Germany: public affairs reinvented

Reunification, growing international exposure and the move of the capital from Bonn to Berlin are not merely milestones for the major changes that have occurred in German politics since World War II. They are developments that have profoundly affected and continue to affect political life in Germany. The way that political, civic and economic interests engage with the political system has changed, and this raises the question of what public affairs is and can achieve in this context. As practitioner the author observes four main trends. First, public affairs is increasingly being understood in terms of the meaning of the German word ‘Gesellschaftspolitik’. Second, the changing nature of how political issues are being communicated demands a growing expertise from all the players involved. Third, the general feeling among organisations for ‘need to do something political’ does not yet correspond with a specific demand for public affairs services. And last, a market for high profile consultancy‐led public affairs services is still in the making. Public affairs practitioners in Germany will be key in shaping and developing the profile of public affairs as a serious discipline with services and expertise, maturely tailored to local market needs. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications     

Policy of decentralization and changing governance of higher education in post‐Mao China

Unlike the Mao era when educational development was entirely directed by the central government, there has been a strong trend to diversification and decentralization of education in the post‐Mao period. This article, being set in this context, examines how the policy of decentralization has affected the governance modes of higher education in Mainland China. More specifically, the article focuses on three major aspects of education governance, namely, financing, provision and regulation in education, with special attention given to examining the changing relations between the state, local governments and other agents in education delivery. One very significant consequence of the change is that the public‐good functions of education, of which the state has taken the primary role of a reliable guarantor, have diminished. Nonetheless, the state's role as a regulator and overall service coordinator has been strengthened rather than weakened under the policy of decentralization. These recent developments in China's higher education also reflect the global trend of decentralization in educational governance. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Origins of Security Cooperation in the Southern Cone

Argentine-Brazilian relations have undergone a remarkable transformation over the last two decades, from enduring rivalry to cooperation. Dating back to the late 1970s, security cooperation has been a byproduct of two different sets of factors, strategic and military organizational, that propelled the two countries independently but simultaneously toward peaceful settlement. The 1979–80 settlement of disputes over hydroelectric power and nuclear technology not only ended centuries of militarized competition but established the first institutional structures of what is today one of the world's most durable security regimes.     

从两个"南方谈话"看如何保持党的活力

邓小平“南方谈话”中的党建论述 ,既是他党建思想的精要 ,也是他给第三代领导的嘱托 ;江泽民的“南方谈话”既是对邓小平嘱托的实践 ,又是新时期党建理论和实践的创新。学习、研究两个“南方谈话” ,保持党的活力 ,是时代提出的紧迫任务     

从凡俗生活跃起:哲学的使命

哲学要回归现实生活，这是当今时代的现实要求。但是，哲学回归现实生活，并不是与现实生活沆鲨一汽，而是与现实生活拉开距离，超越现实生活，这才是哲学的真正使命所在。操学是对生活的理论化观照，不是对现实生活的阿谀。同化于现实的哲学，也许可以暂时置身于哲学之列，但终归没有生命力。只有超拔于现实，哲学才能成其为哲学。真正的哲学，正是在其与现实生活的距离中保持着它与现实生活最真实最紧密的联系的。     

Strange bedfellows: Dynamics of government‐business relations between Chinese local authorities and Taiwanese investors

China poses a theoretical challenge in that corruption and rent‐seeking activities have not hindered foreign direct investment and economic development. Studies in development have documented the problems of rent‐seeking. International capital presumably hesitates to step into a Third‐World country such as China, which cannot protect private property rights with a comprehensive legal framework. However, for the last decade in China export promotion, foreign capital, and industrial development have proceeded simultaneously. This research argues that local officials helped investors overcome the problem of high transaction costs during a period of institutional uncertainty and local informal rules supplied foreigners with effective protection of property rights under corrupt circumstances. By controlling rent‐seeking activities, local officials created a wide variety of ad hoc patronage for private and foreign investments within their administrative domain. In return, local governments received extrabudgetary payments for the official patronage. This article provides an in‐depth case study of the so‐called joint venture between Taiwanese enterprises and Chinese local authorities in the Pearl River Delta, the institutional bases for their collaboration and the dynamics of the relationship under institutional change.     

试论<<说文>>段注的哲学思想

清代杰出的语言学家段玉裁,继承戴震的唯物主义世界观和朴素的辩证法思想,并以此作为自己注解《说文解字》的指导原则。段注的哲学思想主要表现在用“实事求是”的态度研究语言、考察语词;用变化、发展的观点看待和研究语言现象;用相互联系的观点研究语言文字现象;用“内容决定形式,形式反映内容”的观点研究语言现象;以对立统一的矛盾观分析和研究语言现象。