Decision-Making in Security and Defence Policy - Towards Supranational Intergovernmentalism?

For scholars and practitioners of European politics alike, the distinction between supranationalism and intergovernmentalism has always been fundamental. This distinction has underpinned the various schools of European integration theory, just as it has remained crucial for European governments keen to demonstrate that the member states remain in charge of key policy areas. Nowhere is this considered to be more central than in the area of foreign and security policy, which has consciously been set within the rigid intergovernmental framework of Pillar Two of the Maastricht Treaty and, under the Lisbon Treaty, remains subject to the unanimity rule. And yet, scholarship on the major decision-making agencies of the foreign and security policy of the EU suggests that the distinction is not only blurred but increasingly meaningless. This paper demonstrates that, in virtually every case, decisions are shaped and even taken by small groups of relatively well-socialized officials in the key committees acting in a mode which is as close to supranational as it is to intergovernmental. The political control of foreign and security policy, which is considered sacrosanct by member state governments, is only rarely exercised by politicians at the level of the European Council or Council of Ministers.supranationalism; Europeanization; Europeanization

Benevolence, integrity and ability: a survey of Italian SMEs and banks

Access to appropriate finance is crucial for the start-up, survival, growth and development of firms. The majority of entrepreneurs, especially in smaller firms, are reliant on the bank system. Previous research examines relationships between firms and banks from a transaction costs economics and/or agency theory point of view. This postulates an opportunistic base to human behaviour. An alternative set of assumptions about human nature encompass altruism and trust. Trust is relevant because it is a way to reduce complexity; it is the 'lubricant' in exchanges; it is crucial in situations of risk or high pressure, and it is among the building blocks of social capital, which have been shown to underpin access to resources for entrepreneurs. Trust is based on an assessment of ability, benevolence and integrity. This paper tests whether there is a relationship between trust and the cost of finance (i.e. interest rates)

Identification through technical analysis : A study of charting and UK non-professional investors

The usefulness of technical analysis, or charting, has been questioned because it flies in the face of the 'random walk' and tests present conflicting results. We examine chartists' decision-making techniques and derive a taxonomy of charting strategies based on investors' market ontologies and calculative strategies. This distinguishes between trend-seekers and pattern-seekers, and trading as a system or an art. We argue that interpretative activity plays a more important role than previously thought and suggest that charting's main appeal for users lies in its power as a heuristic device regardless of its effectiveness at generating returns.PostprintPeer reviewe

Captivating Classes

UM offers dynamic assortment of niche writing course

A rounded picture is what we need : rhetorical strategies, arguments, and the negotiation of change in a UK hospital trust

This article is concerned with the introduction of the agenda of New Public Management (NPM) within the board of a UK Hospital Trust: West London Hospital (WLH). We discuss the literature on New Public Management, including its limitations for analysing the organizational reality of implementing NPM. But we will also be drawing on discourse theory and the literature on rhetoric. The main argument in this article is that in order to understand the reality of the NPM paradigm, we need to study the rhetorical strategies of protagonists involved in the negotiation of the NPM agenda. Rhetorical strategies are means of making general viewpoints more convincing, for example, by comparing 'our' organization with similar organizations. Rhetorical strategies show patterns, which reappear in conversations and arguments made by protagonists. Specifically, we identified three rhetorical strategies justifying why and what kind of a more 'rounded picture' was required: widening the argument to include national productivity comparisons with other hospitals; widening the argument away from a narrow focus on finance toward a strategic and political perspective; and, lastly, widening the argument to look at innovation in the whole clinical process

Voice of Guidance to Thousands of Students, Linda Spargo Retires

Fixture of the Lyceum served students and families, taught classes and supported university growt

Documentary Offers Detailed Portrait of James Meredith

Screening of film presenting civil rights icon\u27s life, history and impact set for Tuesda

Wise Words for New Graduates

Seven outstanding Ole Miss alumni share their best advic

Sound Propagation Over Rigid Porous Layers

The work studies two related topic areas namely: 1. the measurement of the acoustical characteristics of rigid porous materials, that is the impedance and propagation constant; 2. the propagation of sound over the surface of a hard backed layer of such a material. A review of impedance measurement leads to the selection of an indirect method which is employed successfully on a wide range of surfaces. A numerical comparison of impedance models follows including a one-parameter semi-empirical model, a phenomenological model and a microstructural model which relates several physical parameters of a material to the acoustical properties of a surface. The models differ in their prediction of the acoustical properties of a low porosity material. A numerical comparison of the solutions of point source propagation in the presence of a porous media indicates that t he ‘extended’ Weyl van der Pol approximation is reliable over short source receiver distances. The study is extended to examine the phenomenon of the acoustical surface wave. Three experimental techniques are used to produce new evidence for the existence of such a wave which shows good agreement with the theoretical predictions. The indirect method is used to obtain impedances and model parameters for a wide variety of surfaces varying from soils to fibreglass and which are compared with the results of an impedance technique and with standing wave tube measurements. The indirect method of impedance measurement is employed together with the microstructural model and the propagation model examined earlier in studies of the acoustical properties of porous road surfaces. It proves possible to use the indirect method both to determine the microstructural parameters and to classify the acoustical properties of such a pervious surface when the sound source is either a loudspeaker point source or a vehicle. The results of the parameter determination are validated by a series of non-acoustical measurements. With regard only to the excess attenuation provided by these surfaces, optimum combinations of material parameters are suggested which should lead to the production of a low noise road surface for many types of vehicle and tyre tread patterns