Consultocracy and its discontents: A critical typology and a call for a research agenda

In the past few decades, many sector‐specific case studies have been conducted on the use of consultants in the public sector. However, the overall picture of the qualitative changes facilitated by consultants remains fragmented, and a comprehensive framework on how “consultocracy” affects governance is lacking. This article shows how the increased use of consultants has impacted the operational logics of public administration and governance at large. Drawing from a large multisectoral case study from Finland as well as existing studies, a fourfold typology of how consultocracy shapes public administration is introduced. We argue that increased reliance on consultants contributes to the monopolization and privatization of public knowledge and ensuing dependencies, erosion of tacit knowledge, weakening of accountability, and strengthening of instrumental rationality. This research emphasizes the importance of understanding the links between these developments and the need to implement a comprehensive research agenda on consultocracy.     

风险的制度化与制度的风险——以彩票业为例

从风险与制度的关系角度,分析了彩票业在中国的发展过程以及存在的问题。认为,彩票是国家对社会投机行为进行有序管理的制度形式,实现了国家对风险的制度化利用,达到了通过赋予娱乐行为合法性,筹集社会资金发展公益事业的目的。彩票业的兴起是中国发展市场经济的必然结果,产生的问题反映了市场经济监管体制的不完善,也说明了任何制度建设都蕴藏着潜在风险。要解决彩票发行中产生的各类问题,必须从完善和强化监管机制入手,引导和激励社会公众参与合法的娱乐活动。     

Political Action Committee Spending and Senate roll call voting

This paper addresses how PAC spending affects the roll call voting behavior of U.S. Senators. Using a theoretical framework which draws broadly on the voting literature, we develop models that explain Senatorial voting behavior in a pre-PAC and post-PAC world. Testing both models we find weak support for a Downs-Black view of voting participation in the first model. The second model supports the alteration of voting incentives resulting from PAC spending. We find that PACs have a positive effect on voting participation. The conjecture remains whether PACs change voting outcomes, but it is clear that they buy voting participation.     

Third-party threat and the dimensionality of major-party roll call voting

This paper assesses the influence of the electoral threat of third parties on major-party roll call voting in the US House. Although low-dimensionality of voting is a feature of strong two-party politics, which describes the contemporary era, there is significant variation across members. I hypothesize that major-party incumbents in districts under a high threat from third-party House candidates cast votes that do not fit neatly onto the dominant ideological dimension. This hypothesis is driven by (1) third party interests in orthogonal issues, and (2) incumbents accounting for those interests when casting votes in order to minimize the impact of third parties. An empirical test using data from the 105th to 109th Congresses provides evidence of this effect.     

Voters and roll call voting: The effect on congressional elections

The subject of this research is whether ideological preferences play a major role in explaining voters' refusal to reelect some members of the U.S. House of Representatives. If ideological control is important, one would expect to find a large difference between the voting record of a rejected incumbent and his or her replacement. In distinction, whenever voters must replace a congressman or congresswoman because that person had died in office or chose to run for higher office, the hypothesis of ideological tracking implies that the newly elected member of Congress will resemble his or her predecessor. The data confirm these hypotheses and show, as well, that ideological control exists within parties and not only between them; that the degree of voters' ideological control is as great over senior congressmen and congresswomen as over junior ones; and that voters' concern about ideology has increased over the last two decades.     

文学要更加自觉主动地担当起大发展大繁荣的使命

文学是文化建设的重要组成部分,在中华民族历史发展的长河中,发挥了十分重要的作用。黑龙江省文学事业近年来取得了很大发展,呈现出百花齐放的繁荣态势。面对大好形势,黑龙江省文学界和广大文学工作者要努力把握机遇,从容应对挑战,为实现“文化立省”战略,以及实现黑龙江省文学大发展大繁荣做出更多的贡献。     

以科学发展观统揽全省经济社会发展全局

如何总结好“十五”时期的经验,谋划好未来五年的发展,是中央今年以来一直在考虑的一个重大问题。胡锦涛总书记8月下旬在河南、江西、湖北考察时明确指出,确定“十一五”时期经济社会发展的指导思想和主要任务,首先要准确认识国际国内的发展环境,准确认识我国发展的阶段性特征,准确认识我国经济社会发展面临的主要问题,准确认识实现我国经济社会又快又好发展的基本要求,在指导思想上形成共识,在实际工作中形成合力,更好地动员组织广大党员和人民群众为实现我们党提出的宏伟目标而奋斗。10月份,中央召开十六届五中全会,审议并通过了关于“十…     

以和谐劳动关系为核心 创建和谐企业——以群宇信息科技（上海）有限公司为例

2007年,在杨浦区四平地区总工会的帮助、指导下,群宇信息科技（上海）有限公司组建了工会。该公司是一家专业从事移动内容,特别是手机游戏产品企划、制作的台商独资企业。为切实增强工会活力,真正发挥工会组织在维护职工合法权益,促进企业发展方面的积极作用,公司工会以和谐劳动关系为核心,     

“Just give me a number!” Practical values for the social discount rate

A major reason the quality of cost‐benefit analysis (CBA) varies widely is inconsistent use of the social discount rate (SDR). This article offers guidance about the choice of the SDR. Namely, we recommend the following procedures: If the project is intragenerational (does not have effects beyond 50 years) and there is no crowding out of private investment, then discount all flows at 3.5 percent; if the project is intragenerational and there is some crowding out of investment, then weight investment flows by the shadow price of capital of 1.1 and then discount at 3.5 percent; if the project is intergenerational and there is no crowding out of investment, then use a time‐declining scale of discount rates; if the project is intergenerational and investment is crowded out, then convert investment flows during the first 50 years to consumption equivalents using a shadow price of 1.1, and then discount all of these flows at 3.5 percent, and discount all flows after the 50th year using time‐declining rates. We then compare current discounting practices of U.S. federal agencies with our estimates. Consistent use of the recommended rates would eliminate arbitrary choices of discount rates and would lead to better public sector decision‐making. © 2004 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

走中国特色社会主义工会发展道路 为祖国和上海美好明天而努力奋斗

1949年10月1日,开启了中华民族伟大复兴的历史新纪元。从这一天起,在中国共产党的领导下,社会主义新中国迈上了从“站起来”到“强起来”的康庄大道,在绵延千年文明的这片大地上创造了举世瞩目的“中国奇迹”。从这一天起,中国工人阶级摆脱了被奴役被压迫的命运,成为了国家的领导阶级,     

服务大局 注重实效 推进工资集体协商

近年来,在全总和市委的领导下,上海工会把推进工资集体协商作为贯彻“组织起来,切实维权”工作方针的一项重要工作,围绕服务大局,加强集体协商机制建设,把解决广大职工最关心、最直接、最现实的工资收入问题作为贯彻实施劳动法律、协调劳动关系、维护职工合法权益的一项重点工作常抓不懈。原全总书记处第一书记、副主席孙春兰同志在上海调研时,充分肯定了上海工会推进三个机制建设,着力提高一线职工收入水平所做的探索实践,并要求紧紧抓住工资这个职工经济利益的核心,加大工作力度,破解工作难题。上海各级工会以此为契机和动力,认真贯彻落实,大力推动工资集体协商工作,取得了积极的进展。