Westminster No More? Governance,Devolution and Delegation in Scotland

Abstract

Politicians have returned frequently to the need to reform schools to achieve wider objectives of social reform and economic prosperity. Within the UK education systems, however, there have been differing experiences and approaches at both national (Scottish, English, Welsh and Northern Irish) and local levels towards school governance reform. School governance in Scotland remains distinct compared to the rest of the UK, both in terms of the pace of reform and the content. The pace of reform in Scotland has been slower and the content has been shaped to a greater extent by political and professional modes of accountability. This article argues that a new phase in school governance reform is likely to follow the election of the Scottish National Party (SNP) majority government in May 2011. A number of factors both external (international comparison of the school performance; the post 2008 politics of austerity) and internal (changes led by the SNP government to the policy-making process, namely outcomes-based policy-making) have placed debates about school autonomy and school governance on the political agenda.     

提高公众参与度 完善公共政策的形成机制

公众参与公共政策制定是公众影响公共政策的重要途径之一,也是实现自身利益的最直接、最有效的参与方式。随着我国市场经济体制的完善和民主法制建设的推进,公众作为公共政策制定主体的重要组成部分,其参与的意识和要求也随之增强。因此,明确公众参与的意义,正确引导公众有序参与公共政策的制定,已成为现代政府迫切需要解决的问题。     

地方参与中央决策的法治建构——以整顿地方政府驻京办为例

地方政府驻京办事处构成了中央与地方关系中纵横交错的权力关系网络的极其关键性的结点,成为地方参与中央决策,尤其是影响中央转移支付决策的有效途径之一,亦成为中央与地方关系非法治化的表征。机构体制改革的目标之一是理顺中央与地方的关系,进行地方参与中央决策的制度建构,以地方制度和民主监督的新安排来取代中央的管理职能,即实现中央与地方关系的法治化。整顿规范"驻京办现象"势必推动中央与地方关系的法治化进程。     

公共政策执行偏差的再思考——以政策制定主体为视角

以政策制定主体为视角对公共政策执行偏差进行再思考，政策制定主体素质的低下，在政策认知中的缺位等问题成为政策执行偏差的主要原因。提高政策制定者素质，强化政策认知教育和责任，注重政策的配套和再决策，提升政策制定主体控制力以及加强对政策执行的支持和监督力度则是矫正政策执行偏差的有效措施。     

Civil Society Influence on International Organizations: Theorizing the State Channel

Abstract

The literature on transnational civil society tends to treat civil society organizations (CSOs) as independent actors, accomplishing policy change largely through moral force or popular pressure. However, a significant portion of CSO successes in policy advocacy actually utilizes alliances with state actors. To understand the implications of this ‘state channel’ of CSO influence, we develop a new model of CSO use of state influence. We identify four factors that determine whether the state channel is accessible for CSOs to use and is likely to produce more effective CSO influence than direct CSO engagement with the international organization (IO): the porousness of the targeted states and IOs, the availability of contacts, the possibility for alignment of interests, and the relative power of aligned state and IO contacts. We illustrate this theory using four case studies of civil society engagement: two case studies involving the World Bank and two involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Our analysis suggests that the factors determining CSOs' successful use of the state channel currently tend to favour a small number of well-resourced, reformist CSOs from porous and powerful states.     

论公共政策制定系统的活动特质及其运作原则

公共政策制定系统是由政党和政府等社会组织所组成的一种公共决策体系。公共政策制定系统在其政策制定过程中具有自身的活动特质,其政策制定活动具有相对独立性。因此,在公共政策的制定过程中,必须坚持理性化、规范化和民主化的基本原则,才能保证公共政策的合理、公正和有效。我国公共政策的制定,也应坚持这些基本原则,以推动决策的科学化进程,提高公共政策制定的质量。     

高等教育的非公平现象与非理性决策

目前,我国高等教育在资源配置、宏观布局、收费制度和招生制度等方面存在着一些非公平现象,这些非公平现象大多源于非理性决策,需要通过高等教育理性决策,特别是制度变革和制度创新来逐步加以解决。     

新世纪如何提高党的领导水平与执政水平

实现党的领导,是党的建设理论中的一个根本问题,是党的建设的出发点和落脚点.党成立80年来的实践经验证明,提高党的领导水平和执政水平是党的建设的历史性课题之一;提高决策水平是提高党的领导水平与执政水平的重要前提;"两手抓,两手都要硬"是提高党的领导水平与执政水平的重要内容.     

论信息素质与科学决策

急剧增长的信息流与信息分布的不对称,给决策的科学性、时效性带来了困难和风险。将致力于弱化信息不对称的信息素质引入科学决策中,则有着重要的现实意义。     

How Should Governments Make Risky Policy Decisions?

Public policy-making does not follow the long-established and well-recognised principles of rational decision analysis under risk. Public views of risk are often inconsistent and seemingly irrational, and a gulf exists between risk perceptions and attitudes of the public and those of 'experts'. On the other hand, experts often claim unjustifiably high levels of confidence in their predictions of policy choice outcomes, creating a lack of public faith in their recommendations. While risky policy choices deserve more systematic decision analysis, many challenges remain to effective implementation of such analyses. Among the suggestions for improvement that we offer is the need for more effective interaction between policy-makers, decision analysts and the public.