A Critical Perspective from Latin America

Edited by Ana Guedes, Alex Faria

Over the last few decades, the field of management enlarged its boundaries, especially in international terms, in a very rapid fashion—mainly because of the arrival of the so-called era of globalization. Many renowned scholars have criticized the universal approach given to ‘management’ in the United States and its subsequent automatic conversion into ‘international management,’ but their arguments too can fall into the trap of universalism at times. This book has a more specific concern: to challenge the conversion of ‘management’ into ‘international management’ from a Latin American perspective. This challenge might be taken as a first step toward the construction of a Latin American perspective in International Management and a potential contribution to the development of this field in other parts of the world.

Drawing upon such critical standpoint, several authors in the book converge upon the idea that researchers, practitioners and authorities in Latin America should challenge the US dominance in International Management and foster interdisciplinary developments within International Relations. The critical perspective provided in this book challenges the US’s narrow viewpoint on management as it clearly does not fit the governance features of ‘international management’ in Latin America. So far, we have not observed the constitution of sub-areas such as international management of international organizations, international management of transnational institutions, international management of public-private networks, international management of public companies, and international public administration or international public management, all of which would be extremely important in Latin America.

ISBN: 9780415801690

Published March 12 2010 by Routledge.

Politics of the Spectacular

Edited by Sally Cummings

With the collapse of communism, post-communist societies scrambled to find meaning to their new independence. Central Asia was no exception. Events, relationships, gestures, spatial units and objects produced, conveyed and interpreted meaning. The new power container of the five independent states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan would significantly influence this process of signification. Post-Soviet Central Asia is an intriguing field to examine this transformation: a region which did not see an organised independence movement develop prior to Soviet implosion at the centre, it provokes questions about how symbolisation begins in the absence of a national will to do so.

The transformation overnight of Soviet republic into sovereign state provokes questions about how the process of communism-turned-nationalism could become symbolised, and what specific role symbols came to play in these early years of independence. Characterized by authoritarianism since 1991, the region’s ruling elites have enjoyed disproportionate access to knowledge and to deciding what, how and when that knowledge should be applied. The first of its kind on Central Asia, this book not only widens our understandings of developments in this geopolitically important region but also contributes to broader studies of representation, ritual, power and identity.

This book was published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.

ISBN: 9780415575676

Published March 12 2010 by Routledge.

Edited by Christopher M. Shea, G. David Garson

Delivering IT projects on time and within budget, while maintaining privacy, security, and accountability, remains one of the major public challenges of our time. In the four short years since the publication of the second edition of the Handbook of Public Information Systems, the field of public information systems has continued to evolve. This evolution has elucidated many issues that public sector managers face as they wrestle with the information age. Completely revised and updated, the third edition addresses all aspects of public IT projects while emphasizing a common theme: Information technology initiatives are neither simple nor routine. These initiatives carry substantial implications for democratic values, policy development, strategic planning, and the mobilization of human capital.

The third edition provides further insight into significant issues such as:

• Network governance
• Cross organizational integration and operability
• Enterprise architecture design, development, and management
• The impact of information technology on government service delivery

With articles contributed by experts in the field, the coverage includes 21^st century public information systems, modern IT needs, and the development of e-governments. The book examines the growth and use of information technology within and among government agencies and organizations. It examines current policy issues, offers case studies, and demonstrates successful public sector applications. Each section leads to a holistic approach that emphasizes communication, understanding, and participation from top management, technology teams, and end users.

The more we learn about e-government and e-governance issues, the more it becomes apparent that the interrelationships between political environments, organizational environments, and technological capabilities are often difficult to summarize and predict. As the field advances, our understanding of the complexity of the relevant issues increases, and more guidance becomes available to administrators. This book puts you on the path to a better understanding of the issues and successful implementation of IT projects.

ISBN: 9781439807569

Published March 10 2010 by CRC Press.

Lifeworlds beyond the nation-state

By Steffen Mau

In recent decades, the rise of world markets and the technological revolutions in transportation and communication have brought what was once distant and inaccessible within easy reach of the individual. The territorial and social closure that characterized nation-states is fading, and this is reflected not only in new forms of governance and economic globalization, but also in individual mobility and transnational transactions, affiliations and networks. Social Transnationalism explores new forms of cross-border interactions and mobility which have expanded across physical space by looking at the individual level. It asks whether we are dealing with unbridled movements and cross-border interactions which transform the lifeworlds of individuals fundamentally. Furthermore, it investigates whether, and to what degree, increases in the volume of transnational interactions weaken the individual citizen's bond to the nation-state as such, and to what extent citizens' national identities are being replaced or complemented by cosmopolitan ones

ISBN: 9780415494502

Published March 10 2010 by Routledge.

Reform Strategies and Leadership Style

By Yu Uchiyama

This book offers an empirical and theoretical study of the Koizumi administration, covering such issues as the characteristics of its political style, its domestic and foreign policies, and its larger historical significance. The key questions that guide its approach are: what enabled Koizumi to exercise unusually strong leadership, and what structural transformations of Japanese politics did he achieve?

Uchiyama looks at policy-making processes, newly created institutional arenas such as the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, Koizumi’s populist strategy, foreign policy, and neo-liberal convictions to assess the historical significance of his administration and seek out the basis for its wide public support.

Finally, the book undertakes a normative evaluation of the merits and demerits of the Koizumi administration’s political style, and compares it with the Abe and Fukuda administrations that came after. This book will be of interest to scholars and students with an interest in comparative politics, administrative reform, and contemporary Japan.

ISBN: 9780415556880

Published March 10 2010 by Routledge.

The Fifteenth General Election

Edited by Ajay K. Mehra

This study presents 13 articles interrogating themes likely to impinge on India’s 15^th general elections in 2009. These were written following intense discussion between the contributors and use available data as well as original data and analysis.

The significance of the analyses goes beyond how much these questions find place in the campaign, or how much they would impact the electoral results. These have and would continue to be essential themes in Indian politics for some time. They would influence the country’s politics, its leaders, parties and institutions and would be interrogated in political, policy and social science circles in the foreseeable future. They would in turn be impacted, redefined and perhaps transformed by political dynamics and social pressure.

The first attempt of its kind to analyse the impact of certain emerging trends in politics on upcoming elections anywhere in the world, this book will be a useful addition to election studies and policy making in general.

ISBN: 9780415563192

Published March 10 2010 by Routledge India.

By Samantha Velluti

In recent years new or experimental approaches to governance in the EU, namely the Open Method of Coordination (OMC), have attracted great interest and controversy. This book examines the European Employment Strategy (EES) and its implementation through the OMC, exploring the promises and limitations of the EES for EU social law and policy and for the safeguard of social rights. This significant and timely work offers new insights and fresh perspectives into the operation of New Governance and its relationship with both European and national law and constitutionalism.

This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students working in European law – specifically in the field of EU employment law and gender equality- and European governance studies in general.

ISBN: 9780415467797

Published March 09 2010 by Routledge.

Challenging the Weberian State

Edited by Keith Krause

Armed groups operating beyond the state have become the most important actors in most contemporary wars and violent conflicts, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Colombia and Somalia. They come in a dizzying array of forms: some informally linked to the state and state power, others in opposition to the state; some pursuing classic political goals, others primarily predatory and large-scale criminal enterprises. All groups, however, challenge the state’s Weberian monopoly of the legitimate use of force, yet their origins, evolution, violent dynamics, and relations with state power are poorly understood.

This interdisciplinary collection includes both conceptual and empirical studies of contemporary armed groups, examining cases in Latin America, Asia and Africa. It brings sociological, political economy, and ethnographic approaches to bear on larger questions including armed groups and the changing nature of warfare, the economic dimensions of their activities, and means of engagement with armed actors. It both broadens and sharpens our understanding of how force and violence are used in today’s contemporary armed conflicts.

This book was published as a special issue of Contemporary Security Policy.

ISBN: 9780415574570

Published March 09 2010 by Routledge.

A Reader

Edited by Charles Lemert, Anthony Elliott, Daniel Chaffee, Eric Hsu

Expected to become a classic in the field and the classroom standard for teachers and their students, this book offers the most comprehensive, engaging selection of classic and contemporary readings on globalization currently available.

Here, for the first time in print, is the full historical story of globalization – drawn from original sources, explained by accessible introductions and biographical commentaries, and clearly organized as a comprehensive teaching text to guide students through the ins and outs of globalization. With astonishing social, political and historical depth, the book ranges from the Babylonian and Persian empires in Mesopotamia to the global electronic economy of the 21^st century, from ancient Greece and imperial Rome to transformations in contemporary state power and global inequalities. From Kenichi Ohmae to Al Gore, from Osama bin Laden to Timothy Garton-Ash, from Amartya Sen to Abdou Maliq Simone: this is a dazzling collection of the most important academic and public statements on globalization.

Throughout, the Editors expertly guide the reader through the complex terrain of globalization – its engaging histories, its transnational economies, its multiple cultures and cosmopolitan politics.

ISBN: 9780415464772

Published March 08 2010 by Routledge.

Revised 2nd Edition

By Andrew Sayer

ISBN: 9780415582476

Published March 03 2010 by Routledge.