Political Environment and Policy Change: The National Endowment for the Arts in the 1990s

The relationship between changes in the stability of the political environment and policy changes are examined through the case of the National Endowment for the Arts in the 1990s. The terminologies of Hall's first-, second-, and third-order policy change and Baumgartner and Jones’ punctuation equilibrium theory of policy change are employed to analyze the relationship evident in the policy history of the Arts Endowment. The case of the Arts Endowment in the 1990s suggests that first-order changes generally occur in a stable political environment (i.e., policy equilibrium) while great instability in a political environment (i.e., policy punctuation) allows the larger second- and the largest third-orders of policy change.     

中国社会养老保险基金面临的问题及对策

我国现行的养老保险体制在解决传统养老保险模式弊端的同时也产生了许多新问题。在社会养老保险基金的筹集方面,存在着基本养老保险覆盖面较窄,基金来源单一,参保企业漏缴保险费的问题。解决问题的关键在于增强缴费意识;做好养老保险征缴环节的稽核;开征社会保障税。在社会养老保险基金的给付方面存在人口老龄化对养老保险基金给付的冲击;退休年龄低以及历史债务的问题。认为只有建立机动灵活的就业与退休机制;逐渐消解隐性债务才能使这方面的问题得到缓解。     

养老保险制度改革的私有化发展趋势

20世纪80年代以来,拉美以及西方一些国家时养老保险制度进行了变革,其总趋势就是对养老保险制度进行私有化改革。在融资方式方面,实行个人帐户制度,逐步实现养老保险从现收现付制模式向基金积累制模式的转变;在管理方式方面,建立私营养老基金公司,实现养老基金从政府机构管理向私营公司管理的转变。但养老保险制度私有化改革也存在着对养老保险制度互济机制的背离、私有化的不确定性等问题。     

浅谈我国农村社会养老保险

改革开放以来,我国农村养老保险因各种原因而推进缓慢,仍然延续着传统的以土地收益为中心,以家庭养老为主要模式的农村养老保障体系。面临市场化大潮,我国农村养老保障体系存在大量问题,必须建立健全农村社会养老保险制度。     

Network Politics,Political Capital,and Democracy

Abstract

Is network politics a good or a bad thing for democracy? Seen from a narrow perspective of democracy the answer is clear. It is a bad thing. However, seen from broader perpsective the answer is more complex since it does not only focus on the preservation of representative democracy but also on the promotion of organizational democracy in civil society and on the enhancement of the citizens' political capital, that is their endowment, empowerment and political identity. The complexity of the relationship between democracy and network politics is apparent in a case study of political decision making in Skanderborg, a small town in Denmark.     

中国农村养老体系探讨

农村养老问题直接关系到中国农村秩序的稳定与农业的可持续发展,随着农村商品经济的发展,通过构建和不断完善农村养老法律体系来规范农村养老已是大势所趋。“以家庭养老为主导,强化社会养老保险、引进商业养老保险,建立多种形式并存的农村养老保障体系”的价值定位既符合中国农村的实际,又有利于操作和实施。