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(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2024 8(3), 1143-1154 | European Forum Insight of 16 January 2024 | (Table of Contents) I. Introduction. - II. The advent of Putinism in Europe: illiberalism in Hungary and Poland. - III. Diverging approaches to the invasion of Ukraine. - IV. Challenges and opportunities: discovering the EU’s militant democracy potential?. - V. Conclusion. | (Abstract) In the past decade, Hungary and Poland have experienced a process of rule of law backsliding that threatens the state of democracy at home, and affects the decision making and legitimacy of the European Union as a whole. In the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the response of Hungary and Poland has been diametrically opposed, but equally damaging to the EU rule of law. The present Insight will analyse the response of these two member states to the Russian invasion, and it will argue that the war has highlighted major pitfalls in the EU’s policy toward backsliding governments, which continue to benefit from funds and veto powers, undermining the EU’s effectiveness in the process. However, a renewed fight for democracy in Europe could offer the perfect opportunity to be tough on autocrats inside and outside the Union.

This paper will attempt to reconstruct and understand the relationship between crisis, social development, legal order, and political decision-making as they have come to be intertwined in modern industrial society. Particular attention will be paid to the theme of "permanent crisis" and the problems of the "motorization of law," legal constructions, technical and scientific power in relation to processes of political legitimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2023 8(1), 9-16 | European Forum Insight of 11 April 2023 | (Table of Contents) I. Introduction. - II. Electoral Reform. - II.1. Comment. - II.2. Proposed amendments. - III. Ordinary Revision Procedure. - III.1. Comment. - III.2. Proposed amendments. - IV. The General Passerelle Clause. - IV.1. Comment. - IV.2. Proposed amendments. - V. Affiliate Membership. - V.1. Comment. - V.2. Proposed new clause. - VI. Shifting Competences. - VI.1. Comment. - VI.2. Proposed amendment. | (Abstract) If there is not to be a Convention to revise the Treaty of Lisbon, here is a proposal to amend some key articles in order to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the EU, to make its decision making more agile, and to enhance its capacity to act.

The main objective of the paper is to address and explore a much-debated issue within the evaluation community: the idea of "democratic evaluation". What exactly is meant by this term? When can an evaluation be said to be democratic? Through the adoption of what behaviours should this ideal translate into concrete working practice? The essay aims to contribute to broadening the community's debate on these questions, which are central at a historical-political moment such as the post-emergence from Covid-19 and in the midst of an international crisis, that between Russia and Ukraine, which calls democratic evaluation into question in our country. On a general level, in fact, the situation of uncertainty due to the unpredictable effects of the pandemic, the social and economic crisis in the country and the consequent growing distrust of the citizens towards the administration seem to have increased the demand for accountability, leading to talk, as in the rest of Europe as well, of a "democratic deficit". On the other hand, recent administrative re-centralization, even assisted by current evaluative practices, only aggravates the inefficiency of public administration. Accountability, freedom and democracy are never given, they need to be defended, always regained: evaluation assumes a strategic role to this end; it can help bring citizens closer to public administration. The crisis between Russia and Ukraine is changing geopolitical balances; the effects of the war economy, inflation, the energy crisis, and the possible escalation of the conflict add to the uncertain situation due to the pandemic. New inequalities and an increase in poverty threaten to generate deep rifts in the country's socioeconomic fabric. Systemic shocks add to chronic problems: a demographic collapse, stagnation, job insecurity, and a lag in digitization. At the same time, the political system fails to represent and stabilize consensus over time. Governments also suffer from this instability, with the inability to design and implement structural reforms for the country, including that of the bureaucracy. Social complexity, chronic problems and systemic shocks, require the ability to apply effective public policies. State intervention and the ability of the bureaucracy to be efficient and responsive to social change are central issues for the health of democracy. Public policies move within a framework of very high complexity, in which the role of evaluation emerges, which should tend to the development of democratic accountability, illuminating decision-making choices through its methodological rigor, analytical capacity and scientific knowledge. The essay thus aims to address the potential of a democratic evaluation that can broaden the number of stakeholders, the field of values that are taken into account, the repertoire of research methods, the field of interest of policies, and the very definition of the objects of evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TECHNE: Journal of Technology for Architecture & Environment is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper elaborates the results of a research conducted on the use of the Development Contract by companies, an instrument that has become central to Italian industrial policy. What emerges is that the implementation of the contract tends to generate territorial differentiated networks of actors and interests. More specifically, the common thread concerns the role of individual companies in the formation and institutionalization of networks. The goal is to understand if and how the use of this tool has influenced the decision-making choices and competitive strategies of companies, triggering organizational modernization processes and facilitating development plans. Through the analysis of the investments made, it is therefore found that the Contract responds to three different functions, which in some cases are combined: an innovative function; a redistributive function, a containment function of industrial crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italian participation in the Multinational Force in Lebanon (Mnf) marked the first deployment of Italian soldiers outside the UN since the Second World War. The importance of the issue lies not only in the participation in the peacekeeping mission, but also in how and why Italy was invited to take part in it. The purpose of this paper is therefore to analyze the evolution of the events that led Italy to take part in the Mnf within the framework of her natural propensity towards the Mediterranean. Although a literature on Italian participation in the Mnf already exists, Italy's decision-making process can be analyzed in the light of new archival materials now available. Sandro Pertini's files of the Historical Archive of the Presidency of the Italian Republic and those of the Central Archive of the State of Rome, the Archives du ministère des Affaires Étrangères in Paris, the National Archives in London and the Margaret Thatcher Foundation Archive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we discuss Franzen's latest novel, Crossroads, by addressing its philosophical depth and investigating its value within the author's literary path. First, we intend to reconstruct the genealogical operation proposed by Franzen, highlighting the most relevant theoretical elements through a comparison with the categories of Macintyre's After Virtue. In the second section we focus on the various characteristics that define choice and decision-making in the novel, while outlining a model of analysis through which we can frame the question of choice within contemporary American literature. Finally, we outline the main forms of critical resistance identified by the author through an examination of recurring thematic choices in the writings as well as the recognition of specific stylistic approaches. By following this route, we hope to draw attention to the limits and contradictions that characterize the interaction between the individual and society and shed light on the challenges associated with conceptualizing the modern individual within authentic social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TECHNE: Journal of Technology for Architecture & Environment is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)