法律制度创新的三维度论——社会科学视角下的探寻

当今世界结构下的法律制度创新虽然无可避免地受到各国自身国情的影响,但法律制度本身的结构模式及制度创新范畴却是可以界定的。我国法律制度创新自晚清以来带有强烈的救世情怀,而法律制度的三重结构及制度创新的三维度论正是对这种附加情怀进行一种合理化协调,是对法律制度和制度创新的理论还原。基于此,我们提出了政治——政策体系创新、价值——道德观念创新和规范——技术模式创新等三维创新理论,以期全方位多角度地对法律制度创新进行新的认识。     

“宪政是民主政治”论对宪政的负面影响

"宪政是民主政治"是一个在我国广为流传的、在理论上有缺陷的、对当代中国的宪政建设实践也有负面影响的传统宪政定义."宪政是民主政治"论在理论上的主要缺陷有:它偏离了宪政的主要价值目标;它不能解释民主"异化"为"多数暴政"的问题;它不能解释"有民主,无宪政"的历史事实;它把民主作为宪政概念的唯一构成要素是理论上的独断."宪政是民主政治"论对当代中国宪政建设实践的负面影响主要是:它阻碍了我国宪政分权制度的确立;它阻碍了我国违宪审查制度的建立;它妨碍了宪政观念在我国社会的传播.因此,中国要建设真正意义上的宪政国家就必须修正或放弃"宪政是民主政治"论.     

公共行政的范式转换及其政府信任问题

政府信任是政府和公众之间基于公共利益的博弈互动关系,符合公共利益的行政价值理念将为政府提供持久的、合法的信任源泉。从官僚制到新公共管理,由于片面注重管理主义工具价值,而忽视公共利益和民主价值,不可避免地面临着政府信任的困境。民主行政作为新公共行政的学术识别系统,坚持和发展公共利益价值取向,实现价值理性和工具理性的统一,符合人类理性与社会公共利益均衡健康发展的内在需要,必然会全新构建和强化公众与政府的互信合作关系。     

社会主义行政法治理念的内容探析

社会主义行政法治理念是社会主义法治理念在行政法领域的具体体现,是社会主义行政法治的内在要求和基本原则的概括和反映,是推进依法行政、建设法治政府的精神支柱。社会主义行政法治理念的内容包括法治行政、服务行政、公开行政、民主行政、公正行政、诚信行政、效能行政、责任行政八个方面。     

中国共产党社会主义民主理论的发展

民主是随着国家的产生而出现的,它同许多政治现象一样,本身也有一个发展变化的过程。马克思主义经典作家在建立马克思主义国家学说和探索无产阶级民主的过程中,对民主有过深入的研究,多层次多侧面地论述过民主问题,对民主的内涵作出了科学的解释。毛泽东关于社会主义民主政治建设的一系列思想观点,对我国的社会主义民主政治建设起了巨大的指导作用,丰富和发展了马克思主义的民主理论。在社会主义建设的新时期,邓小平、江泽民和胡锦涛同志则把中国特色社会主义民主理论和民主政治建设推向了一个新阶段。     

完善民主监督的必要条件与基本方法

在我国,民主监督是人民群众监督的重要组成部分,是建设有中国特色社会主义民主政治的重要内容。党的三代领导人都非常重视民主监督工作。当前只有具备权力必须接受监督、监督必须拓宽渠道、监督必须加大力度三种必要条件,才能有效发挥民主监督作用,杜绝腐败现象的滋生。     

周恩来论发展社会主义民主政治的途径

发展社会主义民主政治的途径是健全人民代表大会制 :以法治国 ;党政分开 ;完善共产党领导下的多党合作制 ;恢复和健全党内民主生活 ;从领导者自身发扬民主作风做起 ;反对官僚主义 ;保障人民的民主权利 ;正确处理中央与地方的关系。     

The judiciary and post-election conflict resolution and democratic consolidation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

ABSTRACT

In recent times most elections in Africa have been fraught with post-elections conflicts that have had dire consequences on citizens. Kenya, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe are few of these cases. This makes post-election conflict resolution a very important aspect of the electoral process deserving enormous attention. However, extant literature has not accorded it the needed attention. It is as a result of this, that this study investigates the nature of post-election conflict resolution in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. The study, based on a qualitative case study approach, found among others that, the Courts have been instrumental in consolidating democracy in Ghana, and stakeholders are devotedly operating within the legal framework governing elections, despite logistical, law enforcement and justice delivery challenges. The study being conscious of the progress made over the years concludes that, where democratic institutions are consolidating, the use of unconventional means to resolve conflicts is usually not an option.     

The rise of illiberal politics in Southeast Europe

ABSTRACT

Democracy is backsliding throughout Southeast Europe but there are no signs of full democratic breakdown. Instead, political parties and their leaders incrementally undermine challenges to governmental authority while keeping electoral contest largely intact. This article introduces a special issue that aims to examine and explain democratic decline by looking at the prevalence of illiberal politics across countries and issues. In order to overcome the limitations of fixed regime classification we adopt a procedural lens and look into governing practices that gradually tilt the electoral playing field. Utilizing the concept of Illiberal politics allows us to examine sets of policies enacted by political parties in government with the aim to remain in power indefinitely. By tracing democratic decline in Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, and Croatia we observe different patterns of weakness, but also common causes arising from weak institutions and inherited governance practices that preserve executive dominance, patronage, and informality.     

The Effect of Religiosity on Endorsement of Democratic Values: The Mediating Influence of Authoritarianism

This study addresses the as yet unaddressed question of the nature of the effects of religiosity and authoritarianism upon endorsement of abstract democratic values. Findings obtained through the analyses of structural equations show that, despite the unsettled political and security atmosphere, Israelis believe in democratic values to a considerable extent. Furthermore, findings do not fully support the theoretical expectation that religiosity is likely to decrease support for democratic values; namely, in and of itself, religiosity has a negligible impact on endorsement of democratic values. Yet again, analyses lend credence to theory on authoritarianism—the negative effect of religiosity on endorsement of democratic values results from the mediation of authoritarianism. These findings are understood and discussed with regard to theoretical implications. The major conclusion, then, in contrast to existing assumptions regarding religiosity and negation of democracy linkage, is that religiosity cannot be considered the sole direct root cause of negation of democracy.