The Spanish Parliament and legislative delegation (1844–1849)1

A study of executive power and the legislative elaboration process during the reign of Isabel II leads to an understanding of one of the government's distinctive features. During the rule of the Moderate Party (1844–1854), and despite the fact that according to the Constitution of 1845 the legislative initiative lay with the king and the parliament, the ministerial initiatives prevailed over parliamentary proposals by means of legislative delegation. The lack of constitutional regulation brought about the existence of several types of delegation. Contemporaries noted their excessive use arising from the fact that it was very easy to govern with this system and, above all, because they were granted to all governments without political distinction. A paradigmatic illustration of the use of delegation is the Spanish Penal Code of 1848. This was because of the scope of its contents (the code put an end to the Ancien Regime in Spain) and because it had a structure and a scientific orientation which were going to exert a recognised influence, not only on Spain's subsequent Spanish Penal Codes until reaching the one in force from 1995, but also in Latin America. The Penal Code was equally important, because it clearly shows how the chambers themselves were not only unable to limit the government's capacity to introduce law, but even enlarged it by conferring upon the latter extraordinary powers for its future reform, limited by the only condition that the government had to inform the chambers once the reforms had been completed. An analysis of parliamentary debates allows us to understand the position of the moderate and progressive parties towards this practice.     

Domestic credit and the balance of payments in Ghana: A comment

This article provides evidence from a randomised control trial conducted among potato farmers in Ecuador about the impact of mobile phone text messages on farmer knowledge about and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. Using psychological constructs, we examine competing explanations for non-standard decision-making leading to low adoption of beneficial agricultural technologies. Farmers who received text messages have significantly higher knowledge and are more likely to adopt most IPM practices than those in the control group. Findings provide evidence that text messages lead to behavioural changes by reducing inattention and sub-optimal heuristics in the face of complex decisions.     

National and ethnic identifications among the Slovak diaspora in Serbia: stranded between state(s) and ethnicity?

Identity has been treated in relevant literature predominantly as a dynamic, fluid, multidimensional, and ongoing process. Currently, identity is viewed as a process, as something achieved, and as a product of social relations. Scholars have acknowledged that members of minorities and diasporas can have very complex multiple identities, which are both dependent on social context and changeable over time. This article explores the national and ethnic identifications of Slovaks living in Serbia. Its main objective is to examine how the members of the Slovak diaspora identify themselves and what kind of national and ethnic awareness and pride they hold. As well, this paper explores their opinions and attitudes on language and cultural identity. This study used a web-based survey and basic statistics. The results of the explorative study indicate that members of the Slovak diaspora living in Serbia have multiple identities that coexist, do not conflict, and vary in their importance for respondents. Distinct national and ethnic identifications are perceived in different ways and have divergent emotional intensities. This study proposes further research on the importance of civic and ethnic values and on different perceptions of identity, citizenship, length of residency, and minority rights for collective identifications of minorities and/or diasporas.     

Determinants of Online Reporting of Accounting Information by Spanish Local Government Authorities

This paper examines the features of Spanish local governments that influence the degree of their voluntary reporting of financial information on the Internet. Following an agency theory approach, we propose five hypotheses regarding the relationship between voluntary financial disclosure and the size, leverage, capital investment, political competition and press visibility of a local authority. The empirical application of these hypotheses shows that size, capital investment and political competition are positively associated with the degree of online reporting. We also found a negative and significant relationship between press visibility and voluntary financial disclosure.     

Demobilization of Paramilitaries in Colombia: Transformation or Transition?

Historically, Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reinsertion (DDR) has provided a useful means to terminate conflicts. Since being catapulted to office in August 2002 with 53 percent of the vote of 46.45 percent of the voters, ¹ 1. IFES Election Guide, available at (http://www.electionguide.org/results.php?ID=1011). Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has vigorously pursued a demobilization program, both individual and collective. However, despite the fact that over 40,000 combatants have demobilized under these programs, evidence is growing that this latest round of Colombian DDR is merely transitioning, rather than terminating, violence in that Andean country.     

抗菌肽RSRP与常用抗菌药的体外联合药敏试验

为探讨家兔圆小囊抗菌肽(RSRP)的体外抗菌活性以及与抗菌药之间的协同效应关系,采用琼脂糖弥散试验检测RSRP对8株供试细菌的抗菌活性,然后采用棋盘微量稀释法,选取11种常用抗菌药,分别测定其对临床分离的耐药大肠杆菌的最小抑菌浓度,再采用分级抑制浓度指数来定量检测RSRP与抗菌药之间的抗菌作用关系。结果显示,RSRP对8株供试菌均有不同程度的抗菌活性,分级抑制浓度指数从小于0.3到大于5不等。证实该抗菌肽与不同的抗菌药之间协同、相加、无关和拮抗作用关系均存在,其中与β-内酰胺类药物氨苄西林钠、头孢噻呋钠表现明显的协同作用。     

麋鹿朊蛋白全基因的克隆及序列分析

为获得中国麋鹿朊蛋白(PRNP)的全基因,并利用DNAStar软件与已报道的其他动物的朊蛋白全基因序列进行同源性分析,根据GenBank中马鹿朊蛋白基因序列设计特异性引物,采用PCR方法从提取的总基因组中扩增得到麋鹿PRNP基因;将其连接到pGEM-T Easy载体中,获得克隆产物并测序。结果,成功扩增出了中国麋鹿PRNP基因,构建了重组质粒pGEM-T-ML;对克隆产物的序列分析表明,麋鹿PRNP基因的开放阅读框包含771bp,编码256个氨基酸的前体蛋白,前体蛋白的分子质量约为28 200u;与已报道的其他鹿科动物朊蛋白全基因的核苷酸及氨基酸序列的同源性均在98.8%以上,与几种非鹿科动物的同源性在96.5%～98.4%之间。结果表明,麋鹿PRNP基因的核苷酸和编码蛋白的氨基酸序列与其他鹿科动物的序列具有高度保守性,而与几种非鹿科动物间的同源性也较高,说明朊蛋白是一种古老的高度保守的蛋白。     

中美政府人事管理价值的历史演进与比较分析

价值的进路是深入到政府人事管理内核的必由之路。美国政府人事管理价值的历史演进体现了政治回应、道德主义、效率、个人权利、专业的职业化、社会公平等价值,其发展趋势是维护传统理念、加强管理弹性和以结果为本。中国政府人事管理价值的历史演进体现了宗族主义、政治回应、道德主义、公平竞争、分权等价值,其发展趋势主要是法治主义、效率和分权。美国和中国在政府人事管理价值历史演进和发展趋势上呈现了许多共同点和差异。     

以人为本:我国政府的价值定位

强调以人为本,是对政府与社会之间关系的准确解读,也是校正政府价值定位的新起点。本文首先对以人为本的科学内涵进行解读,其次分析了以人为本在我国近现代以来的历史传承,并分析了以人为本理念下的服务型政府建设对全能主义模式下"为人民服务"的继承与超越。本文的结论是,以人为本理念的确立不仅是党和政府服务宗旨的再次张扬,而且是我国制度建设的逻辑起点,为政府行为模式的确定和制度体系的全面建设奠定了基础。