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Religion and Politics in a Global Society
Religion and Politics in a Global Society: Comparative Perspectives from the Portuguese-Speaking World, edited by Paul Christopher Manuel, Alynna Lyon, and Clyde Wilcox, explores the legacy of the Portuguese colonial experience, with careful consideration of the lasting impression that this experience has had on the cultural, religious, and political dynamics in the former colonies. Applying the insights derived from three theoretical schools (religious society, political institutions, and cultural toolkit), this volume brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines, offering in-depth case studies on Angola, Brazil, East Timor, Goa, Mozambique, and Portugal—societies connected by a shared colonial past and common cultural and sociolinguistic characteristics. Each chapter examines questions on how faith and culture interrelate, and how the various national experiences might resonate with one another. This volume provides a deeper understanding of the Lusophone global society, as well as the larger field of religion and politics.
Faith-Based Organizations and Social Welfare
This volume seeks to understand the role and function of religious-based organizations in strengthening associational life through the provision of social services, thereby legitimizing a new role for faith in the formerly secular public sphere. Specifically, we explore how a church in a postcommunist setting, during periods of economic growth and recession in the wake of transitions to capitalism, and with varied numbers of adherents, might contribute to welfare services in a new political regime with freedom of religion. Put another way, what new pressures would be placed on the secular welfare state if religious organizations (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, others) simply stopped offering their services? By examining public perceptions of the church, changing dynamics of religiosity, and church-state-civil society relations, the volume places these issues in context.
The Challenges of Democratic Consolidation in Portugal
This study examines the process of democratic political consolidation as seen in Portugal. It considers how, by solving problems and fulfilling expectations, Portugal's relatively new democratic regime has improved its chances for long-term durability. As Maravall has suggested, once democracies are re-established after a period of dictatorial rule, new problems emerge: the efficiency of the new political system, not just its legitimacy, becomes the main issue. In the case of Portugal, the government has been strengthened by dealing successfully with several different sets of problems. The author analyzes these problems and this process by dividing Portugal's consolidation period into three recognizable intervals, during which the new regime has had to simultaneously confront political, economic, and military challenges. Scholars in comparative politics and government will find this a useful study of democratic development.
Uncertain Outcome
After two years of political and economic chaos, democracy emerged in Portugal. This book examines the fascinating period from 1974-1976 when the Portuguese transition to democracy was far from a simple question of volunteeristic engineering. The author emphasizes that it involved a complex dynamic of interests, strategies, fears, wants, and goals among the multitude of players. The analytical focus on political factors in this book helps to reveal these crucial factors in a process that resulted in this successful emergence of democracy. Contents: Rethinking the Portuguese Transition to Democracy: Theoretical Issues; Origins of the 25 April Coup d'Ètat; The Transition's First Phase: Military Rank Versus Revolutionary Legitimacy (25 April 1974 to 30 September 1974); The Transition's Second Phase: Ideological Cleavages in the MFA (30 September 1974 to 12 March 1975); The Transition's Third Phase: Opening to Civil Society (12 March 1975 to 8 September 1975); The Transition's Fourth Phase: Battle Over Control of the Armed Forces (9 September 1975 to 23 July 1976); Uncertain Outcome: Summary and Conclusion; Appendix: Interview and Newspaper Sources; Bibliography; Index.
The Catholic Church and the Nation-State
Presenting case studies from sixteen countries on five continents, The Catholic Church and the Nation-State paints a rich portrait of a complex and paradoxical institution whose political role has varied historically and geographically. In this integrated and synthetic collection of essays, outstanding scholars from the United States and abroad examine religious, diplomatic, and political actions—both admirable and regrettable—that shape our world. Kenneth R. Himes sets the context of the book by brilliantly describing the political influence of the church in the post-Vatican II era. There are many recent instances, the contributors assert, where the Church has acted as both a moral auth...
The Path of American Public Policy
Among all the worlds’ democracies, the American system of government is perhaps the most self-conscious about preventing majority tyranny. The American constitutional system is predicated on an inherent ideational and institutional tension dating back to the foundation of the nation in the eighteenth century, which constrains innovative policy development. Namely, the framers designed a system that simultaneously seeks to protect the rights of the minority out of power and provide for majority rule. These opposing goals are based on the idea that limiting governmental power will guarantee individual liberty. The Path of American Public Policy: Comparative Perspectives asks how this foundat...
Pope Francis as a Global Actor
Pope Francis confuses many observers because his papacy does not fit neatly into any pre-established classificatory schemes. To gain a deeper appreciation of Francis’s complicated papacy, this volume proposes that an interdisciplinary approach, fusing concepts derived from moral theology and the social sciences, may properly situate Pope Francis as a global political entrepreneur. The chapters in this volume ask what difference it makes that he is the first pope from Latin America, how and why different countries in the world respond to him, how his understanding of scripture informs his ideas on economic, social, and environmental policy, and where politics meets theology under Francis. In the end, this volume seeks to provide a more robust understanding of the enigmatic papacy of Francis.
Catholics and Politics
Depicts the ambivalent character of Catholics' mainstream 'arrival' in the US, integrating social scientific, historical and moral accounts of persistent tensions between faith and power. This work describes the implications of Catholic universalism for voting patterns, international policymaking, and partisan alliances.
Checks And Balances?
This book applies the broader debate in the field of political science over the advantages of a parliamentary system to the case of the United States. It asks whether it is better for a democracy to function under a parliamentary or presidential system. Using the example of a parliamentary alternative to the American presidential system, Checks and Balances? How a Parliamentary System Could Change American Politics illustrates how the Constitutional system of checks and balances functions, including the separation of powers and the legislative process. This book is designed to help American readers better understand their own form of government, while expanding their knowledge of other governments.
Spain and Portugal in the European Union
This publication provides an up-to-date assessment of the political and economic issues and is valuable reading for anyone wishing to understand contemporary Spain and Portugal. Following decades of relative isolation under authoritarian regimes, the success of the processes of democratic transition in both countries paved the way for full membership in the European Community in 1986. Drawing on research by established scholars, Spain and Portugal in the European Union offers an original series of analyses of the development of Iberian politics, sociology and economics since the accession to the European Union.
