If at First You Don\u27t Succeed: Vote, Vote Again: Analyzing the Second Referendum Phenomenon in EU Treaty Change

The aim of this Essay is to probe the causes of the European Union\u27s ( EU ) second-referendum practice with a view to better understand what strikes many observers as a procedurally bizarre and democratically dubious exercise. It is not the intention of this Essay to offer any justification for the practice, but rather to explain the factors specific to the EU which have contributed to its recurrence

Suicide Missions: the ‘political opportunity structure’ and constraints of constituency

The paper uses the ‘political opportunity structure’ model to show how suicide missions andpolitical violence are legitimized by militant groups to their constituency, and how constituencycan act as one of the constraints on the militant group. Militant groups in situations of contentiouspolitics in ethno nationalist conflicts need the support and social sanction of the constituency theyclaim to represent. Research shows that suicide missions occur where there is social sanction andsupport from the constituency for the tactic, but constituencies in democracies do not supportsuicide missions and/or other militant attacks, carried out in their name, where there are highcivilian casualty rates. The paper argues that groups in ethno nationalist conflicts legitimize theresort to extreme political violence, such as suicide missions, to their constituency using thepolitical opportunity structure model. There are many explanations given for why suicide missionsoccur, such as religion, lethality, poverty and psychological problems, but current explanationsfocus primarily on the presence of suicide missions. However, this paper also looks at the absenceof suicide missions by militant groups in situations of contentious politics and conflict. It does thisusing two case studies: one where suicide missions are absent (the IRA in Northern Ireland) andanother where there is the presence of suicide missions (Hamas in Israel/Palestine).

The impact of Brexit on the environment: exploring the dynamics of a complex relationship

Brexit is likely to have a significant impact on the environment. In the current article I argue against seeing the traffic as all one- way. While there was a temptation for the advocates of staying in the European Union (EURemainers), in the context of referendum campaigning, to portray the United Kingdom (UK) as a laggard pressured into positive environmental performance by the EU as leader, the reality is that the UK has also strengthened the EU’s environmental policy in some areas and seen its own weakened in others. Influence in both directions has also varied over time. The article goes on to consider core ‘Leave’ arguments around sovereignty and ‘taking back control’, exploring the implications of these in the specific context of environmental governance

An investigation into how small companies in London and the South East UK engage in IT offshore outsourcing and the impact of culture on this phenomenon

Small businesses are increasingly engaged in IT offshore outsourcing but are as yet few academic studies into this phenomenon. One of the major stumbling blocks of IT offshore outsourcing is cultural difference. A framework of propositions was empirically tested by means of case study of three small businesses based in London and the southeast of England in order to understand the specific challenges and changes for small companies and micro firms engaging in IT offshore outsourcing. Cultural differences are found to play a large part in the outcome of these projects

The Bangladesh Sustainability Compact: an effective exercise of global experimentalist EU governance?

The calamitous Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013 focused international attention on labour rights’ violations and factory safety in Bangladesh’s dominant ready-made garment industry which is almost wholly dependent on exports to the EU. In response, the EU and the ILO launched the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, with the core objective of promoting continuous improvement in labour rights and factory safety in the industry. The uniqueness of the Compact stems from its nature as a form of experimentalist governance involving both governmental and non-governmental actors. Being primarily an EU-led initiative based on balancing trade, sustainable development and human rights’ objectives, it is underpinned by the possible option, if the Compact fails, of withdrawing trade preferences. This article will examine the rationale for the Compact, its main features, and its effectiveness as a form of ‘global experimentalist governance’