Economic Problems of Our Time

In this paper, we aim to look at the main problems which arose or aggravated in recent years, concerning the economic crisis, stagnation, inequalities, and globalisation, what we call ‘the terrible four’. These are partly old problems (and we trace them back in economic history), but they have become more profound in the last decades. Notwithstanding the fantasy of economists that has led to suggest the possibility to make use of new instruments of economic policy, some of them are politically constrained, which implies the impossibility for the Government to reach its economic policy targets. In fact, if the number of instruments is less than that of targets, the Government becomes a ‘lame duck’.

The Need for an Established Senate Rule on Election-Year and Lame Duck Session Supreme Court Nominations

In 2016, the Republican-held Senate refused to hold a hearing on President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, sparking outrage among the Democratic Party. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell justified his party’s actions based on what became known as the “McConnell Rule.” This controversial rule holds that during years of presidential elections, when the president and the Senate majority are of different parties, the Senate is not expected to confirm the president’s Supreme Court nominees; but, when the president and Senate majority are of the same party, vacancies may be filled. When the Senate applied this rule in 2020, the stakes were even higher. Revered liberal stalwart Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away only 46 days before the 2020 presidential election. Invoking the McConnell Rule, the Republican-held Senate moved forward with the confirmation of President Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett. This contentious move again infuriated Democrats, and the presidential campaign. Now that Justice Barrett has been appointed and the presidential election has passed, it is useful to look back on the history of Supreme Court nominations during presidential election years. Such a review suggests that the so-called McConnell Rule is rooted in valid historical precedent. In fact, viewed in light of American history, even a Trump lame duck nomination and confirmation would have been valid. This blog post argues that the Senate should distill this historical precedent into an explicit Rule of the Senate that will govern the chamber going forward. The rule should obligate the Senate to either (1) hold a vote to confirm the election-year or lame duck nominee, or (2) hold a vote to postpone action on the nomination. If a vote to postpone action on the nomination fails, the rule should then compel the Senate to hold a vote to confirm the nominee. Such a rule removes all doubt about the Senate’s authority to act or refuse to act on election-year and lame duck nominees, exposes unfounded threats of retaliation by minority parties, and best conforms to the Constitution.

Peculiarities of the translation of English-language financial terminology through the prism of metaphorization

The article is devoted to the analysis of the peculiarities of the translation of English financial terminology. It is emphasized that professional terminology as the main source of replenishment of vocabulary of general literary language arouses non-accidental interest of foreign language teachers in the methods of teaching translation of special texts and, accordingly, terms within the course „Foreign language for specific purposes”. The necessity of searching for new methods of teaching students professional vocabulary, the purpose of which would not be memorizing a certain lexical minimum, but the formation of skills of understanding the mechanisms underlying the formation of terms, is substantiated. It is proved that within the framework of the problem-activity approach to teaching a foreign language for specific purposes, an effective method of translating economic terms is to study their etymology through the prism of metaphorization, which is one of the most effective methods of term formation in the financial sphere of English. Analysis of financial terms of metaphorical origin, which describes human activity in the stock market within the framework of the metaphor „a man is an animal”, led to the conclusion that the most used names of animals that act as term-forming components in the process of metaphorizing the financial terminology of the English language are the words such as bull, bear, rabbit / hare, turtle, pig, ostrich, sheep, dog, stag, wolf, lame duck, whale, shark. It is proved that the formation of foreign language terminological literacy of students provides for the presentation of the studied material in the form of a conceptual model and a visual description of economic concepts based on prototypical ideas about animals. The study of the main features of the functioning of zoomorphic terms in specific English-language texts was carried out using terminological and explanatory dictionaries, as well as analytical reviews of financial markets.

The Democracy Principle in State Constitutions

In recent years, antidemocratic behavior has rippled across the nation. Lame-duck state legislatures have stripped popularly elected governors of their powers; extreme partisan gerrymanders have warped representative institutions; state officials have nullified popularly adopted initiatives. The federal Constitution offers few resources to address these problems, and ballot-box solutions cannot work when antidemocratic actions undermine elections themselves. Commentators increasingly decry the rule of the many by the few. This Article argues that a vital response has been neglected. State constitutions embody a deep commitment to democracy. Unlike the federal Constitution, they were drafted—and have been repeatedly rewritten and amended— to empower popular majorities. In text, history, and structure alike, they express a commitment to popular sovereignty, majority rule, and political equality. We shorthand this commitment the democracy principle and describe its development and current potential. The Article’s aims are both theoretical and practical. At the level of theory, we offer a new view of American constitutionalism, one in which the majoritarian commitment of states’ founding documents complements the antimajoritarian tilt of the national document. Such complementarity is an unspoken premise of the familiar claim that the federal Constitution may temper excesses and abuses of state majoritarianism. We focus on the other half of the equation: state constitutions may ameliorate national democratic shortcomings. At the level of practice, we show how the democracy principle can inform a number of contemporary conflicts. Reimagining recent cases concerning electoral interference, political entrenchment, and more, we argue that it is time to reclaim the state constitutional commitment to democracy.

Framing the Issue

GSA's Public Policy Advisor will lead a discussion of legislative activities related to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation during the past year. The panel will examine successes and failures and what may still be possible in the lame duck session and the next Congress.

Lame-duck US Congress faces fiscal stresses

Headline UNITED STATES: Lame-duck Congress faces fiscal stress

A difficult US lame duck period is likely before 2021

Headline UNITED STATES: Difficult lame duck period is likely

Russia’s Constitutional Reforms of 2020

In January 2020, Russian President Putin proposed a number of potentially very significant amendments to the constitution of the Russian Federation. In March 2020, these were formally approved by parliament and signed by the president. In a nationwide vote held on 25 June – 1 July, just under 78 percent of those who voted did so in favour of the amendments, 21 percent voted against, while turnout was just under 68 percent. The amendments, which entered into force on 4 July, strengthened the powers of the Russian president, increased the powers of the center over regional and local governments, and reduced the independence of the courts. They asserted that the Russian constitution should take precedence over decisions reached by international institutions. Not least, they opened the possibility for Putin to remain in office following the expiry of his current presidential term in 2024. To be more precise, they enabled Putin to avoid becoming a lame duck and to keep the elite in suspense over what he would eventually decide to do in 2024. They also provided him with security should he decide to leave office.

Nigeria's ruling party faces further turmoil

Significance Rival blocs had been backing Oshiomole and 'Acting National Chairman' Victor Giadom, who received the tacit endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari. These tensions reflect attempts to control the party machinery as presidential aspirants vie to succeed Buhari in 2023. Impacts With Buhari gradually becoming a 'lame duck', he will struggle to delay outlining a preferred successor while keeping the party united. A convention to elect a new APC leadership will likely be dogged by controversy and could prompt a new round of defections. A failure by the APC to unite over the short term could result in the creation of a new political coalition ahead of the 2023 polls.