A view from the policy community: a new strategic narrative for Europe?

ABSTRACT

Reflecting on the results presented in articles in this special issue, European leaders should take greater account of external perceptions in crafting the European Union's strategic narrative and guiding its actions. Failure to do so has impaired external policies like the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the European Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership. Leaders emerging from the Arab uprisings perceived the EU as complicit with their countries’ former anciens régimes and Russian leaders see EU support for democracy and the market economy in former Soviet states as duplicitous and instrusive. Awareness of such perceptions should be filtered into EU decision-making, without validating views that European officials and diplomats consider misleading.     

The Role of Brand Orientation in Developing a Learning Culture and Achieving Performance Goals in the Third Sector Organizations

ABSTRACT

This study is first in nature to find the empirical evidence of relationship between brand orientation (BRO), learning orientation (LO), and its impact on Performance (PERF) of third sector organizations (TSOs) in Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was filled through non-probability snowball sampling method from more than 300 senior managers working in different cities of Pakistan. The structural equation model was used for the mediation by running smart partial least squares software. The results prove that organizations with strong BRO philosophy not only help to develop strong LO culture but also help in achieving organizational performance goals. The study also discussed practical implications, limitations, and areas of future directions.     

正确认识和处理新时期农村人民内部矛盾

正确认识、及时化解人民内部矛盾是真正代表农村最广大人民群众根本利益的必然要求,也是保持农村社会稳定的必要条件。农村人民内部矛盾的产生原因是多方面的,要正确处理这些矛盾,必须在正确认识的前提下,善于运用经济的、行政的、法律的、思想教育的等各种手段,及时化解矛盾,解决纠纷,确保广大农村社会稳定。     

Managing commercial risks in open source software licensing

Legal context: The article reviews the commercial risk allocation clauses intypical open source licence terms and discusses their enforceabilityand implications. Key points: The enforceability of warranty disclaimers and limitation ofliability clauses in common open source licence terms is questionable,particularly in a cross-border context, and commercial licensorsshould take additional steps to protect themselves from down-streamrisks. Practical significance: Open source software presents a number of unusual commercialissues, because it is available free of charge and the providerstry to disclaim warranties and liabilities. End users and resellershave to adjust their own in- and out-licensing models to accommodatethis situation.     

影响当前农村社会稳定的因素

当前,影响农村社会稳定的因素颇多,但归结起来主要有三点:一是宗族势力的迅速崛起,打破了长期以来形成的良好的社会秩序,农村基层政权受到冲击,社会治安秩序遭到破坏;二是干群矛盾的日渐激化,动摇了人民群众对党和政府的信任;三是社会治安形势的异常严峻,使广大群众的安全感受到威胁,安居乐业的社会环境受到严重影响。针对上述问题,公安机关应制定出切实有效的对策和防范措施。     

民间组织对我国社会政治稳定的影响

民间组织在我国改革开放以后迅猛发展,对我国社会政治稳定既有积极影响的一面,也有一定的负面影响。加强对民间组织的管理,保证民间组织健康有序地发展不仅仅是登记管理机关的重要任务。公安机关作为维护社会稳定的职能部门,也应该从巩固国家政权和维护社会政治稳定的高度,积极会同登记管理机关,促使民间组织积极作用的发挥,尽可能地缩小和克服其消极面的影响,为改革开放和现代化建设创造一个稳定的社会环境。     

中国外交的大局意识

大局意识是中国外交决策的一个重要因素。保持社会稳定、维护国家安全,是坚持以经济建设为中心这个大局的前提条件。中国在制定外交政策和在外交工作中,坚决反对别国干涉中国内政,切实维护中国的政治稳定;努力发展与各国特别是主要大国的关系,促进中国的经济稳定;妥善处理敏感涉外事件,避免引发国内社会不稳定因素;加强与国际社会特别是邻国的合作,共同打击恐怖主义、分裂主义和跨国犯罪,维护民族团结和国家统一。     

稳定:中国改革和发展的社会阈值——江泽民同志维护社会稳定思想简论

江泽民同志关于维护社会稳定的一系列论述,是十三年来中国共产党第三代中央领导集体坚定不移地贯彻邓小平关于“稳定压倒一切”的思想,正确处理改革、发展、稳定的三者关系,领导全国人民建设中国特色社会主义伟大实践的科学总结,是在实践基础上的理论创新。(一)全面而深刻地揭示了改革、发展、稳定三者的“内在联系”。一是改革、发展、稳定共处于一个统一体,是辩证统一的关系。二是改革、发展、稳定三者间存在着一种总的联系,“把改革的力度、发展的速度和社会可承受的程度统一起来”是其中最有规律性的联系;而“不断改善人民生活”则是这种“总的联系”中的重要结合点。(二)在理论上已初步形成了较为完整的观念体系。一是具备了理论认识价值;二是生成了一系列论述观点的概念集合;三是提出了检验其理论的实践标准。(三)在实践上回答了正确处理改革、发展、稳定三者关系的一系列重大问题,制定了一整套策略措施。一是总揽全局,整体推进;二是注重关联,把握过程;三是抓住关键,巩固基础;四是先务当务之急,不务不急之务;五是为之于未有,治之于未乱。     

Measuring Economic Integration in Developing Countries: The Case of Central America

This article builds a composite index, the Central American Integration Index (IIC-AMPI), to measure economic integration. This index utilises a robust methodology and conceptual framework. The study shows that IIC-AMPI is responsive to variable changes and resistant to outliers. The findings indicate that the Deep Integration Process initiative dominates the current integration trend, as seen in the regional average score from 2015 to 2017, aligning with Guatemala and Honduras. Nicaragua demonstrates the most consistent progress, while Panama lags behind. The evidence supports the Customs Union as Central America's future integration path, highlighting the index's ability to capture the dynamic reality of economic integration.     

Developmental trends of delinquent attitudes and behaviors: replications and synthesis across domains, time, and samples

Inconsistent findings of attitude-behavior relations are commonly attributed to uncontrolled domain, time, or situational factors. Without integrative work, studies accounting for these factors may further complicate research by introducing potentially numerous third variables and render a coherent understanding of the attitude-behavior relationship even more difficult to achieve. In this paper, a developmental perspective is taken and the attitude-behavior relationship in delinquency is examined using three modes of investigation: multivariate patterns of attitude-behavior associations, their mutual predictability, and their developmental trajectories. Three grade cohorts of public school boys (n=1517 of the first, seventh, and tenth grades, initially) were followed over a period of 4 years, with an average age span of 7–16 years. Correspondence analyses suggested that adolescent boys with a tolerant attitude toward theft or violence were more deviant than those who had actual behavior of theft or violence. Stronger attitude effect on subsequent behavior, relative to behavior effect on subsequent attitudes, was found among boys aged 10–12 years. While mean scores of tolerant attitudes to serious theft and violence increased linearly with their behavior counterparts between 6 and 17 years of age, ages 11 and 14 were two turning points at which most delinquent attitudes and behaviors escalated at a higher speed. In general, delinquent attitudes and behaviors were related to each other in various patterns, and age was a defining factor that provided much of the explanation for the inconsistencies in research findings.