20 research outputs found
Unsupervised Adversarial Depth Estimation using Cycled Generative Networks
While recent deep monocular depth estimation approaches based on supervised
regression have achieved remarkable performance, costly ground truth
annotations are required during training. To cope with this issue, in this
paper we present a novel unsupervised deep learning approach for predicting
depth maps and show that the depth estimation task can be effectively tackled
within an adversarial learning framework. Specifically, we propose a deep
generative network that learns to predict the correspondence field i.e. the
disparity map between two image views in a calibrated stereo camera setting.
The proposed architecture consists of two generative sub-networks jointly
trained with adversarial learning for reconstructing the disparity map and
organized in a cycle such as to provide mutual constraints and supervision to
each other. Extensive experiments on the publicly available datasets KITTI and
Cityscapes demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and competitive
results with state of the art methods. The code and trained model are available
on https://github.com/andrea-pilzer/unsup-stereo-depthGAN.Comment: To appear in 3DV 2018. Code is available on GitHu
Deliberative Democracy in the EU. Countering Populism with Participation and Debate. CEPS Paperback
Elections are the preferred way to freely transfer power from one
term to the next and from one political party or coalition to another.
They are an essential element of democracy. But if the process of
power transfer is corrupted, democracy risks collapse. Reliance on
voters, civil society organisations and neutral observers to fully
exercise their freedoms as laid down in international human rights
conventions is an integral part of holding democratic elections.
Without free, fair and regular elections, liberal democracy is
inconceivable.
Elections are no guarantee that democracy will take root and
hold, however. If the history of political participation in Europe over
the past 800 years is anything to go by, successful attempts at gaining
voice have been patchy, while leadersâ attempts to silence these
voices and consolidate their own power have been almost constant
(Blockmans, 2020).
Recent developments in certain EU member states have again
shown us that democratically elected leaders will try and use
majoritarian rule to curb freedoms, overstep the constitutional limits
of their powers, protect the interests of their cronies and recycle
themselves through seemingly free and fair elections. In their recent
book How Democracies Die, two Harvard professors of politics write:
âSince the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have
been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments
themselvesâ (Levitsky and Ziblatt, 2018)
Direct Democracy in the EU âThe Myth of a Citizensâ Union. CEPS Paperback, November 2018
The European Union has a democracy problem. The polycrisis that has plagued the EU for years has led to a cacophony of voices calling for fundamental change to the integration project. Yet despite the shock of the Brexit referendum and the electoral upsets caused by nativist parties across the continent, few of the plans for EU reform include concrete proposals to address the perennial democratic deficit.
This book looks at how the relationship between citizens, the state and EU institutions has changed in a multi-layered Union. As such, it focuses more on polity than on populism, and does not engage deeply with policy or output legitimacy. Building on the notion of increasing social, economic and political interdependence across borders, this book asks whether a sense of solidarity and European identity can be rescued from the bottom up by empowering citizens to âtake back controlâ of their Union.
Direct Democracy in the EU: The Myth of a Citizensâ Union is part of the 'Towards a Citizensâ Union' project and is the product of collaboration with 20 renowned think tanks from the European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN). It is the first of three publications that will also cover the state of representative democracy in the EU and the accountability of democratic institutions
BOOK REVIEW: RADU CARP, DUMNEZEU LA BRUXELLES. RELIGIA IN SPATIUL PUBLIC EUROPEAN
The religious phenomenon has always generated intense feelings that have often undermined the scientific analysis and the academic debate. In an European political space dominated by secularism Radu Carp analyses the present and future of religion within the European framework. Religions and churches are now a part of the European public sphere and their actions influence public opinion. Although the reference to God lack from the EU official documents the influence and lobby of religious entities are powerful. Churches must now reinvent themselves in order to become more adapted to the new conditions
La Construction Nationale du Concept EuropĂ©en dans la Vie Politique et Culturelle de la Roumanie de Lâentre-deux-guerres - La PremiĂšre MoitiĂ© des AnnĂ©es 1920. Le Grand DĂ©bat. PrĂ©misses Introductives
This paper presents a short synopsis of the development of the European idea in the early 1920. In a time of great transformation the Romanian elites are having themselves a series of debates whether to engage in the construction of a national ideal and of nation-building after the creation of Greater Romania or whether to get involved in the European debate regarding the creation of an European construction. It is a time of great intellectual effervescence that will shape the entire period between the two World Wars
From the "Fortress Europe" to a Democratic Confederation: Romanian Visions on the European Construction during the World War II
The end of the First World War, with its dramatic changes, opens up the way for a fresh thing as regards Europe. From now on we will be dealing with a thinking balancing between two extremes. On one hand we will have the idea of a Confederation, an union of equals, free and democratic states. On the other side there is the vision of a united Europe under a totalitarian regime, a continent whose frontiers are gone due to the brute force of a totalitarian regime. The start of the Second World War will first favor the Nazis totalitarian ideas on the future of Europe. We will have then an united Europe under the German rule, with a dominant master race. On the opposite side the democratic speech on Europe tends to continue the Inter-war ideals. The Romanian thinkers are also influenced by the European ideas. If in the beginning their speech was influenced by the totalitarian influence, later on, as the tide of war changes they will go toward a more democratic version of the European construction. Europe must be united, the states must be equals and every European coordination mechanism must take into consideration the national sovereignty