Books & ideas

The Prime Convict of the 5th Republic

Nicolas Roussellier — 2024-04-11T08:35:00Z

Delphine Dulong analyses the role of the French Prime Minister, who does not so much embody a clearly-defined institution as a relational structure: a diarchy with the President, incessant interministerial work, parliamentary obligations. Is the job a powerful position, or that of an underling?

Rousseau in Corsica

Christopher Kelly — 2019-02-07T07:00:00Z

Upon the request of Corsican leaders, Rousseau undertook the writing of what would later be published as Projet de constitution pour la Corse. This new critical edition shows that this unfinished work requires a new title and a new understanding of Rousseau's goals in undertaking it.

The Unlikely State of Climate Justice

Geoff Mann & Joel Wainwright — 2018-12-10T07:00:00Z

Can we rely on national governments to tackle climate change? Is a green capitalist state possible? For Geoff Mann and Joel Wainwright, such expectations are unrealistic, and other solutions need to be considered.

Forest Resistance

Matthieu Calame — 2018-11-22T08:02:47Z

By enmeshing infrastructures, power is able to curtail local particularities, exploit resources, and fight group autonomy. Inhabiting territories engaged in struggle makes it possible to resist power. “Being a forest,” whether in Notre-Dame-des-Landes or Borneo, means becoming ungovernable.

The Corporate Dictatorship

Léna Silberzahn — 2018-06-21T07:00:00Z

In the 18^th century, the free market emerged as a vehicle for equality, giving people freedom from managers' authority. However, as Elizabeth Anderson explains, this is no longer the case: corporations' power over their employees is now entirely dictatorial.

The New Public Management

Hugh Pemberton — 2017-06-22T07:00:00Z

Has the New Public Management made the state of the United Kingdom more efficient and less costly? Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon answer negatively on both counts. As such, difficult but necessary comparisons must be drawn to further the scope of these devastating conclusions.

The Sahel: In What State?

Emile Chabal — 2017-03-23T08:00:00Z

Gregory Mann considers the history of the Sahel as a state, between precolonial imaginary, colonial structures and postcolonial conflicts. His conclusions reveal that the states in that particular region have a tendency to give up their state power and authority by sub-contracting state responsibilities to international organisations and NGOs.

The Government Under Attack

Gianfranco Poggi — 2017-02-23T08:00:00Z

Analyzing the reasons for the loss of momentum of the American economy, this in-depth study reveals how the evolution of mixed economy in the United States has led to a crisis of the political power.

Marketing the Party

Jinrui Xi — 2016-11-10T08:00:00Z

How can we explain the Chinese Communist Party's lasting legitimacy? Part of the answer may be found in the ritual official inspections of the grassroots. Even if limited and orchestrated, they tend to boost transparency, communication, efficiency.

A Glimpse of Free Government?

Jean-Fabien Spitz — 2015-05-04T05:30:00Z

How should one interpret the “Allegory of Good Government”, a fresco painted by Lorenzetti in the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena in 1338? Is it praising the law that preserves the peace within the city and protects individuals, or the wisdom that naturally guides men towards the common good?