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Institutional Architecture (institutional + architecture)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

The Treaty of Nice: The Sharing of Power and the Institutional Balance in the European Union,A Continental Perspective

EUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001
Xenophon A. Yataganas
This paper presents an initial response to the conclusions of the Nice Summit and the new EU Treaty which emerged from it. It consists of two parts: in the first I discuss the climate in which the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) took place and the opening positions of the Institutions, the Member States, and the applicant countries. The results achieved at Nice are set out in the second part, with special emphasis on the themes that mark a shift of power within the Community's institutional architecture; i.e. the extension of qualified-majority voting in the Council and the co-decision procedure with the European Parliament, the reweighting of votes and the composition of the Institutions with a view to an enlargement which is both imminent and unprecedented in the history of the EU. I conclude that while the results of the IGC and the new Treaty of Nice fall short of what is needed in an EU with ambitions on a continental scale, they do mark another stage in the process of European integration and the permanent evolution of its constitution. In this sense, the balance of power is likely to be different from what it has been in the past. The Franco-German axis has been severely weakened, the UK and Spain seem to be determined to play a central role, and the smaller countries are seeking to retain some influence over how the process works. New alliances are likely to emerge, particularly after enlargement, with Germany in search of a dominant position, France desperately trying to preserve the status quo, and the UK wanting to influence the direction of moves towards integration from the inside. Nice seems to mark an interim stage in this process. A new IGC has already been scheduled for 2004. There is no doubt that the post-Nice period will be one of transition towards a new distribution of power within the EU, sanctioned by a new, highly constitutional treaty. [source]

Ending Wars and Building Peace: International Responses to War-Torn Societies1

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2008
Charles T. Call
Scholars and practitioners of international relations have devoted increasing attention to how cease-fires, once achieved, may be translated into sustained peace. In recent years, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the United States and other governments have revamped their institutional architecture for addressing post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding. The creation in 2006 of a UN Peacebuilding Commission exemplifies these changes. The relationship between weak states and the durability of peace has acquired new emphasis in IR research. This article analyzes recent conceptual developments in post-conflict peacebuilding, relating them to new thinking about fragile states. It then analyzes the international architecture for addressing post-conflict peacebuilding, identifying gaps, and analyzing likely policy challenges in the near future. We argue that despite important analytic insights and institutional changes, serious challenges persist in efforts to prevent wars from recurring. [source]

A President for the European Union: A New Actor in Town?,

JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2007
SPYROS BLAVOUKOS
In the post-Constitution EU, the rotating Presidency would be replaced by a hybrid system combining a rotating component with the establishment of a permanent President for the European Council. Using a principal-agent framework, we look at the supply and demand for formal leadership in the new system, accounting for the substantial institutional change in the format of the Presidency. We then examine the President's effectiveness and efficiency and discuss whether the President, as a new institutional actor, has the potential to evolve into an autonomous political actor in the EU. Our analysis suggests a discernible though by no means unconditional strengthening of the President's potential for an autonomous political role in the new EU institutional architecture. [source]

Beyond Tropical Forests Adoption: Contextualizing Conservation Strategies

BIOTROPICA, Issue 6 2009
Claudia Romero
ABSTRACT The complexity of factors driving tropical deforestation demand integrated approaches from concerned researchers and policy makers. Strict protection is sometimes the most appropriate mode of conservation, but conservation through management is often the better option. In either case, this essay highlights the importance of considering the social/cultural, economic, and political contexts in which these forests are threatened. By attempting to understand the cultural settings, institutional architectures and dynamics, and local expectations, and then by combining the concepts and tools of a range of disciplines, researchers will be more likely to forge lasting partnerships and increase their potential for sustained improvement in resource management and overall forest conservation. [source]