Political representation in France: a crisis of democracy?

The past two decades have witnessed growing political disaffection and a widening mass/elite disjuncture in France, reflected in opinion polls, rising abstentionism, electoral volatility and fragmentation, with sustained voting against incumbent governments. Though the electoral system has preserved the duopoly of the mainstream coalitions, they have suffered loss of public confidence and swings in electoral support. Stable parliamentary majorities conceal a political landscape of assorted anti-system parties and growing support for far right and far left. The picture is paradoxical: the French express alienation from political parties yet relate positively to their political institutions; they berate national politicians but retain strong bonds with those elected locally; they appear increasingly disengaged from politics yet forms of ‘direct democracy’ are finding new vigour. While the electoral, attitudinal and systemic factors reviewed here may not signal a crisis of democracy, they point to serious problems of political representation in contemporary France.

The PCF and the question of intellectual workers : the crisis of social ideology

The aim of this thesis is to examine the approach of the Parti Communiste Francais (from 1956 to 1982) to the emergence of new strata of salaried `intellectual workers' (technicians, engineers, low to middle managers in industry and commerce, scientific researchers, teachers etc) parallelled by the gradual diminution of the traditional industrial working class which forms the core of the Party's support base. This examination is carried out in the context of the debate in France (initiated in the 1950s by social theorists of the Left) on the class membership and role of these strata. The reason for the emergence of such a debate is that in a society given to both a rapid evolution of its social structure and an increased polarisation between Left and Right, a precise knowledge of the objective and subjective determinations of new strata would enable parties to the Left to make proper distinctions between potential allies and adversaries. The thesis posits the view that the PCF has failed to make correct distinctions between its potential allies and adversaries and has thus pursued unsuccessful alliance strategies. The thesis contributes towards a scientifically-based understanding of one of the reasons governing the PCF's steady decline since the 1950s.

The measurement and decomposition of economy-wide productivity growth:Assessing the accuracy and selecting between different approaches

Productivity at the macro level is a complex concept but also arguably the most appropriate measure of economic welfare. Currently, there is limited research available on the various approaches that can be used to measure it and especially on the relative accuracy of said approaches. This thesis has two main objectives: firstly, to detail some of the most common productivity measurement approaches and assess their accuracy under a number of conditions and secondly, to present an up-to-date application of productivity measurement and provide some guidance on selecting between sometimes conflicting productivity estimates. With regards to the first objective, the thesis provides a discussion on the issues specific to macro-level productivity measurement and on the strengths and weaknesses of the three main types of approaches available, namely index-number approaches (represented by Growth Accounting), non-parametric distance functions (DEA-based Malmquist indices) and parametric production functions (COLS- and SFA-based Malmquist indices). The accuracy of these approaches is assessed through simulation analysis, which provided some interesting findings. Probably the most important were that deterministic approaches are quite accurate even when the data is moderately noisy, that no approaches were accurate when noise was more extensive, that functional form misspecification has a severe negative effect in the accuracy of the parametric approaches and finally that increased volatility in inputs and prices from one period to the next adversely affects all approaches examined. The application was based on the EU KLEMS (2008) dataset and revealed that the different approaches do in fact result in different productivity change estimates, at least for some of the countries assessed. To assist researchers in selecting between conflicting estimates, a new, three step selection framework is proposed, based on findings of simulation analyses and established diagnostics/indicators. An application of this framework is also provided, based on the EU KLEMS dataset.

Invalid ballots and the “crisis of representative democracy”:re-inventing protest at the 2012 Serbian elections

This article examines the ways in which invalidated electoral ballots may be articulated as acts of protest. We argue that some instances of ballot invalidation can be understood as protest and as a reaction to the broader “crises of democracy” which have also spurred on movements such as Occupy. We focus on Serbia’s 2012 elections as a case study, given the high increases in invalid ballots and calls for collective action calling for ballot invalidation. We discuss protest movements which coalesced around this election, calling for electoral ballot invalidation and using social media to frame this activity as protest. Through our case study, we explore the ways in which the ballot can become a tool of contention, and how protest can be expressed through an engagement with extant structures and institutions.

Political leadership and the politics of performance:France, Syria and the chemical weapons crisis of 2013

This article draws upon developments in UK research on political rhetoric and political performance in order to examine the incident in 2013 when French President François Hollande committed French forces to a US-led punitive strike against Syria, after the use of chemical weapons in a Damascus suburb on 21 August. The US-led retaliation did not take place. This article analyses Hollande's declaration on 27 July and his TV appearance on 15 September. His rhetoric and style are best understood as generic to the nature of the presidential office of the Fifth Republic. The article concludes by appraising how analysis of the French case contributes to the developing literature on rhetoric, celebrity and performance.

The factors affecting the international judgement of the Forint and Zloty in the light of the financial crisis of year 2008

The financial crisis of 2007-2009 has shaken both money and capital markets. Its consequences have not even left European markets untouched and divided spirits in the financial world. In some countries efforts by the monetary policy to protect the national currency throughout the crisis seemed to be ineffective. In the present paper we are investigating the effect of the most important macroeconomic and economic policy factors on the exchange rate of the forint and zloty in the last decade. For an analysis of exchange rates we are relying on some preceding research results based on equilibrium exchange rate theories.

The impact of the Miami Cuban exile's political culture on the 1996 fiscal crisis of the city of Miami

The purpose of this study was to determine if the political culture of the Miami Cuban exile community was a significant factor in creating the environment that led to the 1996 fiscal crisis of the City of Miami. The study performed an ethnographic case study that utilized a triangulation strategy which included both qualitative and quantitative methods. Focus groups were conducted to ascertain qualitative and quantitative data as to differences among ethnic and generational groups regarding notions of governance, public administration practices, and overall political values and core beliefs. Quantitative data was obtained through a five year and seven month review of newspaper articles from two periodicals based in Miami-Dade County. A review was also conducted of secondary data in audit and management reports, blue ribbon commission studies, Certified Public Manager (CPM) enrollment, and legal case decisions to examine the administrative practices of the City of Miami leading up to and subsequent to its fiscal crisis. The study found that a political subculture of caudillismo was present in Cuban exile core areas of Miami that appears to have had an influence on the administrative practices and notions of governance that led to the fiscal crisis. The author concludes that an imported foreign political culture has imposed itself as a subculture in core areas of the exile community and that the operationalization of this subculture has manifested itself in non-mainstream notions of governance and public administration practices. ^

Rethinking Professional Practice: The Logic of Competition and the Crisis of Identity in Housing Practice

The relationship between professionalism, education and housing practice has become increasingly strained following the introduction of austerity measures and welfare reforms across a range of countries. Focusing on the development of UK housing practice, this article considers how notions of professionalism are being reshaped within the context of welfare retrenchment and how emerging tensions have both affected the identity of housing professionals and impacted on the delivery of training and education programmes. The article analyses the changing knowledges and skills valued in contemporary housing practice and considers how the sector has responded to the challenges of austerity. The central argument is that a dominant logic of competition has culminated in a crisis of identity for the sector. Although the focus of the article is on UK housing practice, the processes identified have a wider relevance for the analysis of housing and welfare delivery in developed economies.

Crisis of work as a social integration factor

This article analyzes the process of deterioration of the work as a source of social rights and as a social integration element. The context of this process is the passage of a wage-labour society with stable employment to other where the labour relations are deregulated. This aim was tackled by means of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Secondary sources of statistical information were used together with interviews to experts of the institutional sphere. The results of this research show the emergence of a new exclusive model of social cohesion based on intensification and generalization of social inequalities and job insecurity. In this new model of social cohesion, it is noted that the integration strategies of people have less and less support from Government and people are neglected. This process appears in the four spheres that classify the social exclusion risks factors: the structural, the institutional, the relational and the individual.

Sensory work of diagnosis : a crisis of legitimacy

Alexander Scriabin: the definition of a new sound space in the crisis of tonality

This dissertation describes the new compositional system introduced by Scriabin in 1909– 1910, focusing on Feuillet d’Album op. 58, Poème op. 59, nº1, Prélude op. 59, nº2 and Promethée op. 60. Based upon exhaustive pitch and formal analysis the present study (a) claims the inexistence of non-functional pitches in all analysed works, (b) shows that transpositional procedures have structural consequences on the “basic chord”, and (c) for the first time advances an explanation on the intrinsic relation between the sonata form and the slow Luce line in Promethée op. 60; RESUMO: Sob o título de “Alexander Scriabin: a definição dum novo espaço sonoro na crise da Tonalidade”, a presente tese descreve o novo sistema compositivo introduzido por Scriabin em 1909– 1910, tomando como ponto de partida o estudo de Feuillet d’Album op. 58, Poème op. 59, nº1, Prélude op. 59, nº2 e Promethée op. 60. Baseando-se numa análise exaustiva das alturas e da forma, este estudo (a) conclui pela inexistência de alturas não funcionais em qualquer das obras analisadas, (b) mostra que os procedimentos transpositivos têm consequências estruturais no “acorde básico”, e (c) pela primeira vez explica a estrutura formal de Promethée op. 60 a partir da relação intrínseca entre a sua forma sonata e a linha lenta de Luce.

Kryzys demokracji liberalnej - wybrane problemy rządzenia, legitymizacji i reprezentacji

Główna problematyka zawarta w tekście dotyczy: (1) znaczenia i zakresu kryzysu w gospodarce i polityce, (2) przyjęcia przez państwo i społeczeństwo logiki racjonalności ekonomicznej jako paradygmatu postępowania, (3) przewartościowania pojęcia polityki, co wiąże się m.in. z przyjęciem przez rządzących roli zarządców wybranych sfer państwa oraz z posługiwaniem się przez nich logiką „mieszanej racjonalności” („logiką władzy” i „logiką racjonalności ekonomicznej”), (4) wyzwań związanych z dystrybucją dóbr, (5) reprezentacji i legitymizacji w demokracji liberalnej. Gospodarka kapitalistyczna wpływa na wszystkie sfery życia społecznego, co zmusza do przedstawienia jej „modus operandi”. Charakterystyczne cechy oddziaływania to: (1) racjonalność formalna, (2) dogmat efektywności i ilościowej mierzalności, (3) reprodukcja ideologii mówiącej o wolnej woli jednostki, niezależnie od kontekstu społecznego, (4) wymuszanie odpowiedniej dla siebie reprodukcji siły roboczej, (5) kolonizacja kolejnych sfer aktywności społecznej (np. edukacji i szkolnictwa wyższego), (6) wpływ na wykluczenie grup społecznych ze względu na poziom zabezpieczenia materialnego. Wszystko to sprowadzić można do pojęcia logiki racjonalności ekonomicznej. Rządzący posługują się „mieszaną strategią”, która oparta jest na dwóch logikach postępowania – (1) logice władzy, (2) logice racjonalności ekonomicznej. Logika władzy to nic innego jak dążenie do zdobycia i utrzymania władzy, gdzie władza sama w sobie staje się celem, natomiast struktury państwa stanowią przestrzeń, którą należy przejąć lub opanować. Rządzący aby ukryć swoją bezideowość i konflikty w walce o przejęcie struktur państwa uprawiają politykę „na zewnątrz”, która przyjmuje formę „festiwalu” agonicznego dyskursu. Taka polityka możliwa jest dzięki rozdawnictwu podczas redystrybucji dóbr (niezgodnie z racjonalnością ekonomiczną) lub/i dzięki instrumentalnemu traktowaniu dystrybucji uznania. W związku z niemożnością utrzymania wysokiego poziomu rozdawnictwa, szczególnie w sytuacji kryzysu gospodarczego, rządzący chętnie posługują się logiką racjonalności ekonomicznej. Rozwiązania oparte na racjonalności ekonomicznej, mimo ich negatywnego odbioru przez społeczeństwo, wprowadzane są przy zastosowaniu argumentacji zagrożenia bezpieczeństwa (gospodarczego, socjalnego, narodowego itd.). Tym samym państwo wycofuje się z rządzenia na rzecz zarządzania niektórymi sferami państwa. Nie można tego nazwać inaczej jak „ucieczką” od odpowiedzialności, co jest szczególnie zauważalne w sytuacjach destabilizacji gospodarczej. W takich sytuacjach mamy do czynienia z „outsourcingiem zadań” państwa, co przyjmować może różne formy – (1) przenoszenie funkcji na inne instytucje przy zachowaniu kompetencji kontrolnych lub (2) przenoszenie obowiązków na inne własne instytucje, które wcześniej pełniły inną rolę. Wszystko to można nazwać rekonfiguracją funkcji państwa w związku z dominacją gospodarki kapitalistycznej i oddziaływaniem logiki racjonalności ekonomicznej. W tekście podjęto również problem dystrybucji dóbr i uznania, jednakże jedynie w aspekcie jej instrumentalizacji przez rządzących. Można wysunąć tezę, że liberalne koncepcje wolności jednostki oraz priorytet dla własności prowadzą do łatwiejszego ideologicznego uzasadnienia stosowania mieszanych strategii i racjonalności. W tekście przedstawiono też tezę o instrumentalizacji dystrybucji dóbr, tzn. instrumentalnego wykorzystywania dowartościowania różnych mniejszości w ramach systemu politycznego. Należy też stwierdzić, że dominacja logiki wolnego rynku prowadzi do deprecjacji redystrybucji dóbr w stosunku do gloryfikacji problematyki uznania. Tekst jest jedynie zarysowaniem problematyki wyczerpywania się formuły demokracji liberalnej, co przedstawiono na wybranych zagadnieniach. Podjęty problem demokracji liberalnej nie skupia się na próbie odtworzenia modelu tego rodzaju demokracji, raczej ważniejsze było stwierdzenie przejmowania w działaniu czegoś, co można określić mianem logiki racjonalności ekonomicznej. Wartą dalszego analizowania jest sama logika „mieszanej racjonalności”, którą sprowadzono do przenikania się „logiki władzy” i „logiki racjonalności ekonomicznej”.