rui feijo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by rui feijo
Dynamics of Democracy in Timor-Leste, 2016
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Southeast Asian Affairs, 2015
Dynamics of Democracy in Timor-Leste, 2016
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 2012
Timor-Leste rose to independence following a path that included three electoral processes organiz... more Timor-Leste rose to independence following a path that included three electoral processes organized under the auspices of the UN and has thus got elections imprinted on its own genetic code. After independence, the responsibility for electoral processes – a key aspect of the sovereignty of the Timorese people – was passed to the nation's authorities, who organized two full rounds of presidential and legislative elections in 2007 and 2012 with the assistance of the international community. This effort constitutes a major element in the process of granting the new regime internal and external legitimacy and at the same time is a response both to citizens’ perception of the political game in order to secure their empowerment and to the call for transparent, internationally acknowledged procedures. Initially, this essay analyses the legal and administrative framework for Timorese elections, bearing these competing requirements in mind. It then focuses on the 2012 elections: first, o...
Political Institutions in East Timor, 2016
Publications De L Ecole Francaise De Rome, 1991
Caroline B. Brettell et Rui Feijo, Foundlings in nineteenth century northwestern Portugal : publi... more Caroline B. Brettell et Rui Feijo, Foundlings in nineteenth century northwestern Portugal : public welfare and family strategies, p. 273-300. ; This paper presents some preliminary data on abandoned children in nineteenth century Portugal. After reviewing the history of foundling institutions in Portugal, the paper focuses on some major regional differences in the practices of child abandonment. Based on an analysis of the records of a Casa da Roda in the northwestern Portuguese district of Viana do Castelo, the paper then explores some of the major characteristics of both abandoned children and foster mothers. It attempts to trace the fate of those foundlings who survived infancy. A key question is how foundling institutions and fosterage were part of a welfare program for which significant public expenditures were made. These expendi- ; (p.t.o.) tures, as well as the impact of foundling homes on public morality, were the subject of heated debate in the local press. In general, however, Portugal was characterized by a liberal attitude toward child abandonment.
Asian Survey, 2014
In early 2013, Timor-Leste started to walk solely on its own feet, after the departure of the Uni... more In early 2013, Timor-Leste started to walk solely on its own feet, after the departure of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste and the International Stabilization Force. The year has proved to be broadly peaceful, signifying that the country has learned to live within its own resources. The level of political consensus has increased, as Timor-Leste engages in a process of generational turnover.
Cadernos do noroeste, 1986
Información del artículo Continuidade e mudança: o Minho em perspectiva histórico-sociológica.
Democratization, 2012
The relationship between the choice of a government system, namely semipresidentialism, and the p... more The relationship between the choice of a government system, namely semipresidentialism, and the performance of democracy is the subject of current debate. This article considers Elgie's proposal for a positive correlation between premier-presidential forms of semi-presidentialism and the success of democratic transitions, and discusses the way in which Timor-Leste fits the model as well as the need for a clear view of the incentive mechanisms at play. It further analyses the importance of "independent" presidents with "moderating powers" as a way of achieving inclusive governance and to facilitate democratic consolidation. Contrary to suppositions that attribute a tendency for president-parliamentary regimes to succumb to conflict between the main political actors, the case of Timor-Leste suggests that the definition of the president's role as a "moderator", and the exercise of the function by "independent", non-party personalities counteracts such inclinations with positive effects on democratic consolidation.
Abstract: The First Republic was a short period in Portuguese History which, nevertheless, left d... more Abstract: The First Republic was a short period in Portuguese History which, nevertheless, left deep marks on the social and political tissue of the country. It was marred by instability. The political elite of the time recanted on their defense of "universal suffrage" and thus deprived the ...
During the 24-year Indonesian occupation of East Timor, thousands of people died, or were killed,... more During the 24-year Indonesian occupation of East Timor, thousands of people died, or were killed, in circumstances that did not allow the required death rituals to be performed. Since the nation’s independence, families and communities have invested considerable time, effort and resources in fulfilling their obligations to the dead. These obligations are imbued with urgency because the dead are ascribed agency and can play a benevolent or malevolent role in the lives of the living. These grassroots initiatives run, sometimes critically, in parallel with official programs that seek to transform particular dead bodies into public symbols of heroism, sacrifice and nationhood. The Dead as Ancestors, Martyrs, and Heroes in Timor-Leste focuses on the dynamic interplay between the potent presence of the dead in everyday life and their symbolic usefulness to the state. It underlines how the dead shape relationships amongst families, communities and the nation-state, and open an important window into — are in fact pivotal to — processes of state and nation formation.
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, May 18, 2015
Xanana Gusmão recently mentioned that a "Second Maubere Miracle" is underway, implying that a maj... more Xanana Gusmão recently mentioned that a "Second Maubere Miracle" is underway, implying that a major political reform will soon shake the roots of Timor-Leste's public administration. Decentralization, defined in a very broad sense, has been a constitutional mandate since independence, but successive governments have failed to engage this reform despite paying lip service to its necessity. This essay reviews the options before the policy makers-both in theoretical terms (distinguishing between the various definitions of decentralization) and in the pragmatic forms that have been contemplated so far-and discusses their implications for the process of rooting a modern democracy in the country both at the intermediate, district level and at the grassroots, suku (village) level. For this purpose, the essay brings together the author's own field research and the rich literature that has emerged in the recent past, including contributions by Timorese colleagues.
Dynamics of Democracy in Timor-Leste, 2016
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Southeast Asian Affairs, 2015
Dynamics of Democracy in Timor-Leste, 2016
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 2012
Timor-Leste rose to independence following a path that included three electoral processes organiz... more Timor-Leste rose to independence following a path that included three electoral processes organized under the auspices of the UN and has thus got elections imprinted on its own genetic code. After independence, the responsibility for electoral processes – a key aspect of the sovereignty of the Timorese people – was passed to the nation's authorities, who organized two full rounds of presidential and legislative elections in 2007 and 2012 with the assistance of the international community. This effort constitutes a major element in the process of granting the new regime internal and external legitimacy and at the same time is a response both to citizens’ perception of the political game in order to secure their empowerment and to the call for transparent, internationally acknowledged procedures. Initially, this essay analyses the legal and administrative framework for Timorese elections, bearing these competing requirements in mind. It then focuses on the 2012 elections: first, o...
Political Institutions in East Timor, 2016
Publications De L Ecole Francaise De Rome, 1991
Caroline B. Brettell et Rui Feijo, Foundlings in nineteenth century northwestern Portugal : publi... more Caroline B. Brettell et Rui Feijo, Foundlings in nineteenth century northwestern Portugal : public welfare and family strategies, p. 273-300. ; This paper presents some preliminary data on abandoned children in nineteenth century Portugal. After reviewing the history of foundling institutions in Portugal, the paper focuses on some major regional differences in the practices of child abandonment. Based on an analysis of the records of a Casa da Roda in the northwestern Portuguese district of Viana do Castelo, the paper then explores some of the major characteristics of both abandoned children and foster mothers. It attempts to trace the fate of those foundlings who survived infancy. A key question is how foundling institutions and fosterage were part of a welfare program for which significant public expenditures were made. These expendi- ; (p.t.o.) tures, as well as the impact of foundling homes on public morality, were the subject of heated debate in the local press. In general, however, Portugal was characterized by a liberal attitude toward child abandonment.
Asian Survey, 2014
In early 2013, Timor-Leste started to walk solely on its own feet, after the departure of the Uni... more In early 2013, Timor-Leste started to walk solely on its own feet, after the departure of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste and the International Stabilization Force. The year has proved to be broadly peaceful, signifying that the country has learned to live within its own resources. The level of political consensus has increased, as Timor-Leste engages in a process of generational turnover.
Cadernos do noroeste, 1986
Información del artículo Continuidade e mudança: o Minho em perspectiva histórico-sociológica.
Democratization, 2012
The relationship between the choice of a government system, namely semipresidentialism, and the p... more The relationship between the choice of a government system, namely semipresidentialism, and the performance of democracy is the subject of current debate. This article considers Elgie's proposal for a positive correlation between premier-presidential forms of semi-presidentialism and the success of democratic transitions, and discusses the way in which Timor-Leste fits the model as well as the need for a clear view of the incentive mechanisms at play. It further analyses the importance of "independent" presidents with "moderating powers" as a way of achieving inclusive governance and to facilitate democratic consolidation. Contrary to suppositions that attribute a tendency for president-parliamentary regimes to succumb to conflict between the main political actors, the case of Timor-Leste suggests that the definition of the president's role as a "moderator", and the exercise of the function by "independent", non-party personalities counteracts such inclinations with positive effects on democratic consolidation.
Abstract: The First Republic was a short period in Portuguese History which, nevertheless, left d... more Abstract: The First Republic was a short period in Portuguese History which, nevertheless, left deep marks on the social and political tissue of the country. It was marred by instability. The political elite of the time recanted on their defense of "universal suffrage" and thus deprived the ...
During the 24-year Indonesian occupation of East Timor, thousands of people died, or were killed,... more During the 24-year Indonesian occupation of East Timor, thousands of people died, or were killed, in circumstances that did not allow the required death rituals to be performed. Since the nation’s independence, families and communities have invested considerable time, effort and resources in fulfilling their obligations to the dead. These obligations are imbued with urgency because the dead are ascribed agency and can play a benevolent or malevolent role in the lives of the living. These grassroots initiatives run, sometimes critically, in parallel with official programs that seek to transform particular dead bodies into public symbols of heroism, sacrifice and nationhood. The Dead as Ancestors, Martyrs, and Heroes in Timor-Leste focuses on the dynamic interplay between the potent presence of the dead in everyday life and their symbolic usefulness to the state. It underlines how the dead shape relationships amongst families, communities and the nation-state, and open an important window into — are in fact pivotal to — processes of state and nation formation.
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, May 18, 2015
Xanana Gusmão recently mentioned that a "Second Maubere Miracle" is underway, implying that a maj... more Xanana Gusmão recently mentioned that a "Second Maubere Miracle" is underway, implying that a major political reform will soon shake the roots of Timor-Leste's public administration. Decentralization, defined in a very broad sense, has been a constitutional mandate since independence, but successive governments have failed to engage this reform despite paying lip service to its necessity. This essay reviews the options before the policy makers-both in theoretical terms (distinguishing between the various definitions of decentralization) and in the pragmatic forms that have been contemplated so far-and discusses their implications for the process of rooting a modern democracy in the country both at the intermediate, district level and at the grassroots, suku (village) level. For this purpose, the essay brings together the author's own field research and the rich literature that has emerged in the recent past, including contributions by Timorese colleagues.