A positive notion of power for citizen voice and state accountability

This article explores the notion of power within citizen–state relations. A positive notion of power is presented as an addition to evolving development discourse which has predominantly defined power as a finite resource transferred from state to citizen in a process of ‘‘changing the balance of power’’. A positive notion of power is concerned with maximising and connecting citizen power and affirming state power, for synergistic change. The article draws on development discourse and practical examples to outline a positive notion of power, prioritising relational dialogue and joint citizen state action for development outcomes.     

The terminologies associated with development and marginalisation for Orang Asli in Malaysia

Previously, any failure of Orang Asli development activity in Malaysia, was characterised by using a single term in all situations ? “marginalisation”. This generalisation was unfair to everyone involved in the Orang Asli development process, made it difficult to resolve problems, and resulted in tendencies to blame certain people. Based on ethnographic research in Kuala Gandah, Pahang, Malaysia, this article allocates three terms in the Orang Asli development marginalisation discourse: “secluded”, “isolated”, and “marginalised”. “Secluded” refers to development activity that accidentally marginalises. “Isolated” refers to development activity that directly and deliberately marginalises. “Marginalised” refers to the Che Wong that were eliminating or avoiding development. These terms were exposed by weaknesses in the implementation of development, namely the role of a single dominant approach in development activities – the top-down approach – and a tendency to generalise the marginalisation of the Orang Asli. This article recommends that more care be taken to apply a development approach that deals with situations on a case-by-case basis and that utilises the partnership approach to development, involving all parties in all phases.     

Preventing Crime and Violence Through Communities that Care

The author, among others, has developed a system that empowers communities to organise themselves to engage in outcome focused prevention planning. This system for prevention planning using the tools of prevention science is Communities That Care (CTC). In a collaborative US project 22 reliable and valid archival indicators of 12 major risk factors that predict rates of adolescent drug use at the county level were found. This collaborative project has also developed a validated school survey that measures risk, protection, delinquency and drug use outcomes reliably across states and ethnic groups. It allows a diagnosis of risk and protection levels in any geographical area, from a state to a neighbourhood. With these tools, communities can organise themselves to engage in outcome focused prevention planning, objectively assess their own profiles of risk and protection, and choose and implement effective strategies to address their unique strengths and needs. In Europe CTC has been currently introduced in England and Wales, Scotland and in the Netherlands.     

浅谈民族发展政策对科学发展观的回应

中国民族政策的贯彻实施极大地促进了中国少数民族和民族地区的全面发展,民族政策的实质是民族发展政策。中国共产党提出的新的科学发展观,为中国尤其是中国民族地区的发展提供了强大的理论指导,调整和制定民族发展政策是对科学发展观的积极回应,也是民族地区赢得进一步发展的关键所在。     

我国社会保险制度中的性别差异分析

我国社会保险制度中的性别差异主要体现在两个方面:一是就业差距造成女性参保率低,意味着女性享受社会保险的人数少于男性;二是收入差距造成女性缴纳社会保险费少,意味着女性退休后养老金低于男性.改变社会保险中的性别差异,应从社会政策入手,包括就业政策、教育政策、培训政策等,从而提高女性劳动竞争力和就业率;采取相应的政策措施,扩大灵活就业人员的保险覆盖面;积极研究制定兼顾国家、企业、个人三方面利益的退休年龄政策.     

Best practices for structuring a family court parenting plan evaluation under the 2022 AFCC Guidelines

Evaluation appointment orders provide enforceable scaffolding for conduct of family court parenting plan evaluations, and use of the evaluator's reports, feedback, file, and testimony. Unlike a contract, a stipulated or adjudicated appointment order is directly enforceable by the family court. It unambiguously positions the evaluator as the family court's appointee – answerable directly to the court and, in some jurisdictions, protected by quasi-judicial immunity from damages claims. A well-crafted appointment order governs the roles and expectations of the court, the evaluator, the parties, the lawyers, and the collateral witnesses. An appointment order mandates the legal duties, rights, powers, and responsibilities of the professionals, the parties, and the collateral witnesses. At minimum, an appointment order articulates the legal basis for the appointment, the purpose and scope of the evaluation, compensation of evaluator, and the duty of the parties to participate in the process. A written evaluation protocol or procedures statement discloses in advance the methods of investigation and assessment that the evaluator intends to use. Together, the appointment order and written protocol help the evaluator, lawyers, parents, and judge manage the complexity of the evaluation process.     

保护性政策与妇女公共参与——湖北广水H村"性别两票制"选举试验观察与思考

保护性政策为什么没有改变农村妇女公共参与"推而不动"的状态?这与政策运行的村庄社会基础有很大的关联性.本文考察了一项保护性政策实验中村庄社会的不同反应,发现自上而下的保护性政策在输入到村庄社会的过程中,会遭到不同程度的抵制;对于村庄层级链条中位置不同的妇女,保护性程度不同,其公共参与程度也不同;同时,它并没有改变男性主导村庄权力结构的局势,还加深了两性隔离.为此,制定政策应该充分尊重村庄妇女公共参与三级链分层现状,使政策的保护性力量在这个链条上出现增量式发展;应该建立有效的配套机制,改变"两性场域"不对等分割状况,实现和谐式参与.     

The Employment of Ex-Offenders and the UK's New Criminal Record Bureau

This article outlines the development of the UK's Criminal Records Bureau designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the screening arrangements for potential employees by disclosure of their criminal records to employers. The Bureau builds on existing arrangements that have been in place for a number of years. The authors argue that this development, which includes a much wider availability of criminal records, is an example of a new social policy that has the potential for an unintended consequence of large scale social exclusion, by limiting the prospects of employment for ex-offenders.     

Italian Ultras Today: Change or Decline?

The authors describe a particular form of football hooliganism, namely the behaviour displayed by particular groups of young fans - in Italy the so-called ultras - consisting of acts of vandalism and systematic aggression to the detriment of similar opposing groups both within and, above all, outside the stadiums. The development over the last decade is outlined and the authors try to explain the current situation and the most recent changes. They show that, in spite of the diminishing number of incidents in the last years, this violence is changing appearance: on the one hand, it turns against the police; on the other hand it declines into pure vandalism and juvenile deviance. An important moment was the crisis caused by the death of an ultras in 1995, which marked a turning point between the 'old way' of the ultras and the new developments. A brief comparison is made with the English situation, both on the appearance of hooliganism as well as on the preventive policies, the police and the legislation on acts of hooliganism and sports violence.Italian Association of Sport for All     

Sustainable fiscal policies and budgetary risk under alternative monetary policy arrangements

Early work on the theory of economic policy stressed the importance of the interactions between fiscal and monetary policy. Tinbergen, and Cooper, showed us that there would be costs in instability and protracted imbalances, in particular fiscal imbalances, if this was not recognised. Yet most models we use today treat fiscal or monetary policies as if they operated alone. This paper reviews the advantages of recognising those interactions. We consider three possibilities: fiscal leadership (in the sense of acting first), monetary leadership, and simultaneous decision making, each underpinned by independence at the central bank. This temporal separation is important because it creates an opportunity for punishment by the follower (a result from asynchronous games). Making fiscal policy lead, and monetary follow, provides fiscal precommitment and the best results for output, inflation and fiscal balances. In particular, it ensures sustainable public finances without the need for arbitrary (and easily evaded) external restrictions. We show these results are proof against override by rational governments; and robust to changes in structure caused by flattening of the Phillips curve, globalisation, market reforms, and changes in savings.