Scales of Political Action in the Anthropocene: Gaia,Networks, and Cities as Frontiers of Doing Earthly Politics

The purpose of this article is to propose a new theorisation of “scale” in doing earthly politics (i.e. who is acting, who should be responsible for addressing planetary environmental degradation). I connect the politics of scale in global urban politics with the scale question in environmental politics. While the existing paradigm on “politics of scale” have made an excellent contribution on performative aspects of scale, they have failed to respond to the affirmative movements in which scholars and policy makers attempt to theorise scales as ranges in which political action can be mobilised. On the other hand, the new “down-to-earth” affirmative ecopolitics movement often fails to move beyond the romanticisation of the local, which is easily subject to criticisms, such as “local trap” where the small is not always intrinsically “good”. As an alternative, I theorise “scales of political action” that can be simultaneously both materially situated (local) and ubiquitous (global), mainly using Gaian ecology and complex theory. Finally, as a concrete example of “scales of political action”, I propose cities as frontiers of doing earthly politics, focusing on the characteristics of urban conditions that match our new theorisation of scale.     

Reformfähigkeit messen? Konzeptionelle Überlegungen zu einem Reformfähigkeitsindex für OECD-Staaten

In the present article, I propose to determine reform capacity based upon policy outcomes and the governing performance of executives. Both components shall be measured through expert assessments and quantitative data for the 30 OECD member states in order to construct an index of reform capacity. The concepts underpinning the index are explained and compared with existing approaches of performance and governance measurement. Criteria are developed to assess the strategic capacity of governments and the accountability-generating functions of political actors surrounding the government. The envisaged measurement and aggregation methods are described and the potential of the proposed approach is discussed.     

兵团国有企业改革与发展的基本思路

兵团国有工交建商企业已进入改革的攻坚阶段和发展的关键时期,面对国际国内竞争加剧的新形势,如何进一步解放思想,转变观念,推进兵团国有工交建商企业改革,这是摆在兵团人面前的一项紧迫工作。为此,本文根据兵团国有企业改革“1+8”文件精神,从十个方面概括了改革与发展的基本思路。     

欧盟中小企业发展政策

在欧盟成立以前,欧共体各成员国对中小企业的界定存在一定的差异,德国、法国、意大利及英国这几个主要成员国由于经济实力较强,对中小企业的界定比较相似,几乎都把中小企业职员人数界定在500人以下,而其他国家如荷兰、西班牙等,对中小企业人数的界定要低得多。     

族群冲突的理性主义逻辑及其对中国的启示

对于由某一族群主导的中央政府与国内其他族群发生的族群冲突,通常的理论解释主要关注后者对前者的不满以及其武装反抗能力。但是,这种研究路径不能解释为什么冲突双方不能达成反映双方实力对比的妥协方案以避免族群冲突。为了解答这一疑问,有必要关注冲突双方的战略互动。在战略互动过程中,族群冲突双方对彼此实力、意图和战争决心的评估方面的信息不对称,阻碍双方达成基于真实实力对比的和平协议;即使双方掌握对称信息,但由于担心彼此不能真正履行和平承诺,同样阻碍和平协议的达成;更为重要的是,冲突双方争执的核心问题可能具有不容妥协、不可分割的价值。和平谈判的失败意味着族群冲突的爆发。因此,要防止族群冲突的发生或重建战后和平,第三方的调解和安全保证至关重要,这对于中国介入非洲的族群冲突具有重要启示。     

引言

违宪审查,路在何方? 我们每个公民都应记住1967年8月5日.这天时任共和国主席的刘少奇在中南海遭红卫兵批斗.回家后,他拿出<中华人民共和国宪法>愤慨地说:我是中华人民共和国主席,你们怎样对待我个人这无关紧要,但我要捍卫国家主席的尊严.谁罢免了我国家主席?要审判也要通过人民代表大会.你们这样做是在侮辱我们的国家.我个人也是一个公民,为什么不让我讲话?宪法保障每一个公民的人身权利不受侵犯.破坏宪法的人是要受到法律的严厉制裁的.刘少奇的这番话掷地有声,也道出了宪法保障的根本问题.     

全面发展视域下国家文化软实力建设

党的十七大报告中关于"提高国家文化软实力"的新论断,要求我们在不断提高硬实力的同时,也需重视提高软实力,从而推动社会主义文化的大发展大繁荣.文化软实力的提升不仅是提高综合国力的逻辑指向、建设和谐社会的必然选择,同时也是应对复杂国际环境的有效手段."文化软实力"理论为我们实现怎样全面发展提供了一个新视域.     

我国公务员道德建设现状调查

公务员应当是道德的先行者,其德行操守对整个社会的精神文明建设起到至关重要的作用。本调查分析了我国公务员道德建设的现状,并提出了相关建议。建议包括:创新道德知识开发方法,加大政府信息公开力度,将平衡记分卡引入道德评价体系等。