The Voice of Young People

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Peasant inclusion in global value chains: economic upgrading but social downgrading in labour processes?

This paper identifies impacts of value chain inclusion on labour from a social sustainability perspective. It focusses on the tasks, livelihoods and subjectivities of Amazonian flood plain peasants (ribeirinhos) who collect açaí for sale to an expanding market. The ‘logic’ of ribeirinho chain inclusion is explored using a combination of labour process and human security indicators. While household income benefits can be significant, gains may be threatened by monoculture trends and local power structures. Human security indicators suggest further caution. Whilst ribeirinhos remain very ‘flexible’ workers, chain engagement entails insecurities, as highlighted by their variable views of collectivity and contradictory positions with respect to sustainability. Sustainable chain prognoses require a deeper understanding of agents' means and of the preferred choices and voice of those working at the beginning of chains.     

No Friends in the North? The Conservative Party in Northern England

Having won just 19 of 162 seats in northern England at the 2005 general election, the Conservative party under David Cameron's leadership has made an electoral revival in the north of England a particular priority. This article first outlines the Conservatives' post-war electoral record in the north and considers the significance of northern England to the party's strategy at the next general election. It then moves on to examine the potential for socio-economics, identity, memory, ideology and party organisation to frustrate its current ambitions for revival. Finally, it outlines and evaluates the initiatives which the party has undertaken in the north of England since 2005.     

The Strange Career of British Democracy: John Milton to Gordon Brown

Political debate in modern Britain has been structured by four narratives or traditions, called here ‘Whig imperialist’, ‘Tory nationalist’, ‘democratic collectivist’ and ‘democratic republican’. The Whig imperialist tradition goes back to Edmund Burke; it is a tradition of responsive evolution, flexible statecraft, genial optimism and abhorrence of dogmatic absolutes. It prevailed for most of the nineteenth century, for most of the interwar period and for most of the 1950s and early‐1960s. Its Tory nationalist counterpart is tense, rebarbative and often shrill. At its core lies a primal fear of the dissolution of authority and a collapse of the social order. Its most notable exponents include Lord Salisbury, Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher. The democratic collectivist tradition stresses ineluctable progress towards a just and rational society, to be achieved by a strong, essentially technocratic central state, with the power and will to replace the wasteful, unjust chaos of the market place by planned co‐ordination. Formative influences on it were the great Fabian socialists, George Bernard Shaw and Sidney and Beatrice Webb; it achieved its apotheosis under the Attlee Government of 1945‐51. The democratic republican tradition is much more inchoate: its exponents have been the awkward squad of British democracy. The most glittering stars in the democratic republican firmament were probably John Milton, John Stuart Mill and R.H. Tawney. It stresses active self‐government and republican self respect, embodied in a vigorous civil society and strong local authorities. During the ninety‐odd years since Britain belatedly acquired a more‐or‐less democratic suffrage, the first three traditions have all been tested, almost to destruction. But though the fourth has had great influence on social movements of all kinds, governments at the centre have done little more than toy with it, usually for brief periods. The great question now is whether Britain is about to experience a democratic republican moment.     

东亚安全结构中的日本及其战略选择

随着冷战的结束和中国的和平崛起,日本在东亚地区的战略选择正处于至关重要的十字路口。进入21世纪以来,日本国内精英层对东亚安全中日本的定位基本上可分为三个派别:"现实主义派""东亚共同体派"和"脱离对美从属派"。日本国内精英界有关东亚战略选择的讨论也呈多元化的趋势。在官方层面,自2012年上台的安倍政权的战略选择徘徊于"对美从属"和"自主独立"之间。值得注意的是,日本国家战略的具体落实往往受到其国内政治、美国的态度和其自身文化思维——身份认同和非理性因素的制约未来日本的战略走向,将取决于美国在东亚地区的实力消长、日本国内政治的变化以及日本自身对其身份认同的调整。     

论现代民法在“从契约到身份”运动中的困境与突破——以民法的终极价值为视角

“从契约到身份”运动的兴起,使现代民法陷入了困境。民法的终极价值是自由,这决定了民法在面对上述运动时,必须放弃社会正义的价值取向,而坚持自由这一终极价值。“从契约到身份”运动只能由以社会本位为本原的经济法加以规范。     

对爱国主义的解读

对爱国主义的正确解读建基于:准确把握爱国的"国"的内涵及爱国的主体身份,爱国主义才不会与狭隘的民族主义、伪爱国主义相混淆;在宪法、法律等制度框架内爱国,爱国主义才是理性的;将爱国主义教育融入我们日常的自治生活中,才能培育出真实的爱国主义情怀;我们之所以爱国,是因为这个"国"是建立在"健全的个人主义"基础之上的"为国人共谋安宁幸福之团体"。     

宪政认同：民族认同的现代性转向——兼析少数民族发展权的宪政认同建构功能

民族认同是当代中国的宪政问题之一。民族间的和谐共存与发展不能仅仅依赖于历史与市场经济的内在凝聚力及公权的强制力,它更应基础性地依赖于民族间发展出一种拥有最大公分母的精神层面共识以及资源理性配置的制度性条件与框架。宪政认同便是对这种依赖的回应。宪政认同是在承认民族认同间差异的基础上,进而为这种差异构建一种法政层面的共性与交集,为民族认同这种历史、文化与感性的认同奠定一种更深层次的制度性认同框架、规范与发展方向。在当今中国语境下,民族认同应以宪政认同为转向目标,公权对少数民族发展权进行法律保障能使其承担起重要的民族完政认同构建功能,而民族宪政认同的发展对民族分离态势的消解起着基础性的作用。     

China's new generation trade agreements: Importing rules to lock in domestic reform?

Since the beginning of the 21st century we have witnessed a proliferation of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) in Asia Pacific. China has been at the forefront of this development. Initially, China's PTAs were very shallow and mainly aimed at building friendly relationships with developing countries. However, over time, China has started to negotiate deeper PTAs with developing and developed countries alike. This notable shift has thus far been understood to result from four broad motivations: China's desire to access key export markets; the facilitation of regional production networks; to address resource security concerns; and/or to further geostrategic interests and political influence. We propose that these motives are not sufficient to fully account for China's new generation trade agreements. We suggest that China is increasing its integration into the world economy to push for domestic marketization and reform by credibly committing to trade liberalization through PTAs. Deep and comprehensive PTAs oblige a country to follow a set of rules that leave little leeway to violate the terms. In order to successfully implement and enforce PTA commitments, China has also gradually strengthened its regulatory state by investing in regulatory capacity and capability in the field of trade policy. We test the plausibility of our argument through an in-depth analysis of the PTAs signed by China since 2000 and find evidence that China's PTAs are indeed in part driven by a desire to lock in domestic economic reform, which has gone hand in hand with a strengthening of its regulatory state.     

复合身份政治:西亚大国参与阿富汗安全事务的三重维度

“阿拉伯之春”爆发以来,西亚伊斯兰大国土耳其、伊朗和沙特阿拉伯(简称“沙特”)形成了复合身份。教派争端导致三国在西亚地区的战略博弈阵营化;阿富汗弱政府、强社会的权力结构使三国的战略博弈代理人化。作者提出“复合身份政治”概念,认为土耳其、伊朗和沙特以三重身份参与阿富汗安全事务。从族群和教派身份看,土耳其与阿富汗北部乌兹别克人和土库曼人等突厥语族群形成特殊关系;伊朗与中部哈扎拉人和塔吉克人形成特殊关系;沙特与南部普什图人形成特殊关系。从区域身份看,土耳其借助突厥语国家委员会,伊朗借助经济合作组织,沙特借助伊斯兰反恐联盟,三国在“向东看”过程中分别将阿富汗纳入各自主导的多边机制,形成了制度均势。从全球身份看,土耳其以北约的名义参与在阿富汗的军事行动,伊朗加入上海合作组织,沙特利用伊斯兰合作组织,三国与世界大国形成了议题联系。复合身份政治使土耳其、伊朗和沙特构筑相互交错的次体系,稀释了世界大国主导的阿富汗问题安全倡议,阿富汗安全格局由“多极”走向“多中心”。