非洲国家外商投资法的基本特征

形成非洲国家的投资环境有种种因素,包括政治、经济、文化乃至心理的因素,但其中起决定性作用的则是法律因素。大部分非洲国家都在积极致力于经济发展,采取各种措施吸引外资,特别是制定和修改了外资法或投资法。根据这些投资法和吸引外资政策,我们发现非洲投资法具有投资立法目标比较明确、投资条件比较宽松、投资优惠政策明显、投资安全基本有保障、区域与国际投资合作正在加强等特征。     

The evolution of EU–South Africa relations: What influence on Africa?

South Africa and the European Union (EU) have a longstanding relationship. Their interaction has evolved through various phases, characterised simultaneously by ambitious partnerships coupled with a degree of wariness. As international dynamics change and Africa becomes an increasingly crucial player in global politics, the relationship between the EU and South Africa exerts a host of influences on how Africa and Europe relate to each other. This article discusses the evolution of EU–South Africa relations and highlights direct and indirect influences that this relationship has on the inter-regional partnership between Africa and Europe.     

Cultural diplomacy: Should South Africa give it a try?

Conflicts often emanate when one society tries to enforce its own culture on others. Cultural diplomacy, as a form of diplomacy, is often an integral part of diplomatic activities of almost all states to alleviate cultural clashes and to assist cultural institutions in the dissemination of national culture. In practice, the under-deployment of cultural diplomacy very often results from false perceptions about its activities. The aim of this paper is to conceptualise the term ‘cultural diplomacy', provide a short history of its development, sketch its major functions and evaluate its importance in the process of foreign policy implementation. South Africa should diversify its diplomatic tools more effectively. Cultural diplomacy should receive more prominence by the practitioners of diplomacy and could serve as a useful means for the implementation of South African interests abroad. It could promote favourable conditions as a precursor for the effective achievement of the country's foreign policy goals.     

泰国对南海争端的态度：表现、成因、趋势和影响

作为南海争端的“局外人”,泰国反对南海问题复杂化和扩大化,反对南海问题影响中国—东盟整体关系的发展,希望争端各方能够和平解决争端。同时,自2012年开始接替越南成为中国—东盟关系协调国后,泰国在南海问题是否应该东盟化问题上开始“走钢丝”。泰国对南海争端的态度与其国家利益密不可分。总体来看,泰国对南海问题的态度有利于南海局势的和平与稳定,有利于争端国家之间危机管控能力的提升。但是,泰国追求东盟在南海问题上形成共同立场以与中国开展集团式谈判的态度和行为会加剧南海争端东盟化。展望未来,泰国对南海问题的态度将会在保持一定的延续性的基础上追求在中国与东盟之间的平衡。     

Making borders and identities in South Sudan

In newly independent South Sudan, the state's not yet fully demarcated territory plays an intriguing and in certain aspects contradictory role in shaping and defining personal and group identities. While neighbouring states’ armies and their proxies interfere with South Sudan's international sovereignty, Juba is itself active beyond its borders by supporting Sudanese rebels. Nonetheless, the ruling elite hold onto the model of the unified and centralised territorial nation-state with clearly demarcated borders. Alas, the state's failure to territorialise its authority creates hybridity with regard to territorial control, which impacts negatively on the state's domestic legitimacy but also weakens attempts to propagate a national identity that transcends ethnic ties. Instead, the current civil war and calls for a decentralised federal structure are evidence of the continued salience of subnational loyalties while those non-state actors, like localised militias, that fill the areas void of government presence are generally themselves sources of insecurity.     

Political Trust,Corruption, and Ratings of the IMF and the World Bank

There are only a handful of studies that examine public support for the IMF and World Bank. Public opinion data on attitudes to the economy feature prominently in these studies. Utilizing data from the Afrobarometer survey, we find that evaluations of the economy, ideology, and a range of sociodemographic factors including age, gender, employment status, health, education, and living conditions are not significantly related to ratings of effectiveness. Rather, we find that political trust and corruption—two very important concepts in the wider literature on individual-level attitudes toward international relations and foreign policy issues—are strongly associated with ratings of effectiveness.     

Impact of microcredit on income,poverty, and economic vulnerability in Peninsular Malaysia

This article examines the effect of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia's (AIM) microcredit programme on low-income households' income, poverty rate, and vulnerability in Peninsular Malaysia. This study employed a quasi-experimental approach, cross-sectional design, and stratified random sampling method. Findings indicated that participation in AIM's microcredit programme leads to an increase in household income and reduces both the poverty rate and level of economic vulnerability. AIM and policymakers, therefore, should focus on promoting a supportive environment to improve cooperation among participants by designing a dynamic and well-diversified microfinance programme and specialised skills-building training programme.     

Development-induced displacement in Asia: conflicts,risks, and resilience

This introduction to the themed special feature on development-induced displacement in Asia discusses the scope and major drivers of development-induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR) in Asia, and recent policy developments at the national and international level. It describes some of the existing conceptual frameworks in the field of DIDR and presents a new set of questions and concerns that are addressed by the five articles that make up this special feature.     

The persisting challenge of age-for-grade non-compliance in post-free primary education in Kenya

This article examines the prevalence of non-compliance on the age-for-grade policy in the post-free primary education system in Kenya. We utilised data from the 2009 cohort of enrolled primary schoolchildren. The analysis revealed non-compliance to be a persisting concern in the school system, characterised by both under-age and over-age enrolment at the age-for-grade level of analysis in spite of the introduction of free primary education in 2003. Irrespective of the nature of non-compliance, overcrowding in the lower grades is more prevalent, with potential for adverse compromises in quality of learning and the attendant added dimension of the mismatched grade-for-age curricula.     

Obstacles to the use of indigenous knowledge

Tribal communities are often viewed as living in harmony with nature, and their traditional knowledge is regarded as essential in the sustainable use of resources and central to their inclusion in the development process. This article studies the main obstacles to the use of indigenous knowledge among the Reang tribal community in Tripura (northeast India), and presents two main arguments. First, that there are inherent problems and tensions within the concept of indigenous knowledge which is not evenly shared across the community. Second, the essence of indigenous knowledge remains futile in circumstances where the Indian state categorises indigenous knowledge and its holders as “backward” and “primitive”.