Recrafting the national imaginary and the new “vanguardism”

An opportunity exists to assess the limitations in building long-term peace in post-conflict states, particularly given the extent to which negotiated settlements incorporate demands for democratic mechanisms. By assessing how post-conflict governments construct new majorities through policy tools as well as assessing how they are constrained by the structural realities of negotiated settlements, we gain some purchase on the reasons why some post-conflict state projects succeed while others fail. This has potentially transformative implications for our understanding of how social contracts, and their attendant issues of consent, dissent, and legitimacy, operate in the modern world and the ways they impact such critical discussions as democratic transition, post-conflict reconciliation, and nation-building. We use the case of post-apartheid South Africa to analyse how post-conflict states are limited in terms of forging social contracts among citizens and between citizens and governments. Of specific interest is the way that post-conflict social contracting compels nation-builders to eschew the uncertainties of viable electoral democracy in favour of dominant party regimes or electoral authoritarianism. We suggest that this tension is less a result of pecuniary interest on the part of nation-builders and more a consequence of the imperfections of the modern social contracting process.     

地方人大对政府工作监督存在的问题及原因分析

人民代表大会监督是维护人民民主的有效手段和建设法制国家的根本前提。我国的人民代表大会制度建立以来,不断在实践中发展,对政府的监督制度不断完善,对政府的监督工作日益加强,监督权的行使收到了明显成效。然而,地方人大的监督工作同宪法和法律赋予的职权相比,还是有一定的差距,对政府监督的现状也不能完全达到建设法制国家的要求。其主要原因在于地方人大对政府工作监督的诸多关系不协调,对政府工作监督存在制度缺失,以及在这项工作中自身存在问题等。     

全面提高党建科学化水平的战略举措

党的十八大在新形势下强调“全面提高党的建设科学化水平”的新理念,这一理念在表述上有传承更有丰富和发展。全面提高党的建设科学化水平,要深刻理解党建科学化的内涵、新形势下强调党建科学化的必要性以及全面提高党建科学化水平的路径措施。     

以党的十八大精神为指导促进和加快学院科学发展

公安高等教育是国家高等教育的重要组成部分,云南警官学院是云南公安高等学历教育和警察职业教育的主阵地,以党的十八大精神引领和指导云南警官学院的科学发展,坚持普通高等教育与公安高等教育的有机结合,坚持学历教育与民警培训协调发展,坚持特色化和差异化发展道路,把云南警官学院建成合格的现代警察大学,具有重大而深远的意义。     

How to Win a Lost Election: Malapportionment and Malaysia’s 2013 General Election

Abstract

Allegations of electoral irregularities loomed large prior to and following Malaysia’s 13th general election in May 2013. Yet while these irregularities elicited strong reactions domestically and internationally, they are unlikely to have played a significant role in shaping the election’s outcome. Rather than how the game was played, it was the very rules of the game itself that were responsible for returning the United Malays National Organization and its Barisan Nasional coalition to power for the 13th consecutive time, as Malaysia’s electoral institutions quietly transformed the incumbent coalition’s 4% deficit in the popular vote into a 20% winning margin of parliamentary seats. This is largely the result of substantial variation in the size of electoral districts, which had the effect of delivering parliamentary seats to Barisan Nasional with significantly fewer votes than were required by the opposition to secure its seats. This article has two primary aims. First, it seeks to understand better malapportionment in Malaysia by examining the degree of distortions at multiple institutional levels. It demonstrates these distortions to be exceptionally high from a comparative perspective. Second, it seeks to understand better the factors responsible for the size variation of electoral districts, specifically the extent to which the non-partisan factors stipulated in the constitution can explain the variation. Several tests are conducted using new data on the density of voters in electoral districts. The results strongly indicate a partisan element to malapportionment. This creates an institutionalized bias against the opposition and risks increasing polarization in the Malaysian polity.     

十七大以来中国特色社会主义理论体系研究综述

自中共十七大“中国特色社会主义理论体系”这一特定概念提出以来，学术界从中国特色社会主义理论体系的内涵、特征、历史地位、形成历程、指导意义、发展要求等方面进行了广泛而深入的研究，成果不断涌现。     

试论人大代表专职化

人民代表大会制度是理论界持续关注的问题。实现人大代表专职化,从价值角度分析,促进人大议事“效率”提高,有助于法治精神落实;从实证角度分析,会激励竞争性选举活动,树立人大机关权威,降低社会成本。推行人民代表专职化具有必要性及可行性。     

2011年越南政治、经济与外交综述

2011年,越南在政治、经济、外交等各个方面都有不少值得关注的重要事件。越南召开了越共十一届党代会,进行了第十三届国会选举。在2011年里,越南完成了预定的经济计划,但仍面临诸多重大挑战。这些挑战构成了越南实现经济可持续发展的障碍。越南在外交方面注重与东南亚地区内外国家发展外交关系,其中尤为注重发展军事交往关系,积极参与国际事务,力图以此提高国际地位。但如何解决与邻国关系问题,已成为越南保持稳定的国际环境的关键因素。     

十七大报告与党的建设的新探索

十七大报告在党的建设方面提出了许多新的理论和举措,特别是在思想建设、组织建设、作风建设三个方面表现的十分明显。重视加强制度建设也是十七大报告的一大特色。把这些方针认真落实和贯彻,无疑有利于促进党的建设。