scholarly journals Assessing Cuba’s Early Re-peasantisation during the Special Period and beyond (1990-2008)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (02) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Elisa Botella
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Alternative Agriculture ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Special Period ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Food Imports

Cuban peasants had a significant role model in the past as they returned to the political agenda after the Revolution, and with particular emphasis during the Special Period, to confront the lack of food imports. The fall of Communism in the wider world forced Cuba to implement an alternative agriculture model that revolutionised production patterns and decentralised land structures and commercialisation. Did these changes create opportunities for small farmers during the 1990s and early 2000s? And if so, what kinds of opportunity were created? This article assesses the initial effects of re-peasantisation in terms of increasing small farmers’ incomes and significance in numbers, and their contribution to national food production (considering production and productivity levels), from 1990 to the end of Fidel Castro’s administration.

Past and present land reform in Cuba (1959–2020): from peasant collectivisation to re-peasantisation and beyond

Rural History ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Elisa Botella-Rodríguez ◽  
Ángel Luis González-Esteban
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Land Reforms ◽  
Global Era ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Past

Abstract Cuba is a paradigmatic case where the term and concept of the peasantry remains of lived importance. Cuban peasants had a significant role in the past as they did return to the political agenda after the Revolution with particular emphasis under Raul Castro’s administration. However, the Cuban case has not been significantly explored from a long-term perspective that connects the old debates and dimensions of land reforms under developmentalist states to the new agrarian questions in the global era. Based on secondary sources, semi-structured interviews and updated data on land structures, this article explores the long-term process of land reform in Cuba.

Europa 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winfried Böttcher
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State

In retrospect, the decade from 2010 to 2020 has provoked a crisis in human progress. In this book, the author proves this thesis using six occurrences, while also paying particular atten-tion to Europe’s role in relation to them: the refugee crisis the conflict in Ukraine Brexit the environment as a political issue nationalism the new coronavirus These six examples, which have had a staggering influence on the past decade, will also de-termine the political agenda in the coming decade. In view of this, the European Union has no future in its current state and thus needs to be reconceived.

scholarly journals Tábor v Letech jako „neexistující pseudokoncentrák“: analýza proměny letských narativů

2021 ◽  
pp. 76-103
Author(s):  
Tereza Vaňáčová ◽  
Vladimír Naxera
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Concentration Camp ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Specific Time ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Mass Graves ◽  
The Past

Interpreting and staging the past is an integral part of politics in its different forms. Selected historical events that are attached greater importance have often been contested politically. In the last two decades or so, clashes over the past have escalated in most consolidated democracies and have become more closely linked with other dimensions of political conflict. In the already consolidated Czech democracy, disputes have reopened over both the Communist regime and a much older past, with history fully entering the political agenda. These conflicts have been centred on both the historical subjects and fundamental points of collective memory, and on locations related to that memory and history. In a specific time and space, those places represent a certain tale, a certain interpretation of historical events, and at the same time allow for the development of other tales, often updated and in some cases politically contested. The forms and nature of the physical places of collective memory may vary. Firstly, these may be places “where bodies lie or have lain” – mass graves, destroyed communities or other places of collective suffering. This paper tackles this issue and analyses the narratives constructed by leading Czech politicians of the WWII Roma concentration camp in Lety. It presents the main arguments of the competing narratives and their changes throughout the post-Communist period.

Challenges and approaches to accelerating the uptake of conservation agriculture in Africa and Europe.

2022 ◽  
pp. 101-121
Author(s):  
Gottlieb Basch ◽  
Emilio J. González-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Adoption Rate ◽  
The Past ◽  
Policy Frameworks

Abstract Over the past few decades the concept of Conservation Agriculture (CA) has spread globally, and almost exponentially, with an adoption rate of around 10 M ha per year in the past few years. This uptake has, however, been experienced rather unequally throughout the different regions. Whereas in the Americas and Australia the share of cropland under CA is considerable, in Africa and Europe both the area under CA and its share of total cropland lag far behind. This chapter provides an overview of the most recent figures available on CA adoption for Africa and Europe, and identifies the major challenges faced by the spread and adoption of CA. Different reasons are identified for the lagging behind of these two continents as a result of huge contrasts between Africa and Europe in terms of agroecological conditions, infrastructure, education and agriculture. Other challenges, however, such as farmers' mindsets, missing or inadequate policy frameworks and institutional support, are common. Yet encouraging opportunities do exist, namely with regard to the political agenda that, if followed up subsequently, could result in concerted efforts towards the expansion of truly sustainable agriculture, including the concept of CA. To be successful in the two continents, however, approaches to mainstream CA need to be tailored to the different regions, and even locally.

Migration may be a priority in Sweden's 2018 election

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Housing Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
International Reputation ◽  
A Priority ◽  
Immigration And Asylum

Subject Sweden's migration policy. Significance Sweden's welcoming approach to migration has been replaced with more restrictive policies over the past year. Although this has led to a drastic fall in the number of new arrivals, immigration and asylum policies continue to dominate the political agenda. Impacts The slowdown of arrivals has temporarily turned the political focus from immigration to integration. Sweden will need to boost investment to alleviate the housing crisis exacerbated by the need to provide accommodation to refugees. Sweden is at risk of losing its international reputation as a migrant-friendly and compassionate society.

The reform of public water utilities: successful utility reform efforts as punctuated equilibria

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaas Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Window Of Opportunity ◽  
Punctuated Equilibria ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
The Past

The reform of public water utilities has received increasing attention over the past decade. In this paper, the reform paths of five public water utilities from five different developing countries are compared. This paper finds that for each case, an external event or crisis brought the issue of water services high on to the political agenda, leading to a window of opportunity in which relatively radical reforms could be implemented. However, as political support for continued reforms withered, performance improvements became difficult to sustain. Without continued political support, performance improvements can be followed by a relapse to poor performance.

scholarly journals Problems of Historical Memory in Polish–Ukrainian Relations

2021 ◽  
pp. 61-74
Author(s):  
A. Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Political Discourse ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
The Past ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Totalitarian Regimes

The dynamics of modern Polish–Ukrainian relations gives reason to speak not only about changes in the dialogue of the two countries but also about a partial change in its political agenda. In accordance with the position of the new Ukrainian administration, the historical reconciliation of Warsaw and Kiev may be achieved under observance of a number of conditions. First, the presence of negative and painful topics in the information field and the political discourse of both countries should be either excluded or drastically limited. Secondly, under any opportunity it is necessary to focus public attention on those points of the past that may be presented as a visible evidence of the convergence of Poland and Ukraine. The most convenient and advantageous theme in this situation is to combat the power of imperial and totalitarian regimes, personified mainly by Moscow. At the same time a “breakthrough” in bilateral relations declared by top political figures becomes rather ephemeral in the light of constant delays characterizing Warsaw attitude to the problem of “Ukrainian memorable places” and leaving Kiev with less desire to go to unilateral concessions.

scholarly journals Technocratic governors: a new style in the political space of the Russian Federation

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (49) ◽  
pp. 261-266
Author(s):  
Roman A. EVTEKHOV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Political System ◽  
Political Leadership ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Space ◽  
Political Roles ◽  
The Russian Federation

The paper deals with the problems of political style development in the Russian Federation governors' corps. There is few research on the issue of federal subjects heads' political style, which makes it necessary to consider it. The transformation of the democratic governing model in the 90's into a vertical one resulted in the change of the political roles and the participation of governors. In this regard, the modern style of political leadership of Russian governors was developing under the influence of some basic elements of the political system. The article highlights the main characteristic elements under the influence of which the political style of governorship is formed, in particular, institutionalization, professionalization, the significant role of informal ties, the formal responsibility to the population (voters), the lack of opportunities in setting a political agenda, and others.

scholarly journals Palatable disruption: the politics of plant milk

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 945-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Clay ◽  
Alexandra E. Sexton ◽  
Tara Garnett ◽  
Jamie Lorimer
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Political ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Food Production ◽  
The Past ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Status ◽  
Systemic Problems

Abstract Plant-based milk alternatives–or mylks–have surged in popularity over the past ten years. We consider the politics and consumer subjectivities fostered by mylks as part of the broader trend towards ‘plant-based’ food. We demonstrate how mylk companies inherit and strategically deploy positive framings of milk as wholesome and convenient, as well as negative framings of dairy as environmentally damaging and cruel, to position plant-based as the ‘better’ alternative. By navigating this affective landscape, brands attempt to (re)make mylk as simultaneously palatable and disruptive to the status quo. We examine the politics of mylks through the concept of palatable disruption, where people are encouraged to care about the environment, health, and animal welfare enough to adopt mylks but to ultimately remain consumers of a commodity food. By encouraging consumers to reach for “plant-based” as a way to cope with environmental catastrophe and a life out of balance, mylks promote a neoliberal ethic: they individualize systemic problems and further entrench market mechanisms as solutions, thereby reinforcing the political economy of industrial agriculture. In conclusion, we reflect on the limits of the current plant-based trend for transitioning to more just and sustainable food production and consumption.

scholarly journals Historical Politics at the Regional Level: Models, Goals and Actors

2021 ◽  
pp. 224-235
Author(s):  
Denis Dokuchaev
Keyword(s):  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
Local History ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Regional Power ◽  
Present Stage ◽  
Politics Of Memory ◽  
The Past ◽  
The One

Historical politics at the regional level is, on the one hand, a particular pattern of politics of memory; however, on the other hand, it should be regarded as a combination of regional practices used by various actors to build the image of the past. Having recourse to history at the regional level means its incorporation in the image policy of the territory (including for promotion at the federal level, tourism development), at the same time, local history (and its interpretations) is involved in the process of regional identification. The main objective of the study is an attempt to analyse the use of the symbolic capital of regional history in the political agenda of local authorities at the present stage (in the 2010s), to determine the main actors and models of historical politics. As a result, four basic models of the history use at the regional level are identified: traditionalist, institutional, electoral-oriented and pragmatic ones. Each of these models of historical politics has its specific goals, certain objectives, diverse actors and methods. According to the findings, the change in historical politics models usually occurs during the transit of regional power.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document