Star Power: An Experiential Learning Exercise to Foster Ecological Perspectives on Power,Privilege, and Oppression

The purpose of this article is to describe the utility of Star Power as an experiential learning exercise applied in a community psychology undergraduate course. This exercise simulates systems of power, privilege, and oppression while fostering an ecological perspective that raises students’ awareness and knowledge about power differentials within society. The simulation of trading and lawmaking works best with 18 to 35 students and takes approximately 80 minutes to conduct. This article highlights three representative student perspectives concerning their participation and experience with Star Power. Strategies for facilitating class discussion are also reported.     

Foucault,Critique and Rights

Abstract

This paper outlines Foucault's genealogical conception of critique and argues that it is not inconsistent with his appeals to concepts of right so long as these are under stood in terms of his historical and naturalistic approach to rights. This approach is explained by reference to Nietzsche's account of the origins of rights and duties and the example of Aboriginal rights is used to exemplify the historical character of rights understood as internal to power relations. Drawing upon the contemporary ‘externalist’ approach to rights, it is argued that the normative force of rights can only come from within historically available moral and political discourses. Reading Foucault's 1978-1979 lectures on liberal governmentality in this manner suggests that his call for new forms of right in order to criticise disciplinary power should be answered by reference to concepts drawn from the liberal tradition of governmental reason.     

权力转移论、制度主义论与美国的对华战略

21世纪以来,中国经历了快速的发展,进而在2010年成为仅次于美国的世界第二大经济体。中国的崛起在美国国际关系理论界引发了激烈的辩论,并出现两种观点相互对立的理论:权力转移论和制度主义论。两种理论视角针对中国崛起提出不同的预测:中国崛起带来的是挑战,还是制度建设的机遇。通过深入分析这两种理论,我们可以更加清楚地了解美国近期在东亚针对中国的一系列政治动向背后的意图和动机。     

习近平法治思想对法治基本价值理念的传承与发展

习近平法治思想对法治的基本价值、理念进行了本土化诠释、时代化丰富和理论性创新。其立足我国国情民意和新时代历史方位,对人民民主、宪法法律至上、公平正义、人权保障、权力监督、法律平等等法治基本价值话语作了深层思考与理论凝练,传承发展了我们党长期以来形成的法治价值理念,揭露了西方法治价值理论的缺陷和偏颇,体现了法治价值普遍性与特殊性的统一,为全面依法治国、建设法治中国提供了价值导向和遵循。深入研究习近平关于法治价值的重要论述意义重大,有利于全面深刻理解习近平法治思想的真谛,有利于提升习近平法治思想的感召力与实践力,有利于增强中国特色社会主义法治理论在国际社会的话语权。     

EU accession and the hardening of soft budget constraints: some macro evidence

The hardening of soft budget constraints (SBCs) is a central element in transforming the economies of Central and Eastern Europe into market economies. This paper presents macro evidence on budget hardening of transition economies comparing the performance of EU accession countries relative to non-accession countries. We estimate SBC hardening for 21 transition economies in a partial adjustment model by measuring the reaction of employment to output changes over a 10-year period. The paper finds that accession candidates have reduced excess labour demand substantially relative to non-accession countries.

民事检察在民事诉讼中的空间及路径探讨

十多年的司法实践已经证明,民事检察对于维护司法公正与权威,救济当事人的受损权益发挥了不可替代的作用,同时,它所面临的困境也已严重制约着其职能的履行。对民事检察的改革与完善应当秉承宪法对检察机关的角色定位,围绕法律监督的主题进行,同时应当处理好检察权与诉权、审判权的关系,在合理的空间范围内加大民事检察力度,拓宽民事检察广度,实现其应有的法律价值和社会效果。     

检察机关在民事诉讼中的职权配置研究

作为国家的法律监督机关,检察机关参与民事诉讼是实现法律监督的重要途径和方式。应当明确检察机关在民事诉讼中具有多元化的参诉目的和不同的角色定位,明确检察机关可以以提起诉讼、参与诉讼和提出抗诉等多种方式参与民事诉讼,以便按照多元化的职权配置模式实现检察机关在民事诉讼中职权的科学配置。     

行政执法人员滥用职权罪浅析

滥用职权是行政机关在行使职权过程中经常出现的一种严重违法现象。滥用职权行为超越刑法界限必然导致构成滥用职权罪,而行政执法领域又是行政滥用职权的多发领域。正确分析及认识其滥用职权罪的原因,并找出相应对策,对推进我国依法行政具有重要意义。     

Introduction: exploring and explaining the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate

This introduction lays the groundwork for this Special Issue by providing an overview of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), and by introducing three main analytical themes. The first theme concerns the emergence and continuation of the APP. The contributions show that the emergence of the APP can be attributed to international factors, including the United States’ rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, and its search for an alternative arena for global climate governance, and other countries’ wish to maintain good relations with the US; as well as domestic factors, such as the presence of bureaucratic actors in favour of the Partnership, alignment with domestic priorities, and the potential for reaping economic benefits through participation. The second theme examines the nature of the Partnership, concluding that it falls on the very soft side of the hard–soft law continuum and that while being branded as a public–private partnership, governments remain in charge. Under the third theme, the influence which the APP exerts on the post-2012 United Nations (UN) climate change negotiations is scrutinised. The contributions show that at the very least, the APP is exerting some cognitive influence on the UN discussions through its promotion of a sectoral approach. The introduction concludes with outlining areas for future research.

Friendly neighbor or Trojan Horse? Assessing the interaction of soft law initiatives and the UN climate regime

Current global climate governance is characterized by increasing institutional proliferation. Within the last 5 years several non-legally binding initiatives have emerged, including (i) the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and various other public–private partnerships working on the policy implementation level and (ii) the Group of Eight Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development, and Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change as high-level political processes. As a first step toward analyzing the relationship between these parallel initiatives and the UN climate regime, this article looks at the negotiations of four UN-hosted climate meetings in 2007–2008, providing an examination of the interaction of ‘soft law’ climate initiatives and the ‘hard law’ UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol process. The methodology of the study is based on participatory observations in the negotiations and document analysis of country and stakeholder positions. The analysis shows that the current multitude of processes in global climate governance entails potential institutional interaction. Deliberations of the key actors give some support to the claims of non-UN soft law being used to exert influence on the negotiations on a future climate regime within the UN context.