Politics and Corporate‐Sector Environmentally Significant Actions: The Effects of Political Partisanship on U.S. Utilities Energy Efficiency Policies

This study assesses the direct, indirect, and total impacts of political partisanship on state‐level utilities' investment in energy efficiency. This subject is of utmost importance because energy efficiency improvement has become a linchpin in worldwide efforts to combat climate change and other environmental challenges. Analysis of data on 51 electric utilities nested within 31 U.S. states indicates that political partisanship influences utilities' energy efficiency policies. There is strong evidence that electric utilities in states dominated by the Republican Party are less likely to invest in energy efficiency than those in states governed by the Democratic Party. This finding suggests that political partisanship may be shaping the policy and regulatory frameworks put in place by state governments to incentivize or compel the participation of private‐sector entities' in environmental management and/or resource conservation.     

论社会主义政治文明建设中的制度创新

政治意识文明、政治制度文明和政治行为文明三个部分共同构成了政治文明体系,其中政治制度文明具有特别的重要性,政治制度创新是最难也是最有意义的。本文从政治制度文明入手,重点分析政治制度创新,对现阶段加强党的执政能力建设和创造性地开展社会主义建设事业具有十分重要的意义。     

Sacral Defense of Secularism: The Political Theologies of Soroush, Shabestari, and Kadivar

This paper discusses three post-revolutionary dissident political theologies in Iran. They all question the absolutist theology of the ruling clerics and utilize indigenous sources of scholarship to oppose the clerical hegemony. They have complementary emphases: whereas Soroush highlights the variable nature of religious knowledge, Shabestari and Kadivar underline its limited and multiple nature. They represent the maturing of the dialogue of the Iranian-Islamic thought with Western social and political philosophy, and as the coming of age of the indigenous Islamic political theology reclaiming its pluralistic and democratic elements. Together, they attack the totalitarian Islam, and call for a guarded and objective secularism, while preserving Islam's spiritual and cultural identity.     

Eyes wide shut? Reforming and defusing checks and balances in Argentina

How effective are autonomous audit agencies (AAAs) in curbing corruption and improving fiscal governance in emerging economies? AAAs are autonomous oversight agencies tasked with scrutinising government finances. However, they are not as effective as they could or should be, partly because of the political constraints they face and the political economy context in which they are embedded. This article assesses the performance and trajectory of the Argentine AAA. It suggests that AAAs can have only a limited impact when formal fiscal institutions are undermined by informal practices and undercut by adverse political incentives. It further highlights the limits of radical reform strategies based on the import of exogenous institutional models. This research has important research and policy implications for the reform and strengthening of AAAs in developing countries. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Political accountability,fiscal conditions and local government performance—cross‐sectional evidence from Indonesia

Why are some local governments more successful than others in managing resources and delivering services? And even more vitally, how can malfunctioning governments be reformed so that they perform their responsibilities more effectively? This article contributes to our understanding of theses overarching questions by exploring the interactions between political institutions and public sector performance in the context of decentralisation and local governance. It shows–both theoretically and empirically–that performance outcomes are determined by the extent to which people can hold their governments accountable through political institutions. The basic hypothesis underlying this research is that political accountability, either by encouraging sanctions upon non‐compliant public agents or simply by reducing the informational gap regarding government activities, will create forceful incentives for elected officials and civil servants to reduce opportunistic behaviour and improve performance. Using a cross‐sectional regression the hypothesis is empirically tested against evidence from newly empowered local governments in Indonesia. The empirical findings broadly support our hypotheses. Improved public services on the ground, both in terms of quantity and quality, require informed and well functioning decision‐making processes that allocate resources to priority areas that meet the demand of the broader community. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

韩国政治转型与中产阶级的作用

在韩国政治转型过程中,中产阶级的政治文化实现了从臣民政治文化向臣民——参与者政治文化的转型。韩国中产阶级突出的特征是具有变革与保守的双重性,既是民主政治改革的推动者,也是权威政治的维护力量。在韩国由权威政治走向民主政治的过程中,中产阶级造就了公民社会与国家的分离互动发展,形成多元政治自主权对国家权利的分割与制衡。由此给我们的启示是,迅速成长的中产阶级在后发型国家实现民主法治过程中成为不可抗拒的历史洪流。     

思想政治工作实效性刍议

如何提高新形势下思想政治工作的实效性 ,是当前一个紧迫的现实问题。思想政治工作实效性的内涵 ,影响实效性的因素 ,对当前思想政治工作存在的问题进行分析 ,从七个方面提出了有针对性的对策建议。     

改进新时期思想政治工作必须处理好几个关系

要改进新时期的思想政治工作,实现思想政治工作的创新,就必须突出理性教育,重视非理性教育,使二者紧密结合;用大道理统揽小道理,用小道理阐发大道理,使二者相互补充;坚持指导思想一元化,正确对待多元化观念,用一元化统领多元化.     

海峡两岸青年政治价值观异同比较

青年的政治价值观反映青年对所处社会的政治现实与理想的基本评价.源于海峡两岸社会政治背景的差异,两岸青年在政治效能感、政治理想追求、政治现实的评价和两岸关系发展等问题上相异也十分明显,但两岸青年对社会政治昌明的追求和共同传承的爱国主义精神纽带,又构成了两岸青年的政治价值观的相通之处.为了促进台湾青年对祖国大陆的了解与信任,必须加大对台政策宣传,积极推进两岸青年的沟通与交流.     

略论美国军队的思想政治教育

美军的思想政治教育在西方发达国家的军队中具有一定的代表性。美军注重运用宗教的力量、开展精神教育活动、营造良好的教育环境、贯彻物质利益原则等思想政治教育的内容和方式 ,对于我们拓展思想政治教育研究的思路具有一定的启发意义。