To Our Readers

Contemporary International Relations, the English journal published by China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, is now 15 years old. Since its conception as the first Chinese journal in English covering the field of international relations, it has presented to our readers numerous articles written by the research fellows of our institutes on the subjects of international affairs, international relations, and international relations theories. We have received numerous letters of encouragement and positive comments. We have also gotten letters in which our readers have given their opinions on what they would like to see in this journal. Some readers pointed out to us the mistakes in the translation. Other readers noted the occasional delay in delivery or even missing issues. We are grateful to those who have always supported us. We also feel the need to improve for those who have not been totally satisfied with our journal.     

努力把基层党组织建设成为推动社会主义市场经济发展的战斗堡垒

基层党组织的状况对党及党员先进与否起着重要重用;在全面改革和市场化进程中,基层党组织建设要反对两种片面性:或使基层党组织建设与发展社会主义市场经济相脱离使基层党组织空化,或放弃基层党组织自身的建设,使党组织退化;基层党组织要成为推动社会主义市场经济发展的战斗堡垒,必须具备三项基本条件,必须打通四条基本途径。     

‘Social Services will not touch us with a barge pole’: social care provision for older prisoners

Older prisoners are the fastest growing subgroup in the English and Welsh prison estate. Older prisoners have high levels of health and social care needs. This mixed-method study involved the distribution of a questionnaire examining the availability of health and social care services for older prisoners to all prisons housing adult males in England and Wales, followed by qualitative telephone interviews with representatives from eight prisons. Over half of establishments had some contact with external social care services, but reported significant difficulties in arranging the care for individuals. A professional lead for older prisoners had been identified in 81% of establishments; however, the value of this role to positively affect practice appeared questionable. Statutory social care was often non-existent in prison due to the lack of understanding of what it constituted and who was responsible for its provision.     

Academic judgement,the university Visitor and the Human Rights Act 1998

Students have proved increasingly willing to challenge academic judgements in court, and the passage into law of the Human Rights Act 1998 is likely to have a major bearing on future challenges. The Act will make it unlawful for a public authority (including both a university and the courts) to act in a way which is incompatible with many of the provisions in the European Convention on Human Rights (and the Protocols attaching thereto). It will also permit a victim of such unlawfulness to bring proceedings in an appropriate court or tribunal, whether in the High Court as part of an application for judicial review or as an ordinary civil action for negligence or breach of contract. The court will have the power to grant whatever remedy it considers to be just and equitable, including an award of damages where it feels such an award to be appropriate. This could have significant consequences for the use of the Visitor in chartered universities as the final arbiter in disputes over academic judgements. For the Visitor does not conduct hearings in public and often fails to follow any recognised procedure. It may even be doubted whether the Visitor can be said to be truly independent of the institution against whose decision the student is appealing. In future, therefore, universities may have to be prepared to justify any marks awarded in the public forum of the courtroom.     

2008年欧洲形势评析

2008年欧盟经历了一系列危机,包括爱尔兰否决<里斯本条约>、俄格冲突、金融海啸等,这些危机多次引发欧盟内部的激烈争吵.但总体而言,欧盟在当前的危机面前表现得更为积极主动,协调性和一致性也更强.在危机及其应对过程中,欧盟凝聚力有所增强,国际影响力有所扩大,危机已在一定程度上成为欧盟深化一体化和提高自身国际地位的契机.     

对澳门特区立法会议员质询的分析:1999—2008

本文描述了质询制度在澳门特别行政区的确立和变迁,重点对1999—2008年9个立法会会期内的质询材料进行了统计分析。文章发现,尽管特区立法会曾采取了减少书面质询、增加口头质询的措施,但却出现了书面质询大幅增加、口头质询并不活跃的状况。作者认为,澳门特区的选举制度及议员所代表的利益对议员的书面质询有较大的影响,口头质询则由于程序设计原因数量有限,为此,政府应对书面质询作出积极回应,立法会可通过定期召开质询会议、建立顺畅的口头质询与辩论的衔接机制等措施完善口头质询制度。     

安徽省领导干部学法用法的创新举措

带头学法用法，坚持与民同行，是“五五”普法期间安徽省对领导干部学法用法方式的一项改革，这一创新举措的成功应用，对于促进全省领导干部自觉学法用法，主动接受社会监督评价，着力构建干群互动的普治大局，进一步加速“法治安徽”的创建进程，起到了十分重要的助推作用。