The Idea of World Government

The Idea of World Government
Author: James A. Yunker
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2011-02-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1136794360

The notion of a single political organization encompassing the whole of humanity—a world state—has intrigued mankind since earliest recorded history. This book provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the history of world government, and questions whether political globalization, in the form of a federal world government, could and should complement the ongoing processes of economic and cultural globalization. While the potential peacekeeping advantage of such a state is obvious, the consensus judgment has always been against it, because it could lead to totalitarian tyranny. Yunker examines whether this judgment is still correct, considering that nuclear weapons of unimaginable destructiveness now exist, capable of destroying human civilization as we know it. Summarizing the lessons of history, the author suggests that while the conventional world federalist concept of an unlimited world government is still impractical in today’s world, there may be a role for a limited federal world government that would go well beyond the existing United Nations, thereby providing a stronger institutional basis for the evolutionary development of genuinely effective global governance. This book is an important resource for all students and scholars of global governance, international relations and international organizations.

The Robust Federation

The Robust Federation
Author: Jenna Bednar
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2008-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139474448

The Robust Federation offers a comprehensive approach to the study of federalism. Jenna Bednar demonstrates how complementary institutions maintain and adjust the distribution of authority between national and state governments. These authority boundaries matter - for defense, economic growth, and adequate political representation - and must be defended from opportunistic transgression. From Montesquieu to Madison, the legacy of early institutional analysis focuses attention on the value of competition between institutions, such as the policy moderation produced through separated powers. Bednar offers a reciprocal theory: in an effective constitutional system, institutions complement one another; each makes the others more powerful. Diverse but complementary safeguards - including the courts, political parties, and the people - cover different transgressions, punish to different extents, and fail under different circumstances. The analysis moves beyond equilibrium conceptions and explains how the rules that allocate authority are not fixed but shift gradually. Bednar's rich theoretical characterization of complementary institutions provides the first holistic account of federal robustness.

World Federation?

World Federation?
Author: Ronald J. Glossop
Publisher:
Total Pages: 280
Release: 1993
Genre: History
ISBN:

The 21st century may be the age of globalism, with such nongovernmental organizations as the International Red Cross, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International serving the world without regard to nationalities. Is the next step a federal world government?The pros and cons of a democratic federal world government are carefully reasoned here, as are the basic concepts of such a federation, and the relationship of law and government. The author's analysis brings one to the conclusion that a global federation is inevitable despite the many obstacles.

Understanding Federalism and Federation

Understanding Federalism and Federation
Author: Alain-G. Gagnon
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2016-03-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317004965

Based on a variety of contemporary debates on federal theory Understanding Federalism and Federation honours Michael Burgess’ contribution to the study of these topics through a selection of approaches, theories, debates and interpretations. Gathering contributors from diverse subfields to synthesize current debates it offers a snapshot of the immense range of current research on federalism and federation. Leading authors debate key issues such as American federalism, Canada and the role of Quebec, the latest insights into comparative federalism and federation, the European Union as a federal project and the analysis of constitutional courts in federal systems. Different theoretical and empirical fields and perspectives are brought together, synthesizing major findings and addressing emerging issues and these topics are analysed through multiple lenses to provide new insights, original approaches and much-needed theoretical and empirical data on federalism and federation.

Contested Federalism

Contested Federalism
Author: Douglas Brown
Publisher:
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2019-03-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9780195445909

The most comprehensive and critical look at Canadian federalismThis restructured and thoroughly updated exploration of Canadian federalism explores the tensions and conflicts within Canada's governance system and the adaptations required for federalism to work. Focusing on three areas - basic federal and intergovernmental structure; the constitutional andinstitutional framework of the federation; and federal governance - this text is an engaging and balanced treatment of federalism in Canada.

Multinational Federalism

Multinational Federalism
Author: Alain-G Gagnon
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 543
Release: 2015-12-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1137016744

A collection of state of the art reflections by fourteen leading experts in the field of multinational federalism. Seymour and Gagnon have gathered contributions from philosophers, political scientists and jurists dealing with the accommodation of peoples in countries like Belgium, Canada, Europe, Great Britain, India and Spain.

A World Parliament

A World Parliament
Author: Jo Leinen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9783942282246

This book explores the history, current relevance, and future implementation of the monumental idea of an elected global parliament. The second edition brings the book up to date and incorporates extensive revisions and additions.

Legitimacy

Legitimacy
Author: Arthur Isak Applbaum
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2019-11-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674983467

At an unsettled time for liberal democracy, with global eruptions of authoritarian and arbitrary rule, here is one of the first full-fledged philosophical accounts of what makes governments legitimate. What makes a government legitimate? The dominant view is that public officials have the right to rule us, even if they are unfair or unfit, as long as they gain power through procedures traceable to the consent of the governed. In this rigorous and timely study, Arthur Isak Applbaum argues that adherence to procedure is not enough: even a properly chosen government does not rule legitimately if it fails to protect basic rights, to treat its citizens as political equals, or to act coherently. How are we to reconcile every person’s entitlement to freedom with the necessity of coercive law? Applbaum’s answer is that a government legitimately governs its citizens only if the government is a free group agent constituted by free citizens. To be a such a group agent, a government must uphold three principles. The liberty principle, requiring that the basic rights of citizens be secured, is necessary to protect against inhumanity, a tyranny in practice. The equality principle, requiring that citizens have equal say in selecting who governs, is necessary to protect against despotism, a tyranny in title. The agency principle, requiring that a government’s actions reflect its decisions and its decisions reflect its reasons, is necessary to protect against wantonism, a tyranny of unreason. Today, Applbaum writes, the greatest threat to the established democracies is neither inhumanity nor despotism but wantonism, the domination of citizens by incoherent, inconstant, and incontinent rulers. A government that cannot govern itself cannot legitimately govern others.

Why People Don’t Trust Government

Why People Don’t Trust Government
Author: Joseph S. Nye
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 1997-10-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780674940574

Confidence in American government has been declining for three decades. Leading Harvard scholars here explore the roots of this mistrust by examining the government's current scope, its actual performance, citizens' perceptions of its performance, and explanations that have been offered for the decline of trust.