This book provides both a superb analysis of the historical dysfunction of the post-colonial African state generally and, more specifically, a probing critique of the crisis that resulted in the tragic collapse of Liberia. Ikechi Mgbeoji ultimately shows that blame for this endless cycle of violence must be laid at the feet of both the Western powers and African states themselves. He further posits that a reconstructed regime of African statehood, legitimate governance, and reform of the United Nations Security Council are imperatives for the creation of a stable African polity.
This book analyzes the issue of food insecurity in Europe. It highlights the role played by cities in promoting resilient, solidarity-based and food and nutritionally safe communities. The focus will be on three different local initiatives in Rome, Barcelona and Athens and on the relations between civil society and local public institutions in order to tackle with the food insecurity challenges. The research is aimed at understanding the paradox of food insecurity in wealthy societies. The focus will be on three European countries: Italy, Spain and Greece. An in-depth analysis on collective actions of solidarity to tackle food insecurity, will assess whether the initiatives are capabilities-oriented or merely compensating for shortcomings. Moreover, the contributions to the definition of a new food policy “by” and “for” the cities will be highlighted.
Discusses the collective threats faced by the United States in the early twenty-first century and how political sociology seeks to understand these matters.
Why economic insecurity spurs so little collective political action Americans today face no shortage of threats to their financial well-being, such as job and retirement insecurity, health care costs, and spiraling college tuition. While one might expect that these concerns would motivate people to become more politically engaged on the issues, this often doesn't happen, and the resulting inaction carries consequences for political debates and public policy. Moving beyond previously studied barriers to political organization, American Insecurity sheds light on the public's inaction over economic insecurities by showing that the rhetoric surrounding these issues is actually self-undermining. By their nature, the very arguments intended to mobilize individuals—asking them to devote money or time to politics—remind citizens of their economic fears and personal constraints, leading to undermobilization and nonparticipation. Adam Seth Levine explains why the set of people who become politically active on financial insecurity issues is therefore quite narrow. When money is needed, only those who care about the issues but are not personally affected become involved. When time is needed, participation is limited to those not personally affected or those who are personally affected but outside of the labor force with time to spare. The latter explains why it is relatively easy to mobilize retirees on topics that reflect personal financial concerns, such as Social Security and Medicare. In general, however, when political representation requires a large group to make their case, economic insecurity threats are uniquely disadvantaged. Scrutinizing the foundations of political behavior, American Insecurity offers a new perspective on collective participation.
"A development economist with roots in India and the United States offers a short but deep and ambitious account of the corrosive effects of economic and cultural insecurity on liberal democracy in rich and poor countries alike. His diagnosis: the problem is not inequality or capitalism, but snowballing fear of material and cultural loss"--
This volume asks what security means in the Anthropocene era and what political innovations are needed to chart a more sustainable path for global development in the decades to come.
