关于加强违宪审查机制的理论思考

中国社会的现实发展和一些重大案件引起了中国体制内司法专家有关违宪审查的请求 ,这是法治进程中的一个转折点。考察现代司法审查制度的理论依据与发展经验 ,包括美国违宪审查制度的发展 ,可为我们提供重要的借鉴。中国违宪审查制度有必要坚定不移地推进制度化、程序化和司法化 ,这是维护宪法权威的必由之路。     

政府职能社会化的现实基础与机制建设

政府职能社会化是政府权力向社会的转移,是社会发展的必然趋势。世界各国在处理政府与社会关系问题上,基本上有强政府弱社会、弱政府弱社会、弱政府弱社会、强政府强社会四种模式。经过几十年的改革和发展,我国已经具备了政府职能社会化的政治基础和经济条件,建立公民自主管理和完善公民参与机制是政府职能社会化的基础和保障。     

Poverty amid plenty: structural violence and local governance in western Congo

The protracted conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has drawn sharp criticism regarding the model of liberal peacebuilding employed in the country. Critics emphasise the importance of local ownership of peacebuilding mechanisms at sub-national as well as national levels. This raises questions in relation to the popular legitimacy and efficacy of local mechanisms. Drawing on field research conducted in the relatively affluent province of Bas-Congo in Western Congo, this article highlights a lack of popular legitimacy for provincial-level political authority within the province stemming from an acute marginalisation of the population from local structures of power and wealth. The article also demonstrates the inefficacy of more local, village and neighbourhood-based political structures which, aimed at conflict mitigation rather than transformation, ignore the structural roots of local conflicts and do little to counteract the growing social distrust, conflict and disintegration within local communities.     

完善干部选拔任用工作中的民主监督

近年来按照中央的部署和要求,各地围绕实现干部工作科学化、民主化、制度化的目标,以贯彻执行《党政干部选拔任用条例》和党风廉政建设的各项要求为着力点,促进了各项监督工作任务的落实。但是从监督的实际效果及其在整个干部工作中的地位看,还存在许多深层次的矛盾和监督中的新问题。因此,在干部监督中必须有进有退、上下互动,创新监督工作思路;必须扩大公开、推进民主,夯实监督工作基础;必须通盘运筹、科学设计,提高制度建设水平;必须明确界定、权责对称,强化“一把手”的监督。     

形式化与合法性——城市社区基层制度结构的变动及功能解释

随着城市规模的迅速扩张,国家行政干预力量也在逐渐减弱,社区自治有了新的可能。但是,我国各地的民主自治基本还处于"形式化"的初级阶段,社区成员的社区自治意识淡薄,参与能力欠缺,这是影响和阻碍基层民主建设的重要因素;社区民主自治发展程度取决于城市财政支持力度、居民参与积极性和热情,以及行政执行力和社区干部的工作能力。总体来看,社区民主自治是一场由政府推动的民主化运动,因此它的合法性也就来自于政府。     

浅谈职务犯罪的预防

职务犯罪是腐败的集中体现,也是当前较为突出的现象。在加强教育,廉洁自律,使职务犯罪"不想为";健全制度,完善监督,使职务犯罪"不能为"的同时,还要加大打击力度,强化警示作用,坚决惩治腐败,使职务犯罪"不敢为"。只有坚持预防与打击相结合,治标与治本并举,才能从根本上防止腐败现象的发生,有效地减少和遏制职务犯罪。建立高度透明的民主政治制度,是杜绝腐败现象,遏制职务犯罪的根本途径。     

The Latvian student corps and politics in the inter-war period of the twentieth century

Abstract

To date, Latvia's student corps have remained a neglected topic in the country's political history, notwithstanding the size of these organisations and the fact that they have been in existence for more than a century. Those accounts that do exist have for the most part been written by corps members themselves, and have not included any real analysis of the corps' interaction with society or their role in Latvian political life. A study of these issues opens up new avenues towards a better understanding of the activity and influence of interest groups in Latvian politics during the 1920s and 1930s. Unlike many other social organisations, the student corps (also including the alumni societies) are often seen as linked to the activity of the major parties, to the coup d'état of 1934 and to radical Latvian nationalism.     

“解严”后政党角力下台湾新闻自由的进步与迷思

台湾新闻自由实践在其政党角力中扮演着工具角色。换言之,新闻自由从来就不是政党角力的目的,只是权力斗争的工具。多党纷争时期,在野党高举“新闻自由”旗帜,与国民党争夺媒体资源。政党轮替后,对峙的国民两党都是表面附和“新闻自由”,实际上却采用隐性、间接的方式操控媒体。政党竞争带来了广电媒体的解禁、新闻自由法律法规的修正、新闻自由观念的成熟等正面效应。但政党对媒体的变相操控却让新闻自由异化,“只问政党,不问事实”的蓝绿媒体难以承担“第四权”责任。     

Facultad libre de la autoridad para reinstalar a los miembros de las corporaciones policiales como resultado del juicio de ponderación

Due to the existing climate of violence, corruption and public insecurity, the Constitution was amended to stop police forces' members from being reinstated in their jobs despite having obtained a judicial decision proving their dismissal was unfounded. This amendment was adopted in order to Streamline the police forces but it ultimately affects other constitutional rights and principles such as police forces members' careers and their professionalism. Based on the use of a weighted assessment or a proportionality test, this article proposes an alternative application of the constitutional reform to satisfy the enforcement of the will of the constituent and to avoid unnecessary or disproportionate action against the police forces' above-mentioned fundamental rights.     

The October 2011 Kenyan invasion of Somalia: fighting al-Shabaab or defending institutional interests?

This paper asks why Kenya invaded Somalia in October 2011. It scrutinises five possible explanations as to why Kenyan decision-makers decided to invade neighbouring Somalia. The explanations are inspired by different theoretical frameworks. Some are inspired by theories developed to analyse Western societies, whereas others are inspired by theoretical reflections aimed at understanding politics in Africa. It is concluded that the decision to invade Somalia was made because of the institutional and ‘bureaucratic’ interests of the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) advanced by a limited number of men of Somali-Kenyan origin who pursued their own interests. Security and economic concerns did play a role, while the paper dismisses that the invasion can be understood as a consequence of the Kenyan government pursuing an ‘international image management strategy’. Theoretically, the paper concludes that ‘Western’ theories may contribute to explaining the launch of ‘Linda Nchi,’ whereas Africa-focused theories like neo-patrimonialism seem less helpful in this particular context.