Die Europaische Union als Instrument der Krisenbewaltigung
The democratic welfare state is in a crisis. The reason is the decline of the nation state's political capacity. The economy has been able to overcome the limitations of the nation state but politics is still imprisoned within national borders. The European Union offers the chance to establish a transnational level of political decision making through integration and to promote political capacity. But this approach which aims at the deepening of the European integration has been opposed by different interests which have already blocked the Constitutional Treaty and try to derail the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. The EU's so called democratic deficit is used as a pretext--despite the fact that exactly these treaties would increase the Union's democratic quality.
Book review : Gerhard Schröder – political leadership im Spannungsfeld zwischen Machtstreben und politischer Verantwortung
This article reviews the book "Gerhard Schröder – political leadership im Spannungsfeld zwischen Machtstreben und politischer Verantwortung" by Nicole Kaspari.
Book review : Sozialpartnerschaft : ein zentraler politischer Gestaltungsfaktor in der Zweiten Republik
This article reviews the book "Sozialpartnerschaft : ein zentraler politischer Gestaltungsfaktor in der Zweiten Republik" by Emmerich Tálos.
Book review : Das parlamentarische System in Slowenien und Österreich im Vergleich
This article reviews the book "Das parlamentarische System in Slowenien und Österreich im Vergleich" by Alexander Brenneis.
Book review : The Discursive Construction of History : Remembering the Wehrmacht's War of Annihilation
This article reviews the book "The Discursive Construction of History : Remembering the Wehrmacht's War of Annihilation" edited by Hannes Heer, Walter Manoschek, Alexander Pollak, and Ruth Wodak.
Language as a political category : The viewpoint of political science
The article is based on an understanding that everything in society – including language – is political, at least potentially. For that reason, language must be seen (and analyzed) as a political phenomenon. Language is one of the decisive 'nation building' factors among others – sometimes cross-cutting other potentially defining factors. In its identity-building capacity, language is inclusive and exclusive at the very same time. Language has to be seen as one of the most important social (and: therefore political) cleavages. As more and more societies are confronted with 'multiculturalism' expressed in a multi-linguistic reality, politics have to come to terms with diversity in different ways.
Book review : Image-Politik : prominente Quereinsteiger als Testimonials der Politik
This article reviews the book "Image-Politik : prominente Quereinsteiger als Testimonials der Politik" by Armin Wolf.
Book review : Austria Puts out Its Firebrand
This article reviews the book "Ein Streitgespräch mit Jörg Haider" by Alfred Worm.
Book review : Die Ära Haslauer : Salzburg in den siebziger und achtziger Jahren
This article reviews the book "Die Ära Haslauer : Salzburg in den siebziger und achtziger Jahren" edited by Herbert Dachs, Roland Floimair, Ernst Hanisch, and Franz Schausberger.
Consociational Democracy in Austria : Political Change, 1968-1998
As a consequence of the experience of centrifugal democracy, civil war, & dictatorship, Austria's "Second Republic" developed, from 1945 onward, a special kind of consensus-oriented democracy. Based on the reconciliation efforts of the two traditional political movements -- the Social Democrats & the Catholic Conservatives -- the Austrian political system became an example of political "over stabilization." In the 1990s, this type of consociational democracy lost more & more its ability to mobilize political loyalties within its traditional framework. The rise of the rightist populist Freedom Party (FPOe) & the new Green Party indicates the alienation of the traditional elitist network & the younger generation. The FPOe's entry into a coalition cabinet -- allied with the conservative OeVP -- is a rather dramatic signal of political transformation. The basic philosophy behind the consociational type of democracy in plural societies is to reduce the rule of competition in favor of a balance between competitive & coalescent elements, between conflict & consensus orientation. The rules of the game should not be "the winner takes all," but rather that the loser gets something too. The history behind this philosophy is a deep fragmentation caused by violent domestic conflict. 6 Tables, 1 Figure, 24 References. Adapted from the source document.
Book review : Austria in the First Cold War, 1945-55 : The Leverage of the Weak, Cold War History Series
This article reviews the book "Austria in the First Cold War, 1945-55 : The Leverage of the Weak, Cold War History Series" by Günter Bischof.