E‐Government Technology Transfer: A Case Study of the Implementation of a European Patent Management System in Brazil

In order to bolster the emerging but still underdeveloped conceptualization of e‐government technology transfer, we examine the implementation of a European Patent Management System in Brazil. The case study provided in this article offers opportunities to improve understanding on technical and organizational issues associated with e‐government technology transfer. Our findings provide evidence that the transfer of e‐government technology from a European to a Brazilian context requires multiple adaptations of the original design, intensive learning on the side of the recipient organization, and flexible implementation plans. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gang joining in Denmark: prevalence and correlates of street gang membership

This paper examines gang joining among juveniles in socially disadvantaged residential neighbourhoods with gang presence. The analysis is based on a school-based survey among students (n = 1,886) in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The theoretical framework is inspired by the Eurogang Program of Research—that is, their definition of street gangs was utilized in the study. The results indicate that 13% of the youths aged 13–17 are members of street gangs. The street gang members are more likely to be characterized by poor parental monitoring, weak pro-social values, and high-risk lifestyles compared with other crime involvement groups, including serious offenders; and they commit a disproportionately large number of offences. The results also indicate that proximity to criminal gangs on a higher organizational level than street gangs increases willingness to join such criminal gangs, especially for street gang members, as they are more likely to be in contact with older and more powerful gang members already—for example, they have helped them by being a look-out or passing messages.     

Multi‐Sited Governance of Large‐Scale Land Acquisitions: Mapping and Evaluating the Terrain

Recent spikes in commodity prices, the growing appetite for primary commodities among emerging economies, growing interest in biofuels and speculations over future returns to land and its products have led to a renewed interest in farmland in the global South. With highly publicized risks and polarized “win‐lose” narratives, so‐called “land grabbing” has become an important focus of transnational governance activity. In juxtaposition to those seeing large‐scale land acquisitions as inherently risky or undesirable, some argue for the potential opportunities they engender—provided risks can be mitigated through improved governance. This paper explores this argument through a systematic analysis of the formal features of the multi‐sited governance mechanisms in place to guide agricultural investment and govern its social and environmental effects. The intent is not to discount the importance of informal norms and practices or the so‐called “lived experience of governance,” nor the argument that such land acquisitions are inherently flawed irrespective of the “discipline imposed on them.” Rather, the paper aims to explore the merits of the arguments advanced by the pro‐investment camp, and to explore the extent to which the emerging global governance architecture is set up to deliver on the purported benefits of large‐scale agricultural investment. Results suggest that serious weaknesses in the substantive scope, reach and/or implementation mechanisms in all of the reviewed governance mechanisms pose a serious risk to the likely effectiveness of the emerging governance architecture in minimizing risks and leveraging benefits. Addressing these weaknesses is an obvious first step for bolstering the credibility of those advocating that governance is the solution.     

Changing household patterns of young couples in low- and middle-income countries

While young couples in Western societies generally form a new household, in low-income societies new unions are often incorporated into existing households. However, there is a growing tendency in the nuclearization of households as intergenerational co-residence is undermined by growing wage labour opportunities that provide incentives for rural–urban migration and because small nuclear families adapt better to urban societies characterized by high geographic and social mobility. The objective of this paper is therefore to jointly study for a selection of low- to middle-income countries the socioeconomic and demographic conditions of women aged 15–34 and their partners in relation to their household patterns with particular interest in the comparison of nuclear and extended households. The analysis will mainly rely on data from the Integrated Public Use of Microdata Series International database (https://international.ipums.org/international/) from which census samples for the last two or latest available census rounds for 18 countries have been extracted. Results showed that women being of older age (within the 15–34 range) and at the same time having attained at least primary school education, having a husband who does not work in the primary sector and who is neither much older nor much younger were all associated with living in a nuclear household. However, individual factors explained only a small part of the overall variation in the household arrangements of young couples, suggesting that differences between countries in these dimensions do not explain much of the difference in household structure. Rather, societal indicators like economic development and the average age at marriage – that were significant in our models – may explain better the overall slow transition towards the nuclear family.     

韬光养晦与两面下注——中国崛起过程中的中美战略互动

自20世纪90年代初期以来,"韬光养晦"一直是中国对外战略中的重要指导思想。同一时期,美国总体上执行了一种"接触加遏制"的两面下注的对华政策。本文对"韬光养晦"与"接触加遏制"这一中美关系中的战略组合进行了分析,认为美国的"接触加遏制"政策存在若干内在矛盾,它实际是一种低水平接触加低水平遏制的政策。随着中国实力的上升,"接触加遏制"政策中的接触力度减小、遏制力度加大,这增大了"韬光养晦"政策的难度,降低了"韬光养晦"政策的效果。由于中美利益处于深度相互依赖状态,中美需要在一定程度上超越"韬光养晦"对"接触加遏制"这样的战略组合,使双边关系能在一个更为稳定与可持续的基础上,向符合双方共同利益的方向发展。     

境外警察教育培训模式及启示

境外发达国家和地区的警察教育培训模式有共同的特点,即均有深厚的制度和背景因素,没有纯粹意义上的职业培训或学历教育,均注重职业能力培养,走学历教育和职业培训相融合之路是当今世界警察教育培训模式的发展方向。境外发达国家和地区的警察教育培训的模式对我国有很好的借鉴和启示作用。     

构建整体性绩效管理框架:西方政府绩效管理的新视点

进入21世纪,西方政府较为普遍建立起整体性的绩效管理框架,拓展了绩效管理的发展空间,推进了绩效管理的发育成熟。绩效管理框架凸显指标体系的元工具作用、加强组织实施的操作流程,是西方政府绩效管理发展新阶段的明显标志。     

发达国家的非营利组织能力建设

在发达国家,非营利组织能力建设是一项广为接受的活动,它主要是指在各种支持组织的帮助下非营利组织提升组织能力的活动,而兴起根源在于福利国家变革背景下非营利组织的发展困境、市场化的负面影响、"志愿失灵"与治理危机以及新自由主义话语的兴起等综合作用的结果。发达国家的非营利组织能力建设活动取得了一定的积极成效,但也面临着一些问题。在我国,社会组织能力建设要与制度建设的实践相结合。     

从出土文献看秦汉时期刑事司法协助的请求

秦汉时期,县道是基层司法机关。当罪犯逃出辖区时需请求协助,请求的对象是其他的县道。如不属同郡,则需通过自己所属之郡转达。     

联合国维持和平行动与后殖民国家建构(1980—2015年)

联合国是维和行动主要的组织者和实施者。冷战结束以来，西方主导的联合国维和的目标由维护和平逐渐转变为战后重建，并开始承担复杂的国家建构任务。一方面，维和给目标国带来了和平，维和人员的日常开支对目标国经济的恢复和发展作出了一定贡献。但是维和任务的速成性和维和经济造成的收入两极分化等因素，都对目标国的经济发展产生了消极影响。另一方面，维和人员的税收豁免权、维和人员与其他社会群体的收入差距以及由此导致的政府部门人才流失和腐败、平行行政部门的出现等都严重削弱了政府对社会的渗透和控制能力。不仅如此，维和人员税收豁免和收入两极分化显著地降低了民众的纳税意愿，使得逃税和抗税盛行，提高了征税难度。维和部队对于目标国政府军向民众单方面使用暴力采取的不干涉态度，也强化了社会抗税心理。所以，西方主导的联合国维和行动既缩小了目标国的税基，降低了官僚机构的效能，又打击了民众的纳税意愿，显著地降低了目标国的财政汲取能力。本文对1980—2015年126个后殖民国家的大样本统计分析表明，无论是短期还是长期，西方主导的联合国维和行动和后殖民目标国的汲取能力都呈显著的负相关关系。