Repackaging national identity: Cool Japan and the resilience of Japanese identity narratives

‘Cool Japan’ is an instance of Japanese government's nation branding exercise as part of its soft power projection in which the unique selling point is identified as Japanese national identity. In this paper, I examine the relationship between Cool Japan and Japanese national identity and highlight a tension in the construction. Cool Japan is about emphasizing Japan's attractiveness for public diplomacy, while the top-down nature of the branding undermines the imagery that the branding is designed to convey. I show that policy elites resolve this tension by invoking the traditional Japanese identity narratives that construct Japan into both a non-Western and an un-Asian entity, reproducing the myth of Japanese uniqueness. I argue that the elite narratives surrounding Cool Japan readily replicate the language reminiscent of prewar identity construction. Despite the contemporary popularity of manga and anime, the purported ‘coolness’ of these products are framed within older constructions of Japanese Self that can trace their pedigree back to the nineteenth century. Using the minutes of committee meetings, policy documents, as well as media interviews given by policy- and business elites, I show that Cool Japan is effectively a twenty first century rendition of the familiar Japanese identity construction.     

农村党组织书记和村委会主任“一肩挑”长效机制探析——以福建省邵武市为例

农村党组织书记和村委会主任"一肩挑"模式具有明显的整体性治理色彩,福建省邵武市在推行这一模式方面取得诸多成果。但"一肩挑"模式在运行过程中还存在一些问题,如少数地方投票未能准确反映村民意愿、少数地方未能真正选拔出优秀人才、"一肩挑"负责人未有效协调农村"两委"工作。这些问题主要归因于:新构建的机制整体上不够完善、诸多人员尚未适应"一肩挑"这一新的机制。建设"一肩挑"运行的长效机制的路径主要有:坚持基层民主推选,确保选举真实合法有效;拓宽人选渠道,加强后备队伍建设;健全监管机制,提升整体性治理效能。     

情境预防视阈下首都社区安全治理——基于北京市23个社区的调查分析

情境预防理论表明首都社区安全治理绝不能仅依赖警察为主体的国家强制力,而应通过社区情境的优化来达到"无为而治"的社区治理效果。基于对北京市23个社区的调查分析,发现社区物理环境显著影响着社区安全度,楼房社区-自住平房-公寓-出租平房形成自高至低的社区安全梯度,因此情境预防应融入社区物理环境的规划-设计-建设-维护流程。另外,社区社会情境同样显著影响着社区安全度,社会治安综合治理机制与社区警务机制作为安全网络的双重支柱,应由压力型体制下单向执行转向双向互动网络,而基于互联网与物联网的社区大数据平台应构成社区神经系统与实时自动监测系统。     

大国战略竞争与美国对华技术政策变迁

世界政治领导国的对外技术政策很大程度上源于应对大国战略竞争的需要。当美国面临直接、迫切的大国战略竞争压力时,更愿意通过放宽技术进口和出口限制来争取合作者、应对竞争者,即"利用强者打败更强者"。自20世纪70年代以来,美国对华技术政策经历了从逐步放松再到加强限制这一过程。苏联的安全竞争压力迫使美国在加强对苏技术出口限制的同时,放宽对华技术出口限制。日本的经济竞争压力促使美国在加强对日技术进口限制的同时,放宽对华技术进口限制。应对直接、迫切的大国战略竞争压力,会促使世界政治的领导国更重视当期利益,同时也为潜在竞争者的成长提供机会。而当苏联和日本对美国构成的大国战略竞争压力逐渐褪去时,美国对华技术政策再度面临调整压力,以致于今为甚,通过发起对华贸易战,打压中国高新技术产业,全面收紧了对华高技术进出口限制。美国的技术竞争将是今后很长时间中国技术进步难以绕过的阻碍。     

统筹各类编制资源的改革方向和政策建议

统筹使用各类编制资源,是新时代机构和行政体制改革的重要方向。本文首先分析了编制分类的内容构成、不同类型编制的管理权限、编制总量控制的政策约束,进而对编制分类管理的效应及带来的问题进行了综合性分析。接着,追踪梳理当前地方统筹使用各类编制的最新探索和创新。在此基础上,从跨类别、跨部门、跨地域、跨层级四个维度,提出编制统筹管理改革的思路和政策建议。     

‘Let's Win this Game Together’: Children's Rights Violations,Macro‐Securitisation and the Transformative Potential of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil

Sport's transformative potential is known to support marginalised children, to deal with traumatic experiences and instil positive values; yet hosting mega sporting events (MSEs) can have negative impacts. Drawing on participatory research with favela‐based children during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, this article argues that MSEs bring a macro‐securitisation of urban life, which causes considerable harm. This paper also suggests that the inclusion of children's voices in advocacy debates can challenge top‐down securitisation and might allow MSEs to foster further positive social transformation. Therefore, juxtaposed with causing harm, macro‐securitisations can open opportunities for children to take action and have their voices heard.     

Gaughran vs the UK and public acceptability of forensic biometrics retention

This commentary provides a response to the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the case of Gaughran vs the United Kingdom on 13 February 2020. The Court ruled that the indefinite retention of DNA, fingerprints and facial images from all convicted adults was disproportionate. Using data from a survey on public attitudes, we examine the public acceptability of the police retention of forensic biometrics from the population.     

试论以人民为中心的发展思想

以人民为中心的发展思想充分体现了中国共产党对"价值行动与价值宗旨"的集体智慧,是对新时代我们党治国理政的"为了谁、依靠谁"的精辟总结。文章主要从中华优秀传统文化、马克思主义唯物史观、中国共产党人百年追求等角度来深刻阐述这一重要思想的背景渊源;从以人民为中心的发展思想的根本目的、发展原则、力量源泉、价值取向来把握其思想内核;从丰富了中国特色社会主义发展理念的理论内涵、为我们党的治国理政提供了行动指南、汇聚为伟大复兴中国梦的奋进之力等方面来正确认识以人民为中心发展思想的价值意蕴。     

Does fertiliser use improve household welfare? Evidence from Ghana’s cocoa industry

This article analyses welfare impacts of fertiliser adoption using data collected from 838 cocoa farm households in the four key cocoa-producing regions in Ghana. Using propensity score matching (PSM), the study indicates that application of fertiliser leads to significant gains in farm yields, farm income, consumption expenditure, consumption expenditure per capita, and value of productive farm assets. The article concludes that cocoa-specific programmes such as Cocoa High Technology (Cocoa Hi-tech), initiated to intensify the application of improved farm technologies such as fertiliser, should be strengthened through effective and efficient management systems.     

劳模精神、劳动精神和工匠精神探析

党的十八大以来，在习近平总书记关于工人阶级和工会工作的系列重要讲话中，多次强调要坚 持弘扬劳模精神、劳动精神、工匠精神。认真领会劳模精神、劳动精神、工匠精神的科学内涵以及它们之间的 逻辑关系，对于实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦、增强文化自信和全面提升我国产业工人队伍整体素质有着重 大的理论价值和现实意义。劳模精神和劳动精神是整体和部分的关系，劳模精神和工匠精神是外力和内力的关系， 劳动精神和工匠精神是共性和个性的关系。总之，劳动精神，工匠精神，劳模精神存在逐步递进的逻辑。劳动 精神是成为人的精神，工匠精神是成为更加优秀的人的精神，劳模精神则是成为影响别人的人的精神。