This book explores how vertical inter-governmental political and fiscal bargains and horizontal variation in political, social and economic conditions across regions contribute to or undermine the provision of inclusive and sustainable social policies at the subnational level in Latin America and India. The question of how to advance universal social rights while reducing territorial inequalities has been a central dilemma for Latin America and India. After several decades of ambitious decentralization reforms in both regions, the balance between local accountability versus centralized planning remains a theoretical and empirical problem in need of systematic exploration. The chapters in this volume incorporate both federal and decentralized unitary states, pointing to common political tensions across unitary and federal settings despite the typically greater institutionalization of regional autonomy in federal countries. The contributors examine the territorial dimension of universalism and explore, in greater and empirical detail, the causal links between fiscal transfers, social policies and outcomes, and highlight the political dynamics that shape fiscal decentralization reforms and the welfare state. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Regional & Federal Studies.

This book explores how vertical inter-governmental political and fiscal bargains and horizontal variation in political, social and economic conditions across regions contribute to or undermine the provision of inclusive and sustainable social policies at the subnational level in Latin America and India. The question of how to advance universal social rights while reducing territorial inequalities has been a central dilemma for Latin America and India. After several decades of ambitious decentralization reforms in both regions, the balance between local accountability versus centralized planning remains a theoretical and empirical problem in need of systematic exploration. The chapters in this volume incorporate both federal and decentralized unitary states, pointing to common political tensions across unitary and federal settings despite the typically greater institutionalization of regional autonomy in federal countries. The contributors examine the territorial dimension of universalism and explore, in greater and empirical detail, the causal links between fiscal transfers, social policies and outcomes, and highlight the political dynamics that shape fiscal decentralization reforms and the welfare state. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Regional & Federal Studies.

With unparalleled empirical material, this is the most comprehensive introduction to comparative politics written by the leading experts in the field who bring together a diverse and informed international perspective on comparative politics. Five new authors join the team for the fifth edition, bringing fresh ideas and insights to the comparative analysis the book provides. The new edition has been brought fully up to date with coverage of Brexit, Trump and the resurgence of Populism, and a greater focus on developing countries through a reworked Chapter 15 on Regions and Ethnicity. Furthermore, the chapter on Political Culture includes more in-depth coverage of gender and representation in the era of the #MeToo movement. Importantly, issues around migration and how different countries respond are explored in Chapter 24 on Globalization. An unrivalled amount of empirical material in the text and in the supporting online resources illustrates key similarities and differences of political systems in practice. The wealth of empirical data also encourages students to go beyond the 'what' of comparison to the 'how'. Combining cutting edge treatment of theories and truly global geographical coverage, this exciting textbook is essential reading for all comparative politics students.

Anthropology begins in the encounter with the ‘exotic’: what stands outside of—and challenges—conventional or established understandings. This volume confronts the distortions of orientalism, ethnocentrism, and romantic nostalgia to expose exoticism, defined as the construction of false and unsubstantiated difference. Its aim is to re-found the importance of the exotic in the development of anthropological knowledge and to overcome methodological dualisms and dualistic approaches. Chapters look at the risk of exoticism in the perspectivist approach, the significant exotic corrective of Lévi-Strauss vis-à-vis an imperializing Eurocentrism, our nostalgic relationship with the ethnographic record, and the attempts of local communities to readapt previous exoticized referents, renegotiate their identity, and ‘counter-exoticize.’ This volume demonstrates a range of approaches that will be valuable for researchers and students seeking to effectively establish comparative methodological frameworks that transcend issues of relativism and universalism.

Negotiating Political Conflicts analyzes comprehensively the foundations for understanding negotiations: What is negotiation? What are the most important concepts and terms? Empirical examples illustrate theoretical conceptions. Academics and practitioners will find this book an invaluable companion to the theory and practice of negotiation.

This revised and updated fourth edition of this core textbook builds on the text's established success. It provides the basis of knowledge, understanding and practice for developing skilled work communication in an intercultural world. Using many illustrations and international examples, the book analyses culture, cultural diversity and cultural similarities and differences in how we interact at work and in the psychological factors that influence our communication. It shows how to overcome impediments to intercultural communication and interact effectively with different others, whether face-to-face or by email, chat, text, phone or video. It describes cultural differences in negotiating, cooperation, coordination, knowledge sharing, working in groups and leadership, and demonstrates how to perform these activities skilfully in an intercultural setting. This textbook is the ideal companion for students taking undergraduate modules in cross-cultural management or managing diversity on international business or business administration degrees, in addition to MBA courses and specialist postgraduate modules on international and comparative management. New to this Edition: - New and improved pedagogical features, including end of Part exercises, activities and role plays - Topic-by-topic coverage of computer-mediated communication, explaining how it is affected by culture and in turn affects intercultural communication - Discussion of new developments in the field such as the increasing emphasis on language and discourses - Focus on new types of research such as country-by-country studies and reports of realities on the ground

This volume surveys the range of texts, authors and topics from the literary and non-literary cultures of Latin America and Lusophone Africa, adopting a set of perspectives that are grounded in the discipline of postcolonial studies. Using comparative and contrastive methods, Postcolonial Perspectives reinterprets cultural landmarks and traditions of Latin America and Lusophone Africa.