A System of Contradictory Goals and Realization of Ambidexterity: A Case Study of a Municipal Corporation

Pursuit of contradictory goals is inherent in the activities of any typical public-sector organization. Bulk of the existing literature on how contradictory goals can be pursued successfully focuses on a single pair of contradictory goals, largely pursued by private sector organizations. This empirical study identifies a system of multiple pairs of contradictory goals associated with structural separation of subunits of a public-sector organization in India, where the organization is a municipal corporation and two of its subunits engaged in the business of Public Urban Transport are involved. Emergence of contradictory goals was observed to be linked with the dynamics of key stakeholder interests. The study revealed that the top and middle managers may respond differently to a pair of contradictory goals, and the same manager also responds differently to different pairs of contradictory goals. Three pairs of contradictory goals were identified. These goals involved subunit identity and shared identity, contractor compliance and maintaining relationship with the contractor, and performance and learning. Realization of organizational ambidexterity appeared linked to how well the simultaneity and variety of contradictory goals are matched by simultaneity and variety of responses, namely a combination of structural, contextual and behavioral arrangements by the organization and individuals.     

Spatializing the future: financial expectations,EU convergence and the Eastern European Forex mortgage crisis

Existing accounts of failure to predict the financial crisis focus on the complexity of the financial system, and are less useful for understanding crises in non-securitized markets. We examine the roots of optimism leading up to the Eastern European mortgage crisis through the case of Hungary, and use recent theories of expectations, which understand them as both pragmatic and fictional practices that commonly incorporate narratives. Based on archival research and interviews with bankers, regulators and legislators, we demonstrate how the EU convergence narrative was central in forming optimistic expectations. Fusing the underspecified convergence process with an orientalist geographical imaginary, this narrative and its associated measures translated growing indebtedness as ‘catching up’ with Europe, de-emphasized exchange rate risk through a belief in European convergence and precluded crisis scenarios originating in the European Union. Our findings contribute to theories of how economic expectations are formed, stabilized and maintained by developing the concept of ‘spatializing the future’, denoting practices that handle uncertainty by charting the future as movement in concrete geographical or abstract space, along externally verifiable pathways.     

The Expansion of “Private” Schools in England,Sweden and Eastern Germany: A Comparative Perspective on Policy Development,Regulation, Policy Goals and Ideas

In a diverse range of European countries, there has been an increase in the proportion of pupils attending schools owned by private bodies but funded by the state. This article compares the policy development and governance of private government-dependent schools in three countries/regions: England, Sweden and Berlin/Brandenburg in Eastern Germany. It is found that the regulatory frameworks vary and are associated with specific policy goals and ideas, with apparently similar ideas having different meanings. It is also found that the growth of private government-dependent schools is related to policy goals, differing institutional configurations and political parties.     

Precedents in Negotiated Decisions: Korea–Australia Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

Initial random acts can be replicated and evolve into precedents, but precedents can also be built with strategic intent. Regardless of their origin, strategically applying a particular precedent or effectively refuting the relevance of a precedent can help a negotiator control decisions and achieve interdependent goals. The purposeful use of precedents has received little attention in the negotiation literature, even though using precedents can be a powerful negotiating tactic. In this study, we examine how past decisions became precedents that helped establish the Korea–Australia Free Trade Agreement of 2014 (KAFTA). We further consider how precedents established through KAFTA later influenced trade negotiations with Canada, China, India, and Japan. Following an extensive literature review and field research, we developed a two‐dimensional matrix (precedent ownership and negotiator goals) to help guide negotiators both offensively (what I want from you) and defensively (what I don't want to give you). We conclude by proposing research to enhance our understanding of temporal issues in negotiation. No previous study within the negotiation literature has examined precedents empirically.     

宪政是宪法逻辑运动的状态

现有宪政理论在概念上引出无穷因果链和循环论证 ,在起源上以道德判断代替逻辑论证 ,很少自觉从因果律上来考察宪政的内涵与意义。宪法的确定性和宪法的功能作为判定宪政内涵的逻辑要件是不可缺少的 ,它们直接指向宪政的目标。这些目标就是组织国家政权、保障公民权利、维护国家和社会的基本制度、保持法制的统一性。     

The counter-hegemonic role of civil society: Palestinian–Arab NGOs in Israel

This paper deals with the causes and impact of the rise in the number of Palestinian–Arab Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Israel in the last two decades. It provides a multi-level model that combines economic, political and cultural factors to explain the shifts in Palestinian-Arab political mobilization in Israel and as a result to the rise of a complex network of Arab NGOs. The paper demonstrates the way in which the civil institutions and their intensive involvement in public social affairs generate social capital that has internal as well as external political impact. Arab civil society institutions, which operate mainly separately from civil institutions of the Jewish majority, assist in the empowerment and the development of Arab society. They provide services in different fields, such as education, health, and planning. They also advocate and lobby for the rights of the Arab citizens inside Israel and internationally. Arab civil society institutions also provide information necessary for political mobilization, identity formation, and cultural preservation. In this framework the paper claims that they play a counter-hegemonic role vis-à-vis the Israeli state. However, the paper also claims that the broad advocacy and lobbying activity of Arab civil institutions did not manage to fully democratize Israeli policies towards Arab society, demonstrating the centrality of state identity and power structure when it comes to democratization processes. On a different level, the paper reveals that, although the Palestinian–Arab NGOs network has managed to lead to a liberalization process within Arab society, this process is partial and selective.     

人类命运共同体:构建全球空间正义的中国方案

全球化的快速发展正在推动形成全球性空间。这是生产力高度发达,世界各国相互依赖、密切联系的结果。但是,在这样一个全球性空间中,空间正义的缺失造成了空间内的紧张关系,危及全球空间的进一步发展。人类命运共同体是构建全球空间正义的中国方案。在理论上,人类命运共同体从政治、安全、经济、文明、生态等领域阐释了空间正义的内涵。在实践中,人类命运共同体夯实全球化的动力基础,筑牢空间正义的根基;促进全球空间的平等参与,推进空间生产正义;调整全球空间的分配模式,推进空间分配正义。     

未来中美关系研究

事物的内部矛盾决定了事物发展的规律。未来中美关系的主要矛盾是美国技术输出的弱化与中国产业升级之间的矛盾,决定了未来中美关系的性质与发展趋势。美国想定战略主导着未来中美关系的结构,是矛盾的主要方面。美国想定战略的失效既取决于中国包容性地重建中美关系的能力,也取决于美国人民对美国社会发展失衡的正确认识,及其能够对美国政局努力纠正发展失衡所施加的足够影响力也在一定程度上影响未来中美关系。美国人民需要重新思考认识美国现有的霸权思维对中美关系以及全球社会经济发展的负面影响,及时消除霸权思维,调整对外关系。美国人民正在经历着新型冠状病毒大爆发与无可避免地陷入经济危机的双重考验。美国人民的选择将成为决定美国能否顺利度过"双重危机"的关键因素,否则未来中美关系会存在极大的不确定性,并因美国塑造的冷战思维使全球陷入动荡状态。     

Alexithymia,empathic concern,goal management,and social problem solving in adult male prisoners

Abstract

Social problem-solving skills training forms a major part of many offender treatment programmes. In this study, we explored the influences of alexithymia, empathic concern and goal management on social problem-solving skills in 79 adult male prisoners in an attempt to identify affective and cognitive factors relevant to offenders’ social problem-solving skills. Results showed that alexithymia was associated with less effective social problem solving, whereas empathic concern and perspective taking were associated with more effective social problem solving, but unexpectedly also with a Negative Problem Orientation. Persistence in goal attainment was associated with effective social problem-solving abilities, and inflexibility in adopting new strategies in the face of obstacles was associated with maladaptive problem-solving styles. Implications for developing social problem-solving interventions for offenders are presented.     

美国联邦碳排放限额交易立法解析

关于建立一个全国性的碳排放限额交易计划的问题,已经在美国国会获得了强烈的政治考虑,多部联邦法律草案勾画出了未来联邦碳排放限额交易计划的基本架构,只是具体细节的设计上存在微小差异。但是,拟建联邦碳排放限额交易计划的温室气体减排潜力有限,且因难以调和的利益冲突而近期获得通过的希望渺茫。