Introduction: Benefit of U.S. Educational Assistance in the Eastern European Transformation

Abstract

Following the demise of communism, numerous programs were begun to improve the educational systems of Eastern European nations. It was evident that the newly independent states had little knowledge of democracy and free market practices and western nations looked for ways to improve the former communist citizens’ knowledge of these concepts. American governmental agencies and private foundations rushed into redress these problems in Eastern European educational systems to preclude the return of communism or other dictatorial regimes and to help the nations find a position among the democracies of the world. A sample of the programs and their outcomes are presented in this symposium.     

A Legitimate Paradox: Neo-liberal Reform and the Return of the State in Korea

This article examines the neo-liberal reforms that the Kim government implemented in post-crisis Korea. It argues that by embracing the reforms, the state, paradoxically, re-legitimised itself in the national political economy. The process of enacting the reforms completed the power shift from a collusive state-chaebol alliance towards a new alliance based on a more populist social contract - but one that nonetheless generally conformed to the tenets of neo-liberalism. Kim and his closest associates identified the malpractices of the chaebols as the main cause of the crisis, so reforming the chaebols would be the key to economic recovery. Combining populism and neo-liberalism, they drew on support from both domestic and international sources to rein in, rather than nurture, the chaebols.     

The Reform of the Russian Power Sector: The Rhetoric and Reality

As a result of reforms in the Russian power sector, vertically integrated monopolies have been broken up, generation companies privatised, and a competitive electricity market introduced. This article discusses the key acts of the reform, the political and economic circumstances in which it has been enacted, and the challenges being confronted. These include, in particular, the impact of the financial crisis and the structural weaknesses it has exposed, the changing relationship between the gas and electricity market, the understanding of ‘market competition’ and pricing held by key actors, the problems caused by adhering to pre-determined targets, and the imperative of ensuring a ‘socially responsible’ transition.     

公民收入——福利国家改革的一种设想

公民收入在1980年代被作为福利国家改革的思路之一,在克服传统福利计划及工作福利的弊端方面有不可替代的优势.从福利国家改革的角度看,公民收入倡导者认为,与现行的救助计划比较,公民收入的核心功能是改善穷人的境况,同时保护弱势者的权利.然而这一主张至今并未进入各国的主流政治,究其原因,公民收入的实施最终是个政治过程.     

The Antisocial Police Personality: A View from the Inside

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the results of two surveys, conducted in 1993 and 1997, which inquired into the attitudes towards aspects of their immediate and external working environments of New Zealand's senior health officials. The surveys are in the tradition of a growing body of international research which seeks to categorize respondents in terms of their bureaucratic “type.” Where the 1993 survey produced baseline information, the 1997 exercise served as a follow-up. Accordingly, the paper compares various results and discusses shifts in attitudinal orientation and bureaucratic classification. Key findings are that, in 1997, there has been a growth in both the number of “technocrats,” respondents with an aversion to politics but a strong commitment to policy programmes, and in the number of “classical bureaucrats,” respondents, again, with a dislike of politics but, in contrast to technocrats, with a short-term focus and tendency to react to policy problems as they arise. It is concluded that, while restructuring of the New Zealand health sector continues, there is a need to nurture “political bureaucrats:” those who can operate in a politicized environment and who can plan ahead with the participation of the attentive public.     

State Capitalism in Time: Russian Natural Gas at the Service of Foreign Policy

This article explores the phenomenon of the enduring state control over the Russian natural gas sector. We suggest that explanations of the underlying motives can be classified under two broad theoretical categories: idealism and utilitarianism. Thus, we argue that state capitalism in the Russian natural gas industry can be understood through the idealistic claims of state power and of serving the national interest, which underpin the dominant perception of natural gas resources as a foreign policy tool. Moreover, we contend that although this perception is often considered as a product of the last decade, in fact it is rooted in history, as a legacy of the Soviet era.