Food distribution's socio-economic relationships and public policy: Mexico City's municipal public markets

Traditional food supply systems, like municipal public markets (MPM), are in crisis. Nevertheless, MPMs continue to demonstrate importance in the lives of the cities. In this article we discuss the case of Mexico City and the importance of the public markets for its neighbourhoods. We present the results of two research projects, completed in Mexico City at two different historical times and interpreted longitudinally. The results demonstrate the importance of socio-economic relationships for MPM's survival and potential. The article concludes with public policy recommendations to permit conservation, given the MPM's importance for the city's social cohesion.     

Basic education clusters in Cambodia: looking at the future while learning from the past

School clusters have been adopted as an education policy by most Asian countries since the 1960s. In Cambodia, primary schools have been organised in clusters since 1993. Clusters were considered a mechanism for quality improvements of education and a way to facilitate sharing and interaction between schools. Primary school clusters have been partially successful. Today there is a growing interest among Cambodian policymakers for integrating primary schools (Grades 1–6) and lower secondary schools (Grades 7–9). This article provides a policy suggestion by arguing for extending the cluster mechanism to these integrated basic education schools with all grades from 1 to 9.     

Negotiating one position: Switzerland at the Global Forum on Migration and Development

The paper explores intra-governmental processes in migration policy-making, using the example of Switzerland and examining its preparations for chairing the Global Forum on Migration and Development 2011. Switzerland's “one joint position”, presented at the forum, required intensive negotiations and cooperation between different Swiss federal offices. The paper highlights how and why Switzerland achieved this joint position. It analyses the intra-governmental tensions between national securitisation and global migration and development debates and how they were overcome. This experience of a “whole-of-government approach” offers an insight into politics underlying migration and development debates within donor countries, and its implications for global migration debates.     

Overcoming poverty and inequality: Rwanda's progress towards the MDGs

Despite the 1994 genocide there has been annual growth in Rwanda every year since 2000. Poverty has decreased; while the MDG target of 23.8% is unlikely to be met by 2015, the future looks hopeful. The goal of reducing hunger is measured by underweight children – already down to target – and extreme poverty – likely to hit the target. Key to success is reducing dependency on the land, but a majority of the population still depend on their farm or plot. However, hitting targets for reducing poverty is not the same thing as abolishing it, and achieving targets does not necessarily solve problems.     

Human (In)Security and Democracy in Central America

Human security has increasingly shifted attention to the individual, while the state has become guarantor (or violator) of security given its role in governing the domestic environment. This article examines how variations in regime forms influence security, pointing to the importance of political security in the wider human security framework. To illustrate, the article examines the nature of political security in Central America, a region with weakly democratized states and histories of political violence. The findings suggest a link between democracy and human security that is mediated by state capacity and the ability to control non-state violence against individuals.     

论马基雅维里的政治理论观

意大利人文主义思想家马基雅维里的政治理论,切断了国家、君权与上帝的联系,使国家学说与宗教神学相分离,使政治理论观点摆脱了道德的束缚,掀开了政治学说的新篇章。他既鼓吹君主制又讴歌共和制的二元化政体理论,是符合意大利现实的进步思想。马基雅维里的政治理论,奠定了近代资产国家学说和政治学说的基础。     

建国初期婚姻制度改革研究

婚姻制度是规范男女两性关系和家庭关系的一种法律制度 ,婚姻关系处在社会生活的表层 ,是社会变迁的指示器。建国初期是中国从传统社会向现代化社会过渡最为剧烈的时期 ,这一时期的我国婚姻制度改革体现了由家庭本位到个人本位的过渡 ,婚姻制度改革对普通民众的生活和社会发展产生了极大的影响     

日本国家赔偿特别领域要论

国会立法的内容被法院认定违反宪法时 ,属于国家赔偿法上的违法 ;立法不作为时 ,法院承认国会有广泛的立法裁量权 ,但也认为存在违法性不作为的情形。因行政权限不行使发生损害时 ,成立国家的赔偿责任 ,但受到国民法益的性质、违反的义务的性质、注意义务的基准等因素的影响。关于非权力作用 ,理论与判例均未形成一致认识 ,但在学校事故事件、行政指导及信息提供等方面 ,已有适用国家赔偿法的倾向。     

国家所有权法学诱析

所有权是私法上的概念,而国家所有权兼有公法及私法上的特性,这使得研究国家所有权变得复杂。文章以国家所有权概念为切入点,分析国家所有权的主体、客体、内容、行使及国家所有权保护等相关内容,旨在丰富我国国家所有权理论,以期有益于我国今后的物权立法和国有资产管理体制改革之实践。     

马克思与诺思：制度变迁中国家理论的作用比较

马克思与诺思在制度变迁理论中对于国家作用有共识也有分歧。将马克思与诺思的国家理论运用到委托代理理论模型中去,通过这个模型,分析他们之间的差异,总结出马克思与诺思的国家理论的四点不同。把马克思与诺思的国家理论进行了初步综合,可以为我国的改革开放事业提出几点政策建议。