Central and Eastern Europe at the beginning of the ’90s. The Romanian case
December 1, 2013 Author: Marcela Salagean & Doru Todorescu
The end of the ninth decade of the 20th century brought a change of actors and the change of the balance of power in Central and Eastern Europe. In this complicated context, in which internal crises could not be controlled any longer through reform attempts made by the representatives of the communist regime, the decisive impulse came from East Germany. Soon afterwards, the events followed the “domino principle” and the totalitarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe collapsed within the interval of June-December 1989. A political system was replaced by another that brought with it profound changes in all sectors of political, economic, social and cultural life. And postcommunism transition was supposed to be a process of liberation towards a set of free chosen alternative futures. Regarding Romania’s, the country’s evolution was dramatically influenced by the ideas of democracy and modernity of its leader and by the systematic attempts of the representatives of the old regime to keep their dominant positions. And, for this reason, the transition was more difficult in Romania than in other former communist states of Central Europe. Even though Romania underwent a difficult period in the early years after the fall of the communism, it is certain that the country has embarked on a new road, aiming the modernization and europenization,
The European fiscal compact: more sticks than carrots? Political claims in the Romanian media
June 1, 2013 Author: Adina Elena Marincea
The paper proposes an inquiry into the political communication triggered by the signing of the European Fiscal Compact, as it is reflected in two Romanian newspapers: Adevărul and Evenimentul Zilei. It aims at identifying the positions adopted by Member States regarding the treaty and the discursive alliances or oppositions embedded in different actors’ political claims. At the level of the media analyzed, the objective of the study is to compare the reporting style of the two newspapers and identify potential differences in the evaluations of the topic, the selection of frames and the visibility of different actors, both national and European. The research draws on political claims analysis in order to identify the communicative interactions regarding the Fiscal Compact and resorts to frames analysis for a more comprehensive insight into the reasons and stakes of the involved actors. Inductive and deductive frames analyses were carried out in an effort to explain the positions adopted by political actors in regard to the treaty. The results show that journalists of Adevărul and Evenimentul Zilei select different claims and frames, which results in opposing attitudes of the two media sources regarding the fiscal treaty. Though the general attitude of the EU countries has a negative tendency, reflected in their political claims, 25 out of the 27 member states have agreed to ratify the treaty. The frames analysis explains this contradictory finding, suggesting that the treaty was perceived as being more about sticks than carrots. In contrast with the general tendency, the results point out that Romanian actors manifest more support for the treaty in comparison to the political debate outside the borders.
The rehabilitation process of “Simion Bărnuțiu” Park and the Casino building from Cluj- Napoca -Aspects of urban governance-
June 1, 2013 Author: Alexandra Almășan, Raluca Luțai, Cristina Ion
This paper aims to research the rehabilitation process of “Simion Bărnuţiu” central park and the Casino building in Cluj-Napoca in terms of aspects of urban governance. Throughout the paper we will focus on defining and understanding the concept of urban governance by discovering the history of the area through qualitative and quantitative tools, which will allow us to draw some conclusions about the way in which the rehabilitation process worked and other things concerning the citizens’ satisfaction regarding this issue. The conclusions that we reached at the end of the paper are the result of content analysis and the application of an online questionnaire.
Participatory budgeting in Cluj-Napoca
June 1, 2013 Author: Olga Anca Bar & Diana Isvoranu
The following paper aims at discussing the way in which the pilot-project of participatory budgeting is being implemented at the level of Cluj-Napoca. Following the examples of the states which have already adopted this way of involving its citizens in the decision making process and management of the local budget, the City Hall and City Council, in partnership with different NGOs from Cluj-Napoca, have initiated this project at the beginning of 2013 in Mănăştur, the city’s largest district. In order to better understand the operating parameters of this project we decided not only to analyze the defining elements of the local budget in general and those of participatory budgeting in particular, but also to engage in a more practical approach, based on direct participation and identification of attitudes belonging to those involved (citizens and local authorities).