Economic security in an era of globalization: definition and provision

Abstract

Globalization has undermined the traditional definition of economic security that centered on economic vulnerability to other states. At the same time, globalization has produced a redefinition of economic security in light of the risks posed by cross-border networks of non-state actors and by the economic volatility of the new global environment. The relationship between economic globalization and undesirable economic and political outcomes must be specified precisely and assessed carefully, however. Judgements about economic security must weigh the effects of increased volatility introduced by globalization against the benefits of improved economic performance in the longer run. Institutions can offset economic insecurity through the provision of insurance, shoring up policy credibility, and guiding adaptation to the new environment. National institutions will remain central to the provision of economic security under conditions of globalization. Regional and global institutions can complement one another (and national institutions) in their alleviation of the new economic insecurity. Although some regional institutions drifted in the wake of the Asian financial crisis, new regional alternatives have emerged that promise to stake out new modalities of economic security.     

State sovereignty,political legitimacy and regional institutionalism in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

Regional institutions in the Asia-Pacific have been of limited efficacy. Asian members of organizations such as ASEAN and APEC have insisted that these institutions not infringe upon their sovereign rights. The basic norms, rules, structures and practices supporting these organizations have, to varying degrees, reflected this concern. A number of factors contribute to explaining this regional reluctance to create effective multilateral institutions. This paper argues that the single most important factor is the concern of most East Asian states with domestic political legitimacy. Drawing on the work of Muthiah Alagappa and Mohammed Ayoob, the paper demonstrates that a significant majority of the states of East Asia see themselves as actively engaged in the process of creating coherent nations out of the disparate ethnic, religious and political groups within the state. As a result, these states are reluctant to compromise their sovereignty to any outside actors. Indeed, the regional attitude towards multilateral institutions is that they should assist in the state-building process by enhancing the sovereignty of their members. As an exceptional case, Japan has encouraged regional institutionalism, but it has also been sensitive to the weaknesses of its neighbours, and has found non-institutional ways to promote its regional interests. The incentives to create effective regional structures increased after the Asian economic crisis, but Asian attempts to reform existing institutions or create new ones have been undermined by the issues connected to sovereignty. East Asian states recognize that they can best manage globalization and protect their sovereignty by creating and cooperating within effective regional institutions. However, their ability to create such structures is compromised by their collective uncertainty about their domestic political legitimacy. In the emerging international environment, being a legitimate sovereign state may be a necessary prerequisite to participating in successful regional organizations.     

Constraining Political Transformation: The Two Faces of Activist Religious Organizations in the Search for a New Constitution in Kenya

Abstract

Religious organizations are key structural components of Kenyan civil society that have played or continue to play a critical role in socio-political developments. In the last two and half decades especially, religious institutions have been among the principal actors shaping the mechanics and trajectories of Kenya's political order. But religious organizations’ political behaviour, especially in the country's search for a new constitution, was contentious and remarkably inconsistent. There were moments of progressive actions but also behaviour that imperilled progress. This article probes this ambivalence of Kenyan faith groups in the struggles for a new constitution. It is argued that their political behavioural inconsistencies largely reflect an ethnic, class and, to a lesser extent, instrumentalized doctrinal or denominational schism that is ever present in the wider Kenyan society. By analysing how religious leaders and their organizations challenged political elite domination while remaining amenable to its influence, this article illustrates the contradictions of elite pacts in these struggles and how they constrained progressive transformation.     

公安院校文化构建探视

适应新世纪先进文化的前进方向,探索构建新型的公安院校文化,是摆在每位公安教育者、管理者面前的现实课题。充分利用先进校园文化优势,突出公安文化渗透功能,发挥表率机制的影响力,是构建公安院校文化的主要途径;同时,把握好管理中的规范性与强制性、从严治警与宽松自由、传统文化模式与动态文化思维的整和与统一,也是建设公安院校文化不可缺少的内容。     

产业集群发展中非正式制度的作用与变迁——以广东南庄镇建陶产业集群为例

非正式制度是在人们长期交往中形成的,由伦理规范、风俗习惯、价值观等构成,它在产业集群发展中所扮演的角色经历了一个动态变迁过程。从对广东南庄镇建陶产业集群的变迁考察可见,在市场发展早期要素市场缺失的情况下,非正式制度对产业集群中企业家的出现和要素资源的聚集发挥了巨大作用。但随着市场经济的发展,产业集群中的人格化交易逐步被匿名的市场交易所替代,非正式制度治理经济交易的功能受到了严重削弱,并逐渐被正式制度所替代。     

Managing North Sea Pollution Effectively:Linking International and Domestic Institutions

Most pollution problems arise as by-products of domestic activity. The effectiveness of international environmental regimes thus depends on the operations of domestic political and administrative institutions. However, the study of regime effectiveness tends to overlook the operation of domestic institutions as well as the interests and preferences of sub-national non-state actors. In this article, a framework for combining the study of regime effectiveness with domestic institutions and actors is initially presented. The merits of this framework within the context of the North Sea regime is then explored. The article concludes that the effectiveness of this regime depends on the operation of both international and domestic institutions. Of particular importance are those sub-national actors actually causing the problem in the first place as well as domestic institutions influencing the behaviour of target groups.     

贯彻《纲要》 加强普通高校体育教育的思考

高校体育教育的改革一直处于徘徊状态,究其原因,主要是思想认识不足,深刻领会并且具体落实贯彻《2001——2010年体育改革和发展纲要》,对促进高校体育工作改革的发展具有相当重要的意义,为此,本文针对如何加强普通高校体育教育进行了有关的探讨。     

近年来高校图书馆外文阅览室工作研究

目前高校图书馆普遍存在着外文资料利用率不高的问题,为此研究者们积极探索提高外文书刊利用率的途径和方法。本文对近年来高校图书馆外文阅览室工作研究做一综述,并指出研究不足,以期这一研究的进一步深入和外文阅览室工作水平的进一步提高。     

STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ENHANCE COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO RESOLVING FAMILY ISSUES

Over the past 27 years, since the concept of the multidoor courthouse was first introduced, methods for resolving family issues have increasingly focused on less adversarial and more collaborative approaches. Infrastructures have developed in a variety of ways in different states to initiate, support, and promote these approaches, and pilot projects have provided an invaluable avenue for testing and implementing changes. This article will describe some of the current statewide initiatives to develop infrastructure and implement change through creative pilot projects and will propose strategies to sustain these changes.     

中国事业单位人事制度改革的总体思路

相对于机关和企业来说,中国事业单位人事制度改革明显滞后,面临着不少深层次问题,严重地影响和制约着事业单位的生存与发展。改革,就是发现问题,研究问题,解决问题。因此,针对实际情况,高度概括事业单位当前存在的问题,并就如何组织实施好新一轮人事制度改革,发表见解、提出建议,对正在进行和即将进行此项改革的单位来说,可以提供有益的参考和借鉴。