Archive 1/2007

Abstract

The article deals with district level electoral competition in Canada and Great Britain. Analyzing fragmentation, degree of competition and district heterogeneity of party support, using a calibrated set of research tools (Laakso-Taagepera’s N, graphical methods, second-first loser ratio (SFLR) and Gini index as measure of heterogeneity), we argue that in respect to the Duvergerian agenda, Great Britain and Canada now represent proximate (and not – as before – distal) cases. This convergence has been accompanied by the departure of both electoral arenas from the former status quo in at least one of the dimensions under observation. We briefly discuss possible reasons for that departure, mostly exogenous of electoral rules, stressing their increasing importance for the Duvergerian agenda in general.

Key words

electoral systems, party systems, electoral competition, territoriality, firt-past-the-post

Abstract

The article deals with the latest presidential election in Belarus in March 2006. More specifically, the aim of the text is to focus on its legitimization function in the context of Lukashenka’s non-democratic regime and its stability. This goal is based on an assumption that the election’s role lies not only in its formal, but also in its factual confirmation of the regime legitimacy. An assessment of this presumption is made by means of an analysis of the formal setting of the election and its administration, by definition of the role of participating actors (governmental, formal and factual ones) and the Belarusian electorate, and by the final categorization of confirmed legitimacy.

Key words

Legitimacy, Lukashenka, Non-democratic regime, Opposition, Post-Soviet Belarus, Presidential election 2006

Abstract

This article presents a possible solution to the problem of the fall of the public in the political thought of Hannah Arendt and Jürgen Habermas. Arendt presents the public as the action of equal people discussing among themselves. Habermas sees it as the discussion of equal people too, but on the pages of newspapers or on radio waves. Both thinkers warn against the fall of the public and propose how to restore it. Arendt considers a system of councils to be a solution, whereas Habermas talks about the institutionalization of corresponding procedures of communication as a new form of the public. This article tries to put these solutions together. It applies Arendt’s ideas to the communal or municipal level and those of Habermas to the national level, both in the context of the Czech Republic. One significant difference between a council system and the Czech political communal system is the recall of representatives. Recall can make representatives more responsible to citizens and citizens more engaged in politics so that they become the public, both at the communal and national level.

Key words

recall, public, Arendt, Habermas

Abstract

The article presents a brief survey of selected trends observable within political science in the Czech Republic and offers a tentative interpretation of some major features that can be seen as typical for the current state of the field. However, the article is not intended as a comprehensive analysis; rather, it is meant to open up a discussion related to self-perceptions in Czech political science, and their relation to reality. Issues like methodological, research and teaching foci are all elaborated here, and serve to highlight the possible weaknesses and benefits of Czech political science, thus claiming a space for further, more substantial research. In this sense, the article should be understood as an attempt to make Czech political science launch a process of its own self-definition and self-identification.

Key words

political science, teaching orientations, theoretical and methodological approaches, methodology of political science.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide basic an empirical research framework for the new phenomena of interregionalism. First, the paper explores the history of regional integration and cooperation, and the subsequent emergence of interregional relations. The second part outlines the main theoretical concepts of this research as region, interregional relations, its structure and system. Furthermore, it explores the main incentives and impetus for regions to take part in interregional cooperation. The last section offers essential theoretical explanations, particularly within the field of international political economy.

Key words

regionalism, interregionalism, interregional relations, economic cooperation, political dialogue, international political economy

Abstract

A pre-election analysis is going to describe the role of self-candidates in the 2006 Czech parliamentary election. The article is focused on the basic characteristics of ballots. The various ballots are compared from different views – the number of candidates, the demographic representation, the role of local political authorities, and the candidacy of former parliament members.

Key words

Parliamentary election 2006, Czech republic, Political Parties, Pre-election analysis

Abstract

Kolektiv autorů. 2006. Politické systémy Latinské Ameriky, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, Fakulta mezinárodních vztahů, Katedra politologie. Praha: Nakladatelství Oeconomica.

Key words

Abstract

Petr Fiala. 2007. Evropský mezičas. Nové otázky evropské integrace, Brno, Společnost pro odbornou literaturu, Barrister & Principal, 1. vydání, 174 pages.

Key words

Abstract

Marek Ženíšek. 2006. Přechody k demokracii v teorii a praxi, Plzeň, Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, s. r. o., Filosofická fakulta Západočeské univerzity v Plzni, 1. vydání, 222 pages.

Key words