Karamojan politics: extension of state power and formation of a subordinate political elite in northeastern Uganda

State-making processes that occur in peripheral areas and the role that local political elites play in such processes have not been adequately explored by scholars. This article investigates these important phenomena through the lens of the Ugandan state’s presence in Karamoja, in the country’s northeast, which until the early years of the twenty-first century was very limited. Rapid extension of the power of the Ugandan state in the region, upon which the country’s rulers have embarked in the last decade, has radically altered existing governance arrangements in Karamoja and led to the formation of a subordinate Karamojan political elite. This elite has been instrumental in government efforts to establish control over the region’s population and shaped this state-making process in important ways.     

Symbolic Political Communication,and Trust: A Young Voters’ Perspective of the Indonesian Presidential Election

Communication in political marketing plays an important role in political mobilization, building trust both in political actors and the government. Politicians construct their messages through careful branding as the power of the cultural symbols and signs conveyed through the brand are potent heuristic devices. This is particularly important in emerging democracies, where there is limited political knowledge and understanding. Therefore, this research explores how young voters understand the symbolic communication fashioned by political actors in Indonesia and how it relates to their brand. Indonesia is an interesting area for study; it is both secular and the world’s largest Muslim democracy. Using a phenomenological approach, a total of 19 in-depth interviews with young voters were conducted to gain rich insight into perceptions of the complexity of political symbolism, and trust among young voters. This study conceptualized political communication as a dual approach. The political brand promise is intrinsically linked to cultural references and conveyed through symbolic communication combined with a distinctive brand message. This builds trust, which then affects political participation. This conceptual framework provides insights into the importance of culture in branding which has implications for policy makers and actors in emerging and established democracies.     

Intergovernmental Relations in the UK: Time for a Radical Overhaul?

Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have put relationships between the UK government and its devolved counterparts under growing strain. Tensions generated by both of these developments have exposed the inadequacies of the existing, under-developed system for bringing governments together in the UK. The limitations of the current system include the ad hoc nature of intergovernmental meetings, and their consultative rather than decision-making character. Drawing upon an analysis of how intergovernmental relationships are structured in five other countries, the authors offer a number of suggestions for the reconfiguration of the UK model. They explore different ways of enabling joint decision making by its governments, and argue against the assumption that England can be represented adequately by the UK administration. Without a serious attempt to address this dysfunctional part of the UK’s territorial constitution, there is every prospect that relations between these different governments will continue to deteriorate.     

From ‘Green Laggard’ to Regional Leader: Explaining the Recent Development of Environmental Policy in Chile

Environmental policy in Chile has developed rapidly in recent years, and the country has become a regional leader in renewable energy, climate change policy, recycling, and nature conservation. This contrasts with the previous neglect of environmental issues in the country and its depiction as a ‘green laggard’ (Orihuela, 2014: 251) within Latin America. In this article the recent development of environmental policy in Chile is reviewed and five factors affecting this development are analysed: international influences, institutional legacies, a window of opportunity opened by environmental movements, policy entrepreneurship, and business power.     

试论邓小平对政治合法性的维护及其启示

合法性是关系到党和国家政权生死存亡的根本问题。“文革”结束后,维护党和国家政权的合法性问题凸现出来,邓小平正确处理了毛泽东的意识形态遗产,开始重建法理权威,并通过促进经济发展和反腐败树立政府形象的方法维护了政治的合法性。新时期我们仍面临着合法性维护的问题,邓小平的实践为整个现代化进程中的合法性维护提供了诸多有益启示。     

冲击铁路群体性治安事件的原因

造成冲击铁路群体性治安事件的原因是复杂的 ,多方面的 ,既有主观方面的原因 ,也有客观方面的因素。对此笔者从政治、经济、社会、文化和心理五个方面进行了分析 ,阐明了带有普遍规律性和特殊性的结论。     

Mobilizing from the Margins: Domestic Citizen Politics and Yasukuni Shrine

Prime Minister Koizumi’s six consecutive annual visits to Yasukuni shrine played a key role in initiating a new phase of domestic citizen political mobilization not seen since the early 1970s. This paper is based on field research during the Koizumi years (2001–2006) centering on domestic groups that conduct activities in “protection” of or “opposition” to Yasukuni shrine. As a study of street-based politics, this paper seeks to uncover the processes, strategies, and outcomes of citizen responses to elite political action at Yasukuni Shrine as well as explore meaning of their actions within the context of Japan’s democratic polity.

行政相对人知情权的中国命运

行政相对人知情权是民主政治的重要组成部分 ,是防止行政权力腐败的有力措施 ,也是市场经济体制的必要要求。在“官本位”传统十分严重的中国 ,目前行政相对人知情权在理论和实践上均与世界发达国家差距甚远。笔者从知情权概念和价值入手 ,分析了我国行政相对人知情权制度发展滞后的历史成因 ,并为我国行政相对人知情权的完善提出了一些建议和意见。     

当前农村居民制度化政治参与的制约因素及改善

减少甚至消除农民大量非制度化政治参与的根本措施是要加强农民制度化政治参与建设。农民政治参与强烈要求同其政治表达与参与机制不完善的矛盾,农民政治参与要求的实现同其自身发展和组织程度较低之间的矛盾,是制约农民制度化政治参与的关键。各级政府应加强农民制度化政治参与的建设措施。     

关于思想政治教育本质的探讨

认识思想政治教育本质这一思想政治教育理论与实践中的基本理论问题，可运用马克思主义哲学方法论，贯彻层层推进的认识思路，构建思想政治教育本质理论的逻辑体系，认为思想政治教育本质的意义，思想政治教育哲学意义上的本质、思想政治教育本质的内容，可作为思想政治教育本质理论的一种认识思路，正确认识和处理思想政治教育政治本质的阶段性与科学性，一元性与多样性，不变性与变动性的关系，对于探索思想政治教育本质理论在新形势下的运用具体特别重要的现实意义。