Annual Editions Comparative Politics 03/04

UNIT 1. Pluralist Democracies: Country Studies Part A. The United Kingdom 1. A Constitutional Revolution in Britain?, Donley Studlar, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin , 2003 New labour came to power in 1997 with an unprecedented commitment to sweeping constitutional reform. Here an American political scientist examines the Blair governments subsequent record in promoting a series of major institutional changes in Britain. His review reaches until the end of 2002 and includes recent developments with respect to the House of Lords, devolution, Northern Ireland, the monarchy, and the European Union. 2. The Second Term: Tonys Big Ambitions, The Economist , June 9, 2001 Written right after Labours election victory in 2001, this article evaluates Tony Blair as a political leader and reviews key points of his past performance and future agenda. 3. Laborites Meet and Blair Takes a Beating, Warren Hoge, New York Times , October 1, 2002 The Labour Party s two successive electoral sweeps have restored the political confidence of its members and ended Tony Blairs undisputed sway over the party. He now faces intraparty opposition on his Iraq policy and his plans for structural reforms in the public sector. 4. Scandals and Squabbles Weigh Down Britains Sinking Tories, Warren Hoge, New York Times , October 8, 2002 The Conservatives, after having again changed leaders following an electoral defeat, remain internally divided and unprepared to capitalize on Labours problems. 5. Second Place Up for Grabs, Kennedy Believes, Patrick Wintour, The Guardian , September 26, 2002 Claiming that British politics is in a state of flux unknown for a century, the Liberal Democrats leader, Charles Kennedy, believes that his party has the capacity to overtake Conservatives as the chief opposition party. Part B. France 6. France? Its Like 1970s America, Joe Klein, The Guardian , May 28, 2002 In mid-2002, Joe Klein traveled through Europe for The Guardian, a British newspaper. His first report gives a vivid picture of France engaged in electoral contest. He finds an ethnically diverse society marked by national identity problems, widespread disgruntlement, and a diffuse alienation from the political class. 7. A Divided Self, John Andrews, The Economist , November 16, 2002 The sweeping conservative victories in the elections of 2002 would seem to have made the right of center, led by President Chirac, dominant in French politics for the next 5 years. They do not guarantee, however, some badly needed reforms to deal with a series of social and political problems that are discussed in this article. Part C. Germany 8. How Germany Was Suffocated, Joe Klein, The Guardian , June 19, 2002 Joe Klein points to Germanys constructive role in Europe since its disgrace and defeat in World War II, but he thinks that in its search for social harmony, the country is in danger of becoming stifled by a pervasive consensuality. He seeks out voices of dissent among Free Democrats and Greens. 9. Gerhard Schröder Clings On, The Economist , September 28, 2002 This article explains how the red-green government was narrowly reelected, examines the new parliamentary balance of power, and points to a series of structural problems that demand bold political leadership. Are Chancellor Schröder and his team ready for the tasks ahead? 10. Germany Adrift: The New Germany, Martin Walker, The Wilson Quarterly , Autumn 2002 Gerhard Schröders red-green coalition was narrowly reelected in 2002, after a campaign in which its disagreement with the United States on Iraq and responses to catastrophic floods in eastern Germany helped the incumbents come from behind. Back in office, the government needs to deal more effectively with Germanys economy, amending its constitution, and repairing relations with the United States. Part D. Japan 11. Radical Reverts to the Old Pattern, David Ibison, Financial Times , September 30, 2002 Junichiro Koizumi came into office in April 2001 promising to change the LDP and change Japan. He has delivered very little in this respect, in large part because of the strong forces of resistance against reform. As explained here, the prime minister now speaks the political language of consensus. 12. Setting Sun? Japan Anxiously Looks Ahead, Howard W. French, Los Angeles Times , August 11, 2002 Perhaps Japan will not take back the place it recently held as a leading power. Gradually a new view is gaining ground: The country is seen as returning to its rightful position as a middle power of vastly diminished importance in world politics. UNIT 2. Pluralist Democracies: Factors in the Political Process Part A. Patterns of Democratic Atrophy? Comparative Perspectives 13. Public Opinion: Is There a Crisis?, The Economist , July 17, 1999 Advanced democracies differ considerably from each other, but in recent years they have shared a common pattern of public disillusionment with institutions and politicians. The first in a series of three briefs dealing with this development examines the general decline in public trust and voter turnout in well-established democracies. 14. Political Parties: Empty Vessels?, The Economist , July 24, 1999 This brief from The Economist series examines the partial weakening of political parties in modern democracies. 15. Interest Groups: Ex Uno, Plures, The Economist , August 21, 1999 This brief in The Economist series reports on the growth of special-interest lobbying in modern democracies. Part B. Women in Politics 16. Women in National Parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union , November 2002 The table in this article has been compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the basis of information regularly provided by national parliaments. One hundred and seventy-seven countries are classified by descending order of the percentage of women in the lower or single house of government. The five Scandinavian countries along with Costa Rica and the Netherlands have an impressive lead, but Germany has also reached a critical mass. After the 2002 elections, the United States continues to lag. 17. Europe Crawls Ahead &, Megan Rowling, In These Times , July 22, 2002 Women have moved into high elective office earlier and at higher rates in some countries than in others. This article examines what factors have made the difference. Frances new parity law was widely flouted in 2002, but the German elections of the same year, self-imposed quotas by several parties played a big role. Part C. Money and Politics 18. Campaign and Party Finance: What Americans Might Learn From Abroad, Arthur B. Gunlicks, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin , 2002 The author looks at campaign and party finance in several Western democracies, with an eye on some possible lessons for the United States. Part D. The Institutional Framework of Representative Government 19. What Democracy Is & and Is Not, Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl, Journal of Democracy , Summer 1991 The authors point out that modern representative democracies vary in their institutions, practices, and values depending upon their socioeconomic, historical, and cultural settings. 20. Congress and the House of Commons: Legislative Behavior and Legislative Roles in Two Democracies, Gregory S. Mahler, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin , 2000 The author carefully compares the role of the legislature in both the parliamentary and the congressional systems of government, using the case of Canada for the parliamentary setting. 21. The Gavel and the Robe, The Economist , August 7, 1999 Democracies have handed increasing amounts of power to unelected judges. This article examines the growth and many different forms of judicial review. 22. The Peoples Voice, The Economist , August 14, 1999 The referendum, a form of direct democracy, takes many forms. This article examines the different kinds of referenda, looks at the experiSoe, Christian is the author of 'Annual Editions Comparative Politics 03/04', published 2003 under ISBN 9780072838237 and ISBN 007283823X.