The survival and tenure of Australian Attorneys-General

ABSTRACT

Policy outcomes in parliamentary systems can be affected by the characteristics of those appointed to executive positions. Research into the survival of ministerial appointments emphasise institutional factors, personal, and professional characteristics. There is, however, less attention paid to how the specific features of a portfolio affect ministerial survival. I address this gap by examining Australian Attorneys-General, to highlight how the duration of ministerial appointments depends on the features of the position. I find that a specific understanding of a portfolio can affect ministerial survival and that the survival of Australian Attorneys-General is shaped by the specifics of the portfolio.     

European Union enlargement: Power distribution implications of the new institutional arrangements

Abstract. It is argued that enlargement challenges institutional balances and in particular relative powers of national actors within the European Union (EU). This article concentrates on the impact of future enlargement (with the current negotiating 12 candidates) on power distribution in the Council of Ministers of the European Union and the European Parliament based on the decisions taken at the Nice Summit in December 1800. It uses the Shapley-Shubik and Banzhaf indices to evaluate past and emerging power distributions in both the Council and in the Parliament. A brief section on Turkey (the thirteenth, non-negotiating, official candidate) is included to evaluate its possible impact in the case of admission to the Union.     

单位制下的民主:兼论企业民主制度的创新

在单位制研究中,企业民主制度长期被忽略,实际上,在国有企业中,企业民主制度是单位制下所形成的庇护体制的重要因素。在国有企业中,权威结构并不是纯粹的,而是与企业民主制度交织在一起,形成一种＂权威的循环＂。这种权威不仅要借助民主来强化自身的合法性,也要通过民主动员的方式进行组织激励,达到组织目的,从而在国有企业这一基层社会组织中将发展生产和社会整合紧密地结合在一起。     

What can the Basque peace process learn from Southeast Asia?

This article contributes to a bidirectional Asia–Europe comparative analysis of peace processes by exploring what experiences, both failures and successes, can the Basque peace process learn from the many interesting peace initiatives that Southeast Asia has seen in recent years, above all in Mindanao, Aceh, Southern Thailand and Burma. Although there are substantial differences between the Basque conflict and the Asian cases, it might be useful for the Basque case to look beyond the cases with which it traditionally has been compared to, such as Quebec, Northern Ireland or South Africa.     

On China＇s Foreign Policy

There are two perspectives regarding the evolution of the international system： the survival of state and the survival of the world. From the first perspective, the international system is a typical of power-and-right-dominated culture, while the second perspective posits an international system is an obligation-dominated culture. The evolution from a power-dominated system to an obligation-dominated system is important.     

‘Irish Republic’, ‘Eire’ or ‘Ireland’? The Contested Name of John Bull's Other Island

One of the less visible consequences of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of 1998 was that it finally put to rest a fifty year dispute between Ireland and the United Kingdom about the names of the respective states. This article begins by outlining the constitutional background to this complex terminological dispute, and then examines it from three perspectives. The first is that of the Irish state itself, which in recent decades has opted unambiguously for 'Ireland'. The second is the British government, which until the end of the twentieth century preferred the labels 'Eire' or 'Irish Republic'. The third is the militant nationalist republican movement, whose terminology was designed to deny the legitimacy of the existing state. The article concludes by examining the political significance of this issue, arguing that while its most obvious importance is symbolic, it has also had real meaning for the identity and for the geographical definition of the state, as well as for the British-Irish relationship.     

泰国对当前中日关系的看法——泰国实地问卷调查分析

中日关系是东亚地区合作中最重要的一对关系。然而长期以来两国关系龃龉不断，近来双边关系有所缓和，但仍在许多问题上争论不休，总是公说公有理，婆说婆有理。常言道，“旁观者清”，听听周边国家对中日关系的看法对我们处理中日双边关系不无裨益。本问卷调查就4个方面，即中日两国际外形象、中日关系中历史问题、中日经贸关系、中日政治关系，列出了相关的40个题目来了解泰国人对中日关系的看法。     

China''s India Studies

Over the past 50 years, with the improvement of relationship between India and China, the scope of India studies in China＇s IR research has been broadened and the new areas of studies are being explored. The research agenda of India studies has already extended to the areas like economy, society, culture, security, national strategy and their impact on both bilateral and international relations. In this situation, the focuses of India studies in China＇s IR research can be mainly identified as follows： reviews on India＇s social, political and economic systems; analysis on the national strategy and foreign policy; Sino-Indian relations; India＇s relations with some international organizations. However, even though many fresh progresses have been made in India studies, the India studies in China＇s IR research still lag far behind the study of other important countries like the U.S., UK, Russia and Japan, and more problems and challenges will face in the coming future. The paper believes that a fuller understanding of India probably will not make China and India close friends, but it definitely will help to prevent them from becoming fierce enemies.