Browsing by Author "O'Brien, Thomas"

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    ‘Cut Pollution, Create Jobs? Yeah, Nah’: partisan effects on environmental protest in Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018-10-11) O'Brien, Thomas
    Protest is a tool that social movements can use to express discontent and present claims to those in power. In New Zealand, campaigns around native forest protection, genetic engineering, mining and offshore oil exploration have mobilised numerous participants, forcing the state to acknowledge public concerns and, in some cases, effect change of course. However, impact of the ideological orientation of the governing party on environmental protest behaviour is less well understood. The aim of this paper is to identify how political opportunities and threats in the protest arena are shaped by changes in the electoral arena. The methodology of protest event analysis is used to identify environmental protest under the left-wing Labour (1999–2008) and right-wing National (2008–2017) governments. Findings suggest that the orientation of the governing party is important in shaping opportunities, illustrated by periods of dominance of the electoral arena by the National Party leading to a corresponding intensification of mobilisation in the protest arena.
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    Human (in)security and democracy in Central America
    (Taylor & Francis, 2015-10-09) O'Brien, Thomas
    Human security has increasingly shifted attention to the individual, while the state has become guarantor (or violator) of security given its role in governing the domestic environment. This article examines how variations in regime forms influence security, pointing to the importance of political security in the wider human security framework. To illustrate, the article examines the nature of political security in Central America, a region with weakly democratized states and histories of political violence. The findings suggest a link between democracy and human security that is mediated by state capacity and the ability to control non-state violence against individuals.
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    The role of identity in the 2015 Romanian shepherd protests
    (Taylor and Francis, 2018-01-31) O'Brien, Thomas; Creţan, Remus
    Shepherds have a particular place in the history and culture of Romania. For centuries they have had rights to graze their sheep in public pastures and manage their flocks using traditional methods. Changes at the national and European level have threatened this way of life and provoked protest, most recently in December 2015 over plans to limit sheepdog numbers and restrict winter grazing rights. This article draws on interviews with participating and non-participating shepherds to examine the motivations behind the protest action and its relation to their position in contemporary society. The findings suggest how marginalised groups in society are able to draw on folk histories and cultural identities in the formulation of contentious politics in defence of their interests. The post-communist setting of the protests also highlights the persistence of traditional practices during a period of social and political upheaval.
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    Shifting patterns of governance in authoritarian regimes
    (Taylor and Francis, 2017-03) O'Brien, Thomas
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    Unbuilding from the inside: leadership and democratisation in South Africa and South Korea
    (2016-07-26) O'Brien, Thomas
    Leaders have an important role in initiating and shaping the democratisation process. Although formal and informal structures within the political system constrain decisions leaders possess a degree of agency. This paper examines the actions of F.W. de Klerk (South Africa) and Roh Tae Woo (South Korea) in initiating processes that eventually led to the consolidation of democratic political systems. The differences in the domestic context raise questions about the degree to which they introduced change using similar approaches or whether their actions were predominantly shaped the environment. The aims of the paper are to: (1) identify the array of opportunities and threats faced by the two leaders; and (2) determine the effect of regime form in shaping these structural factors. Drawing on previous work on the role of leadership in democratisation, the analysis focuses on four factors: authority, institutions, opposition and continuity. To assess decisions made in the distinct political contexts the paper examines how the respective structural configuration (one-party and military) was managed.