What is the Use of a Human Right to Development? Legal Pluralism, ‘Participation’, and a Tentative Rehabilitation

The human right to development divides academic thought. On the one hand, it is mistrusted as an apology for human rights (and other) abuses. On the other, it remains a central pillar of the UN‐led campaign against poverty. Building on the concept of the right to participate in development framed in the UN General Assembly Declaration of 1986, this article seeks to show that there is some scope for the rehabilitation of that right. It demonstrates how the development discourse has tended to exclude minority and subaltern groups. Drawing on the insights of legal pluralism, it then outlines ways in which, for example, indigenous communities have reasserted some control over the development process, before suggesting how this could lay the basis for the wider rehabilitation of the idea of a human right to development.     

Personality traits of municipal politicians and staff

Abstract: Conflict between elected officials and civil servants is not an uncommon occurrence at the city level and it may at times paralyze the organization. The purpose of this article is to determine whether certain basic personality traits among municipal politicians and public servants could explain why the two groups have differing perspectives and why they may at times have difficulty working together. While they can be a source of considerable tension, these differing traits can also be seen as complementary, in which case they might enhance the organization's performance. Sommaire: Les conflits entre les responsables élus et les fonctionnaires ne sont pas quelque chose de rare à l'échelle des villes et ils peuvent parfois paralyser l'organisme. L'objet du présent article est de déterminer si certains traits de personnalité chez les responsables politiques municipaux et les fonctionnaires pourraient expliquer pourquoi les deux groupes ont des perspectives différentes et pourquoi ils peuvent parfois avoir des difficultés à collaborer. Alors qu'ils peuvent être une source de tension considérable, ces différents traits de personnalité peuvent aussi être considérés comme complémentaires et, dans ce cas, ils pourraient renforcer la performance de l'organisme.     

Intergovernmental Lobbying for the Passage of TEA-21

This article explains the role of the IGR lobby in the passageof TEA-21 and the nature of the coalitions and partnershipsformed by groups within the IGR lobby to accomplish their policygoals. The data for the study are divided into three realms.The first identifies the priorities of groups within the IGRlobby and the types of coalitions that groups entered into.These data were gathered through examinations of IGR lobby testimonybefore congressional committees, interviews with organizationaland congressional staff members, and from secondary sourcessuch as the official publications and websites of IGR lobbyorganizations. The second part seeks to gain a more preciseunderstanding of how state and local officials use non-PIG coalitionsand groups to press for their policy objectives by surveyingselected state and local government officials. Finally, thesurvey assesses the impact that IGR lobbying had on TEA-21.     

Promise and Performance: An Evaluation of Journals in International Relations

What kind of international relations research gets published in the field's most recognized journals? Who are its authors? This study investigates the subject matter, methodology, and origin of recent research published in top international relations journals, building on earlier work that has investigated the contents of journals. This study investigates the contents of three international relations journals— International Studies Quarterly , International Organization , and World Politics — which have been consistently ranked as the top three journals in international relations. Data are for the ten most recent completed volume years, 1995–2004. This study finds that international relations scholarship in these three journals focuses on a relatively narrow range of subjects and is produced by a rather homogeneous group of scholars.