Ethnopolitics Across Central and Eastern Europe in a State of Flux: Time for Updating and Upgrading?

This chapter illustrates why and how the existing theoretical models in the study of ethnopolitics need to be updated in light of the latest developments and the increasing impact of new catalysts. These are, namely, anti-immigration and the rise of the populist and radical right across Central and Eastern Europe. This chapter hints that the more systematic cooperation between academic experts in nationalism and academic experts in the populist and radical right will enable: (a) the former to assess more accurately the degree to which new variables such as Euroscepticism and anti-immigrant trends can reshape ethnopolitics, both as a living reality and a field of study, across Central and Eastern Europe; (b) the latter to formulate new interpretative models about how (right-wing) populist and Eurosceptic actors embed their agendas inside the pre-existing political cultures of nationalism and particularistic identity and memory politics. This chapter introduces and outlines the ethnosymbolic approach as well as the triadic and quadratic configurations of ethnopolitics. Then, it proceeds into a more empirical assessment of the applicability of these theoretical approaches in a series of case studies during the 1990s, as well as the more recent emergence of new catalysts and the ensuing necessity to update and upgrade the existing theoretical models

why do romanian universities fail to internalize quality assurance

Despite legal provisions in place since 2005, Romanian universities are considered to perform internal quality assurance only at a formal level, on paper, and usually in anticipation of external evaluations demanded by the government or other official institutions. This paper posits five hypotheses to explain this situation. We analyze 187 interviews with people in universities in order to evaluate these hypotheses. Only two hypotheses are confirmed by the data, allowing us to construct a narrative of policy failure. First, there are top-down failures resulting from unclear and inconsistent legal provisions that focus on multilayered evaluation procedures. Second, there are bottom-up failures related to the lack of ownership over internal quality assurance systems by the actors in the universities. The existing procedures are often seen as control-tools of government, and understood as disconnected from the universities' own goals and problems. Consequently, people on the ground passively try to subvert these tools by carrying them out in a ritualistic manner—which is why quality assurance cannot become internalized

Introduction

This introduction presents a varied and multidimensional view of challenges of governance in Southeast Asia and ASEAN through the variety of disciplines and nationalities involved in the book. In light of 50 years of regional collaboration and integration as the member states of ASEAN seek to chart out a future path for the region, this book is dedicated to showcasing the different facets and challenges to governance that occur due to internal and external pressures for the various member states. The editors are particularly interested in the multilevel governance challenges on issues of democracy, equity and sustainability, the adaptation of policies and norms to fit an ASEAN way, and the changing roles of civil society and citizens in this process of seeking a common identity and voice. The book is divided into four sections. The first section introduces the fundamental political and institutional dynamics that are in play within the region and the interplay between regional forces and national norms. The second section tackles the economic and legal discourses that various member states face in relation to external and internal pressures related to international and regional trade and industry. The third section focuses on issues of sustainability and equity resulting from the vast socio-spatial differences in the varied cities and regions of the member states. In the final section, the dilemmas resulting from economic growth in exploitative industries and the impact that has on the local and regional community through the lenses of inclusivity and justice are discussed. Written by a diverse collection of policy makers, researchers, educators and activists, this book provides an authoritative firsthand analysis of key challenges to governance in Southeast Asia and ASEAN

Associating, mobilizing, politicizing : local developmental agency from without

First published : January 2013Decades of increase in external aid programs sparked a wide range of criticisms pointing to misaligned interests, lack of accountability, and the reproduction of developmental traps. The success of development from without is more likely if it generates domestic developmental agency. In this article, we contribute by conceptualizing and measuring dimensions of developmental agency. Our research analyzes the strategic case of European Union regional development programs in Eastern Europe, where this external organization spent nearly a decade on establishing local developmental agency. We collected survey data of 1200 local organizations from two regions each in Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. We examine the post-accession position of organizations that participated in pre-accession assistance programs. We test a hypothesis of marginalization in the framework of recentralized developmental governance, and we examine links between patterns of pre-accession involvement and post-accession developmental agency. We identify factors that might make external developmental programs more likely to foster local developmental agency