Despite the media attention surrounding the influence of India’s Godmen and their relationships politicians, not a great deal has been written in academia concerning this connection. Moreover, what...Show moreDespite the media attention surrounding the influence of India’s Godmen and their relationships politicians, not a great deal has been written in academia concerning this connection. Moreover, what has been studied has predominantly focused on the prominent role of Hindu Godmen in promoting ‘soft Hindutva’ - endorsing Hindutva policies and politicians. With this in mind, the case of the Dera Sacha Sauda and their current leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan challenges existing assumptions about the influence of Godmen in India. In addition, the symbolic character of the 'world renouncer' and the rhetoric of 'humanitarianism', are examined in the context of the Godman's influence over his followers. The theories of Weber and Gramsci, among others, are explored and highlight that Godmen engage with politics in dynamic, locally orientated and pragmatic ways.Show less
The field of Economics and International Political Economy (IPE) often omits the importance of an idea that shapes an agent’s interests and behaviors, which can be crucial to understanding the...Show moreThe field of Economics and International Political Economy (IPE) often omits the importance of an idea that shapes an agent’s interests and behaviors, which can be crucial to understanding the policy’s decision-making process. This paper argues the power of economic ideas, which, formulated by internal and external affairs, have the capacity to change the institution, also providing the reasoning for certain policy choices. The paper will explore reasons to certain policy measures that happened in two financial crises in the Republic of Korea, by tracking back into the economic ideas of Neoliberalism and Pragmatism that were dominated by the policy makers during the Kim Young Sam and Lee Myung Bak administration.Show less
In 2003, Argentina took an apparent left turn, and a power couple, Néstor Kirchner and his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, ruled the country from 2003 until the final month of 2015. This work...Show moreIn 2003, Argentina took an apparent left turn, and a power couple, Néstor Kirchner and his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, ruled the country from 2003 until the final month of 2015. This work is interested in looking at the reorientation of Argentine foreign policy during the Kirchner administrations from alignment with Washington to enhanced friendship with Chávez’ Venezuela. It attempts to answer the following research questions: “What are the main reasons for Argentina’s close relations with Venezuela from 2003 to 2015?”, “in how far can the deepening of this relationship be explained and understood by Argentina’s domestic economic and political factors?”, and, lastly, “to what extent has pragmatism shaped Argentina’s rapprochement with Venezuela?”Show less
