Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Implicit within contemporary discursive and institutional trends in the European Union is a new agenda for state-society relations, seeking a potentially dramatic reconstruction of state-society relations, in which individuals and organizations outside of the state apparatus play crucial roles in every aspect of the policy process, from agenda-setting and policy formation to policy implementation and evaluation. The state apparatus, in this view, is no longer seen as a bureaucratic ensemble dutifully carrying out the orders of legislators and executives, but rather as a dynamic, reflexive, even experimental entity, resulting from cooperation among state officials at all levels, international organizations, civil society actors, representatives of social groups, and other actors, which constantly reassess, redesign and redeploy problem-solving strategies. This presentation examines this nascent agenda through a case study of the Portuguese experience with the Open Method of Coordination (OMC), an EU policy coordination mechanism that is perhaps the foremost exemplar of this approach. I argue that the OMC has had important effects, encouraging innovative welfare state reforms, wider participation in the policy process, and shifting power relations among political actors. However, various institutional constraints, at the local, national and international levels, have considerably limited these achievements. After detailing these effects and constraints, I conclude by placing these developments in the context of a theory of institutional change, provisionally outlining several additions to it inspired by my case study.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Natural resources have always been political assets, and indeed over time, many of them have also become tradable economic assets. Fresh water, however, has consistently resisted this transformation. Internationally, water had traditionally been negotiated at the governmental level through treaties, conventions and riparian organizations. Insofar as political scientists have viewed water as an issue in international relations, they have either predicted wars or asserted the need to create international regimes to prevent such conflicts. Notwithstanding such predictions, during the last three decades, many countries have redefined water itself (and not just the services associated with it) as an economic good. From there, it may seem, is a small step to treating bulk water as a commodity to be traded. This prospect, however, has generated immense controversy, and some confusion as to the applicability of the existing trade regimes. This shift has created challenging possibilities, generating debates across disciplines and jurisdictions on the role of private companies in international water politics. This paper will trace these debates in Canada showing the distinct dynamics underlying the country's approach to and decision on prohibiting bulk water exports. Water's property rights system and governance regime constitute the explanatory variables.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: A growing literature considers the domestic politics of states that have recently emerged from civil war (e.g., Ghobarah et al 2003; Paris 2004; Kang and Meernik 2004). In this paper we seek to expand the scope of inquiry to consider how the end of civil war might also affect international politics. Specifically, we consider all civil wars of the post-World War II era in order to document the degree to which the end of domestic conflict in a given state is associated with changes in its alliance portfolio. We further explore how the means by which a civil war ends (military victory or negotiated settlement) might play a role in shaping a country?s future alliances. Our study thus considers the possibility that the end of civil war has implications that extend beyond the borders of a single country by shaping future patterns of interstate cooperation and conflict.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The paper attempts to answer the question: To what extent, if any, has the WTO and more specifically, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body reduced state autonomy?

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Naive observers wonder why the bicameral conference is not held after the second chamber's amendment of the first chamber's bill, while complete information models fail to explain why the conference is sometimes held. This paper addresses both questions by constructing an incomplete information model. The more uncertain a chamber is of the other's position or the more important a bill is, the more likely the bill is to be amended or taken to the conference.