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Westminster Political Science Professor Investigates the Globalization of Power

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Dr. Edward Cohen, associate professor of political science at Westminster College, will deliver the Henderson Lecture Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel.

 "The idea that the use of power could be subjected to the law has ancient roots in Western philosophical and cultural traditions," Cohen said.  "Emerging in a number of forms, it embodies the hope that power could be put to use to secure the common good of the community, rather than being a tool used arbitrarily by tyrants according to their private and personal whims. In recent centuries, the ideal of 'the rule of law' incorporates constitutional government, the protection of fundamental rights, and public and impartial legal process has become the basis of global movements for human rights and for democracy."

 Cohen's research, however, has shown that this "common good" theory is beginning to erode, and the ability of law to discipline the use of power is under threat.

 "Many fear that some of the main features of economic and political globalization, such as the global influence of private corporations, the growth of international institutions, the increasing speed of communications and social change, and the emergence of unpredictable and violent criminal and political networks, make it more difficult to use law to control all forms of social and political power," Cohen said.  "In this lecture, I draw on my research on the role of law in shaping globalization to argue that these treats are real.  It's a problem we are just beginning to understand."

The Henderson Lecture was founded by Dr. Joseph R. Henderson and his wife, Elizabeth, to encourage and recognize original and continuing research and scholarship among Westminster College faculty, and to afford the opportunity for faculty to share their learning with the academic community.  Dr. Henderson is a professor emeritus of education at Westminster, and served as chair of the Department of Education and director of the Graduate Program.  Each year Westminster faculty members may nominate themselves or others to receive the lectureship, which includes a stipend to support a specific research project.  A special faculty committee chooses from the nominees.

Cohen, who has been with Westminster College since 1996, is the author of The Politics of Globalization in the United States.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Brooklyn College, and his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact Cohen at (724) 946-7304 or e-mail cohenes@westminster.edu.

Dr. Edward Cohen