Bushwhacking the Democratic Peace

The invasion of Iraq has been justified, ex post , as for the purpose of promoting the democratic peace. It does not, however, appear to have been a principal goal ex ante . Most democratic peace theorists, moreover, do not endorse democratic regime change by great-power external military intervention. Success is difficult to achieve (usually at high cost), and the conditions in Iraq were not promising even had the occupation been carried out more competently. Greater success in democratization has been achieved by UN peacekeeping operations, and by various regional international organizations using a variety of peaceful measures to ensure free elections, constrain authoritarian leaders, and empower democratic forces. International organizations, notably those whose membership is largely composed of democracies, are especially likely to succeed in promoting democracy.     

A Stone’s Throw from the Metropolis: Re-Examining Small-Agency Homeland Security Practices

Police agencies nationwide have enhanced their homeland security preparedness capacity since the 9/11 attacks. Evidence suggests that departments have not uniformly adopted measures to prepare for and respond to critical incidents. Rather, larger agencies are more likely than their smaller peers to take such steps. Small agencies do not constitute a homogenous group; some experience geographic isolation while others are near major metropolitan areas. Unclear is whether small agencies (25 or fewer full-time sworn personnel), those that are commonly found to be less prepared, benefit from proximity to large-agency peers. This study examined whether physical and relational proximity to large departments contributed to homeland security preparedness in over 300 small departments. A structural equation model revealed that interactions with large agencies facilitated preparedness but physical proximity had no direct effect. Increasing geographic isolation from large-agency peers indirectly affected preparedness by stifling the level of inter-department interactions.     

论恐怖犯罪行为的根源——文明及文化冲突论解析

美国“9.11事件”清楚地向世界表明,恐怖组织及其所从事的恐怖犯罪行为将给世界带来巨大灾难,使人类文明惨遭破坏,给人们心灵留下难以忘怀的伤痛,甚至蒙上了长久的阴影。其实,恐怖犯罪由来已久,只是以前没有引起人们的足够重视罢了。目前,以美国为首的世界反恐怖战争似乎已取得了决定性的胜利,但是,如果不从根本上分析恐怖犯罪的原因,显然难以彻底消灭恐怖组织及其恐怖犯罪活动。作者认为,恐怖组织的出现,以及恐怖犯罪行为的发生,都是不同文明和不同文化冲突的结果。在经济全球化、政治一体化趋势越来越明朗的今天,充分注重各国、各民族、各区域的独立性和独特性;尊重各国和各民族的传统;协调各种文明和文化的冲突,才是治理恐怖犯罪的根本策略。     

民国时期恐怖活动研究

恐怖活动在中国延续了两千多年后,到民国时期已经比以往任何朝代都有过之而无不及。尽管当时的所有政权都制定反恐法规,采取反恐措施,希望将其消灭或纳入管控范围,但由于各政权自身条件的限制及实施恐怖活动的组织、个人所具有的强势特点,要达到目的并非易事。     

试论乡镇机构改革的保障：依法行政（定编）及税费改革

新一轮乡镇机构改革,必须以依法行政(定编)作为根本保障,并以税费改革作为重要保障,从而才能真正实现乡镇政府职能的转变和富余人员的成功分流。     

经济组织与纠纷自决——以两个企业为例的分析

作为成本低廉的纠纷解决方式,自决是各型经济组织的首选。诉讼在多数情况下只是一种不得已的选择。而同时,由于企业规模以及各自经济实力等差异,纠纷的自我解决形式表现出明显的差异。反思经济组织自决机制的本质,既表现一定的伦理性,也呈现某种反伦理特征;就其与诉讼机制的关系而论,则既存有竞争,也有同一关系。     

‘I'm still a hustler’: entrepreneurial responses to precarity by participants in phase I clinical trials

Abstract

This paper questions the implications of entrepreneurial responses to conditions of employment precarity by ‘healthy volunteers’ in phase I clinical trials in the United States. Such individuals are typically serial participants who often identify as professional volunteers and seek out drug studies as their primary source of income. Drawing on extensive qualitative research, this paper illustrates how healthy volunteers selectively import the identity of ‘hustler’ from the street environment and reposition it as connoting a set of valuable creative skills that give them a competitive edge over other participants. An entrepreneurial ethos allows them to view personal sacrifice and exposure to potentially dangerous drugs as smart investments leading to financially stable futures. These discursive moves normalize extractive, and at times dehumanizing, labour relations that offload expenses and risks to workers.