Have We Gone From a Post‐War to a Pre‐War World?

In 1990, right after the Berlin Wall fell, NPQ published our Spring edition, titled “The New World Disorder,” about the nationalistic chaos and up‐in‐theair sensibility of that fraught new historical moment. Nearly a quarter of a century later, the regime of globalization that had supplanted the Cold War world of blocs is itself coming apart at the seams. Even Henry Kissinger these days says “the world order is crumbling.” Will this New World Disorder 2.0 revert to a system of conflicting blocs, as during the Cold War, or will we be mature enough to save the interdependence of plural identities that is the foundation of a new global civilization? In this section our contributors offer their perspectives on what the future holds.     

Multilevel governance and problem‐solving: Towards a dynamic theory of multilevel policy‐making?

In this article, we suggest that the governance of problems shapes the institutional dynamics of multilevel governance (MLG) polities. MLG arrangements—processes and institutions that enable policy‐making across different jurisdictional levels wherein both public authorities and non‐state actors are involved—can or cannot succeed in solving policy problems and at the same time they could create new problems. We argue that the problem‐solving capacity and problem‐generating potential of multilevel arrangements can result in further, downwards, upwards or sideways delegation of political authority, which in turn reconfigure the multilevel architecture of the political system following either centripetal or centrifugal tendencies. We illustrate our point with a stylized account of the dynamics of MLG in the European Union (EU) since the early 1990s. We conclude with some remarks about developing a more general theory of multilevel policy‐making.     

IS OUTPUT PERFORMANCE ALL ABOUT THE RESOURCES? A FUZZY‐SET QUALITATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF STREET‐LEVEL BUREAUCRATS IN SWITZERLAND

This article refines Lipsky's assertion that lacking resources negatively affects output performance. It uses fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to analyse the nuanced interplay of contextual and individual determinants of the output performance of veterinary inspectors as street‐level bureaucrats in Switzerland. Moving ‘beyond Lipsky’, the study builds on recent theoretical contributions and a systematic comparison across organizational contexts. Against a widespread assumption, output performance is not all about resources. The impact of perceived available resources hinges on caseloads, which prove to be more decisive. These contextual factors interact with individual attitudes emerging from diverse public accountabilities. The results contextualize the often‐emphasized importance of worker–client interaction. In a setting where clients cannot escape the interaction, street‐level bureaucrats are not primarily held accountable by them. Studies of output performance should thus consider gaps between what is being demanded of and offered to street‐level bureaucrats, and the latter's multiple embeddedness.     

The spy who loved me? Cross‐partisans in the core executive

Political appointees from different parties from that of their minister—cross‐partisan appointees (CPAs)—are increasingly found in the core executive. Ministerial advisory scholarship has overlooked CPAs, while the coalition governance literature sees them as ‘spies’ and ‘coalition watchdogs’. This article argues theoretically and demonstrates empirically that this conceptualization is overly limited. The empirical basis is a large‐N survey of political appointees from two Norwegian coalitions, and a qualitative follow‐up survey of CPAs. The results show that CPAs monitor on behalf of their party, provide cross‐partisan advice to their minister and perform many of the same tasks as regular partisan appointees, including exercising independent decision‐making power. In this research context, most CPAs act as coalition liaison officers who, rather than create tension and negative dynamics, contribute to building trust between coalition partners.     

The G‐2: Are America and China Headed for Divorce?

Thanks to the draining effects of the Iraq war and the financial meltdown emanating from Wall Street, a powershift away from American dominance is taking place. Caught between a rising China and an America in relative decline, the new leadership in Japan is recalibrating its post-World War II relationships. The G-20 has usurped the role once played by the G-8 as the governing committee of globalization. And the symbiotic coupling of "Chimerica", born out of the credit bubble built up over the past two decades, is being put to the test.
In this section, the new prime minister of Japan, the president of the European Union, the president of Brazil and a leading economic historian assess these shifts.     

牧童遥指×××

这个时代造了一个新词，叫做城中村。官方资料说，这里城市化进程相对滞后，人口密度大，外来人员集中，违法建设、违章建筑和私搭乱建严重，市政基础设施匮乏，房屋破旧，环境脏乱，社会管理混乱，公共安全隐患多，已成为困扰城市化进程的“痼疾”。     

O·J·辛普森获罪

由上级工会向基层工会委派法律顾问，把工会法律援助由被动咨询变为主动参与，事后救助变为事前控制，使职工法律援助真正地融入到劳动关系协调的全过程。9月26日，这一全国首创的新举措在四川省泸州市启动。     

为民·务实·清廉

春节前，中央纪律检查委员会召开第三次全体会议，胡锦涛同志在会上发表了重要讲话，全会要求全党同志紧密联系加强和改进党和国家的各项工作，大兴求真务实之风。     

新招·高招·实招

前不久，北京市工会十一大胜利闭幕。这次大会，认真总结了市工会十大以来首都工人运动和工会工作的基本经验，研究确定了今后五年工会工作的指导思想和目标任务，选举产生了新一届市总工会领导机构。大会指出，要以与时俱进、求真务实的精神，开创工会工作的新局面，团结动员全市职工为实现“新北京、新奥运”的各项目标而努力奋斗。     

百姓·洋人·官

小时候，每当得到了一样只能由一人享受的好东西而我们是两个人时，就要做个小游戏来决定谁是幸运者。如你所知，这种把戏叫做“石头、剪子、布”，这三种东西循环相克，你出其中某一样，正好被别人克住，就失败了。这种游戏有个古老的名称，叫做“百姓、洋人、官”，我相信这名称是清末民初流传下来的，当时洋人怕中国的老百姓，中国的官又怕洋人。     

楚楚·翘楚·拙荆

“荆”和“楚”是同一种灌木的不同名称。这“异名同实”的二者，也有细微的区别，就是——“荆”是这种灌木的雌株，“楚”是这种灌木的雄株。春秋战国时期，地处南方的楚国旧称“荆国”，中原地区的国家有时称其为“楚”或“荆”，或称之为“荆楚”“楚荆”，或蔑称之为“荆蛮”。这也证明了“荆”“楚”二者的异名同实。     

重视·关怀·爱护

国庆期间，中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席胡锦涛同志，专程来到北京市，亲切看望了广大基层干部。他强调，广大基层干部是党和国家的宝贵财富，各级党委和政府都要从提高党的执政能力、巩固党的执政地位、实现党的执政使命的战略高度，真正重视、真情关怀、真心爱护广大基层干部，满腔热忱地支持和帮助基层干部做好工作。     

房地产·粉丝·鱼翅

那些喜欢并且得益于高房价的人，只看到了房地产可以被变成鱼翅的一面，却忽视更多的人需要粉丝的实情，只看到了鱼翅可以卖高价的表面现象，却忽视了鱼翅是剥夺别人享用粉丝的权利而后获得的事实本质。企图把房地产变成远离大众的鱼翅就可以肆意提高房价，或者愚弄百姓逆来顺受，是竭力掩盖事实真相之举，绝非科学发现的灵光闪现。     

创造力·凝聚力·战斗力

新中国成55周年了，在这个伟大的节日到来之际，我们向工作在不同岗位上的广大职工群众、工会工作者，致以最亲切的问候!     

维护·关爱·贴近

在我们生活的这个城市里。处处留有外来务工人员的身影、足迹。他们为首都的发展、建设做出了贡献。同样。首都的各行各业也在用不同的方式、形式维护着他们的权益、关爱着他们的生活……     

砒霜·水银·鸩酒

砒霜、水银、鸩酒是《水浒》中写到的三种毒药。分别写在书中的第二十五回“王婆计啜西门庆，淫妇药鸩武大郎”及第一百二十回“宋公明神聚蓼儿洼，徽宗帝梦游梁山泊”中。     

状元·驸马状元·女状元

状元是中国科举制度诸多名词中最光彩、最炫耀的一个。是创始于唐代，完备于宋代，延续至元、明、清，长达一千三百年历史。进士第一名为之状元。