Access to Justice and Social Inclusion: The Policy Challenges in Wales

Enhancing access to legal and advice services is a central pillar of the Access to Justice Act 1999. Within the new welfare framework, employment rights come increasingly into focus as the UK government seeks to forge a link between welfare and work. Access to the labour market, and being sustained within it, are seen as major mechanisms for combating social exclusion. Discrimination at work can only thwart these ambitions. The Access to Justice reforms imply an assessment of need and a review of the ways in which individuals are negotiating the available system of redress. This article reports on a study of advice provision in employment discrimination cases in Wales, funded by the Legal Services Commission and the Equality Commissions in Wales. Drawing on the accounts of key providers, individual experiences of advice seeking and available statistical evidence, it explores the opportunities and constraints of the Welsh context and profiles many of the policy challenges posed for the devolved administration. It demonstrates that, despite advances in equalities legislation and policy directives aimed at strengthening people's employment rights, a number of critical obstacles remain for the most disadvantaged groups.     

我国社会管理创新的基本原则探究——从行政法学的视野

社会管理创新内容繁杂,但是,从行政法学的角度出发,可以总结出六项基本原则:坚持党的领导,走法治化道路的原则;坚持以建设服务型政府为核心,社会管理服务化原则;政府放权,权责一致原则;打造透明政府,政府信息公开原则;以市场化为导向的原则;社会协同,政府诚信原则。这些是我国社会管理创新应该坚持的最为基本的内容,做到这一点,当前我国各地如火如荼的社会管理创新工作就不会偏离方向,就会卓有成效。     

和谐社会条件下效率与公平的和谐与统一研究

社会主义的本质决定了社会主义和谐社会应当既是一个高效率的社会,又是一个充分体现社会公平的社会;中国共产党领导广大人民构建社会主义和谐社会的过程,既是一个不断提高经济效率的过程,同时也是一个切实保障和促进社会公平的过程。本文主要探讨了在社会主义和谐社会构建过程中,如何以经济发展和社会发展的辩证统一关系为切入点,在经济效率和经济公平、社会效率和社会公平的不同层次贯彻不同的效率与公平原则,从而实现效率与公平的良性互动,达到二者的和谐统一。     

A training approach for community maternal health volunteers that builds sustainable capacity

This article examines a training approach for community health volunteers which increased access to maternal health services in rural communities in Zambia. The effectiveness of the training approach was evaluated in an operations research component. Skilled birth attendance rates increased by 63% from baseline over a two-year period in the intervention districts, out-performing increases recorded in control sites at statistically significant levels. As a low-cost, high-impact intervention which shows good sustainability potential, the approach is suitable for national level scale-up and for adaptation for use in other countries in support of maternal and new-born health goals.     

Centring African culture in water,sanitation, and hygiene development praxis in Ghana: a case for endogenous development

International development aid is driven by actors steeped in Western neo-liberal theory and practice. Africa has largely received failed Western aid, administered mainly through international NGOs in neo-comprador relationships. This article calls for African-centred and -led development, revitalised through endogenous development (ED) praxis. Using a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector case study from Ghana, the article theorises Africa's WASH development within the context of globalisation and the politics of knowledge production on Africa. It shows how ED provides African people with self-determining and culturally relevant development necessary for WASH justice and improved health and livelihoods.     

泰国曼谷民办非全日制华文教育的现状与特色

民办非全日制华文教育是泰国华文教育的两大体系之一。其基本特征为:产权私立,以补习学校为主要办学形式;商业化运作,以社会需求为导向,重视信用培育、品牌塑造、市场开发和公众评价;规模较大,生源多样化;师资性别年龄学历学缘结构趋于合理,年轻化、专业化和职业化倾向明显。相对优越的教学条件、较为严谨的教学规范、灵活的班级与课程设置以及注重华语交际能力的培养模式,使其在华教领域呈现多方面的优势。民办非全日制华文教育的发展,将华教触角从学校延伸到社会,从学生扩大到所有人群,既增加了受众,也深化了层次,提升了华文教育的效率、质量和社会影响力,促进了华文教育的推广和中泰文化交流。     

印尼山口洋的客家人——海外客家人的社会变迁之一

印尼是海外华人最多的一个国家。在印尼的华人中,客家人约占了30-40%,因此,也可以说印尼是海外客家人最多的一个国家。印尼的客家人,尤其是聚居在印尼外岛地区的客家人,虽然在海外已经生活了几代人甚至十几代人,但仍然保留了比较浓重的客家人特征,或者叫客家特性。本文主要探讨居住在山口洋市的客家人的社会变迁和文化适应,探究他们的生活方式,研究这里的客家人与其他华人的差别。     

西南边疆民族地区归侨社会保障问题探索——西南边疆民族地区归侨侨眷青年发展问题研究系列之三

由于特殊的管理体制以及国家社会保障体系的不完善等原因,西南边疆民族地区归侨的社会保障权利基本上游离在城市和农村之外,住房保障问题也突出。基于社会保障的价值和原则之考量,西南边疆民族地区归侨的社会保障需要在体制管理、属地管辖等方面加以改革,特别是要重视基本养老保险制度、基本医疗保险制度、最低生活保障申报审核制度的完善。同时,在住房保障制度方面作出制度调整。     

新媒体视角下社会管理创新探讨

新媒体时代的到来,改变了信息传播的方式,改变了人们的生活、生产方式,给社会管理创新带来了机遇和挑战.新媒体视角下,如何推进社会管理创新,是当前各级政府面临的重大课题.社会管理者应树立现代媒体意识,运用新媒体技术,预防和减少社会矛盾,改进社会管理方式,以实现社会治理的科学化.     

依法治理视域下人民调解发展向度探析

面对我国社会转型期各种社会矛盾和民间纠纷高发频发多发的态势,需要在推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化这一深化改革的总目标下,充分认识人民调解具有的社会治理属性,在依法治国要求下更加重视和加强人民调解工作,拓展职责内涵,强化法治思维,完善制度保障,更好地发挥其在国家治理体系中作为社会矛盾化解器的重要基础性作用。