Towards security governance as a critical tool: a conceptual outline

This article argues that security governance can and should be reframed as a critical tool that enables us to understand and reappraise concrete practices of security provision. Security governance needs to move beyond the functional mapping of different governing arrangements and the presumption that security governance leads to effective and legitimate problem-solving in a quasi-automatic manner. In this article, we propose a framework that identifies the essential characteristics of security governance and turns them into critical questions with the aim to reveal persisting frictions and dilemmas. First, we trace the rise of security governance as concept and practice over the past decade and identify its central characteristics with regard to prerequisites, structures and consequences. Second, we reframe the core characteristics of security governance into critical questions and thereby develop an understanding of security governance as a critical tool. Finally, we illustrate the relevance of this approach with examples from EU security governance.     

增强高校思想政治教育的有效性——以应对消费主义思潮为视角简

消费主义思潮不但对大学生思想观念产生深刻影响,而且制约着高校思想政治教育有效性的充分发挥。要有效应对消费主义思潮对高校思想政治教育有效性的影响,需要我们一要以社会主义核心价值观为指导,重视我国传统教育,倡导大学生树立科学的消费观;二要加强高校思想政治教育理论课的引导,创新教育方法,丰富教育内容,追求正确的自我认知;三要加强良好校园文化环境的建设,如合理运用校园广播媒体,组织开展校园文化活动等。     

Donor requests for economic analysis of humanitarian field programmes

Humanitarian organisations respond to increasing donor requests to assess economic aspects of their programmes, including cost-effectiveness. This article presents results from a survey of humanitarian agency staff and donor agencies, investigating such requests. Findings indicate a need for clear guidelines and capacity building in these economic assessments, expressed by both humanitarian staff and donor agencies themselves. While improving efficiency is important to ensure effective humanitarian response, caution is warranted in adopting overly burdensome and complex assessments of efficiency which are poorly understood by staff requesting and responding to them, the outcomes of which may lead to reductive and decontextualised decision-making.     

预告登记权利人“排除异议”的判定——以《异议复议规定》第30条为中心

《异议复议规定》第30条作为预告登记权利人提出案外人异议的审查依据,因其中"排除异议"及"符合物权登记条件"在解释上易生歧义,致实务适用意见不一。依执行理论,除所有权外,何种权利始可排除强制执行,应依实体法之性质、效力及执行目的或方法确定。经预告登记之权利并非实体权利,其性质应为兼具物权性、债权性及从属性的请求权。目前,我国预告登记在强制执行中的效力,立法未臻明确,但结合我国预告登记实体法之"再处分禁止效力"及"不动产登记簿冻结效力",藉由目的解释,应将《物权法》第20条第1款之"处分"进行扩张,使其效力覆盖强制拍卖、变卖等"处分"性执行措施。而案外人据以《异议复议规定》第30条提出异议的,法院不应适用于商品房预售合同备案登记、网签及受让物权预告登记以外的其他预告登记之情形,其"符合物权登记条件"之确认,应参照预告登记转本登记之理论,采实务通说之标准,具化为满足合法有效的商品房买卖合同,已办理预告登记及支付全部价款或依约定支付价款之要件。     

犯罪学视角下的矫正社会工作专业性和有效性分析

当前我国矫正社会工作教育主要采取福利服务模式，且面临专业性和有效性的考问。西方犯罪学不同流派提出了不同的预防犯罪策略。实证学派之后矫正恢复成为主流，矫正社会工作由此得以蓬勃发展。然而，20世纪70年代中期后矫正社会工作的有效性受到空前质疑，由此兴起的反矫正运动导致矫正社工发展严重受挫。20世纪90年代起北美循证矫正运动开始全面量化检验影响犯罪和再犯的因素，得出了若干核心原则和因素。我国矫正社会工作福利服务模式集中体现在上海模式上，但最终被迫与刑事司法进行融合。我国本土性循证矫正得出，有效矫正应建立在实证知识和实践性知识与策略的结合上，这需要社会工作同犯罪学、法学和地方性知识的深度融合。     

提高公安院校思政课教学实效性初探

在国际国内形势和公安工作变化的新形势下,本文针对新时期公安院校大学生的思想特点,结合公安院校思想政治理论课教育教学现状,探寻提高公安院校思想政治理论课教学实效性的现实路径。通过对公安院校思想政治理论课教学所面临的新情况、新挑战的分析,提出有效对策和解决方案,不断增强公安院校的思想政治理论课教育和教学的实效性,以便实现公安院校思想政治理论课真正的"入脑、入心",对做好培养预备役警察思想政治教育工作,发挥思想政治理论课在公安人才培养中的价值具有极其重要和深刻的意义。     

“Empowered patient” or “doctor knows best”? Political economy analysis and ownership

Efforts to incorporate “political thinking” into policy-making and practice in OECD-DAC development agencies have increasingly focused on the use of “political economy analysis” (PEA) frameworks and tools. While recognising the fundamental value of promoting politically informed programming, this article nevertheless highlights how contemporary efforts to this end have largely ignored another central development agenda: the ownership paradigm. Emphasising the highly donor-centric nature of PEA design and methodology, we explore critiques and justifications of this state of affairs, ultimately arguing that donors would benefit from embracing a more flexible and context-specific understanding of ownership.     

The role of the IFI and the EU Peace III Fund in creating sustainable peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties

NGOs aided by external economic aid can play a critical part in post-accord peacebuilding situations. This article explores the impact of the International Fund for Ireland and the European Union Peace III Fund in nurturing sustainable peace through development in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland by examining the perceptions and experiences of 107 local NGO leaders and 13 funding agency development officers. During the summer of 2010, 120 people were interviewed using semi-structured interviews in Derry city and nine border counties. The article explores the role of external economic international assistance aids in building sustainable development, reconciliation, and peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties.     

Reflections of an evaluator navigating between community development and welfare paradigms

This practical note discusses some of the challenges evaluators face when their values clash with those of their employer. A case example where the author was commissioned to complete an evaluation for a community development project within a welfare-minded NGO highlights evaluation issues for welfare-minded NGOs attempting to deliver community development programmes. A fundamental issue is the differing interpretation of key terms including evaluation, participation, and empowerment. The note discusses how the author attempted to navigate between maintaining community development principles in the evaluation process while at the same time fulfilling quantitative evaluation requirements mandated by the organisation and funders.     

Students and the police in Ghana: mixed feelings

This study examines university students’ perceptions of the Ghana police service in contrast with general population studies that explain citizens’ attitudes toward the police. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What are university students’ perceptions of the police? and (2) What factors influence university students’ perceptions of the police? Using data collected from one large university in Ghana between the months of December 2012 and February 2013, the study found several intriguing findings. First, students have moderate trust in the Ghana police. Second, students critically evaluated police procedural fairness and effectiveness. Multivariate regression models revealed that vicarious experiences of police corruption, marital status, level of education, and ethnicity predicted students’ trust in the police as well as influenced their perceptions of fairness and effectiveness. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.