DOCSLIB.ORG

The Political Economy of Neoliberal Resilience

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Political Economy of Neoliberal Resilience THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF NEOLIBERAL RESILIENCE Developmental regimes in Latin America and Eastern Europe Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität zu Köln 2015 vorgelegt von M.A. Aldo Madariaga Espinoza aus Valparaíso (Chile) Referent: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Wolfgang Streeck Korreferent 1: Prof. Dr. Jens Beckert Korreferent 2: Prof. Dr. Béla Greskovits Tag der Promotion: 29.06.2015 Table of Contents List of tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of figures ................................................................................................................... ix Acronyms and abbreviations ......................................................................................... xii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ xiv INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 I. Background ............................................................................................................ 2 a) Empirical puzzle .................................................................................................. 2 b) State of the art ...................................................................................................... 5 c) Theoretical foundations and scope ...................................................................... 9 II. Aims, research questions and contributions .................................................. 12 III. Methodology ..................................................................................................... 16 a) Research design ................................................................................................. 16 b) Research methods .............................................................................................. 17 c) Case selection .................................................................................................... 19 d) Operationalization: indicators, measurement and data management ................. 21 IV. Outline ............................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................... 27 INTERESTS, INSTITUTIONS, AND THE STUDY OF NEOLIBERAL RESILIENCE ................................................................................................................. 27 I. Developmental regimes and dominant social blocs .......................................... 28 a) Actors ................................................................................................................. 32 b) Policies ............................................................................................................... 35 c) Preferences ......................................................................................................... 39 d) Context ............................................................................................................... 43 II. Turning points .................................................................................................. 44 a) Economic turning points: the effects of markets on politics ............................. 45 b) Political turning points: the effects of politics on markets ................................ 47 III. Institutions ........................................................................................................ 49 ii a) Political institutions and policy formation ......................................................... 49 b) Policies as resilient institutions .......................................................................... 50 c) Mechanisms of institutional resilience............................................................... 53 IV. Summary ........................................................................................................... 59 SECTION I NEOLIBERAL DEVELOPMENTAL REGIMES AND DOMINANT SOCIAL BLOCS ............................................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 2 NEOLIBERALISM IN THE SOUTH, ACT 1: AUTHORITARIANISM ................................................................................................ 64 I. Reform: The marriage of markets and guns .................................................... 65 a) The ascendance of the neoliberals ..................................................................... 69 b) Diverse societal support for neoliberalism ........................................................ 72 II. Aftermath: Financial collapse, debt crisis and the “lost decade” ................ 77 a) Neoliberal power blocs during the debt crisis ................................................... 79 b) Old wine in new bottles? the faith of the first neoliberal experiment ................ 81 III. Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 87 CHAPTER 3 NEOLIBERALISM IN THE SOUTH, ACT 2: DEMOCRATIZATION/ DEMOCRACY .................................................................... 89 I. Consolidation: the neoliberal tide at both side of the Andes ........................... 91 a) Chile: center-left governments without a business base .................................... 94 b) Argentina 1: a renewed neoliberal experiment ................................................ 100 c) Argentina 2: sustaining neoliberalism through rough waters .......................... 107 II. Legacies: the “turn to the left” and the future of neoliberalism in Latin America ...................................................................................................................... 111 a) Argentina: the dramatic downfall of a neoliberal poster child ........................ 113 b) Chile: the perils of lacking a business base ..................................................... 117 III. Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 120 CHAPTER 4 NEOLIBERALISM IN THE EAST, ACT 1: TRANSITION ........... 123 I. Reform: The dissolution of communism through shock therapy ................. 125 a) “No time for a third way”… the ascendance of the neoliberals ...................... 126 b) Neoliberal policy regimes in Eastern Europe .................................................. 128 II. Aftermath: unfolding the umbrella over neoliberal reforms? ................... 130 a) Extraordinary politics in Poland: the gradual unfolding of the umbrella ........ 131 b) Extraordinary politics in Estonia: connecting neoliberalism and nationalism. 136 iii c) Normal politics in Estonia: strengthening neoliberalism ................................. 139 d) Normal politics in Poland: seeking alternatives .............................................. 146 III. Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 155 CHAPTER 5 NEOLIBERALISM IN THE EAST, ACT 2: EUROPEANIZATION ........................................................................................................................................ 157 I. Consolidation: Europeanization and transnationalization ............................ 158 a) Estonia: Consolidating neoliberalism .............................................................. 160 b) Poland: in the search for a dominant social bloc … ........................................ 167 II. Legacies: Crisis in the center and the future of neoliberalism in the East 177 III. Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 182 SECTION II MECHANISMS OF NEOLIBERAL RESILIENCE ......................... 185 CHAPTER 6 CREATION OF SUPPORTERS ......................................................... 187 I. With a little help of my friends… creating supporters for neoliberalism .... 189 a) Chile: stabilizing a pragmatic coalition ........................................................... 189 b) Estonia: the building blocks of neoliberal capitalism ...................................... 200 II. When love is not enough… ............................................................................ 210 a) Argentina: between state retrenchment and coalition building........................ 210 b) Poland: sustaining state-ownership in the era of transnationalization ............. 218 III. Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 225 CHAPTER 7 OPPOSITION BLOCKADE ................................................................ 229 I. Chile and Estonia: restricting participation in the polity and the workplace 230 a) Chile 1: Shrinking the left ................................................................................ 230 b) Estonia 1: Disenfranchising ethnic minorities ................................................. 236 c) Chile 2: Farewell to the labor movement ......................................................... 245 d) Estonia 2: Labor, the actor that never was… ................................................... 248 II. Argentina and Poland: the perils of incorporation under democratic rule 250 a) Argentina: opposition blockade through delegative
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Seventy-Ninth Annual Pulaski Day Parade Sunday, October 2, 2016 Fifth Avenue, New York City
    Preliminary LONG version As of 10/1/16 SEVENTY-NINTH ANNUAL PULASKI DAY PARADE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY MARCH 4, OCTOBER 11, 1745 1779 2016 PULASKI PARADE GRAND MARSHAL HON. DR. DONNA KOCH-KAPTURSKI Specializes in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine in Garfield, NJ. HONORARY MARSHALS ANNA MARIA ANDERS DAUGHTER OF GENERAL WLADYSLAW ANDERS POLISH SENATOR AND PROCURATOR OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE STANISLAW KARCZEWSKI MARSHAL OF THE SENATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND BILL SHIBILSKI RADIO HOST, BROADCASTER AND PAST MC OF THE PULASKI DAY PARADE PRESIDENT RICHARD ZAWISNY GENERAL PULASKI MEMORIAL PARADE COMMITTEE, INC. Page 1 of 57 Preliminary LONG version As of 10/1/16 ASSEMBLY STREETS 39A 6TH 5TH AVE. AVE. M A 38 FLOATS 21-30 38C FLOATS 11-20 38B 38A FLOATS 1 - 10 D I S O N 37 37C 37B 37A A V E 36 36C 36B 36A 6TH 5TH AVE. AVE. Page 2 of 57 Preliminary LONG version As of 10/1/16 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE THE 79TH ANNUAL PULASKI DAY PARADE COMMEMORATING THE SACRIFICE OF OUR HERO, GENERAL CASIMIR PULASKI, FATHER OF THE AMERICAN CAVALRY, IN THE WAR OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE BEGINS ON FIFTH AVENUE AT 12:30 PM ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016. THIS YEAR WE ARE CELEBRATING “POLISH- AMERICAN YOUTH, IN HONOR OF WORLD YOUTH DAY, KRAKOW, POLAND” IN 2016. THE ‘GREATEST MANIFESTATION OF POLISH PRIDE IN AMERICA’ THE PULASKI PARADE, WILL BE LED BY THE HONORABLE DR. DONNA KOCH- KAPTURSKI, A PROMINENT PHYSICIAN FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.
    [Show full text]
  • On Opposition Presidential Candidate's Economic Program John Neagle
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository NotiSur Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) 8-31-1989 Chile: On Opposition Presidential Candidate's Economic Program John Neagle Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/notisur Recommended Citation Neagle, John. "Chile: On Opposition Presidential Candidate's Economic Program." (1989). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ notisur/3466 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NotiSur by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LADB Article Id: 072193 ISSN: 1060-4189 Chile: On Opposition Presidential Candidate's Economic Program by John Neagle Category/Department: General Published: Thursday, August 31, 1989 Supporters of Patricio Aylwin, presidential candidate of the 17-party opposition coalition in the Dec. 14 elections, are reassuring businesspersons that the last thing they plan to do is reverse the economic progress fostered by the "free market" policies of Gen. Augusto Pinochet's government. Alejandro Foxley, 50, heads Aylwin's economic team, and is expected to become Finance Minister if the opposition candidate wins. He received a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin, is president of an economic research institute in Santiago, and holds an endowed chair in economics at the University of Notre Dame. Foxley was cited by the New York Times as saying that an Aylwin economic team would produce change with stability, and would not seek to modify prevailing economic rules. He said, "Democracy cannot totally frustrate the aspirations and hopes of people.
    [Show full text]
  • CRITICAL THEORY and AUTHORITARIAN POPULISM Critical Theory and Authoritarian Populism
    CDSMS EDITED BY JEREMIAH MORELOCK CRITICAL THEORY AND AUTHORITARIAN POPULISM Critical Theory and Authoritarian Populism edited by Jeremiah Morelock Critical, Digital and Social Media Studies Series Editor: Christian Fuchs The peer-reviewed book series edited by Christian Fuchs publishes books that critically study the role of the internet and digital and social media in society. Titles analyse how power structures, digital capitalism, ideology and social struggles shape and are shaped by digital and social media. They use and develop critical theory discussing the political relevance and implications of studied topics. The series is a theoretical forum for in- ternet and social media research for books using methods and theories that challenge digital positivism; it also seeks to explore digital media ethics grounded in critical social theories and philosophy. Editorial Board Thomas Allmer, Mark Andrejevic, Miriyam Aouragh, Charles Brown, Eran Fisher, Peter Goodwin, Jonathan Hardy, Kylie Jarrett, Anastasia Kavada, Maria Michalis, Stefania Milan, Vincent Mosco, Jack Qiu, Jernej Amon Prodnik, Marisol Sandoval, Se- bastian Sevignani, Pieter Verdegem Published Critical Theory of Communication: New Readings of Lukács, Adorno, Marcuse, Honneth and Habermas in the Age of the Internet Christian Fuchs https://doi.org/10.16997/book1 Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism: An Introduction to Cognitive Materialism Mariano Zukerfeld https://doi.org/10.16997/book3 Politicizing Digital Space: Theory, the Internet, and Renewing Democracy Trevor Garrison Smith https://doi.org/10.16997/book5 Capital, State, Empire: The New American Way of Digital Warfare Scott Timcke https://doi.org/10.16997/book6 The Spectacle 2.0: Reading Debord in the Context of Digital Capitalism Edited by Marco Briziarelli and Emiliana Armano https://doi.org/10.16997/book11 The Big Data Agenda: Data Ethics and Critical Data Studies Annika Richterich https://doi.org/10.16997/book14 Social Capital Online: Alienation and Accumulation Kane X.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Economy in Macroeconomics I Allan Drazen
    account libcralization as a signal of commitmcnt to economic reform. Wc also summarizc thc empirical rcscarch on political determinants of capital Political Economy in controls. Another major issue in open-economy macroeconomics is sovereign Macroeconomics debt, that is, the debt owed by a government to foreign creditors. hsucs of sovereign debt arc substantially different than those concerning nonsovereign debt and arc inherently political. For example, since it is oWed by the government, repayment decisions are not connectcd with any question of the ability to repay. With few exceptions, a borrower country has the technical ability to repay the debt, so that non-repayment is a ALLAN DRAZEN political issue. In Section 12.8, we analyze basic models of sovereign ,c,, borrowing and its repayment, especially the role of penalties in enforcing repayment. We also consider the importance of political versus nonpoliti­ cal penalties in the decision of whether to issue debt at home or abroad. Copyright © 2000 by Princeton University Press The final topic considered is foreign assistance, especially lending by Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, governments and international financial organizations to developing coun­ Princeton, New Jersey 08540 tries for the purpose of structural adjustment. Our point of departure is In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, the strikingly disappointing results that foreign aid programs have had in Chichester, West Sussex alleviating poverty and stimulating growth in the recipient countries, a All Rights Resm;ed failure that we argue reflects the political nature of aid. Foreign assistance is inherently political for a number of reasons. First, the incentives of the donors may be political, not only in the obvious sense that aid is often given for strategic political reasons, but also because the nature of aid (and Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data especially its ineffectiveness) often reflects political and bureaucratic con­ flicts within the donor organizations.
    [Show full text]
  • Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Legislation, Implementation and Sustainability
    Department of Political and Social Sciences Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Legislation, Implementation and Sustainability Igor Guardiancich Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of Political and Social Sciences of the European University Institute Florence, October 2009 EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE Department of Political and Social Sciences Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Legislation, Implementation and Sustainability Igor Guardiancich Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of Political and Social Sciences of the European University Institute Examining Board: Prof. Martin Rhodes, University of Denver/formerly EUI (Supervisor) Prof. Nicholas Barr, London School of Economics Prof. Martin Kohli, European University Institute Prof. Tine Stanovnik, Univerza v Ljubljani © 2009, Igor Guardiancich No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author Guardiancich, Igor (2009), Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Legislation, implementation and sustainability European University Institute DOI: 10.2870/1700 Guardiancich, Igor (2009), Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Legislation, implementation and sustainability European University Institute DOI: 10.2870/1700 Acknowledgments No PhD dissertation is a truly individual endeavour and this one is no exception to the rule. Rather it is a collective effort that I managed with the help of a number of people, mostly connected with the EUI community, to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude. In particular, I would like to thank all my interviewees, my supervisors Prof. Martin Rhodes and Prof. Martin Kohli, as well as Prof. Tine Stanovnik for continuing intellectual support and invaluable input to the thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Macroeconomic Vulnerability in Central Europe
    ab0cd Assessing macroeconomic vulnerability in central Europe by Libor Krkoska Abstract The central European transition-accession countries experienced several periods of macroeconomic vulnerability since the end of output declines in early 1990s. Some notable periods, which resulted in a necessity to implement extensive stabilisation measures, are March 1995 in Hungary, May 1997 in the Czech Republic, and September 1998 in the Slovak Republic. This paper shows that the standard early warning indicators provided useful information on macroeconomic vulnerability prior to the crises in central Europe, although this information had been mainly indicative; that is, early warning indicators would not have allowed one to predict the crises and their timing. In particular, the growing gap between current account deficit and foreign direct investment (FDI) in all the analysed countries provided clear early warning of subsequent economic turbulence. JEL classification: F30, O57, P27. Keywords: Macroeconomic vulnerability, currency crisis, early warning. Address for correspondence: Office of the Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2JN, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 20 7338 6710; Fax: +44 20 7338 6110; e-mail: [email protected] I would like to thank Nevila Konica and Peter Sanfey for many helpful comments. Numerous discussions with Julian Exeter on early warning systems for transition economies are gratefully acknowledged. The author is an Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The working paper series has been produced to stimulate debate on the economic transformation of central and eastern Europe and the CIS. Views presented are those of the authors and not necessarily of the EBRD.
    [Show full text]
  • A WILPF Guide to Feminist Political Economy
    A WILPF GUIDE TO FEMINIST POLITICAL ECONOMY Brief for WILPF members Table of Contents Advancing WILPF’s approach to peace . 2 Political economy as a tool . 4 A feminist twist to understanding political economy . 4 Feminist political economy in the context of neoliberal policies . 5 Gendered economy of investments . 7 Feminist political economy analysis - How does WILPF do it? . 9 What questions do we need to ask? . 10 Case study . 12 © 2018 Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom August 2018 A User Guide to Feminist Political Economy 2nd Edition 13 pp. Authors: Nela Porobic Isakovic Editors: Nela Porobic Isakovic, Nina Maria Hansen, Cover photo Madeleine Rees, Gorana Mlinarevic Brick wall painting of faces by Design: Nadia Joubert Oliver Cole (@oliver_photographer) www.wilpf.org on Unsplash.com 1 Advancing WILPF’s approach to peace HOW CAN FEMINIST UNDERSTANDING OF POLITICAL ECONOMY IN CONFLICT OR POST-CONFLICT CONTEXT HELP ADVANCE WILPF’S APPROACH TO PEACE? Political economy makes explicit linkages between political, economic and social factors. It is concerned with how politics can influence the economy. It looks at the access to, and distribution of wealth and power in order to understand why, by whom, and for whom certain decisions are taken, and how they affect societies – politically, economically and socially. It combines different sets of academic disciplines, most notably political science, economy and sociology, but also law, history and other disciplines. By using feminist political economy, WILPF seeks to understand the broader context of war and post-conflict recovery, and to deconstruct seemingly fixed and unchangeable economic, social, and political parameters.
    [Show full text]
  • Database on Forest Disturbances in Europe (DFDE)- Technical Report History, State of the Art, and Future Perspectives
    Database on Forest Disturbances in Europe (DFDE)- Technical report History, State of the Art, and Future Perspectives Marco Patacca, Mart-Jan Schelhaas, 2020 Sergey Zudin, Marcus Lindner Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 2 1. Historical Framework – The need for update ................................................................................. 3 2. Definitions ....................................................................................................................................... 4 3. The New Database .......................................................................................................................... 6 Database Outline ................................................................................................................................ 6 Technical implementation .................................................................................................................. 6 4. Guidelines for data preparation and uploading .............................................................................. 7 Data Structure & Preparation ............................................................................................................. 8 Data Uploading ................................................................................................................................. 10 Data Uploading Examples ............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Pride and Prejudice : Lesbian Families in Contemporary Sweden
    Pride and Prejudice Lesbian Families in Contemporary Sweden Anna Malmquist Linköping Studies in Arts and Science No. 642 Linköping Studies in Behavioural Science No. 191 Linköping University Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning Linköping 2015 Linköping Studies in Arts and Science No. 642 Linköping Studies in Behavioural Science No. 191 At the Faculty of Arts and Science at Linköping University, research and doctoral studies are carried out within broad problem areas. Research is organized in interdisciplinary research environments and doctoral studies mainly in graduate schools. Jointly, they publish the series Linköping Studies in Arts and Science. This thesis comes from the Division of Psychology at the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning. Distributed by: Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning Linköping University SE - 581 83 Linköping Anna Malmquist Pride and Prejudice: Lesbian Families in Contemporary Sweden Cover painting: Kristin Winander Upplaga 1:1 ISBN 978-91-7519-087-7 ISSN 0282-9800 ISSN 1654-2029 ©Anna Malmquist Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, 2015 Printed by: LiU-tryck, Linköping 2015 To my children, Emil, Nils, Myran and Tove Färgen på barns ögon kommer från arvet, glittret i barns ögon kommer från miljön. The colour of children’s eyes comes from nature, the sparkle in children’s eyes comes from nurture. Abstract Options and possibilities for lesbian parents have changed fundamentally since the turn of the millennium. A legal change in 2003 enabled a same-sex couple to share legal parenthood of the same child. An additional legal change, in 2005, gave lesbian couples access to fertility treatment within public healthcare in Sweden.
    [Show full text]
  • ESS9 Appendix A3 Political Parties Ed
    APPENDIX A3 POLITICAL PARTIES, ESS9 - 2018 ed. 3.0 Austria 2 Belgium 4 Bulgaria 7 Croatia 8 Cyprus 10 Czechia 12 Denmark 14 Estonia 15 Finland 17 France 19 Germany 20 Hungary 21 Iceland 23 Ireland 25 Italy 26 Latvia 28 Lithuania 31 Montenegro 34 Netherlands 36 Norway 38 Poland 40 Portugal 44 Serbia 47 Slovakia 52 Slovenia 53 Spain 54 Sweden 57 Switzerland 58 United Kingdom 61 Version Notes, ESS9 Appendix A3 POLITICAL PARTIES ESS9 edition 3.0 (published 10.12.20): Changes from previous edition: Additional countries: Denmark, Iceland. ESS9 edition 2.0 (published 15.06.20): Changes from previous edition: Additional countries: Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden. Austria 1. Political parties Language used in data file: German Year of last election: 2017 Official party names, English 1. Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ) - Social Democratic Party of Austria - 26.9 % names/translation, and size in last 2. Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP) - Austrian People's Party - 31.5 % election: 3. Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) - Freedom Party of Austria - 26.0 % 4. Liste Peter Pilz (PILZ) - PILZ - 4.4 % 5. Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Grüne) - The Greens – The Green Alternative - 3.8 % 6. Kommunistische Partei Österreichs (KPÖ) - Communist Party of Austria - 0.8 % 7. NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum (NEOS) - NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum - 5.3 % 8. G!LT - Verein zur Förderung der Offenen Demokratie (GILT) - My Vote Counts! - 1.0 % Description of political parties listed 1. The Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, or SPÖ) is a social above democratic/center-left political party that was founded in 1888 as the Social Democratic Worker's Party (Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei, or SDAP), when Victor Adler managed to unite the various opposing factions.
    [Show full text]
  • EU-27 Watch No 8
    EU-27 WATCH No. 8 ISSN 1610-6458 Issued in March 2009 Edited by the Institute for European Politics (IEP), Berlin in collaboration with the Austrian Institute of International Affairs, Vienna Institute for International Relations, Zagreb Bulgarian European Community Studies Association, Institute for World Economics of the Hungarian Sofia Academy of Sciences, Budapest Center for European Studies / Middle East Technical Institute for Strategic and International Studies, University, Ankara Lisbon Centre européen de Sciences Po, Paris Institute of International and European Affairs, Centre d’étude de la vie politique, Université libre de Dublin Bruxelles Institute of International Relations, Prague Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Européennes Institute of International Relations and Political Robert Schuman, Luxembourg Science, Vilnius University Centre of International Relations, Ljubljana Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome Cyprus Institute for Mediterranean, European and Latvian Institute of International Affairs, International Studies, Nicosia Riga Danish Institute for International Studies, Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, Copenhagen University of Malta Elcano Royal Institute and UNED University, Madrid Netherlands Institute of International Relations European Institute of Romania, Bucharest ‘Clingendael’, The Hague Federal Trust for Education and Research, London Slovak Foreign Policy Association, Bratislava Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Helsinki Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Foundation
    [Show full text]
  • Case Study: “We Don´T Want Islam in Czech Republic”
    Case Study: We Don´t Want Islam in Czech Republic Jaroslav Valuch May 2018 Summary Martin Konvicka, co-founder and leader of the “We Don't Want Islam in Czech Republic” initiative (Islám v České republice nechceme – IVCRN) and one of its derivative movements, “Bloc Against Islam,” is currently under police investigation and awaiting trial for inciting hatred via comments on the Facebook page of the initiative. Inciting hatred against a group of persons or restricting their rights is a criminal offence according to the Czech legal code. This initiative started in 2009 as a very successful Facebook page community (the page had up to 160,000 followers in January 2016 before it was blocked by Facebook). It then morphed into a political movement with aspirations to gain representation in the Senate and parliament. At the height of his public political career, Konvicka and Bloc Against Islam received the endorsement of the President of the Czech Republic, who publicly supported the initiative by delivering a speech on their stage on November 17th 2015, the National Day of Fighting for Freedom and Democracy (anniversary of 1989 Velvet revolution). Konvicka decided to run in the Senate election in October 2016 with his new initiative called Alternative for Czech Republic (directly inspired by the German Alternative fur Deutschland). His run ended in failure, and he finished second from the bottom. Dangerous Speech Framework Analysis Social and Historical Context Since the rise of violent right-wing extremism after the Czech Velvet Revolution in 1989, measures to counter extremism (such as the training of security forces and the adoption of extremism and hate crime legislation) have been gradually implemented.1 The threat has received serious attention from even the highest political figures.
    [Show full text]