The purpose of this thesis will be to substantiate the claim that Roald Dahl, the author of humorous writings for children, is simultaneously an avid creator of grotesque fiction. My argument is based on the premise that unless one views Dahl's texts in terms of their grotesque influence, critical evaluation of his work inevitably becomes reduced to a question of taste. A diachronic overview of the term "grotesque" is presented beginning with its delineation of an artistic mode in early Rome to its Rabelaisian extensions during the sixteenth century. The origins of the word are established, and its changing meaning throughout history is examined. A synchronic approach to the study follows, tracing both modern and post-modern theories of the grotesque. Of particular importance to the survey is Bakhtin's Rabelais and His World. By emphasizing the "positive, regenerating, creative" powers of laughter, Rabelais comes closest to defining the comic grotesque as embodied in Dahl's fiction. The final portion of the thesis is devoted to an interpretation of such texts as The Twits, George's Marvelous Medicine, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl's treatment of character, his development of plot, and his use of language are discussed in relation to previous theories of the grotesque. A psychological defense of the genre is offered as a conclusion to the study. Ultimately, the grotesque will be viewed in its cathartic role: helping children work through feelings of oppression in a world governed by adult authority.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (January 12, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-65)

In this paper I discuss e-voting through the theories of Robert Dahl and Carole Pateman.  Dahls view of an electoral democracy and Patemans participatory democracy is used as a foundation for the discussion. A brief introduction to e-democracy is also provided and used in the discussion because of the strong conection between e-voting and edemocracy. E-voting is explained mostly with the help of understanding the Norwegian and Estonian experiences. The aspects of e-voting that is focused on include trust for the system, accessibility and secrecy and freedom of the vote. In the results I can show that e-voting has both positive and negative inpacts on Dahl and Patemans theories and why it is controversial. The results also points to the positive inpacts e-democracy might have on both the theories and on democracy altogether.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc. Psychology)--University of Waikato, 2008. / Title from PDF cover (viewed May 28, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-100)

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 1991.

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 1991.

Det svenska politiska systemet har under de senaste decennierna skiftat från ett korporativistiskt system, där organisationer har bjudits in att delta i det politiska beslutsfattandet, till ett mer pluralistiskt system, där lobbying är en viktig komponent. Lagstiftningen har dock inte följt utvecklingen och idag har Sverige ingen direkt lagstiftning mot lobbying.   Denna studie undersöker huruvida de svenska politikerna och de som påverkar anser att lobbying fungerar demokratiskt i Sverige idag och huruvida en lagstiftning bör instiftas eller inte. En jämförelse görs mellan de två grupperna påverkare och påverkade, för att ta reda på vad dessa respondenter anser om lobbying i Sverige utifrån ett demokratiskt perspektiv.   För att svara på syftet används tre av Robert A. Dahls demokratikriterier. Detta för att nå en förståelse huruvida lobbying fungerar demokratiskt och om en lagstiftning skulle behövas utifrån de svar som ges av de tillfrågade. En jämförelse i lagstiftning görs även med USA, som har utarbetat ett regelverk angående lobbyism. Studiens resultat visar att det finns ett demokratiskt problem med lobbying i Sverige utifrån de tre demokratikriterierna. Transparensen är ett problem samt det faktum att politiker kan gå från en politisk roll direkt till en lobbyverksamhet. En lagstiftning kring karenstid för politiker begränsar detta problem, men övrig lagstiftning, likt den i USA, tros inte ha någon effekt. Istället tros normer, moral och tryck från medborgarna vara mer effektfullt.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:52:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo5655_1.pdf: 1069367 bytes, checksum: 87ffd89b792e784541e3e1c5a8a77395 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A democracia é, atualmente, um dos temas mais recorrentes no âmbito da Ciência Política. Autores diversos têm contribuído, ao longo de décadas, na elucidação de múltiplos problemas relacionados àquela forma de governo, tendo destaque os trabalhos do teórico norte americano Robert Dahl, que tem se destacado, dentre outros motivos, pelo enfoque apresentado sobre o tema da relação entre democracia e escala. Sobre a questão da democracia, do ponto de vista analítico, não se pode perder de vista a sua relação histórica com a problemática das unidades políticas, ou seja, a ligação entre regime democrático e tamanho espacial, o que inclui a dimensão geográfica e populacional do sistema. Para Dahl, em muitas de suas obras, a construção da democracia encontra-se estreitamente relacionada ao ambiente em que ela se propõe ser aplicada. Assim, define esse autor, sempre tendo em mente a questão do espaço, a existência de vários modelos de democracia, apropriados para cada escala - desde a pequena à grande unidade. Assim sendo, é nosso objetivo analisar, na presente dissertação, a reflexão de Dahl sobre a questão da relação entre democracia e escala. Deste modo, visamos também compreender os tipos de regimes democráticos desenvolvidos por este cientista político e a relação destes regimes com o tamanho das unidades políticas em que eles são consagrados