‘Nationalism’ may be a modern phenomenon, but national identities are not. The medieval and early modern Low Countries are a case in point. In this myriad of political and clerical territories, identities proved dynamic. Princes and rebels, soldiers and poets, all played a part in the shaping of new imagined communities. The essays in this volume show how regional and interregional identities developed, old ones survived, and novel ones came into being. They offer a fascinating insight into the continuities and discontinuities in the formation of (national) identities in the Low Countries and its neighbouring countries – and are an important contribution to the ongoing debates about national and other identities.

Norms of Violence: Violent Socialization Processes and the Spillover Effect for Youth Crime explores the degree to which violent socialization processes, both at the macro- and micro-levels, are associated with youth criminal behavior. Based on a quantitative test of an integrated theory of social control and culture of violence, the author argues that violent socialization is a process involving physical violence, exposure to violence, and pro-violent communications. All three dimensions, in combination with national level indicators of violence, contribute to a norm of violence which, at a national-level, spills over into other dimensions of society, including the family environment. This book seeks to answer if violent socialization processes truly control youth behavior. Various quantitative methods are used to demonstrate how violent socialization tends to be more prevalent in nations with indicators of violence compared to nations without such indicators. The spilling over of violence into socialization processes creates a context of violence normalized as a form of social control, which exacerbates youth criminal behavior within pro-violent nations. This book is unique in propelling a more thorough explanation of international youth crime by focusing on both victimization (violent socialization) and offending, rather than arguing solely that victimization is a correlate of youth crime. It provides a reference point for future comparative research offering theoretical explanations for youth crime across different nations and is essential reading for those engaged in youth and juvenile justice efforts and scholars interested in issues surrounding violence, youth, and justice.

This thoroughly revised and updated edition is the most comprehensive and detailed reference ever published on United Nations. The book demystifies the complex workings of the world's most important and influential international body.

Since 1995, the Nations in Transit series has monitored the status of democratic change from Central Europe to Eurasia and pinpointed for policymakers, researchers, journalists, and democracy advocates alike the greatest reform challenges and reform opportunities facing the countries and territories that make up this vast geographic space. Covering 29 countries and administrative areas, Nations in Transit 2010 provides comparative ratings and in-depth analysis of electoral processes, civil society, independent media, national democratic governance, local democratic governance, judicial framework & independence, and corruption. Freedom House—which for more than a quarter century has rated global political rights and civil liberties in its benchmark Freedom in the World surveys—has developed a ratings system that allows for comparative analysis of reforms. Nations in Transit findings have drawn important linkages between democratic accountability, good governance, and the rule of law. In doing so it has made clear the essential nature of all these elements to the development of stable, free, and prosperous societies. The results are incisive, authoritative, and comprehensive.

International rules on trade in services and intellectual property are ?new? additions to the multilateral trading system, but both have played an important role in the system since their entry. Accompanied by a detailed introduction, this volume contains essays which cover not only the law and jurisprudence of these topics but also the underlying economics and politics behind their incorporation into the multilateral system and continued prominence. The volume provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the development of these controversial and increasingly important areas of international trade law.

In this painstakingly updated and comprehensive political masterpiece, Charles Nnaemeka Akujieze explores Nigeria's pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial history and current affairs in Nigeria politics and administration and presents a nuanced explanation of events and circumstances that have dangerously flung this complex, dynamic and troubled giant to the brink. It is one of the most updated and comprehensive analysis of Africa's most important and populous nation that has been undermined, in recent decades, by ethnic and religious conflict, political instability, rampant corruption and an ailing economy.

Provides a state-of-the-art account of how people's subjective sense of national identity develops through childhood and adolescence.