Repression Backfires: tactical radicalization and protest spectacle in rural China

In spring 2005, villagers in Dongyang County, Zhejiang were unhappy. For four years they had been complaining about pollution emitted by 13 factories located in the Zhuxi Chemical Park, but nothing had been done. So they set up a tent encampment to block delivery of supplies to the factories. At first, they employed restrained tactics, including going about daily life in the tents, badgering cadres sent to demobilize them, and kowtowing. After a harsh repression produced hundreds of injuries and left dozens of damaged vehicles and other evidence of police action strewn about, the tent-sitters switched to more aggressive tactics, including denouncing local leaders, carrying out mock funerals, interrogating factory owners and ransacking the homes of ‘traitors’. The authorities' ill-considered and poorly-timed repression led to tactical escalation, helped draw thousands of people to the scene, and ultimately resulted in the chemical park being closed. This episode speaks to the ‘dissent–repression nexus’ and suggests that repression can be counterproductive when it encourages protesters to ratchet up their tactics and a ‘protest spectacle’ ensues. In today's China, striking displays and theatrical performances, especially in the wake of a crackdown, can attract an audience, bring in financial support and create a carnival-like atmosphere in which popular acclaim, the breakdown of social order and the inversion of power hierarchies grants protesters leverage and induces the authorities to make concessions.     

The Closed Doors of Courts: China's judicial filtration of financial litigations

In China, courts may refuse to accept certain legal actions involving financial matters without any solid or explicit legal grounds. An analysis of such a phenomenon should help scholars to understand the functioning logic of China's judicial power. This article suggests that there are a number of reasons behind the filtration system, including a lack of applicable legal rules, a weak ability of the courts to understand complicated financial matters, the background of the economic system transition, the political consideration of ‘maintaining social stability’ and judiciary self-interest. Filtration has inevitably had a negative effect on China's financial markets, and reform is thus necessary.     

One Regulatory State,Two Regulatory Regimes: understanding dual regimes in China's regulatory state building through food safety

As China proceeds with a process of urbanization unprecedented in human history, it maintains an urban-biased governance regime in many areas, including food safety regulation. Using secondary data and interviews with officials from the Changping district in Beijing, this article systematically defines the main characteristics of China's dual food safety regulation regimes, highlighting differences between urban and rural areas in four dimensions: policy structure, funding source, staff structure and resource allocation. This article also provides an explanatory framework to understand this dual regime's development and persistence from a neo-institutionalism perspective. Three main explanatory variables are advanced: historical legacy, dual incentive structures, and dual economic and industrial patterns. While China's urbanization process and governance structure, including the food safety regulatory regime, are not complete by Western standards, we emphasize this problem is best understood by examining China's unique socioeconomic and cultural context.     

Community participation and inner-city slum renewal: relocated people's perspectives on slum clearance and resettlement in Addis Ababa

The article explores the process of residential relocation in inner-city slum renewal in Addis Ababa. Drawing on qualitative research methods involving interviews and focus group discussions with members of relocated households, it examines the nature of people's involvement in inner-city renewal and how it affects their lives. The article argues that the process of planning and implementation of relocation is not only top-down, but also does not involve the perspectives, needs, and livelihood strategies of those affected. The article concludes that the city administration needs to work closely with NGOs, the private sector, and community-based organisations in order to meet the housing needs of relocated households.     

Determinants of people's participation: a study of rural West Bengal,India

This article considers the determinants of people's participation in local level decision-making spaces in rural West Bengal, India. It defines participation from the perspectives of attending meetings, raising issues, making complaints, and making contributions. The results from a sampled household survey in East Midnapore district of West Bengal indicate that better awareness, increase in land holdings, organisational membership, and political affiliation tend to improve participation. Households showing livelihood dependency and entitlement, and belonging to socially and economically weaker sections are more likely to participate. However, the results point towards the possibility of ‘elite capture’ and ‘clientelism’ in participatory spaces.     

武汉汉族群体3个多拷贝Y-STR基因座的遗传多态性

目的提供DYS385、DYS459和DYS464基因座的群体遗传学资料。方法用荧光标记引物及ABI 3100型基因分析仪对武汉地区176名汉族男性无关个体的DYS385、DYS459和DYS464 3个多拷贝Y-STR基因座进行分型。结果在DYS385和DYS459基因座的个体,可观察到1~2个不同长度的扩增产物;DYS464基因座个体,可观察到1~4个不同长度的扩增产物。DYS385基因座检出14个等位基因及47种单倍型,DYS459检出4个等位基因及7种单倍型,DYS464检出9个等位基因及51种单倍型,其单倍型多样性分别为0.9591、0.6047和0.9560。3个基因座构成的联合单倍型共有133种,其多样性值达0.9909。结论3个多拷贝Y-STR基因座均为高多态性的遗传标记,联合应用具有较高的个体分辨能力。     

船舶担保物权效力关系之辨正

我国《海商法》第19条虽然对已经进行登记的船舶担保物权间的顺序作出了规定,但《海商法》与《担保法》的相关规定却存在诸多冲突,《海商法》本身的规定也存在不完善之处。本文从民法基本理论出发,以《海商法》、《担保法》及其《解释》的规定为主要研究依据,紧扣海运融资业务中的实际,对比借鉴两大法系主要国家船舶抵押权制度的相关规定和研究成果,对船舶担保物权间的效力关系问题进行了整体性的研究。     

广东汉族群体DXS6854基因座的多态性

目的调查X染色体特异性基因座DXS6854在广东汉族群体的多态性。方法利用PCR和聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳及银染法显色技术进行基因分型。结果在广东汉族189名无关女性个体及230名无关男性个体中,发现了8个等位基因。等位基因频率分布在0.0026—0.4522之间,女性的基因型分布符合Hardy—Weinberg平衡,女性和男性个体的个体识别率(DP)分别为0.8633和0.7012。三联体检验非父排除率(PE)为0.6712。结论DXS6854有较高的个体识别率和亲权排除率,在个人识别和女孩的亲权鉴定中有应用价值。     

伪聋的瞬态诱发性耳声发射的研究

目的　探讨识别伪聋的客观方法。方法 运用瞬态诱发性耳声发射技术(TEOAE),对60个案例分3组,即伪聋组、正常对照组及感音神经性聋组进行瞬态诱发性耳声发射测试。结果 (1)正常对照组的检出率为96.67％,感音神经性聋组的检出率为20.00％,两组比较有显著性差异(P<0.05);(2)伪聋组的检出率为100％,与正常对照组比较无显著性差异(P>0.05)。结论 TEOAE检查,可发现感音神经性聋患者的听功能障碍。TEOAE技术对伪聋有识别作用,并当听力下降>40 dBHL时,检出率为零。