Displacement and Testimony: Recent History and the Study of Exile and Post-exile

This article analyzes the testimonial literature of Latin American exile within the wider framework of studies of exile and post-exile. It claims that testimonies have an important role in providing access to the multiple and reflexive voices of exiles and expatriates, which are relevant to the reconstruction of the recent history of Latin America. Their relevance lies in enabling analysis to move beyond the heroic, Byronic vision of exile towards a less idealistic yet more intimate understanding of the gains and losses of territorial displacement, as well as the tensions, ambiguities, and conflicts developing within the communities of exiles, as they face new challenges. Exile testimonies also allow research to trace the development of a broader sense of identity extending beyond territorial borders and expressed in the awareness of being part of national Diasporas and, for many, also a Latin American transnational consciousness.     

Governmental accounting: Recent developments and current issues

The 1975 New York City fiscal crisis and recent advances in accounting concepts and practices have spurred developments of governmental accounting in all areas from accounting standards to research and publications, improved governmental accounting systems, and governmental accounting standard-setting structure. This study traces these developments and identifies current governmental accounting issues which governmental accounting authorities have to resolve.     

Administrative reform in Malaysia: Recent trends and developments

During the past two decades, the public bureaucracy in Malaysia has undergone substantial reforms. Broadly aimed at excellence in the public service, these recent reforms are in many respects similar to those introduced in other countries under the new paradigm of “managerialism”. This article analyses the present trends of reforms in Malaysia and comments on some concerns and emerging issues. It shows that while these reforms have generally improved the delivery of public services, public administration in Malaysia continues to suffer from such problems as a weak system of accountability, growing incidence of corruption and mismanagement, absence of decentralisation and community participation, and non‐enforcement of rules and regulations.     

Evolving Dynamics of Societal Security and the Potential for Conflict in Eastern Ukraine

Abstract

In this essay we argue that changes in political structures in post-Soviet Ukraine have affected the potential for conflict during transition. Relying on organisational theory to determine the potential for conflict in Ukraine, we argue that this potential is structurally determined by the changing character of societal relations within and beyond Ukraine. The potential for conflict was always present in post-Soviet Ukraine, but this essay examines the facts of when, how and why conflict happened, and how it was related to weak state institutions, centre–periphery relations and an unsettled relationship with Russia. Relying on our analytical framework, we conclude that the conditions for further conflict greatly outweigh the conditions for peace.     

Promoting Democracy and Promoting Authoritarianism: Comparing the Cases of Belarus and Slovakia

Although scholars have made great progress over the last few years studying the international dimension of democratisation, questions remain about this complex relationship, especially about the understudied area of external promotion of authoritarianism. This article seeks to develop more refined understanding of specific mechanisms linking one type of external involvement, financial assistance, to regime change. Financial assistance can increase the capabilities of either pro-democratic or pro-authoritarian elites and therefore contribute to regime change. These mechanisms are examined by looking at democracy assistance in Slovakia and Belarus and Russia's support for authoritarianism in Belarus.     

浅议“弱式国际制度”——以防扩散安全倡议为例

弱式国际制度是指缺乏促进履约的组织实体、系统的监督核查措施和明确的违约反应机制的国际制度。其形式选择动因有二:一是不必要,即一些国际问题无需通过建立强式机制即可获得解决;二是做不到,即当时尚不具备形成具有高度约束力机制的条件。虽然形式弱式,但有些国际制度的结果并不弱,因为它可以通过如下六种途径发挥作用:义务感、选举机制、劝说、社会化、问题联系战略和声誉。     

The Potential of Contingent Valuation for Public Administration Practice and Research

Public administrators and policy analysts routinely face the task of assessing goods whose social values are not revealed in markets. Often “structured conversations” with citizens provide the only source of information for valuing of such goods. The problem of valuation is particularly great in the case of environmental amenities that may have value to people beyond their direct consumption. In response, environmental economists have developed a methodology, contingent valuation (CV), for estimating the social value of policy changes using data from questions posed to samples of survey respondents. Although contingent valuation is beginning to be applied to other policy areas, it has not yet seen general widespread use. This article provides an overview of the CV methodology and speculates on its future use by public administrators.