Civil society and local activism in South Korea's local democratization

Recent studies on causes of intergovernmental transformation in old and new democracies have found that decentralization is often the outcome of negotiations between national and local political interests. South Korea is commonly believed to be an exception because local elections and institutions introduced in the early 1990s were, by and large, the product of negotiations among political elites at the centre, without significant inclusion of local actors. However, this article attempts to explicate a hitherto ignored aspect of decentralization reform in Korea: the role of civil society and local activism in the politics of decentralization. In the 2000s, several ‘triggering events’ such as economic instability, democratic consolidation, emergence of civilian leaders, and the growth of civil society provided a strong momentum for the decentralization movement. We demonstrate how civic organizations at both national and local levels have played significant roles in proposing and pushing for decentralization, and argue that the bottom-up movement for decentralization under the Roh Moo-hyun administration was surprisingly well mobilized and institutionalized, especially at the agenda-setting stage.     

韩国能源安全的脆弱性及其战略选择

国际能源价格大幅波动进一步暴露了东北亚地区能源安全的脆弱性.韩国因自身能源消费特点和比较竞争弱势,其脆弱性最为突出,其战略选择也最值得关注.东北亚地区局部高强度能源竞争压力、能源竞争的零和属性、朝鲜半岛复杂地缘政治局势、能源严重依赖进口以及能源进口对特定地区依赖性过高等因素成为韩国能源安全脆弱性的根源.韩国应对能源安全脆弱性的战略选择科学务实.在国际层面,推动能源外交与国际能源合作,实施兼顾地缘政治的能源安全战略;在国内层面.推行摆脱能源安全脆弱性的一揽子计划.     

韩流后时代中国潜在游客群体分析

随着韩流席卷中国大陆,赴韩旅游市场发展迅速。定量分析显示,韩国的影视产业对吸引中国潜在游客的贡献率最大。韩流直接影响着韩国旅游目的地形象,然而对游客的购买决策影响较弱。建议韩国旅游业通过"4S"策略整合韩流元素,打造"影视+旅游"的产业发展模式。     

世界经济“半外围区”的金融脆弱性——以两次金融危机中的韩国为例

1997年和2008年,韩国两次遭遇严重的金融动荡,且韩国经济在这两次金融动荡中的演进轨迹具有颇多相似之处.这说明外生的结构性因素在制约着韩国宏观经济的变迁.其实,这个外生结构性因素,就是与美国主导的霸权秩序结合在一起的世界经济"中心-外围"结构.韩国在这一结构中所处的"半外围区"的位置,正是韩国金融脆弱性的根源所在.从"中心-外围"结构的视角分析韩国的金融脆弱性的形成机理,可以发现"半外围区"金融运作的普遍特点.而分析韩国的金融脆弱性,对中国具有重要的警示意义.     

机遇与挑战并存：世纪之交的南非华人

南非现有华人20万人左右,主要来自中国大陆、台湾和香港,大多集中居住在商业中心约翰内斯堡市、首都比勒托利亚、伊丽莎白港等沿海城市。南非华人以经商为主,从事零售、批发、进出口贸易和开餐馆等。近年来,华人在南非的投资日益增多,涉及纺织、制造、房地产等行业。华文教育虽不易推广,但在华人社团和华人报刊推动下,加之中国国际影响力日益增强,前景看好。华人参政刚刚起步,但步伐很快,而且能代表和维护华人权益。2003年以来,南非华人屡遭劫难,安全处境堪忧,其中主要是南非社会治安的原因,也有华人社会内部的原因。随着中国在非洲的投资速度加快,南非华人移民的数量还会继续增加,不会因安全问题而止步。     

The Press Freedom Commission in South Africa and the regulation of journalists online: Lessons from Britain and Australia

Abstract

The last few years have seen several attempts to strengthen press regulation in various parts of the world, while the difficulty of controlling online publication is arguably only increasing. In this article the focus is on recent suggestions for a new system of co-regulation of the press in South Africa, in order to see how online journalism is viewed and treated by regulators. In comparison, the article refers to suggestions in this regard by the Leveson Inquiry in Britain and two Australian press and media reviews. Reference is made to Flew and Swift (2013), who apply six main theories in three overlapping categories in debates on the role of journalism and its relationship to the state: fourth estate/market liberal; social responsibility/critical pluralist and dominant interest/radical. A literature review and a qualitative approach were used to identify and compare key debates in various reports from Australia, Britain and South Africa. While suggestions in Britain and Australia favoured an inclusive approach to the regulation of print and online journalism, the South African Press Freedom Commission rejected the idea, due to principle and practical objections. It also became clear that the key problem in the three countries lay in the inability to establish consensus between divergent perspectives on dominant interest and social responsibility, and the entrenched values of the fourth estate/market liberalism.