Who Wants to be Number Two?

It’s a provocative question.Under the competitive conditions that many of us face,being number two is not,generally,the result of trying to come in second.Did the silver medalist want gold?Did the second-ranked university strive to be first?Did the vice president not covet the top job?And so on.The fact is,most who reach the second position did     

A Horizon of Reform

The upcoming Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee could cement big changes With the Third plenary Session of the18th CpC(Communist party of China)Central Committee scheduled for this November,many observers are ready for a potentially history-making meeting,one that might provide new direction for key reforms as     

Producing facial composite sketches in remote Cognitive Interviews: a preliminary investigation

Justice systems around the world are increasingly turning to videoconferencing as a means to reduce delays and reduce costs in legal processes. This preliminary research examined whether interviewing a witness remotely – without physical co-presence of the witness and interviewer – could facilitate the production of quality facial composite sketches of suspects. In Study 1, 42 adults briefly viewed a photograph of a face. The next day they participated in Cognitive Interviews with a forensic artist, conducted either face-to-face or remotely via videoconference. In Study 2, 20 adults participated in videoconferenced interviews, and we manipulated the method by which they viewed the developing sketch. In both studies, independent groups of volunteers rated the likeness of the composites to the original photographs. The data suggest that remote interviews elicited effective composites; however, in Study 1 these composites were considered poorer matches to the photographs than were those produced in face-to-face interviews. The differences were small, but significant. Participants perceived several disadvantages to remote interviewing, but also several advantages including less pressure and better concentration. The results of Study 2 suggested that different sketch presentation methods offered different benefits. We propose that remote interviewing could be a useful tool for investigators in certain circumstances.     

Process Tracing and Historical Explanation

This article offers a state of the art of methodological writings on process tracing. Its goal is to encourage the more self-conscious and transparent use of this method in security studies. The article considers process tracing for both theory testing and theory development. First, with theory testing, the article discusses the logic of historical explanation and the use of sequential analysis. It then focuses attention on two kinds of process-tracing tests: hoop tests and smoking gun tests. The article explores the mechanics through which these tests allow investigators to pass judgment on hypotheses. Second, with theory development, the article examines the use of counterfactual analysis and inductive discovery in the process of novel hypothesis formulation. The article shows how process-tracing researchers use event analysis to formulate original explanations of specific outcomes in particular cases.     

The Value of Judicial Independence: Evidence from Eighteenth Century England

This article assesses the impact of changes in judicial independenceon equity markets. North and Weingast (1989) argue that judicialindependence and other institutional changes inaugurated bythe Glorious Revolution of 1688–89 improved public andprivate finance in England by putting restraints on the government.We calculate abnormal equity returns at critical points in thepassage of statutes giving judges greater security of tenureand higher salaries. Early-eighteenth-century legislation grantingtenure during good behavior is associated with large and statisticallysignificant positive abnormal returns. Other statutes had positivebut generally insignificant effects.     

Greeting A Brand-New Year

Six lessons for the international community to take As we move into the new year with cautious optimism while still facing lingering challenges from 2020, the annus horribilis, and prepare for other challenges, including global warming and those that have not yet emerged but surely will, here are six intersecting lessons to consider as we continue containment and recovery efforts.     

Good Leadership and Common Prosperity

正Beijing recently released a new white paper providing a comprehensive overview of a multitude of efforts to achieve a xiaokang, or moderately prosperous, society, on schedule in 2021, coinciding with the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China(CPC). First described in the modern era by Deng Xiaoping in 1979, subsequent generations of Chinese leadership made this concept central to national development goals.     

Chinese and U.S. Schools: In Comparison

When comparing U.S. and Chinese schools, one finds a number of stark differences and unexpected similarities.Differences existLet's begin with the most overwhelming difference. While the Chinese education system has many different objectives, its dominant feature is the gaokao system. Gaokao refers to the national exam that high school students take to determine admission to colleges and universities. The main part of the exam is taken by most students during their senior year, although some special subject exams can be completed the year before.     

America's Anti-China Human Rights Hype

正As U.S. President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken attempt to rebrand post-Donald Trump America through new policies and narratives at home and abroad, the topic of human rights has become, once again, a focal point of Washington’s propaganda. China should welcome this discussion and join it robustly.