La fabrique des espaces régionaux en France : l’État contre les territoires ?
International audienc
The rise of research on independence referendums
International Political Science Review
This study consisted in undertaking a bibliographical search within the Web of Science Core Colle... more This study consisted in undertaking a bibliographical search within the Web of Science Core Collection from January 1900 to December 2020. A total of 637 publications were identified and divided into 9 sections tackling successively the relevance of independence referendums, the biased authorship, the definition of the phenomenon, the technical features of referendums, the elaboration of comparative datasets, the legitimacy of these consultations, the drivers leading to the organisation of independence referendums, the impact of referendums on settling ethnic violence and their capacity to favour state recognition. We affirm that those publications have advanced our knowledge about independence referendums. We also stress the persistence of a high fragmentation of authorship and approaches limiting the adoption of a common vocabulary, validation methods and consistent datasets allowing the accumulation and replication of analyses for establishing robust theories. In conclusion, we i...
Comparing Independence Referendums: Why Do Some States Accept Them while Others Do Not?
Geopolitics
Territorial governance in France: between recentralization and differenciation
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2020
Introduction. Gouvernance et territoires, l’âge de l’hybridation
Dictionnaire des politiques territoriales, 2020
[2e édition mise à jour et augmentée
Dictionnaire des politiques territoriales [2e édition mise à jour et augmentée]
[2e édition mise à jour et augmentée]International audience"Conçu dans une logique pluridisc... more [2e édition mise à jour et augmentée]International audience"Conçu dans une logique pluridisciplinaire, exhaustif et didactique, ce dictionnaire offre un point de vue original sur les dynamiques territoriales contemporaines et sur les notions clés qui servent à les appréhender. "(2e édition mise à jour et augmentée
Spanish Territorial Governance and the Challenge of Economic Crisis: Towards Recentralization?
Critique Internationale, 2015
Has the economic crisis modified the political equilibria of Spanish territorial governance? Ever... more Has the economic crisis modified the political equilibria of Spanish territorial governance? Everything seems to suggest that this system is experiencing two forms of stress: centripetal and centrifugal. The centripetal dynamic is driven by the public debt and the necessity with which the central state is confronted to retake control of regional public finances. The centrifugal dynamic, for its part, is reflected in a refusal on the part of some regional executives – first and foremost, those of the Catalan government – to cooperate with this silent recentralization. On the contrary, they demand greater financial autonomy, which may lead to de facto independence. Spain is therefore a state generally tending towards federalism but in which the conjunction of political equilibria (national and regional) and the ups and downs of the economy have provoked major instability. In this respect, the upcoming elections will offer a key moment for understanding the evolution of the politico-te...
La gouvernance territoriale en Europe entre convergence et capacité 2012 - 2014 [data set]
Jeu de donnees editorialise (plateforme BeQuali) : les donnees de l'enquete sont consultables... more Jeu de donnees editorialise (plateforme BeQuali) : les donnees de l'enquete sont consultables en ligne sur le site BeQuali et telechargeables sur le portail Quetelet sous certaines conditions http://bequali.fr/fr/enquetes/lenquete-en-bref/cdsp_bq_sp7/
European Regions and the Crisis: A Comparative Framework
Taking as its starting point the impact of the economic crisis from 2008 on modes of territorial ... more Taking as its starting point the impact of the economic crisis from 2008 on modes of territorial governance in Europe, this special issue identifies the processes of convergence and divergence in Europe’s regions in a period of economic crisis and political reconfiguration. Defining a typology known as the states of convergence, this article introduces the impact of the credit crunch and budgetary and sovereign debt crises on regions in Germany, Spain, France, the UK and Belgium. Introducing rich new qualitative data, the articles in this special issue address an apparent paradox: one of an ongoing process of decentralization, co-existing with a tightening of the instruments of European and central/federal-level steering and a narrowing of substantive outcomes in terms of regional public policy. This process has been strengthened by the economic crisis since 2008. Collectively, the articles in this special issue thereby introduce new ways of studying multilevel governance by focusin...
This article introduces this special section focussing on the variety of indexes of decentralizat... more This article introduces this special section focussing on the variety of indexes of decentralization. The first section reviews and compares a dataset consisting of 25 decentralization indexes according to a series of items, namely: the definition of territorial autonomy, the kind of units of analysis, the number of cases, the nature of variables, the timescale, the measurement frequency, the scoring, the sources, the validity and reliability assessment and the transparency of the data production process. The second section concludes by stating that the Regional Authority Index and the Local Autonomy Index are the rankings which best comply with these quality standards. These two indexes are introduced along with the Territorial Political Capacity framework. While the former can be considered as the current international standards in the field of decentralization indexes, the latter proposes alternative ways to understand decentralization through using mixed methods.
Please note: Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting an... more Please note: Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page numbers may not be reflected in this version. For the definitive version of this publication, please refer to the published source. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite this paper.
The analysis of local provision involves the study of both local government and local governance.... more The analysis of local provision involves the study of both local government and local governance. Both are a key element of social policy formation and provision. Local government structures are subject to constant reorganisation and there is continuous tension between central and local concerns. The development of local governance is best considered in terms of four main phases, the latest involving the introduction of new partnership systems and pressures for civic renewal and engagement. These are presenting new challenges and questions about the configuration of local governance
Cit a tio n fo r fin al p u blis h e d ve r sio n: Col e, Alist ai r , H a r g ui n d e g uy, Je ... more Cit a tio n fo r fin al p u blis h e d ve r sio n: Col e, Alist ai r , H a r g ui n d e g uy, Je a n-B a p tis t e P a ul, P a s q ui er, Ro m ai n, S t affo r d, I a n a n d D e Vis s c h er, C h ri s ti a n 2 0 2 1. Tow a r d s a t e r ri t o ri al p olitic al c a p a ci ty a p p r o a c h fo r s t u dyi n g E u r o p e a n r e gio n s. R e gio n al a n d F e d e r al S t u di e s 3 1 (2) ,
Securitizing COVID-19 in an Environment of Low Political Trust
Asian Survey
Securitization was a common practice of governments during the first phases of the COVID-19 outbr... more Securitization was a common practice of governments during the first phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. To successfully securitize a pandemic, a government has to convince its citizens of the magnitude of the threat. Trusted governments should be able to do this more effectively than untrusted ones. Hong Kong, our case study, is unique because the government managed to control the pandemic in a context of extremely low political trust. This paper examines the extent to which trust in the government and smart technologies influenced the securitization and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. The results of this study suggest that under certain circumstances governments can successfully manage a health emergency even when they do not enjoy much political trust.
The importance of trust and transparency in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from sixteen EU member states
Journal of Contemporary European Studies
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union's (EU) member states operationalized dif... more During the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union's (EU) member states operationalized different methods to control the virus. By April 2022, the EU countries recorded considerably different COVID-19 related deaths. In this study, we investigate whether trust in government and in the medical staff, COVID-19 related transparency, and different mixes of these two, influenced the capacity of sixteen EU countries to manage the pandemic. To substantiate our inquiry, we utilize a modified version of the Trust-Transparency Matrix. Our study suggests that trust and transparency, in the context of the pandemic, operate as contextual variables of effective public management. The value of the trust-transparency framework is to elucidate general governance dynamics and to identify those that are the most pertinent in terms of the response to the pandemic.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities around the world securitized the virus and e... more In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities around the world securitized the virus and enforced unprecedented tactics. A successful securitization presupposes a common understanding between the authorities and the public about the calibre of the threat and the necessity of the extraordinary measures. A trustworthy government should securitize an issue of its preference easier than an untrustworthy government. Hong Kong, our case study, is unique because of the government’s success with securitizing the pandemic in a context of extremely low political trust. Among the exceptional mechanisms that the government of Hong Kong utilized to control the outbreak were smart technologies. This paper examines the extent to which trust in the government and trust in smart technologies influenced the success of the securitization of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. To answer this question, we build on publicly available surveys assessing political trust in Hong Kong, on tailormade qu...
As in other countries, the Spanish upper chamber is facing harsh criticisms. It has failed to ful... more As in other countries, the Spanish upper chamber is facing harsh criticisms. It has failed to fulfil its constitutional task as a chamber of territorial representation. Notwithstanding a number of proposed reforms, the Senado has remained almost unchanged since its creation in 1978. So why is it so difficult to restructure this chamber? This research aims to explain the impasse of the reform of the Senate through evaluating three approaches. After stressing the qualities and defects of the legal inheritance and party bargaining frameworks, this paper argues that the jointdecision trap perspective can help to understand the twofold dynamic of institutional obstruction and incremental change that has affected the Spanish Senate for the last 20 years.
The article consists in an in-depth interpretative study of Smart City in the case of the Special... more The article consists in an in-depth interpretative study of Smart City in the case of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China. It proposes a framework of analysis as a heuristic tool to interpret narratives in general and those of Smart City Hong Kong in particular. The capacity of a narrative to confer meaning draws upon three criteria: its originality (degree of endogeneity); its sincerity (internal validity and trustworthiness), and its extension (its ability to provide a convincing account to the outside world for social phenomena). They are also affected by the form of diffusion and communication. Four types of account emerged from our empirical investigation: survey responses; written responses from official agencies; face to face interviews; and collective interviews in focus groups. By reconstituting chains of meaning in relation to the Smart City, the article interrogates the utility of technology, sustainability and e-governance narratives for public administration. Taken as a whole, Smart City appears as a rather hollow narrative, an empty signifier, a general term lacking clear meaning.
The 'Smart City' between urban narrative and empty signifier: the case of Hong Kong
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Dec 8, 2022
The chapter consists in an in-depth interpretative study of Smart City in the case of the Special... more The chapter consists in an in-depth interpretative study of Smart City in the case of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China. It proposes a framework of analysis as a heuristic tool to interpret narratives in general and those of Smart City Hong Kong in particular. The capacity of a narrative to confer meaning draws upon three criteria: its originality (degree of endogeneity); its sincerity (internal validity and trustworthiness), and its extension (its ability to provide a convincing account to the outside world). These three criteria are central to the proposed interpretative framework. They are also affected by the form of diffusion and communication. Four types of account emerged from the empirical investigation: survey responses (n.808); written responses from official agencies; face to face interviews; and collective interviews in focus groups. The substantive message conveyed differed as much by the form, as by the interest of the interviewees. By reconstituting chains of meaning in relation to the Smart City, the article interrogates the utility of technology, sustainability and e-governance as working narratives for an uncertain administration. Overall, Smart City appears as a rather hollow narrative, an empty signifier, a general term lacking clear meaning, yet concealing deeper dynamics.
Rarely has scientific research been as solicited as in the past two years, as societies struggle ... more Rarely has scientific research been as solicited as in the past two years, as societies struggle to cope with the coronavirus [...]
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