Paul Blokker

Pragmatic sociology: Theoretical evolvement and empirical application

This special issue of the European Journal of Social Theory engages with a research programme – the ‘sociology of critical capacity’ or, in short, ‘pragmatic sociology’ – that is now increasingly gaining attention and popularity, as well as meeting critique, beyond its original academic context, France. One of the main aims of this approach is to reintroduce a moral-political dimension into sociological research. As argued by one of its main proponents, Luc Boltanski,

An interview with Laurent Thévenot: On engagement, critique, commonality, and power:

Pragmatic sociology – as a distinct, new type of French social science – probably became best-known in the English-speaking world because of the major contribution On Justification: Economies of Worth, published in English in 2006, but already introduced in a number of articles in the European Journal of Social Theory in 1999, as well as through an earlier article by Nicolas Dodier in 1993. On Justification is, however, probably best understood as a ‘travail d’étape’ (Breviglieri et al., 2009: 8), an intermediate stage in a much larger and highly original social-theoretical enterprise. In this, however, the two authors of On Justification, Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot, took quite different directions in developing pragmatic sociology further, also as a consequence of their own earlier work. Before collaborating on On Justification, an important part of Thévenot’s work was on categorization and classification, in terms of making entities more general, and in a broader sense, on conventional forms in their relation to action coordination, in particular in the context of the study of labour and organizations (the ‘economy of conventional forms’). Much of his work since On Justification – which, in his own terms, constitutes an ‘attempt to put the perspective adopted in On Justification [a perspective viewed from the public, PB] upside down’ (Thévenot, 2009a: 40; translation PB) – draws on earlier insights while developing a rich, novel perspective on the analysis of social life. Recently, as documented most importantly in L’Action au Pluriel (Thévenot, 2006), as well as in a range of recent articles, Thévenot has explored the dimensions of social life ‘under the public’ as a condition to enlarge the scope of public critique

Youth entrepreneurship and local development in Central and Eastern Europe

Preface Introduction: economic transformation and the challenge of youth entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe, Paul Blokker and Bruno Dallago. Section 1 Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment in Transition Economies: From unemployment to entrepreneurship: creating conditions for change for young people in Central and Eastern European countries, Sergio Arzeni and Jay Mitra Youth entrepreneurship and self-employment as a source of employment in Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, Klaus Haftendorn The young self-employed in East-Central Europe, Ken Roberts Increasing youth employment opportunities by assisting business start-ups. The experience of the Hungarian LiveWire Foundation, Peter Szirmai. Section 2 Youth Entrepreneurship at Work: a Comparison of New Member Countries and Accession Countries: The strata of young entrepreneurs in post-socialist Hungary: chance or illusion?, Mihaly Laki Supporting youth entrepreneurship in Slovenia, Miroslav Glas and Blaz Zupan The development of youth entrepreneurship in Bulgaria, Rossitsa Rangelova Promoting youth enterprise and self-employment: the case of Croatia, Ivo Bicanic and Marina Lang-Perica Index.

Politics between justification and defiance

The article discusses the status and role of politics — in its various facets — in the pragmatic sociology of critique. We focus on a number of different dimensions of politics — politics-as-justification, politics-as-distribution, politics-as-constitution, and politics-as-defiance — that can said to be of importance for a pragmatic sociology of critique, but that have not all been taken up equally in this approach. We situate pragmatic sociology in a tradition of thought that views politics as emerging in the settlement of disputes over differences without resorting to violence. However, we argue that pragmatic sociology tends to ignore questions of the constitution of politics, and suggest that one way of bringing the foundational aspect upfront is by conceptualizing and studying defiance, including forms of explicit (dissent) and implicit critique (resistance) of the existing order.

The European crisis and a political critique of capitalism

The European crisis has provoked widespread critique of capitalist arrangements in most if not all countries in Europe. But to what extent do contemporary social protest and critique indicate a revival of critical capacity? The range of criticisms against the existing capitalist system raised by various social movements is seen as ineffectual and fragmented. Such observations are mirrored in sociological analyses of the critique of capitalism. A distinct type of critique of capitalism has, however, not been explicitly conceptualized. This political critique, denouncing the depoliticization and the erosion of autonomy resulting from capitalist arrangements, indicates the crucial role of the political in formulating common projects. The article will, first, briefly discuss Boltanski and Chiapello’s historical identification of forms of critique of capitalism as well as the contemporary relevance of these. In a second step, it will conceptualize and in a way recuperate a political critique of capitalism. In a third step, it will show that the contours of a critique that explicitly refers to the political is available in the contemporary European context, not least in claims made by movements that pursue a ‘Europe of the Commons’ and an ‘alternative Europe’.

Dissidence, Republicanism, and Democratic Change

The dramatic changes of 1989 have been widely understood as the confirmation of Western, liberal democracy as the ultimate model of the modern polity. The fact that 1989 was about a dual language that not only emphasized the rule of law and the implementation of rights, but also articulated ideas of democracy alternative to the mainstream liberal-constitutional idea, has not been at the forefront of interpretations of post-1989 trajectories. This does not mean, though, that 1989 has not had implications for the democratic imaginary and structures emerging in the new democracies. Dissidence has had important even if less visible implications for democratic imaginary and structure in ways that are still being played out. It should be recognized that the events of 1989 and dissident thought also indicated alternative, republican democratic models that have had implications for the democratic structures emerging in the wake of 1989. In the contribution, the author will first briefly discuss the one-sidedness of interpretations of democracy in post-1989 Central and Eastern Europe and, subsequently, highlight one alternative understanding of democracy that has emerged in some of the dissidents’ ideas prior to and in 1989, in particular in terms of notions of republican democracy. Second, the author will discuss some instances—predominantly referring to the experiences in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland—in which the influence of dissident ideas on constitutional and legal-institutional transformations, in particular regarding local self-government and direct democracy, becomes visible.

Constitutions and Democracy in Post-National Times: A Political-Sociological Approach

The modern idea of the constitution is closely tied up with the political form of the nation-state, but the post-national age assists various challenges to this idea, not least due to the emergence of constitutional or quasi-constitutional regimes both beyond and below the nation-state. While a good, and steadily growing, amount of research probes the constitutional dimensions on the international and supranational levels, the domestic dimensions and related transformations, and in particular the implications of constitutional pluralism for meaningful democratic practice, seem, however, less prominent in current debate. Domestic constitutional dynamics and conflict, not least regarding democratic participation, can be fruitfully analysed through the lens of a political-sociological approach to constitutions and constitutionalism. In order to outline such an approach in one specific way, firstly, the recent (re-) emergence of constitutional sociology is discussed. Secondly, constitutional sociology is situated within a wider debate on constitutionalism and democracy. Thirdly, a sociological, ‘historical-functionalist’ approach to the analysis of constitutions is proposed, which is then related to a comparative and interpretative political sociology of constitutional discourses and political, legal, and social critique.

Regional Diversity and Local Development in the New Member States

Introduction: Regional Diversity and Local Development in the New Member States P.Blokker & B.Dallago PART I: REGIONAL DIVERSITY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Time Horizon and Institutional Underpinnings of Local Development A.Surdej Regional Development in Central and Eastern Europe G.Gorzelak Local Development in European Union Perspective: Cohesion and Regional Policies in Central and Eastern Europe C.Guglielmetti Polands Great Transformation and the Lessons to be Learnt G.W.Kolodko Regional Labour Market Developments in Transition P.Huber Regional Development Effects of Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe P.Pavlinek PART II: EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, REGIONAL DISPARITIES, AND DEVELOPMENTAL STRATEGIES IN NEW AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBER STATES Local Development and Local Policy in Hungary - Challenges and Perspectives in Changing Circumstances E.Ruttkay Local Government in the Process of Transformation A.Gasior-Niemiec Social Benefits and Administrative Strains: the Golden Burden of EU Funds at the Subnational Level in Romania S.Ionita Multiple Shocks and Changes in the Development Gradient of Croatias Regions? I.Bi?ani?

Luc Boltanski and democratic theory Fragility, auto-nomos, and critique as democracy’s end

In Luc Boltanski’s On Critique, various dimensions of democracy as a political regime and form of society are evident, but never explicitly conceptualized. There is, however, something to be gained by making the democratic dimension in Boltanski’s work more explicit: the normative and political standpoints become clearer, but also the real-life possibilities for and significance of critique in contemporary times. The paper will first discuss the (latent) democratic theory in On Critique by focusing on the differentiation between reality and the world and the conceptualization of institutions. In a second step, I will relate a rather rudimentary democratic theory to the radical-democratic dimensions of the work of Claude Lefort and Cornelius Castoriadis in order to make its contours more explicit. In a third step, I will discuss a tension that exists between the radical-democratic dimension in On Critique and Boltanski’s portrayal of contemporary capitalist-democratic societies as largely immune to critique.

The Grande Riforma of the Italian constitution: majoritarian versus participatory democracy?

ABSTRACT The economic crisis has triggered various constitutional reform processes in Europe, indicating a trend towards innovative forms of civic participation. In Italy, major constitutional reform attempts have been made since 2013. The article critically discusses the Italian case from the perspective of the meaningful participation of civil society and the citizenry in constitutional reform. First, it discusses civic participation in constitutional politics in theoretical terms, and places Italian constitutional reform in a comparative, European perspective. Second, the current reform is placed in the historical context of an Italian ‘season of constitutional reform’. Third, the recent constitutional reform attempts are examined closely, with an emphasis on the main ‘constitutional entrepreneurs’, the reform process, and types of civic engagement with the reform. Fourth, ‘constitutional resistance’ to the Grande Riforma is discussed. The article concludes that the recent, unsuccessful, reform attempt neatly fits a repertoire of constitutional instrumentalism and majoritarianism that has emerged in the last 25 years, driven by mainstream parties, and displaying relatively little attention to civic participation in reform, while facing robust resistance from civil society and opposition parties.