Journal•ISSN: 1360-8746
South European Society and Politics
Taylor & Francis
About: South European Society and Politics is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Politics & European union. It has an ISSN identifier of 1360-8746. Over the lifetime, 731 publications have been published receiving 16312 citations. The journal is also known as: South European society & politics.
Papers published on a yearly basis
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TL;DR: The cleavage between the secular centre and the religious-conservative periphery has been the most important dividing line in modern Turkish politics as discussed by the authors, and the AKP's recent drift towards an excessively majoritarian conception of democracy, or even an electoral authoritarianism of a more markedly Islamic character.
Abstract: The cleavage between the secular centre and the religious-conservative periphery has been the most important dividing line in modern Turkish politics. In the past, centre-right parties have successfully appealed to the peripheral majority, emerging as victors in almost all parliamentary elections since 1950. This trend continues with the Justice and Development Party (AKP). In power since 2002, winner of three consecutive elections with increasing majorities, the AKP qualifies as a predominant party. The article focuses on the AKP's recent drift towards an excessively majoritarian conception of democracy, or even an electoral authoritarianism of a more markedly Islamic character. Topics discussed include the Gezi Park events in May–June 2013, the conflict with the Gulen movement, corruption charges against government ministers, recent legislation weakening judicial independence and restricting freedom of expression, and the 30 March 2014 local elections.
224 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyse how the Italian core executive operated in the negotiation of the Maastricht Treaty provisions on Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and examine the record of the Italian negotiators on EMU in the framework of a 'two-level' bargaining game.
Abstract: This case study analyses how the Italian 'core executive' operated in the negotiation of the Maastricht Treaty provisions on Economic and Monetary Union. The record of the Italian negotiators on EMU is examined in the framework of a 'two-level' bargaining game. It argues that policy was largely driven by a small technocratic elite, with limited ministerial involvement. The overarching foreign policy imperatives were to maintain Italian participation at the heart of the European integration process and to reduce the asymmetry of monetary power with Germany. Domestically, however, the technocratic elite shared a belief in the need for externally-imposed economic discipline (a vincolo esterno - external constraint), to overcome the problems posed by the partitocrazia - the domination of government by parties. EMU was used to effect domestic reform by redistributing power. In the process they unleashed powerful transformative effects on the Italian state. The domestic effects of EMU were thus much mo...
220 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argued that Turkey's EU candidacy since 1999 has stimulated Turkish political and legal reforms and intensified the Europeanization process in Turkey, and argued that Turkish's Europeanization is greatly motivated by the EU.
Abstract: The European Union has played the most important role in stimulating political change in post-World War II Europe. Turkey had to become more democratic in order to attain candidacy for EU membership in the second half of the 1990s, and when it became a candidate, it had to adopt sweeping political reforms in order to fulfil the EU's accession criteria so that accession negotiations could begin. Thus, this article proposes that Turkey's EU candidacy since 1999 has stimulated Turkish political and legal reforms and intensified the Europeanization process in Turkey. The article analyzes the political reforms in Turkey in the light of EU membership and argues that Turkey's Europeanization is greatly motivated by the EU.
217 citations
TL;DR: The Five Star Movement as discussed by the authors is a new political player that combines an online and an offline presence, but a top-down decision-making process; it is positioned beyond ideologies, while its electorate comes from various political families.
Abstract: The article focuses on a new political player: the Five Star Movement led by the comedian Beppe Grillo. The party lies at the junction between different organisational models and conceptions of democracy: it combines an online and an offline presence; it has ‘horizontal’ structural elements, but a top-down decision-making process; it is positioned ‘beyond’ ideologies, while its electorate comes from various political families. The work considers the history, message, leader, organisation and electoral base of the movement, as well as the political opportunity structure that facilitated its growth in 2012 and the challenges it faces in the delicate phase of institutionalisation.
215 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors start from the hypothesis that private expenditure on home ownership and public expenditure on aged pensions represent alternative and, to some extent, mutually exclusive mechanisms of life-time saving for old age.
Abstract: This article starts from the hypothesis that private expenditure on home ownership and public expenditure on aged pensions represent alternative and, to some extent, mutually exclusive mechanisms of life-time saving for old age. The paper identifies Greece, Italy and, to a lesser degree, Spain as being amongst the only advanced nations in which home ownership is extensive and social insurance age pensions extremely generous. The paper goes on to identify features of southern European society which make it possible to combine these features, but points to the fiscal and demographic problems that result from a policy-mix which privileges the old at the expense of the young.
209 citations