Book Review: "Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City” by Robert A. Dahl

In the book "Who Governs? Power in an American City" Robert A. Dahl explores the power structure in America. For this he chooses the city of New Haven, CT as an example of this. I found it very interesting that Dahl makes an argument that power in America is divided into groups. He shows that elected officials are only one section of this power grid. Other areas that he points out are education, urban development, each group that he show is its own sector of power in the sector. He points out that this is how America as a whole is run, not by one elite group but by several. I thought that this book gave the reader a unique insight as to how politics in America is run and the fact that it isn't the one group that is in charge, unlike what Americans tend to think. The result of his analysis of New Haven is something that I thought was very eye opening in American Politics. 

Book Review - Development, Democracy, and the Welfare States: Latin America, East Asia, Eastern Europe

In the work Development, Democracy, and the Welfare States: Latin America, East Asia, Eastern Europe, Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman explore how social and political shifts can have long standing effects on the development and economies in particular regions. It provides a comprehensive analysis of various systems, which serves as a cross comparison of these various regions.

As per the suggestion of Dr. Cocozzelli, I began reading this particular book because it provides a unique link between the development of states and education. Though this book only caters to one area of my research topic through its assessment of East Asia, including Korea, it has provided some substantial information regarding how state’s prioritization of education can ultimately lend to specific outcomes for states. In a cross comparison between Latin America and East Asia there were not large gaps between levels of overall GDP spending on education, but the states prioritized their spending differently. Korea worked to achieve universal primary school enrollment. There were also parallels drawn between the type of political ideology employed in the state and the education outcomes. States with socialist regimes, such as those in China had significantly higher levels of educational development.

This provided a great perspective on some of the education attainment indicators, which will provide a great foundation for additional research. 

Source Review and Current Events: Roma in the European Union

In his work The Dilemma of the European Union's Roma Policy, Aiden McGarry discusses the marginalization and discrimination of the Roma people in the EU. He writes about the challenges that institutions face in developing policy regarding the Roma as efforts to address social issues have proven inadequate thus far. While efforts have been made to protect minorities within the EU and provide assistance for vulnerable people, including the Roma, the author argues that more can be done. He notes that the EU frequently uses terminology like inclusion and equality of opportunity, which helps address issues of economic inequality for the Roma. On the other hand however, Roma also suffer from severe cultural injustices due to the negatively purported associations with their ethnicity. So the European Union faces a challenge here in addressing both economic and cultural injustices associated with the Roma people. The author concludes noting the EU's increase in efforts to address the integration of the Roma through socioeconomic issues.

Recently, the editorial board of the New York Times wrote about the intentions of the European Union to improve its campaign to reverse years of oppression and marginalization of the Roma. They write about the improvements that the union has made regarding education, health, and housing which is something each member-state is required to do. "The European Union intends to earmark money for the task so member nations can no longer divert aid to more popular causes." These intentions are well-meaning and will likely push member-states into increasing assistance for the Roma, but challenges may inevitably arise. Since countries like Romania joined the European Union in 2007, efforts to assist the Roma population have become increasingly difficult as Roma comprise nearly 10 percent of the population there. The Times also writes about right-wing politicians gaining support as they demonize Roma, and in Slovakia, around 400 mayors have used health and safety regulations to create a movement of shutting down Roma communities. So local politics will affect the success of Roma integration policies, but even politicians who admit the need for better welfare programs will not speak out in fear of voter backlash. The European Union will continue to press member-states and their local governments to implement humane reforms.

Sources:

McGarry, Aidan. "The Dilemma of the European Union's Roma Policy." Critical Social Policy (SAGE), 2012. 

The Editorial Board. "Europe's Roma Bashers." New York Times. April 29, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/opinion/europes-roma-bashers.html?_r=0.  

Topic Research: Roma in the European Union

The Roma people, a sub-group within the Romani minority, often known by the unofficial exonym gypsies, are widely dispersed with their largest concentrations in the central and eastern European countries of Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia, though particularly large populations are also existent in France and Spain. Roma people have been historically persecuted and were a targeted group during the Holocaust with a high estimation of one million being victims of genocide. They are still subject to significant discrimination and the majority live well below the poverty line.

Roma exist in each member-state of the European Union and attempts to identify as a collective group are hindered by the heterogeneity of Roma culture driven by geographic location and varying traditions, levels of education, socioeconomic status, and even language (though a common language does exist). The European Union has the potential to serve as an ally to the Roma community transnationally across the region of eastern and western Europe and has made strides to counter issues regarding the Roma. The EU, however, has been faced with complexities and opposition in both identifying the primary concerns and working toward solutions. Individual states, such as France (as I discuss more in depth in my term paper), domestically create policy regarding Roma, but the European Union possesses the authority to create policy on the supranational level which, in effect, would supersede domestic policy. The European Union has yet to solve all the complexities associated with the Roma and the lack of policy creation is due, in part, to the complex nature of the issue and the general opposing views regarding the foundations of potential policy. There are several contributing factors to the difficulties institutions face in recognizing and addressing the issues associated with one of the most discriminated and marginalized groups existing in the European Union.

In looking at the interrelation and dynamic between the European Union and its member-states, particularly France, it is interesting to note that the European Union does not earmark funding specifically for Roma integration. It does, however, offer funding to invest in regions and cities to help reach goals of creating jobs and increasing economic growth, dealing with climate change and energy advancement, and reducing poverty and social marginalization. The Regional Policy or Cohesion Policy encourages member-states of the EU to focus on investing in growth and investing in people and comprises more than one third of the European Union’s budget.

Each member state of the European Union is responsible for creating and implementing strategic plans about how to use funding from the European Union to improve the integration of vulnerable people, which would include the Roma. The National Roma Integration Strategy as set forth by France is more comprised of a set of measures that focus on the gradual elimination of poverty amongst the marginalized Roma. This plan will be implemented by investing, with emphasis, in the particular areas of education, employment, healthcare, and housing. This method of strategy was created as France faces two main problems when working to integrate Roma. According to the framework of the communication from the European Commission and France’s strategy, assimilation can go against the objectives of recognizing the distinct cultures and identities that comprise French society in efforts to integrate and second, French law, in terms of the construction of public policy, does not allow measures to be targeted to specific ethnic groups. 

“Different categories of issues are assumed to evoke the participation in the decision-making process of different numbers of actors, who vary in their motivation and ability to act as well as in their readiness to engage in political bargaining and compromise” (Potter 1980). The issue of the Roma has proven to be an important one, yet an overwhelmingly complicated one. While the level of pressure and gravity of situations influence policy-change, policy-change is hindered by the complexities of a compilation of interdependent dimensions. 

To be clear, there are very obvious economic, cultural, and social injustices regarding the Roma that must be addressed. The European Union has begun to focus more attention and efforts into the integration of Roma by funding initiatives to improve education, healthcare, and employment opportunities to invest not only in the Roma as an ethnic group, but as contributing members of the European Union. With that being said, there is much more that will need to be done in terms of 1. understanding what the exact problems associated with the Roma are, and 2. how to solve them.   

Sources:

European Commission. Tackling Discrimination: EU and Roma. 2014. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma/index_en.htm.

McGarry, Aidan. "The Dilemma of the European Union's Roma Policy." Critical Social Policy (SAGE), 2012.

Potter, William C. "Issue Area and Foreign Policy Analysis." International Organization (The University of Wisconsin Press) 34, no. 3 (1980).

Uzbekistan and the United States: Authoritarianism, Islamism and Washington, by Shahram Akbarzadeh

Uzbekistan and the United States: Authoritarianism, Islamism and Washington, by Shahram Akbarzadeh does a very good job of encompassing the many facets of geopolitics in regards to Uzbekistan and the United States. Akbarzadeh concedes to the fact that the alliance between the United States and Uzbekistan is nothing sort of strange. For Uzbekistan’s autocratic leadership under President Islam Karimov the alliance with the U.S promised economic aid, a more effective defense against domestic and regional Islamists and support for a more assertive Uzbek role in Central Asia, most notably against Russia’s continued hegemonic attempts. On the United States’ end, Uzbekistan offered access to Central Asian oil and gas, a foothold of sorts in “Russia’s backyard” but most importantly a reliable staging ground for the war on terror (Taliban and Saddam). Akbarzadeh helps us see that the relationship between the United States and Uzbekistan is definitely one that looks better on paper. Though the motives of both sides are clear-cut and roughly compatible, the relationship is marred by Karimov’s incurable dictorial habits and disinclination to follow up its numerous laudable announcements for foreign consumption with real economic and political reform.

Ultimately, it can be said that if the United States did not need Uzbekistan due to the reasons stated in the above the lack of human rights in Uzbekistan would definitely be addressed, but as for now Uzbekistan makes for an embarrassing partner the United States has to lay in bed with.