Speaking European: Conditionality, Public Attitudes and Pro-European Party Rhetoric in the Western Balkans
FOLLOWING THE 2004 AND 2007 EASTWARD EXPANSIONS of the European Union (EU), scholars are focusing increased attention on the question of EU integration and conditionality in the Western Balkans (Vachudova 2005). A growing number of studies not only contribute to the existing body of more generalised work on conditionality, but also close critical gaps in knowledge about the EU integration process in the region. Another fruitful development in this expanding literature is its increasing tendency to treat conditionality as a cross-level issue which takes into account both international and domestic factors. While these studies break new ground by focusing more closely on how domestic and international political factors shape national leaders’ and governments’ interests, an important area which remains largely unexplored is the interlinked issues of party change and intra-party politics. Popular and academic accounts of Croatian and Serbian reactions to conditionality in the aftermath of their respective 2000 ‘revolutions’ tend to ‘black box’ parties, treating them as unitary rational actors which respond to external stimuli in a manner which maximises the parties’ chances of attaining or maintaining office (Pond 2006; Fisher 2006; Peskin 2008). Although this theoretical tool is often justified in describing the everyday working of a party under ‘normal’ conditions, it fails to address the issue of party change—specifically with regard to the transformation of EU-sceptic and anti-EU parties. Considering that
Resilient or resistant? The impact of transnational party cooperation on Croatian political parties
ABSTRACT In the literature on the Europeanisation of political parties and party systems, transnational party cooperation (TPC) is very often treated as a special and unique kind of Europeanisation of national political parties. Researchers emphasise its direct and more institutionalised character. The article investigates the impact of TPC on Croatian political parties, and tries to determine whether this cooperation has led to changes in the programmes and organisation of Croatian parties or furthered de-radicalisation of their stances. The article also explores whether party activists involved in cooperation with Europarties play an important role in the process of Europeanisation of their parent parties.
Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Challenges of Policy Leadership in a Hostile Environment
Randi Weingarten is the president of the most vocal and influential teachers’ union, the American Federation of Teachers. Since rising through the ranks to AFT president in just two years, Weingarten is now a major, if not the most prominent, nongovernmental player in national education policy. She has earned deep respect from many educational policy actors. Likewise, Weingarten elicits withering criticism from others. This fascinating profile explains why, in such a brief period, she has proved to be a fierce, fearless, and effective leader under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Her experience offers invaluable lessons applicable for others working in similarly intense policy arenas.