Peer-reviewed articles
This page presents in chronological order the references and, whenever possible, the abstracts of articles published by CERI scholars in international peer-reviewed journals.
Riva Kastoryano and Miriam Schader, "A Comparative View of Ethnicity and Political Engagement",
Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 40, June 2014, pp. 241-260.
Abstract:
This article reviews approaches to ethnicity and political engagement, with particular emphasis on Western Europe. It argues that studies were at first marked by a structuralist approach and later turned to a more culturalist understanding of ethnic mobilization. Also, owing to increased labor migration after World War II, researchers shifted their attention from ethnic separatism to the ethnic identifications and mobilizations of migrants. While the political mobilization around (or based on) ethnicity was long seen as a disruptive factor within states, then also as a resource or barrier for migrant political involvement within national contexts, it is now studied under the auspices of increasing transnationalism, too. Simultaneously, religion, and especially Islam (in the European context), has come to be seen as one of the most important markers of identity and difference in European societies. This article's theoretical reflections concentrate on the juxtaposition of these two developments—increasing transnationalism and the (re)emergence of religion as a relevant boundary marker. To analyze these shifts, the article contrasts three theoretical approaches with regard to ethnicity: theories of integration, resource mobilization theory, and the political opportunity structures approach. It suggests the revision of the traditional understanding of integration as nationally bounded, and it highlights the need for new perspectives for the study of ethnicity and political participation in the context of globalization.
Catherine Perron, "Using partnership to ameliorate regional policies? The case of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania." European Urban and Regional Studies, October 2014, vol. 21, n°4, pp. 398-414.
Abstract:
The partnership principle in the European Union has often been examined in the context of the emergence of a multi-level type of governance. Recently, a number of studies have focused on the implementation of the European Cohesion Policy in the new member states. They have listed the numerous obstacles to its functioning effectively. However, given the shortfalls, they were not in the position to question the entire range of effects of partnership when it does indeed work. Complementary to this approach, this paper starts from the example of a best-practice, looking at the concrete results of the use of partnership to ensure a place-based approach to regional policies. It uses the example of the East-German Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a NUTS II region that benefits from structural funding under the convergence objective. After a brief description of how the partnership principle works on the ground, it examines the conditions of its success. It then analyses its contribution to “good governance”. Lastly, it examines whether this form of partnership rises to the challenge of implementing a place-based approach as defined in the Barca Report. It argues that it neither offers all individuals a chance to become informed and contribute their knowledge or express their preferences about the delivery of projects, which involve the very technical issues of regional development and the disbursement of the structural funds. Nor does it allow control and pressure on policy makers by the citizen. The findings show that, as a consequence, the kind of policies promoted fail to fulfil both the objectives of efficiency and equity.
