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The advent of Arab satellite televisions in the mediascape of the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean raises many questions about the nature of the public sphere that has resulted. Although the genealogy of this sphere can be traced in older media, such as the Egyptian radio and its programme « Voice of the Arabs », it is different in nature (how can non-national televisions produce a common ground with already established various national groups ?), and in its effects which at once « loose » and yet persistent. This article discusses the concept of « Arab public sphere » by addressing its conditions of possibility and by relating it to the discussions on the liberal democratic public sphere and on alternative modernities. Does satellite television create the Arab public sphere, as some works seem to suggest ? If so, what are the premises ? It is difficult to pretend to a transnational dimension of the public sphere without referring to « the social substratum » that identifies the national public spheres. We will show this link by drawing on field research conducted in the Maghreb. By doing so, we hope to point out to the consequences of the virtual public space, which is at the same time problematic in its implementation and rich in possibilities.

Keywords: Hadj-Moussa, sphère publique arabe, Maghreb, télévision par satellite, généalogie, modernités alternatives, Hadj-Moussa, Arab Public Sphere, Maghreb, Satellite Television, Genealogy, Altenative Modernities, Hadj-Moussa, esfera pública árabe, Magreb, Televisión vía satélite, genealogía, modernidades alternativas

This article presents the historical evolution of the social and solidarity economy in Reunion. The author highlights its particularities related to the geographical constraints of insularity and the history of this settlement that became an overseas department. The social economy arose in the 19th century in a context of mutual aid and pressing social needs and has been an incubator for social welfare organisations and today’s mutual movement. Its growth spread in the early 1930s to agriculture, followed by the ports in the 1990s. Simultaneously, work-integration organisations linked to public policy were created. Given these parallel developments, institutional mediation has encouraged cross-understanding as a support mechanism for the creation of other forms of entrepreneurship.

The National Integrity System was developed by Transparency International in the 2000s. It advocates interdependence among public institutions as a solution against corruption. Using a comparative approach, this article examines the application of five effectiveness principles of a Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) within a National Integrity System. Information gathered from SAI members in France, Senegal, and Quebec shows that improvements are needed to ensure an effective application of the independence principle, and that there are contextual differences in the application of the collaboration principle.

Keywords: institution supérieure de contrôle, finances publiques, Système national d'intégrité, corruption, Supreme Audit Institution, public finances, National Integrity System, corruption

Mexico's agrarian and forest history established an original forestry land tenure system based upon social property. Mexican National Parks have a unique place in North America where such protected areas have more commonly been under a strict and sole control of Federal authorities. In Mexico, they are places of intense complexity where laws and regulations, economic and social needs are intertwined with policy issues. The Mexican Revolution's legacy ensured tenure rights to agrarian communities that are contested by governments' conservation policies : on the one hand, parks' communities have been excluded from forest uses, while in the same time, logging companies, both private and para-governmental, have been allowed to operate within Protected Areas. This paper intends to retrace the evolution of public policies regarding control and access over forest lands and resources in Mexico, focusing particularly on the Nevado de Toluca National Park. The analysis focuses on how public policies, both at the national and local park levels, have overlapped for about a century. The lack of clear resource management policies that would be readable to members of the local communities – whether legally in relation to their agrarian rights, or illegally in light of the law regarding National Parks – is the cause of major difficulties resonating with wider problems of governance within this protected territory.

Keywords: politiques publiques, conservation, réforme agraire, aire protégée, propriété sociale, communauté rurale, droit d'accès, parc national, Mexique, ressources forestières, politicas públicas, conservación, reforma agraria, area protegida, propriedad social, comunidades rurales, derecho de acceso, parque nacional, México, recursos naturales, public policies, conservation, agrarian reform, protected area, social property, rural communities, access rights, national park, Mexico, forest resources

AbstractThe concept map of active transportation in urban areas illustrates the determinants influencing the choice of walking. This kind of map is an innovative method that uses available scientific knowledge to represent urban active transportation in the urban environment. The built environment (land use and transportation infrastructures) is a major determinant of active urban travel. However, a series of concepts that characterize transport systems, public policy and the choices made by individuals need to be taken into consideration to fully understand the subject. The concept map also shows the impact of active and motorized transport on health which in turn can exert leverage effects on public policies for improving land use and mobility. Active transportation is a remarkable topic that provides opportunities to bridge the divide between research and practical applications in fields such as geography, urban planning, transportation and public health.

Keywords: Transport actif, santé publique, potentiel piétonnier, carte conceptuelle, géographie, aménagement, Active transportation, public health, walkability, concept map, built environment, Transporte activo, salud pública, potencial peatonero, plan conceptual, geografía, planeamiento

AbstractDecisions about research programmes for new reproductive technologies and their implementation have in general been taken with little reference to civil society and official policy domains. Of the several theoretical approaches that underscore the importance of discursive construction of issues, this analysis focuses on the dominance of medical-scientific experts, both in discussions about embryonic research and in the institutions which provide them independent space in this policy domain. The article describes the various discourses that emerged during the work of the Commission on New Reproductive Technologies and explains how “morally acceptable” limits on embryonic research were negotiated and legitimated. Then it describes how the medical-scientific discourse and ideational authority of scientific experts influenced the line of the Canadian federal government on embryonic research, one which is also linked to concerns about economic competitiveness and innovation.

From the desire to break with bourgeois liberal democracy to the wish to have it enriched through different forms, the conception of the ills suffered by Québec democracy and how to remedy them underwent transformation between 1981 and 2004, depending on the sociopolitical situation. This paper examines 25 theses put forward by activists, journalists and academics focusing on three main spheres of the exercise of democracy: mechanisms of election and representation, consultation and participatory mechanisms, and social citizenship. The democratic deficit observed affects both popular sovereignty and national sovereignty, and demands that the power of both citizens and their representatives be strengthened.

Often studied in the context of political developments and the shift from an alleged representative democracy to a participatory democracy, the issue of participation is discussed here in terms of anthropological change. Requirements and expectations of participation are found in many areas that exceed the political sphere, from the business world and its quality circles to the production of self-assembly goods involving the buyer's experience. This extension of the field of participation is based on a number of anthropological presuppositions, which are supposed to give empowerment to actors and update their skills and abilities. This paper argues that the configuration of many recent social arrangements tends increasingly to adjust to this new anthropological paradigm. This is the case for political participation, but also for new social policies, empowerment training, educational objectives, development and health policies. Returning more specifically on the issue of political participation, the paper shows how this new anthropological paradigm reconfigures the issue of expertise and, hence the balance between spaces where participatory democracy can take place and those that remain under technocratic expertise.