Responsive and Responsible? The Role of Parties in Twenty-First Century Politics

This article focuses on a particular aspect dear to theories of democracy in general and theories of representation in particular: the tension between responsiveness and responsibility affecting political parties in modern, liberal democracies. In doing so, it engages with Peter Mair’s intellectual passion for this topic, which he developed over the years and intensively worked on until his premature death in 2011. He argued that this tension became ever more apparent, putting the very functioning and legitimacy of democratic government under great pressure. This contribution goes back in time, to the very beginning of the modern state, and argues that already the nascent parties and party systems were affected by the tension between responsiveness and responsibility. It then offers a synopsis, organised in a series of ‘pictures’ or ‘frames’ of the historical parcours along which this tension has impacted on the development of political parties. The article also presents and summarises the collective effort undertaken by a number of scholars, coming together to honour Peter Mair’s work, to shed further theoretical and empirical light on this fundamental tension.     

Russian Direct Investment Abroad: History, Motives, Finance, Control and Planning

On the basis of questioning 22 Russian MNCs, the author analyses motives of their FDI as well as the financial, control and planning aspects of their foreign affiliates' functioning. Analysis is supported by historical and statistical background of Russian outward investment.     

Ulf Linderfalk: Understanding Jus Cogens in International Law and International Legal Discourse

Liverpool Law Review -