDT When Chinese leaders announced in late 1978 that China would "open to the outside world," they embarked on a strategy for attracting private foreign capital to spur economic development. At the same time, they were concerned about possible negative repercussions of this policy. Margaret Pearson examines government efforts to control the terms of foreign investment between 1979 and 1988 and, more broadly, the abilities of socialist states in general to establish the terms of their own participation in the world economy. Drawing on interviews with Chinese and foreigners involved in joint ventures, Pearson focuses on the years from 1979 through 1988, but she also comments on the fate of the "open" policy following the economic retrenchment and political upheavals of the late 1980s. "Since the policy of `opening' was launched in Beijing in 1979 some Chinese leaders have favoured foreign investment, while others have feared that it would carry ideas and institutions that would corrupt Chinese socialism. This study of Chinese policies toward foreign-invested enterprises (FIFs) during the 1980s broadly charts significant changes in the impact of these competing views on policy. . . . Pearson's overview and analysis provide thought-provoking perspectives. . . . Pearson furnishes excellent evidence that throughout the 1980s the pressure for reform was so great that the conservatives had to retreat repeatedly, despite their concerns about the decline of collectivist values and the Maoist dream."--Stanley Lubman, The China Quarterlyhttp://www.lybrary.com/joint-ventures-in-the-peoples-republic-of-china-the-control-of-foreign-direct-investment-under-socialism-p-283232.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/joint-ventures-in-the-peoples-republic-of-china-the-control-of-foreign-direct-investment-under-socialism-p-283232.htmlTue, 23 Apr 2013 00:36:26 EDT <p><EM>Human Rights, Power and Civic Action</EM> examines the interrelationship between struggles for human rights and the dynamics of power, focusing on situations of poverty and oppression in developing countries. It is argued that the concept of power is a relatively neglected one in the study of rights-based approaches to development, especially the ways in which structures and relations of power can limit human rights advocacy. Therefore this book focuses on how local and national struggles for rights have been constrained by power relations and structural inequalities, as well as the extent to which civic action has been able to challenge, alter or transform such power structures, and simultaneously to enhance protection of people's basic human rights. Contributors examine and compare struggles to advance human rights by non-governmental actors in Cambodia, China, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The country case-studies analyse structures of power responsible for the negation and denial of human rights, as well as how rights-promoting organisations challenge such structures. Utilising a comparative approach, the book provides empirically grounded studies leading to new theoretical understanding of the interrelationships between human rights struggles, power and poverty reduction.</p><I><p>Human Rights, Power and Civic Action </I>will be of interest to students and scholars of human rights politics, power, development, and governance.</p>http://www.lybrary.com/human-rights-power-and-civic-action-comparative-analyses-of-struggles-for-rights-in-developing-societies-p-281633.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/human-rights-power-and-civic-action-comparative-analyses-of-struggles-for-rights-in-developing-societies-p-281633.htmlFri, 19 Apr 2013 11:35:29 EDT <span><span><span>This engaging, knowledgeable book traces the American path France has followed since resolving its searing Algerian conflict in 1962. Barnett Singer convincingly demolishes two pervasive clichés about modern France: first, that the country has never been fit to fight wars, including wars on terror; and second, that the French have always been and remain overwhelmingly anti-American. The end of the war led to an important sea change, clearing the way for France to embrace American culture, especially rock 'n' roll, and more generally, an American-style emphasis on personal happiness. The author argues that today's France, wounded by the loss of traditions and stability, is increasingly pro-American, clinging to trends from across the Atlantic as to a lifeline.</span></span></span>http://www.lybrary.com/the-americanization-of-france-searching-for-happiness-after-the-algerian-war-p-278529.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/the-americanization-of-france-searching-for-happiness-after-the-algerian-war-p-278529.htmlFri, 12 Apr 2013 20:37:56 EDT <U><p></U>A fascinating insight into how regional organizations in Europe and East Asia are currently grappling with a striking number of essentially similar challenges.</p><p>This issue-based overview of political integration focuses on the differences and similarities in regional integration levels and processes in the two regions, to examine how the long-term future, role and impact of organizations such as the EU and ASEAN may depend heavily on how well they deal with complex and conflict-laden issues in the next few years.</p><p>This volume analyzes the historical development, current state and prospective future evolution of political integration in the two regions. These leading authors identify key variables that account for the contrasting political integration levels, clearly demonstrating and explaining why the rhythm of integration in both regions varies. With contributions from both Asian and European scholars on each topic, this book delivers:</p><UL> <LI>comparative rather than a single region focus</LI> <LI>breakdowns of regional integration into key issue areas </LI> <LI>analysis of monetary cooperation and integration</LI> <LI>incisive assessments of institutional reform </LI> <LI>key topics of enlargement, including: identity, distributional equity, the distribution of power and effectiveness or decision-making efficiency</LI> <LI>discussion of regional and international security crises</LI> <LI>expert scholarship from both European and Asian perspectives</LI></UL><p>This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of IPE, international relations, political science, contemporary history and European studies and Asian studies.</p>http://www.lybrary.com/regional-integration-in-east-asia-and-europe-convergence-or-divergence-p-275883.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/regional-integration-in-east-asia-and-europe-convergence-or-divergence-p-275883.htmlSun, 07 Apr 2013 00:34:56 EDT <span><span><span>This examination of the historical relationship between Socialist and Communist parties in France, Italy, and Spain since 1920 contends that during the 1960s and 1970s these parties made critical alliance decisions that shaped their subsequent political fortunes. </span><span style="font-style:italic;">Enemy Brothers</span><span>, based on field work and interviews, compares and explains these strategies, stressing the influence of institutional arrangements, political party culture, and leadership. </span></span><br /><span><span> </span></span><br /></span>http://www.lybrary.com/enemy-brothers-socialists-and-communists-in-france-italy-and-spain-p-271850.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/enemy-brothers-socialists-and-communists-in-france-italy-and-spain-p-271850.htmlThu, 21 Mar 2013 08:53:48 EDT <EM>Private Organisation in Global Politics</EM> is a groundbreaking study which brings together a broad range of case-studies to examine the role and character of private organisations in the process of political globalization. Focusing on areas such as human rights organisations, the international women's movement and the combating of disease, the panel of expert contributors investigate the function of these in relation to governance in the globalizing world.http://www.lybrary.com/private-organisations-in-global-politics-p-267745.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/private-organisations-in-global-politics-p-267745.htmlMon, 11 Mar 2013 00:33:22 EDT <span><span><span>A decade after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the beginning of democratization and marketization in East Central Europe, a handful of countries introduced territorial and administrative reforms and created regional "self-governments": autonomous subnational-level assemblies elected by universal suffrage. This comparative study of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary explores the reasons for these reforms and their consequences for post-communist democracies. In the context of the long-standing development of regions in Western Europe, Jennifer A. Yoder argues that a new approach is needed to explain recent regional reforms—and their wide variablity—in post-communist Europe. Her study offers a nuanced and authoritative account of a category of reforms that gets to the heart of democratization after communism: how to distribute authority within a new system.</span></span></span>http://www.lybrary.com/crafting-democracy-regional-politics-in-postcommunist-europe-p-264131.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/crafting-democracy-regional-politics-in-postcommunist-europe-p-264131.htmlFri, 01 Mar 2013 20:35:26 EST <span><span><span>A decade after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the beginning of democratization and marketization in East Central Europe, a handful of countries introduced territorial and administrative reforms and created regional "self-governments": autonomous subnational-level assemblies elected by universal suffrage. This comparative study of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary explores the reasons for these reforms and their consequences for post-communist democracies. In the context of the long-standing development of regions in Western Europe, Jennifer A. Yoder argues that a new approach is needed to explain recent regional reforms—and their wide variablity—in post-communist Europe. Her study offers a nuanced and authoritative account of a category of reforms that gets to the heart of democratization after communism: how to distribute authority within a new system.</span></span></span>http://www.lybrary.com/crafting-democracy-regional-politics-in-postcommunist-europe-p-262143.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/crafting-democracy-regional-politics-in-postcommunist-europe-p-262143.htmlSat, 23 Feb 2013 06:33:15 EST http://www.lybrary.com/gods-plans-for-the-american-working-class-and-the-holy-land-after-91101-p-259148.htmlhttp://www.lybrary.com/gods-plans-for-the-american-working-class-and-the-holy-land-after-91101-p-259148.htmlSat, 16 Feb 2013 02:32:21 EST