Moderating Factors in Adopting Local e-Government in Spain

This study analyses the factors that influence citizens' intention to use e-government activities offered by municipalities in Spain. For this purpose, we developed a straightforward user behaviour model that considers the components of the TAM and DOI models simultaneously, harnessing their synergies and factoring in the role of citizens' trust. We also examined the moderating role that population size can play in the model's behaviour. Among the results we obtained, it is important to note that user trust not only improved the model's fit, but also showed a significant effect on intention of use for all the population sizes that we analysed. The other significant relationship for all the samples linked ease of use to perceived usefulness. For the other relationships between variables, we observed the moderating role of size for the populations we considered.     

Beyond Orthodoxy: Asserting Latin America's New Strategic Options Toward the United States

This essay explores the possibility that Latin America may deploy new strategic options in its relations with Washington at the beginning of the twenty‐first century. It starts by evaluating what have been the five major foreign policy models of the region with regard to Washington since the end of the Cold War. It proceeds by evaluating the recent dynamics of Latin American insertion into world affairs. Then it introduces three new alternatives for handling U.S. Latin American relations in the coming years. It concludes by pointing out the importance of understanding the scope of the hemispheric challenges for both the region and Washington.     

国际禁毒公约对我国禁毒刑事政策的启示

二十一世纪,毒品已成为一个国际性问题,对于全球政治、经济、文化构成了严重的威胁,我国毒品滥用及毒品犯罪的形势也日趋严峻。因此,有必要借鉴国际禁毒公约的理念和方法,结合我国具体国情,进一步完善我国禁毒刑事政策,以便更有效地遏制毒品滥用和毒品犯罪。     

Why do academics engage with industry? The entrepreneurial university and individual motivations

The debate on the entrepreneurial university has raised questions about what motivates academic scientists to engage with industry. This paper provides evidence based on survey data for a large sample of UK investigators in the physical and engineering sciences. The results suggest that most academics engage with industry to further their research rather than to commercialize their knowledge. However, there are differences in terms of the channels of engagement. Patenting and spin-off company formation are motivated exclusively by commercialization whilst joint research, contract research and consulting are strongly informed by research-related motives. We conclude that policy should refrain from overly focusing on monetary incentives for industry engagement and consider a broader range of incentives for promoting interaction between academia and industry.     

地方政府结构合理化的三维透视

当前我国地方政府结构优化主要体现在三个层面,即纵向层面的省管县改革、横向层面的区域行政整合和自身的大部门制改革。本文从这三个维度出发,在地方政府结构变革的框架内,探讨了各层面改革的目的、基本走向及其对地方政府结构变化的作用与影响,认为改革体现了政府结构走向合理化的总体趋势。由此提出:只有当地方政府内外整合系统充分发挥作用,地方政府与市场、社会间协调有度,地方政府利益与观念高度同化,地方政府制度衔接性好,地方政府流程顺畅时,才能实现地方政府结构的优化。     

跨世纪的求索:男女平等事业面临新的机遇与挑战

为求男女平等,中国妇女前赴后继,在阶级解放和民族解放的过程中,走出了一条中国特色的发展道路,男女平等也已从思想的幽灵,经由社会运动而被制度化并日益凝结为人们的行为准则.但是,我们对男女平等事业的艰难性、复杂性还缺乏足够的认识.在学习落实科学发展观的进程中,依然有人认为经济发展了男女平等就会自然而然地实现.妇女运动百年求索的进程反复说明,这种认识论上的惯性,不仅阻碍男女平等的进程,也影响社会公平正义与和谐发展的实现.我们应需要进一步变革传统,以期男女平等事业在经济社会发展的进程中与其同步发展.     

论我国渤海地区的环境状况及其环境立法的设想与完善

近10年来,我国渤海地区的环境污染问题正不断引起各方面的高度重视,海区及其周边区域的生态环境正面临着越来越大的压力。其形成原因是多方面的。环境问题增大了环渤海地区经济发展的成本,不利于本地区经济的可持续发展,对本地区吸引投资不利。但其环境立法具有社会经济、政策、法制等诸多可行和有利因素。目前可以提倡制定一部单独的《环渤海区域环境保护特别法》,对渤海海域的环境污染和生态破坏作出综合治理的规定。     

The impact of consumer advocates on regulatory policy in the electric utility sector

We examine the effect of consumer advocate participation in administrative procedures on regulatory policy. We use a unique panel database of rate reviews conducted for US electric utilities from 1980 to 2007 to assess how state consumer advocates affect Public Utility Commission decisions on utilities’ allowed financial returns and rate structures. We find first that utilities experience fewer rate reviews in states with consumer advocates, consistent with utilities strategically postponing requests for rate increases. Second, after controlling for observed and unobserved state characteristics, we find that PUCs in states with consumer advocates permit returns on equity that are on average 0.45 percentage points lower than states without advocates—equivalent to a $7.9 million (3.7 %) reduction in average utility operating income, all else equal. Third, consumer advocates are associated with lower residential rates relative to other customer classes. Our findings provide statistical support for the thesis that institutionalizing interest group representation in administrative procedures is one way for legislatures indirectly to influence agency-determined policies.