Basic education clusters in Cambodia: looking at the future while learning from the past

School clusters have been adopted as an education policy by most Asian countries since the 1960s. In Cambodia, primary schools have been organised in clusters since 1993. Clusters were considered a mechanism for quality improvements of education and a way to facilitate sharing and interaction between schools. Primary school clusters have been partially successful. Today there is a growing interest among Cambodian policymakers for integrating primary schools (Grades 1–6) and lower secondary schools (Grades 7–9). This article provides a policy suggestion by arguing for extending the cluster mechanism to these integrated basic education schools with all grades from 1 to 9.     

Can top-down community enterprise development reduce poverty and out-migration? Evidence from Thailand

This article examines the performance of a poverty alleviation policy in Thailand known as the Small and Micro Community Enterprises (SMCEs) programme. It investigates provincial determinants affecting the establishments of the SMCEs and assesses the effects of the programme on household income and out-migration by using panel data analysis and propensity score matching model. The research findings indicated that such enterprises have spread widely. Average household expenditure, the rate of poverty, and agricultural output were significant predictors of SMCE establishments. However, the research did not find any concrete evidence to support the claim that this policy helped reduce poverty or out-migration.     

Voluntary and involuntary resettlement in China: a false dichotomy?

The success of involuntary resettlement is contingent on recasting the involuntary as voluntary. To explore this proposition, this article presents two projects in China – one “voluntary” (Poverty Alleviation Resettlement or PAR) and relatively “successful” and one “involuntary” (Three Gorges Project Resettlement or TGPR) and less so. The research finds the voluntary–involuntary dichotomy a false one. It is not volition that leads to better outcomes, but people-centred practices that are embedded in policy, planning, and implementation of PAR. Perhaps the most important lesson drawn is that all resettlements should be based on a commitment to settlement and not just resettlement.     

Collective action in small-scale mushroom production in Swaziland: does organisational form matter?

While substantial literature is available on the determinants of small-scale farmers’ participation in collective action, and the welfare impacts of producing and/or marketing collectively, studies on the likely implications of organisational form on producers’ collective behaviour remain scant. This article attempts to address this knowledge gap by using an example of different forms of small-scale mushroom-producing groups in Swaziland. Given the importance of collective action in sub-Saharan Africa, the overall results of this article provide valuable insights into alternative means of coordinating commercial small-scale agricultural activities, which can improve producers’ ultimate benefits while reducing the likelihood of internal free-riding.     

Management not models: adaptability,responsiveness, and a few lessons from football

Despite a swathe of critiques of logframes and other blueprint approaches to development over the last 30 years, most aid infrastructure continues to concentrate on the design and subsequent implementation of closed models. This article does not propose an alternative to blueprints, but challenges the inflexibility of their implementation, which is inadequate given the complex nature of social change. It proposes a supplementary management and learning approach which enables implementers to be dynamic, adaptive, and responsive to problems and opportunities. Emphasising the role of donors, the paper presents a case study of one donor-led programme in Bangladesh doing just this.     

浅析经济全球化背景下的政府职能转变

随着我国进一步融入到经济全球化浪潮中,如何在这一过程中进一步转变政府职能,积极应对挑战,已成为当前迫切需要解决的课题。本文提出了经济全球化中政府职能定位的要义,并通过分析当前我国政府职能转变中存在的问题和面临的困难,从宏观上提出了相关应对措施。     

Local Government Support for Women in the Informal Economy in Durban, South Africa

This paper examines the response of the city government of Durban to the growth of the informal economy. It argues that, unlike the national government of South Africa, Durban's government has been creative in designing policies that favor informal economy workers, particularly women. These progressive policies are the result of an innovative local government and, to some extent, an emerging self-employed women worker's union that has been able to exert influence on informal economy policies.     

论外资国民待遇标准与中国外资立法政策的调适

随着经济全球化、投资自由化趋势的日益增强 ,外资国民待遇标准的处延有逐步拓展、并在形式上有专门多边条约调整的趋势。我国改革开放以来过分依赖给予外资优惠的立法政策已显现出负面影响 ,为因应国际投资自由化和我国经济转型的需要 ,我国的外资立法应采取以维护内外资公平竞争环境为价值取向的政策。     

美国西部开发对我国的启示

美国早年西部开发的经验是 :坚持市场化原则 ,充分发挥政府的作用 ;重视基础设施建设 ;鼓励移民和人才流动。借鉴这些宝贵的经验 ,我国可从国情出发提出与西部大开发相适应的对策 :规范政府行为 ,强化政府服务功能 ,加快体制创新 ;多元筹集资金 ,加强西部基础设施建设 ;构建新世纪人才战略。     

论《陕甘宁边区抗战时期施政纲领》与“三民主义”

《陕甘宁边区抗战时期施政纲领》是在建立抗日民族统一战线的时代背景下,中国共产党为与国民党法统保持一致而制定的唐级地方性法规。它以三民主义理论为指导思想,同时又保持自身的相对独立性。随着抗战形势的发展,国民党政权妄图通过重新解释三民主义,建立一党专制的政权。为争取自身的独立合法地位,中共提出符合三大政策的新三民主义才是国共合作的理论基础。《陕甘宁边区抗战时期施政纲领》的制定、公布、实施和废止的过程是中共对三民主义理论的认真研究和不断创新的过程。中共的三民主义理论不仅对根据地时期的法制建设意义深远,而且对当代中国的法制建设也具有一定的启示意义。