Faith and Development

A consensus now exists that secularization theory can no longer explain the worldwide persistence and spread of modern religious movements, with the exception of western and central Europe as well as intellectuals in general. This essay examines how these new religious forces have taken root in economic development and how that development has been shaped by those same forces. An assessment is made of Max Weber’s famous thesis in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. The article concludes with five major observations about religion and development in the modern world.

Perceptions of Discretion in Street-Level Public Service: Examining Administrative Governance in Romania

ABSTRACT

Street-level bureaucrats have long been seen as key figures in program and policy implementation, often occupying unique positions that encompass executive, legislative, and judicial functions. Osborne’s concept of the New Public Governance addresses concepts of policy implementation and interpretive activities that characterize street-level bureaucracy. Current understanding of street-level bureaucracy is, however, dominated by research focused on the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which demonstrate differences from countries in Eastern Europe. This study uses survey data to examine street-level bureaucracy in Romania, with attention to the determinants of bureaucratic perceptions of discretion. Results indicate that proactive personality, prosocial motivation, autonomy, job satisfaction, and years of experience are related to individual perceptions of discretionary latitude among front-line workers.     

《美国破产法》中租约的应有处理

《美国破产法》中的第365条将租约在破产程序中的处理分为承租人破产和出租人破产两种情况,通过重点阐述承租人破产时,在承租人选择继续承担租约、拒绝履行租约和承担并转让租约这三种情况下,租约的法律效果及法律上的一些限制性规定,以此来对我国《破产法》的修改和完善提供有益的帮助。     

网络多媒体在大学英语阅读教学中的应用研究

网络多媒体为大学英语阅读教学提供了重要的方法和手段。笔者通过对哈尔滨医科大学98名非英语专业本科学生进行的实证分析证实:网络多媒体教学比传统教学更能激发学生的英语阅读兴趣并能够有效地提高学生的英语阅读能力。建议要通过合理地选择阅读材料、发挥网络互动优势、建立科学的评估体系,从而激发学生的英语阅读兴趣,促进大学英语教学整体水平的提高。     

正义与和谐

“正义”与“和谐”有着深刻的内在联系,正义是和谐社会的核心价值理念。实现社会和谐的关键是以制度正义为主轴,围绕如何完善公平分配机制,正确处理自由与秩序、公平与效率、强势和弱势阶层的关系。构建当代中国的和谐社会,应以正确引导市场化改革和优化社会政策输出为双轨,以落实社会主义制度正义本质,推动社会系统化改革,优化社会利益均衡与分配机制等措施,达到社会各阶层各尽其能,各得其所,而又和谐相处的理想境界。     

国际条约在我国的适用

国际条约在内国的适用素有“一元论”与“二元论”之争,因为直接适用与间接适用的方式都有其可行性,所以各国实践都偏向于采取混合的方式适用国际条约。采取“以间接适用为原则,直接适用为例外”的方式适用国际条约对我国而言最为有利可行。     

哈尔滨创建全国文明城市存在的问题及对策

哈尔滨市创建文明城市已经取得一定的成绩,但也存在一些不容忽视的问题,如硬件建设差距较大,对“软指标”重视不够,城市环境没有较大改观,公共秩序有些混乱,等等,要查明问题存在的原因,加大治理力度,提高城市管理水平,把哈尔滨尽快建设成为全国文明城市。     

Information,power, and location: World Bank staff decentralization and aid project success

Using data on World Bank staff identity and field placement, this article examines the relationship between staff presence in recipient countries and aid project performance. I find that merely placing World Bank staff in developing countries has little effect on the success of development projects. Greater field decision rights are, however, associated with differential project performance. In the most fragile states, the presence of senior personnel (World Bank Country Directors) is associated with greater project success after the “Strategic Compact” increased Country Directors' power. However—consistent with a bargaining model in which greater World Bank authority is in tension with recipient country direction of projects—as countries become less fragile, the net effect of the presence of Country Directors becomes negative. The impact of World Bank staff decentralization is mixed and appears to be driven primarily by the power of senior personnel in the field, not the ability of field staff to gather local information.     

Justice Sensitivity and Cooperation Dynamics in Repeated Public Good Games

It is frequently observed that despite individual incentives to free ride, humans decide to cooperate with each other to increase social payoffs. In the current research, we address the effects of individual differences in justice sensitivity on cooperation. Using incentivized repeated public good games, we find that individual differences in justice sensitivity—the ease of perceiving, remembering, and reacting to injustice from the perspectives of an observer, beneficiary, or perpetrator, but not victim—substantially predicts cooperation in the absence of a punishment option. In contrast, when costly punishment is allowed for, cooperation becomes strategic as it also aims at avoiding subsequent punishment. If such a sanctioning mechanism is in place, justice sensitivity no longer predicts cooperation. The results regarding the degree of cooperation as reaction to initial non-cooperation of one’s counterparts highlight the role of justice-concerning personality traits for the sufficient provision of public goods, as sanctioning institutions are not always possible, effective, or suitable.