Comparing colonial differences: Baltic literary cultures as agencies of Europe’s internal others

ABSTRACT

The article discusses the Baltic colonial experience in historical and comparative perspective. It sketches the ways in which Baltic societies are best linked to theoretical discussions on postcolonial issues, and whether they might be looked upon in a more global context. The main question posed by the article is in what ways Baltic identity has been determined by processes of foreign settlement, occupation and colonization of the territory of each respective country and whether we can see Baltic societies as potential agencies of Europe’s internal others.     

The Incidence of Wife Abuse and Battering and Some Sociodemographic Correlates as Revealed by Two National Surveys in Palestinian Society

Over the past 3 decades, wife abuse and battering has become a major concern throughout the world. However, there is a serious dearth of empirical knowledge about different dimensions of the problem in the Arab world. This article documents the incidence of different patterns of abuse and battering as revealed in two national surveys conducted among Palestinian women from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Systematic random samples of 2,410 women and 1,334 women participated in the first and second surveys, respectively. The annual incidence of psychological, sexual, and economic abuse as well as physical violence are presented, and some of their sociodemographic correlates are discussed in relation to each of the two surveys. The limitations of the two surveys and implications of their results for future research and theory development are also discussed.     

传统文化心理视域下现代中国腐败生成的机理分析

受中国传统文化心理的影响,在中国人的思维世界中个人与群体是高度契合的,并形成相互浸润和难以割舍的关系,这就使得在我国的人际交往关系中呈现出宗法家族制、人情面子等特点。建立在以家庭为基础的宗法制的基础上所形成的关系社会与权力的结合滋生了权力的腐败。     

Misunderstanding Corruption and Community: Comparative Cultural Politics of Corruption Regulation in the Pacific

This paper will take as its empirical foundation the author’s experience of corruption and regulation in small Pacific island states. The argument is that notions of corruption and strategies for its regulation suitable for modernized societies, which lack cultural specificity and community engagement, may in fact stimulate corruption relationships in transitional cultures. The other consequence of the imposition of inappropriate definitions and regulation strategies is a profound misunderstanding of communities of dependence. In fact, corruption control can misconstrue and exacerbate economic and political dependence environments, fostering the conditions for corruption which accompany socio-economic development. Two remedies are suggested. First, corruption requires an appreciation which is ‘community-centered’, while at the same time not being neutralized by disconnected cultural relativity. Second, an enterprise theory of corruption in modernized societies and international political/commercial entities may assist in the relevant translation of global anti-corruption policies in a way which advances good governance in traditional communities. This is so when corruption is conceived as dependant on phases of modernization, and the tensions which arise when the interests of societies at different phases intersect. Corporate citizenship and compliance with anti-corrupt business practices by major corporations with a commercial interest in these transitional economies may be more beneficial than deference to uniform international codes of governance.

Testing Times Ahead: Non‐Invasive Prenatal Testing and the Kind of Community We Want to Be

This article reviews the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ report on Non‐Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT); and introduces two general questions provoked by the report – concerning, respectively, the nature and extent of the informational interests that are to be recognised in today's ‘information societies’ and the membership of today's ‘genetic societies’. The article also considers the role and nature of the Nuffield Council. While the Council's report identifies a range of individual and collective interests that are relevant to determining the legitimate uses of NIPT, we argue that it should put these interests into an order of importance; we sketch how this might be done; and we suggest that, failing such a prioritisation of interests, the Council should present its reflections in a way that engages public debate around a number of options rather than making firm recommendations.     

Equal Contributions and Unequal Risks in a North-east Thai Village Funeral Society

Village funeral societies in north-east Thailand collect equal contributions from all participating households, even though some households are much more likely to experience deaths and receive money from the funeral society than others. The societies' use of the equal contributions rule is not an outcome of the asymmetric distribution of information on risks. It reflects, instead, an ambivalence over the relevance of expected returns, a willingness to subsidise fellow villagers, and the need to maximise simplicity and transparency to safeguard against mismanagement and corruption. The equal contributions rule is efficient, in that it leads to low administrative costs, has no clearly superior alternatives, and creates only minor adverse selection.     

斯堪的纳维亚模式终结了吗？——论北欧国家的福利改革

福利社会的斯堪的纳维亚模式在许多年来被看成是"蒂特马斯典范"①,即对社会政策制度化再分配模式实施的范例.然而,最近的改革趋势对这一假设提出了挑战.除了诸如削减开支之类的规则变化外,其他的变化尽管很多,如1990年代制度设置和福利国家目标的改变等;尽管和十几年甚至二十多年前比,斯堪的纳维亚福利国家的特征弱化了,且该模式正在趋于欧洲化,但其主要变化仍只是对现有模式的局部修正,而不是完全趋同于欧洲社会模式,因而并不意味着这一福利模式的终结,它仍然还是独树一帜的.一些新因素的出现仅仅是欧盟内部福利模式发挥着作用的表征.     

特许经营中的两个法律问题

特许经营主要涉及两个方面的法律问题,即纵向方面的反垄断规制和横向方面的对外责任的分担。前者表现在特许经营协议中的有关限制性条款,其必须经得起“合理性原则”的审查,否则,属于非法行为。后者表现在被特许人在经营中引起的对外责任,特许人是否需要承担的问题。