The USA PATRIOT Acts (et al): Collective Amnesia, Paranoia and Convergent, Oligarchic Legislation in the ‘Politics of Fear’

Comparative analysis has been ignored in recent decades as the mantra of ‘convergence’ has taken hegemonic forms under globalisation and, more recently, under the exporting of a United States–inspired ‘exceptionalism’ within this Neo-liberal project. The ‘War on Terror’ provides an unusual window for ‘seeing’ real convergence in the largely ‘invisible’ manoeuvring over framing and re-framing of anti-terrorist legislation in the US, UK/Europe and Australia. A cursory, comparative glance at The USA PATRIOT Act 2001, The USA PATRIOT Act 2006, other legislative variations in the United Kingdom/European Union (UK/EU) and Australia, and Stalinist legislation - Article 58, Criminal Code of the RSFSR (1934) - provides uncomfortable reading and an interesting convergence in the use/abuse of the ‘politics of fear’. Within Neo-liberalism, arguably, the destruction of long standing civil and political rights in the name of defending such rights is surely an issue for future democratic account. The current irrelevance of Habeas Corpus in so-called Anglo-American democracies would have many a tyrant marvelling at the rapidly convergent, authoritarian behaviour of political oligarchs in Liberal-democratic societies and the actual de-legitimation of sovereignty and democratic values under the onslaught of hubris, propaganda and fear

Directors' remuneration: The need for a geo-political perspective

There are many ways to construct an incentive program. However, most compensation plans tend to be focused on profitability and profitability-related accomplishments with little or no incentive for corporate social responsibility. Director's compensation continues to climb with the United States leading and Britain following modestly behind. The question as to where fair pay ends and over-compensation begins – and what that means for the community – is rarely raised. In order to understand the impact of fair and over-compensated director's pay on other stakeholders, a geo-political perspective is proposed that builds on knowledge of existing theories of the firm

Designing Balance into the Democratic Project: Contrasting Jeffersonian Democracy against Bentham's Panopticon Centralisation in determining ICT adoption

Positioned in a critical realist perspective, this paper examines the impact of systematic and institutional distortion to communication and the use of information and communicative technology (ICT) for control over citizen participation within the Liberal-democratic process. The paper contrasts the Jeffersonian vision of democracy against Bentham’s Panopticon dystopia and reviews comparative models of democratic processes. In so doing, it is argued that the role of ICT, the role of pressure groups and concentrated media ownership and control pose significant issues for E-democracy, in particular that of less unfettered communication within the context of Liberal democracy. It is concluded that a new constitutional organ is required to enhance genuine participation within the Panopticon proclivities emergent in E-democra

Symposium the dismal (delusional and dangerous) \u27science\u27 of economics and the \u27capture\u27 of public administration: introduction: after the neoliberal \u27babble\u27 and the \u27silence\u27: alternative voices/narratives for economics in crisis

The breathtaking extent of the systemic collapse of the financial and banking system (2007-2009) must be considered as an inevitable consequence of the deliberate destruction of government and regulatory oversight by the interlocked economic/ideological and political/propaganda components of neoliberalism. Whether public choice theory (PCT) ideological agendas -- the subjugation of analysis of governance to market linked fantasies -- are an extension of RAND\u27s invention of rational choice theory, the matrix Code of the West , the imperial extension of such agendas into other disciplinary discourses represented the clearest continuing danger to democratic public policy and praxis. In terms of fellow travelers, neoliberal economic babble based on PCT and its bastard child, new public management, might stand alongside with Marxist babble. Even if only a fraction of scholars and practitioners in the field do their work while thinking about ways to increase public awareness of alternative futures and the possibilities of constructive change, the future can be a better place

Auditing employee ownership in a neo-liberal world

Purpose - Employee ownership has attracted much attention across the globe. Whether affected by the global financial crisis (GFC), or not, this paper seeks to canvass what is known about employee ownership in neo-liberal political economies. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is a literature review, cross cultural analysis and critique. Findings - The findings indicate future research directions. Research limitations/implications - The paper suggests a reconsideration of organizational configurations for possible greater application in the future. Social implications - The paper hightlights the re- regulation of neo-liberal markets. Originality/value - The paper focuses on employee share ownership schemes