SERVICES: PARASITIC OR DYNAMIC?

Traditional economic theorists have argued that services in general, and public services in particular, are unproductive and parasitic. Data is presented from seven representative countries at varying levels of economic development to show that, in fact, services are productive and play a critical role both in enabling the production of goods and In ensuring quality of life.     

A NEW DEFENSE POLICY FOR COSTA RICA: CONSTRUCTING REALITY AND THE POLICY AGENDA

This paper examine5 the policymaking progress in Costa Rica, specifically the creation of a new item for the governmental agenda. This new agenda challenges the traditional Itno army" policy of Costa Kica. Following a brief historical overview of the traditional policy, the paper considers the role of specific factors that promote structural conduciveness for the new "defense" policy and the attendant transformation of political symbols and definitions. The impact of the definitional and organizational changes on the implementation stage of policy is explored. This article suggests the importance of studying the role of hegemony in the construction and transformation of political and cultural definitions, an explication of deci- sionmaking as well as nondecisionmaking processes, and the influence of external and internal threats on nation-state dependency.     

Science Education Policy: A Symposium

This article introduces Science Education Policy: A Symposium. The symposium examines trends and issues from the vantage points of individuals from a variety of backgrounds who are concerned with science education in the US. Although optimistic, most of the contributors to this symposium agree that considerable research and evaluation is still needed before we can make informed policy decisions that would have a lasting impact on science education. The expected outcome of the symposium is to stimulate discussions among educators and policymakers.     

WHO'S REGISTERED AND WHO'S NOT: TARGETING VOTER REGISTRATION IN CHICAGO

Racial minorities, the poor, the less educated and the young are the groups least likely to be registered and most likely to be under-represented in voting. The potential payoff from participation in local elections is great: voting is their only real avenue of influence and municipal office holders are more directly responsive to voters than are federal officials. The success enjoyed by blacks in Chicago during the 1980s demonstrates what can be accomplished with high levels of registration and turnout. Yet the barriers to a continuingly high turnout are formidable. An analysis prepared for the Chicago Urban League by social scientists specifies the areas in need of expanded registration efforts, the type of problems likely to be en- countered, and the mobilizing tactics most likely to be successful. The problem of turnout and the differential impact of race and class has real-life consequences. The power of the political party to facilitate, or by not engag- ing in registration activities, to depress involvement is indicated in the various wards of the city where the local party has a commanding presence.     

Informal interference in the judiciary in new democracies: a comparison of six African and Latin American cases

This article focuses on the efforts of power holders – at the executive or the legislative level – to influence or curb court activity informally or extra-legally, an acknowledged but under-researched topic in studies of judicial politics. We first define informal judicial interference and operationalize the concept; we then explain how we collected information on the topic through systematic cross-country interviewing. Our concept focuses on judicial intervention actions exercised by political actors once judges are on the bench. We distinguish these actions according to type – direct or subtle – and further differentiate each type according to six different modes. We provide new empirical data on informal interference in six third-wave democracies, three in Africa (Benin, Madagascar, and Senegal) and three in Latin America (Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay). Our empirical findings, first, confirm the importance of informal practices in shaping political-judicial relations. Second, they point to long-standing legacies and to the level of socio-economic development as possible explanations for different performances in terms of the prevalence and severity of informal interference in the judiciary in these newly established democratic regimes     

Political Parties and Minority Governance in Hybrid Political Orders: Reflections from Lebanon’s Palestinian Settlements and Kosovo’s Serbian Enclaves

This article analyses how minority populations govern and are governed in South Lebanon’s informal Palestinian settlements and the Serbian enclave in North Kosovo. Drawing on literature about hybrid political orders, it is argued that in both settings political parties play a linchpin role in local governance. Based on this finding, three key functions of political parties in the governance of minority populations in hybrid political orders are identified: representation, provision and brokerage. Understanding the interdependencies and trade-offs between these different roles contributes to remedying the analytical blind spot regarding the nature, positions and roles of political parties in hybrid political orders.     

High-tech Interest Groups in the United States and Its Political Influence

Representing the appeals of its industry,the high-tech interest group has recently become an emerging political force in the United States.With abundant financial resources and proficiency in political communication,the group rapidly grows to be a significant force in the American political sphere.It has started to affect the internal and foreign affairs of the U.S.and played a proactive role in the latest presidential election.Since the high-tech interest group has already become and will continue to be a big player in Sino-U.S.relations,China should carefully deal with its appeals and conflict of interests,and try to develop this group into a stabilizer between the two countries.     

中国公众的获得感——指标构建、时空变迁和宏观机制

利用中国综合社会调查(CGSS)城乡居民十年近8万人的大样本,以个人幸福感、阶层流动感和阶层自我定位三大指标为外显变量,通过潜类分析方法构建起群众获得感的HMS模型和五级指标。结合省级统计年鉴数据,以动态面板模型探讨省域获得感的宏观影响机制。研究发现,在2005—2015年间,(1)我国超过一半的公众具有中高或高度获得感,但仍有三分之一群体获得感为中低或低度;(2)各省群众获得感随时间呈现较为一致的平缓上升趋势,但存在较大空间差异;(3)在省域层面,收入、健康和安全等民生指标对获得感有显著的支撑作用,但GDP增长指标和市场化、城镇化等转型指标,以及部分社会发展指标,尚未能起到应有的拉升效用,值得引起重视。     

至关重要的社会性别——21世纪如何开展全球化和社会变迁研究

作为一篇导论性文章,本文旨在促进社会变迁——与本地、国家和地区层面全球化进程相伴随——研究中强调社会性别中心位置的变革性学术和研究。本文的六个主题相互关联,都将全球化视为一种社会性别化的现象,并研究社会性别如何现身于全球化逻辑之内,以及如何被嵌入到全球化的过程和结构之中。这些主题考察了全球化如何塑造了社会性别化的制度;在男女两性资源获得和控制、价值观念、自身认同、选择、角色行为和社会性别权力关系方面,全球化是如何建构社会性别的;全球化如何影响男女两性所生活的社会文化环境。这些主题也将全球化的辨证关系解释为对男女两性产生纷繁影响的全球及地区政治经济和社会文化环境之间冲突性互动的结果。全篇的重点在于提出有效的社会变迁策略。