政府失灵的又一种救治途径——一种不同于公共选择理论的分析

公共选择理论认为政治市场与经济市场一样,官员也是追求自身利益最大化的"经济人",这与官员作为公共利益的代表存在持久的冲突,并导致政府失灵,进而得出结论是:市场失灵并不是政府干预的充分条件,政府应尽量减少干预,最大限度地约束政府的权力范围。但是笔者以为,对于市场经济已经非常成熟而且官僚制业已达到极致的西方发达国家是适用的而且实践证明是成功的。但对于我国而言,减少干预只是解决问题的一个很小的方面,因为"后发外生型"国家要实现跨越式发展,没有政府的大量干预和推动是不可能实现的。解决问题的关键在于在政府利益与公共利益之间建立起一整套激励共容机制,这样政府利益不仅不会损害公共利益,反而更能促进公共利益。     

Demonstrating the Melbourne University Respirator

The First World War was a theatre for the demonstration of Australia's contribution to the Empire, and the role of science and technology. This paper explores this relationship by tracing the history of the Melbourne University Respirator, a gas mask developed by scientists at the University of Melbourne during the Great War. In the immediate post-war period, the Respirator was used as a political technology to educate citizens about the actual and potential contribution of scientific research to national and imperial defence. Scientists in this manner promoted national scientific and technological development and a more equal partnership with Britain. The political use of the Respirator was staged in the vivid medium of an exhibition, in which sentiment was conceivably used to motivate political action.     

Reciprocal effects of self-concept and academic achievement in sixth and seventh grade

We aimed to (a) assess causal influences of three levels of self-concept on each other, (b) examine the relationship between each level of self-concept and academic achievement, and (c) compare the effect of self-concept on achievement with the effect of achievement on self-concept. In a two-year longitudinal study of 322 sixth and seventh grade students, influences over time between three levels of self-concept were weak. Zero-order correlations between self-concept and grades were positive and substantial, as in past studies. When using structural equation models, we found much weaker paths between self-concept and grades. Influences from self-concept to grades were very weak, but grades had a modest influence on subsequent discipline-specific self-concept. We conclude that past correlational studies have overstated the influence of self-concept on grades and of grades on self-concept.Financial support was supplied by the Life Cycle Institute, Catholic University.Received Ph.D. from Harvard University. Research interests include self-concept, religious development, and moral development.Received Ed.D. from Michigan State University. Research interests include self-concept and reading instruction.Received B.A. from The Catholic University of America. Research interests include political socialization and social movements.     

Child sexual abuse and pornography: Is there a relationship?

Sexual abuse is now a major form of child maltreatment; however, the causes of such exploitation are obscure. A review of official reports and other research indicate that the circumstances surrounding sexual abuse are inadequately specified to allow specific causal interpretations. The role of pornography in contributing to such abuse is explored by reviewing laboratory studies and the circumstances of child sexual abuse. An assessment of the research literature suggests that pornography is a minor and indirect influence on child sexual maltreatment.