Fairness Under Fire: Origins and Implications of Ukrainians' Demand for Tax Progressivity

The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to unprecedented national mobilization backed by a widespread sense of patriotic unity. Together with international financial support, this has thus far shielded the government from radical revenue reforms. However, the war has also exposed blatant inequalities and profiteering, provoking anger under the surface of national cohesion. Drawing on new survey data, this article reveals that perceptions of wartime inequity have contributed to a strong demand for tax progressivity, which is consis- tent with historical patterns and liable to eventually upset the established and distinctly nonredistributive fiscal contract

Rising from the Ashes: The De-Technocratization of Government Economists and the (Re)Emergence of a Heterodox Economic Network in Argentina (2002-2022)

Economics has long been considered a hierarchically structured and technocratic profession, especially in Latin America, where U.S.-trained, finance-oriented economists reshaped national policy fields through pro-market reforms in the late 20th century. Yet, Argentina’s trajectory after the 2001 crisis diverges sharply from this pattern. This paper analyzes the changing composition of Argentina’s economic policymaking elite between 2002 and 2022 using multiple correspondence analysis within a field-theoretical framework. I argue that three distinct phases characterize this transformation. First, a process of de-technocratization occurred, as political and bureaucratic experience outweighed academic credentials in recruitment decisions. Second, a partial re-academization followed, marked by the return of economists with postgraduate training, though often with limited policymaking experience. Third, ideological polarization intensified, as orthodox and heterodox economists alternated in government under rival political coalitions. Unlike most Western democracies, where heterodox economic perspectives are marginalized, Argentina’s policymaking field remains a contested space characterized by disciplinary diversity

Re-Examining "Solange I": Constitutionalism Beyond the State and the Role of Domestic Constitutional Courts

Fifty years have passed since the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) rendered one of its most widely discussed and influential decisions: Solange I. On May 29, 1974, the FCC famously held that it would review European Community law by the standards of German constitutional law for so long as the Community had not received a catalogue of fundamental rights, which is adequate in comparison with the catalogue contained in the German Basic Law. Only a handful of cases may qualify to potentially celebrate them in fifty years' time. Solange I is one of them. Why? What intellectual and institutional aspects of this decision are worth celebrating and preserving in Europe and beyond

Is the Brandmauer ("firewall") breaking from below? Party cooperation with the "Alternative for Germany (AfD)" in all German local government councils (2019-2024)

January 2025, for the first time in the postwar history of Germany's national parliament, a mainstream political party (the Christian Democratic Union) relied on the support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to pass a motion. This prompted intense public debate as many Germans worried that this cooperation was a harbinger of possibly still more cooperation to come. Against this backdrop, our study examines the state of the so-called "firewall" - the self-commitment of established parties to not cooperate with the AfD - in Germany at the district level. To do so, we analyzed more than 11,000 meetings of councils at the district level across all federal states from mid-2019 to mid-2024. Our analysis shows that in this period no cooperation with the AfD took place in approximately 81.2% of cases where cooperation was possible. While regional differences across Germany can be observed, on average there was no significant difference in levels of cooperation between eastern and western German districts. Even in western German districts, the firewall has not strictly been upheld everywhere. However, larger differences do become apparent when comparing rural and urban districts. Eastern German rural districts, in particular, are at the forefront of cooperation with the AfD, whereas in western German districts, there is no significant urban-rural divide. From a party-political perspective, smaller parties are the most frequent collaborators with the AfD, followed by the FDP and CDU. While the firewall is beginning to crack, as of fall 2024, it had not yet completely collapsed at the district level

Ordonomik und Bildung: Verantwortung für die moderne Gesellschaft

Bildung für gesellschaftliche Verantwortung ist ein zentrales Anliegen unserer Zeit. Der Sammelband diskutiert und würdigt den Ansatz im Kontext der ökonomischen und der gesellschaftlichen Bildung insgesamt und zwar im Hinblick auf die Ordonomik zur Analyse und Überwindung sozialer Dilemmata. Der Band würdigt Ingo Pies' Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung der Ordonomik. Autorinnen und Autoren aus verschiedenen Wissenschaftsfeldern haben Hauptbeiträge zum Thema verfasst, die jeweils von Kolleginnen und Kollegen kommentiert wurden. Dieser Dialog fördert einen kritischen Austausch über die Rolle der Ordonomik und regt zu weiterführenden Diskussionen an

Conviviality in Contexts of Religious Plurality: Interdisciplinary Explorations

How do religious individuals, communities, and political institutions navigate diversity and how do they foster social cohesion? This volume focuses on convivial practices in religiously diverse settings and includes theoretical, empirical, and practice-oriented approaches. Through an interdisciplinary lens the contributors examine conceptual reflections, boundary work, rituals, multilingualism, and spatial dynamics. This volume represents an important milestone in conviviality research and provides valuable insights for further research in the fields of theology, religious studies, and sociology

Beyond borders: Zur Krisenfestigkeit grenzüberschreitender Verflechtungsräume

Zusammenarbeit über nationalstaatliche Grenzen hinweg konnte sich in Europa angesichts des EU-Integrationsprozesses seit dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs immer stärker etablieren und institutionalisieren, einhergehend mit EU-Förderpolitiken und angepassten Instrumentarien. Der Blick in die Zukunft erschien vor diesem Hintergrund vielfach in Richtung einer sich vertiefenden Zusammenarbeit orientiert zu sein. Die Covid-19-Pandemie führte allerdings wie in einem Reallabor vor Augen, wie fragil grenzüberschreitende Regionen - eingebunden in die europäische multi-level governance - sein können. Dieser Band der "Arbeitsberichte der ARL" blickt auf Schritte hin zu europäischen Verflechtungsräumen und ordnet in diesem Lichte die Ausbreitung des Coronavirus als Krisenhaftigkeit und Zäsur ein. In einer Einleitung und zwölf Beiträgen werden mit politisch-administrativer Schwerpunktsetzung konzeptuelle Reflexionen zu Krisen und Resilienz und empirische Fallbeispiele aus verschiedenen Grenzregionen Deutschlands vorgestellt. Zudem wird die Krisenfestigkeit grenzüberschreitender Kooperation mit spezifischen thematischen Zuschnitten - etwa mit Bezug auf grenzüberschreitende Arbeitsmärkte, Raumbeobachtung und Infrastrukturen - ausgeleuchtet.The Conversion and revitalization of areas that have been abandoned by the army is one of the main challenges of spatial development. This is particularly relevant for eastern Germany. Since reunification, many of these areas have been transferred to a reuse and has been sold. In the general public's view, the impression has become entrenched that the issue of conversion is almost at an end. However, the authors of this report emphasize that the conversion of former military sites is an immensely difficult, time-intensive, and highly problematic process. These areas are ultimately so-called "tasks of the century" ("Jahrhundertaufgaben") that require a generation-spanning debate about the goals, assumptions and limits of spatial development. The authors address the problem of the tasks of the century by developing solutions based on concrete examples and successful processes, also in connection with the energy transition. In addition to current conversion strategies, aspects of valorisation, circular land management and after-use options will be addressed, as well as legal and governance issues, because: Conversion is a cross-sectional task. The contributions are based on extensive practical experience and on conceptual reflections of the authors

Local Voices, Global Goals: Participatory Planning for Localizing the UN SDGs in UNESCO Heritage Site Management

The research detailed here has explored the role of local actors in integrating SDGs into World Heritage Site Management Plans, within a polycentric governance framework. It highlights how SDGs can be localized in the context of World Heritage cities management and urban development. The Medieval Town of Toruń, Poland, serves as a case study here. Empirically, this research was based on three types of data collection, entailing: qualitative analysis of key documents facilitating the pursuit of the SDGs in urban planning; semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of the city administration, members of the Revitalization Committee, members of local NGOs, urban activists, as well as individuals officially designated as experts in city administration documents for projects related to World Heritage; participant observations of Revitalization Committee meetings. In the context of Toruń, the Revitalization Committee emerges as a key actor contributing substantially to the formulation of the World Heritage Site Management Plan and the integration of SDGs, despite not being initially designated for these functions. Toruń's proactive approach, which expands periodic reporting and utilizes the Committee to enhance social participation in decision-making, seeks to ensure the integration of sustainable development principles into the urban planning framework, optimizing financial and human resources without the need to create new structures. The committee's influence is evident in the integration of elements from the Revitalization Plan into the World Heritage Site Management Plan, underscoring a strong connection between participatory planning and the pursuit of SDGs in the context of World Heritage site management

Resignificar la vida: Críticas a las nuevas eugenesias en América Latina

La eugenesia esconde una zona gris que resulta conveniente para el relato de progreso, bienestar e integración que mueve al Estado nación de tradición liberal. Existe una continuidad temporal e histórica expresada en la plasticidad de una eugenesia que se despliega hasta nuestros días; diversificada en nuevos campos del saber y espacios del espectro social, propone un compromiso por el futuro de la humanidad a partir de nuevas disposiciones, imaginarios y expectativas. En Resignificar la vida. Críticas a las nuevas eugenesias en América Latina, Marcelo Sánchez Delgado reflexiona acerca de las formas adquiridas por la eugenesia en los campos científicos contemporáneos y en el discurso-práctica del poder sobre los actuales problemas sociales latinoamericanos. Su trabajo es un debate en torno de la continuidad eugenésica y la prolongación de estos discursos en el ámbito público. El autor discute la reactualización del paradigma eugénico observando su relación histórica; es decir, los contactos entre el pasado, el presente y la imaginación de un futuro desde los temas que surgen al hablar de las crisis de América Latina, como la criminalidad, las migraciones, el racismo, la salud mental, los roles de género, la falta de atención a la niñez y la desigualdad, entre otros