Democracy vs technocracy : national parliaments and fiscal agencies in EMU governance

Taken together, both technical and intergovernmental bodies have reinforced their positions in the EU macroeconomic governance framework. By contrast, representative assemblies have a much more limited role on a policy domain that has seen a significant overhaul of EU scrutiny, control and sanctioning powers. This means a reconfiguration of authority, delegation and the institutional governance of the Eurozone. In order to asses these changes, this study looks specifically at two recent developments in the EMU governance framework: the creation and consolidation of Independent Fiscal Institutions (IFIs) and the role of national parliaments in the European Semester. These two phenomena not only represent a significant innovation in terms of governance, but also a new example of the tension between technocracy and democracy that has been at the core of the EMU architecture since its inception and can be linked with the EU democratic deficit. The paper analyses the institutional design and the mandate of the IFIs, as well as the role played by the national parliaments in the European Semester. The analysis concludes that fiscal agencies can have mix effects over legitimacy, democratic representativeness, and accountability, arguing that the key to know which effect dominates over the other lies in the cooperation between fiscal agencies and national parliaments. This cooperation could also improve the national parliaments´ effectiveness and their ability to scrutinize the governments and the European Semester

Ontología Posthumanista Bio-Ciber-Deleuziana El agenciamiento hombre-máquina como rizoma de plataforma

Clearly in contrast to the sociosymbolic approaches that underlie the positions of Butler or Derrida, this article delves into a materialist and machinic reading of the ontology of Deleuze and Guattari. This ontology is the basis of a posthumanist conception that allows to join political philosophy, technology and biology understood as complex rhizomatic systems. From this point of view, we propose to construct an antagonistic posthumanist politics that is an alternative to the pluriversal ethics defended by Braidotti. We believe that the latter maintains an excessively liberal position that prioritizes inclusion as a new form of consensus in the face of conflict.En contraposición con los planteamientos sociosimbólicos que fundamentan las posturas de Butler o Derrida, este artículo desarrolla una lectura materialista y maquínica de la ontología deleuzo-guattariana como base para una concepción común que aúne filosofía política, tecnología y biología, entendidas como sistemas complejos de tipo rizomático. Desde este punto de vista, planteamos la necesidad de construir una política posthumanista antagónica como alternativa a la ética pluriversal defendida por Braidotti, por entender que esta última mantiene una posición excesivamente liberal que prima la inclusión frente al conflicto como nueva forma de consenso

A Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes: a revised conceptualization

The Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes (TCTSA) provides a psychophysiological framework for how athletes anticipate motivated performance situations. The purpose of this review is to discuss how research has addressed the 15 predictions made by the TCTSA, to evaluate the mechanisms underpinning the TCTSA in light of the research that has emerged in the last ten years, and to inform a revised TCTSA (TCTSA-R). There was support for many of the 15 predictions in the TCTSA, with two main areas for reflection identified; to understand the physiology of challenge and to re-evaluate the concept of resource appraisals. This re-evaluation informs the TCTSA-R which elucidates the physiological changes, predispositions, and cognitive appraisals that mark challenge and threat states. First, the relative strength of the sympathetic nervous system response is outlined as a determinant of challenge and threat patterns of reactivity and we suggest that oxytocin and neuropeptide Y are also key indicators of an adaptive approach to motivated performance situations and can facilitate a challenge state. Second, although predispositions were acknowledged within the TCTSA, how these may influence challenge and threat states was not specified. In the TCTSA-R it is proposed that one’s propensity to appraise stressors as a challenge that most strongly dictates acute cognitive appraisals. Third, in the TCTSA-R a more parsimonious integration of Lazarusian ideas of cognitive appraisal and challenge and threat is proposed. Given that an athlete can make both challenge and threat primary appraisals and can have both high or low resources compared to perceived demands, a 2x2 bifurcation theory of challenge and threat is proposed. This reflects polychotomy of four parts; high challenge, low challenge, low threat, and high threat. For example, in low threat, an athlete can evince a threat state but still perform well so long as they perceive high resources. Consequently, we propose suggestions for research concerning measurement tools and a reconsideration of resources to include social support. Finally, applied recommendations are made based on adjusting demands and enhancing resources.N/

Pragmatism and the limits to the European Parliament's strategies for self-empowerment

First published online: 13 August 2021Despite the European Parliament’s (EP) growing role, its influence and scrutiny capacity remain considerably weaker than the role traditionally reserved for parliaments in economic and fiscal policy decision-making at the national level. The EP has exploited any opportunity to enhance these powers: In particular, the EP has a record of using crisis and extraordinary situations to expand its role beyond the formal prerogatives given to the institution. Following this literature, this article examines the role and influence of the EP on economic and fiscal policy, focusing on the response to the Covid-19 crisis. Negotiation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility presents an auspicious area to analyse the strategies implemented by the EP to influence the outcome and reinforce its position in EU economic governance. The article will look specifically at the formal and informal mechanisms used by the EP during the crisis to expand its powers. Moreover, it utilises a research design that combines the content analysis of several official/public documents and statements from key members of the European Parliament (MEPs) involved in economic policy

Democratic legitimacy in EU fiscal and macroeconomic policy : an overview from parties’ manifestos

This working paper examines the difficulty in balancing the key underlying principles of EU fiscal and macroeconomic policy in a context of growing public contestation against the so-called austerity and the lack of fiscal discipline in some EU member states. EU fiscal and macroeconomic policy aims to create a stable situation for member states of the euro area. At the same time, and given the differences in economic preferences among euro states, clashes on the definition of macroeconomic priorities are bound to appear and complicate the emergence of consensus on the legitimacy basis for these policies. RECONNECT is particularly interested in identifying possible balances between diverging policy objectives. Hence, discussing the tension between the economic governance framework and the political preference of different political actors can be useful to understand the implications for democratic legitimacy that the current economic policies may have in the medium and long run. In order to accomplish this task, this paper focusses on the degree of consistency and compatibility between the principles of the EU macroeconomic and fiscal governance framework and the principles inspiring the national manifestos to the European elections. Assuming that parties play an essential role in articulating and aggregating citizens’ preferences, the contraposition between these documents provides an excellent venue to diagnose to which extent the current governance framework is compatible with democracy in the EU. Thus, the paper first presents a theoretical discussion on the relationship between constitutionalism and democracy, focusing on the EU economic constitution. Then, it introduces an original dataset on the principles behind the EU governance framework and the parties´ manifestos for the 2014 and 2019 EP elections in five countries: Spain, Ireland, Italy, Finland and the Netherlands. Finally, it presents some empirical evidence regarding the level of consistency and compatibility between the two set of documents.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 770142. The information in this deliverable reflects only the authors’ views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein

Down syndrome as risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization : A prospective multicenter epidemiological study

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in childhood, particularly in premature infants, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To compare the hospitalization rates due to RSV infection and severity of disease between infants with and without Down syndrome (DS) born at term and without other associated risk factors for severe RSV infection. In a prospective multicentre epidemiological study, 93 infants were included in the DS cohort and 68 matched by sex and data of birth (±1 week) and were followed up to 1 year of age and during a complete RSV season. The hospitalization rate for all acute respiratory infection was significantly higher in the DS cohort than in the non-DS cohort (44.1% vs 7.7%, P<.0001). Hospitalizations due to RSV were significantly more frequent in the DH cohort than in the non-DS cohort (9.7% vs 1.5%, P=.03). RSV prophylaxis was recorded in 33 (35.5%) infants with DS. The rate of hospitalization according to presence or absence of RSV immunoprophylaxis was 3.0% vs 15%, respectively. Infants with DS showed a higher rate of hospitalization due to acute lower respiratory tract infection and RSV infection compared to non-DS infants. Including DS infants in recommendations for immunoprophylaxis of RSV disease should be considered

Relació, raó i realitat : estudis de filosofia medieval

El llibre que ara presentem té el seu origen més o menys remot en el VII Congrés Internacional Iberoamericà de la Societat de Filosofia Medieval, que, amb motiu del Setè Centenari de la mort de Ramon Llull (1315/1316), va tenir lloc a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona i a la Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya els dies 14, 15 i 16 de novembre de 2016. El tema del congrés era la relació (de relatione). En el número 61 de la revista Enrahonar són publicades les conferències convidades de l'esmentat congrés i en el present llibre, les comunicacions. Són, doncs, dos volums complementaris, que formen una certa unitat d'origen i temàtica. Integren el llibre trenta-cinc articles, distribuïts en set grups temàtics.The present book has its origin in the 7th International Ibero-American Congress of the Spanish Society of Medieval Philosophy, which, on the occasion of the Seventh Centenary of Ramon Llull's death (1315/1316), took place at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya on November 14, 15 and 16, 2016. The subject of the congress was relation (de relatione). Its keynote lectures were published in the journal Enrahonar, number 61, while the section talks are gathered in the present book. This book consists of thirty-five articles, distributed in seven thematic groups.El libro que presentamos tiene su origen más o menos lejano en el VII Congreso Internacional Iberoamericano de la Sociedad de Filosofía Medieval, que, con motivo del Séptimo Centenario de la muerte de Ramon Llull (1315/1316), tuvo lugar en la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona y en la Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya los días 14, 15 y 16 de noviembre de 2016. El tema del congreso fue la relación (de relatione). En el número 61 de la revista Enrahonar han sido publicadas las conferencias invitadas de dicho congreso y en el presente libro, las comunicaciones. Son, pues, dos volúmenes complementarios, que forman una cierta unidad de origen y temática. Componen el libro treinta y cinco artículos, clasificados en siete grupos temáticos