Two Cheers for Interpretivism: Deconstructing the British Political Tradition

This article engages with Bevir and Rhodes' version of interpretivism from a critical realist perspective. It argues that they are misguided to equate path‐dependency with path‐determinancy. Instead, we argue that there are three path‐dependencies, institutional, discursive and political‐economic, which constrain without determining the actions of agents and thus effect political outcomes. The argument is illustrated through a brief consideration of the operation of the British Political Tradition.     

Italian foreign policy in the post-cold war period: a neoclassical realist approach

Abstract

Drawing on a neoclassical realist approach, this article analyses the foreign policy conduct of different Italian governments from 1994 to 2008. Pressured by the post-cold war international system, these governments have been compelled to raise Italy's profile within the international system. However, the way in which successive governments have responded has differed markedly. By looking at variables located at the domestic level – elite perceptions of the distribution of power and government instability – it is possible to explain these differences. Neo-classical realism is seen as an advance on Waltzian neo-realism precisely because it allows room for domestic as well as international (or systemic) variables, and because it has a very specific focus on foreign policy as such.     

Old and very old adults as witnesses: event memory and metamemory

Older people constitute an important category of eyewitnesses. Episodic memory performance in older persons is poorer than in younger adults, but little research has been made on older persons’ metacognitive judgments. Since more persons of advanced age will likely be called upon as witnesses in coming years, it is critical to characterize this population’s metacognitive abilities. We compared event memory metacognition in old adults (66-year-old, n = 74) to very old adults (87 or 90 years old, n = 55). Participants were tested on their memory of a film, using questions with two answer alternatives and the confidence in their answer. As expected, the very old group had a lower accuracy rate than the old group (d = 0.59). The very old group, however, monitored this impairment, since their over-/underconfidence and calibration did not differ from the old group but they displayed a poorer ability to separate correct from incorrect answers (discrimination ability). Possibly, the very old group was able to monitor the level of their over-/underconfidence because they applied general self-knowledge about their memory skills. In contrast, the discrimination of correct from incorrect answers may be more dependent on ability to attend to the features of each retrieved memory.     

Performing the economy,performing science: from neoclassical to supply chain models in the agrifood sector

Abstract

Callon and Hilgartner, respectively, have argued that the economy and technoscience are performed and that neoclassical economics (NE) and scientific reports should be interpreted as performances. Building on that theme, it is argued here that the ongoing transformations collectively known as globalization signal a new way of thinking about and performing both economics and technoscience: supply chain management (SCM). A comparison of SCM with NE models reveals shifts in both the theoretical focus of its proponents and the reactions of critics. Recent developments in the agrifood sector are used to illustrate the argument.     

Aesthetics and politics in North Korean socialist realist painting: On approved ways of seeing

This paper inquires into aesthetics and politics in North Korean socialist realist painting by way of an examination of North Korean journalist Han Chol Ju's article series “Visit to Korean Art Gallery” and three paintings in Korea Today (2010–2011). The paper explains late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's national-Stalinist conception of Juche socialist realism in On Fine Art (1991); considers one Korean painting (Chos?nhwa), two oil paintings (yuhwa), and one jewel painting (pos?khwa); and addresses approved ways of seeing in political-aesthetic experience and response in the North Korean situation.     

Critical Theory of Society or Self-Critical Society

Abstract

This paper presents a critical comparative reading of Ulrich Beck and Herbert Marcuse. Beck's thesis on ‘selfcritical society’ and the concept of ‘sub-politics’ are evaluated within the framework of Marcusian critical theory. We argue for the continued relevance of Marcuse for the project of emancipatory politics. We recognise that a focus upon the imminent and spontaneous possibilities for radical social change within the ‘sub-political’ is a useful provocation to the high abstractionism of much critical theory, but suggest that such possibilities are better captured in a Marcusian theoretical frame than they are in Beck's account.     

WTO体制的发展取向论

世界贸易组织及其机制在继承和发展的过程中,逐渐形成为国际法律体制中最成熟的部分,但是,其谈判机制存在的大国权力导向,致使它在规范和争端解决领域对于发展中国家的意义值得怀疑。这种国家与市场互动的倾向不仅不符合国际经济关系的伦理要求,也没有达到规则导向的目标。应当在对事实分析的基础上以建构主义的思路促动贸易制度变革,强化伦理的意蕴,确立规范的力量,使得国际经济体制朝向良性、持续发展。     

什么是法律现实主义——庞德、卢埃林、弗兰克之争

美国法律现实主义运动是上世纪初叶最引人瞩目的法律改革运动,其领军人物卢埃林和当时的法学鸿儒庞德之间的争论拉开了这一运动的序幕,作为庞德批判的主要对象弗兰克也加入了论战。论战的实际是关于如何适应社会发展进行法学研究的学者交流。通过论战,现实主义运动真正走到法学研究的前台,更清楚地展示了法律现实主义的真实面目,驱除法学界的曲解和误解。论战也展示了学者之间如何通过真诚的交流推动学术发展。     

现实主义法学的批判与建构

法律形式主义曾是美国法学的正统,现实主义法学则从概念、逻辑、规则等多个角度对法律形式主义进行了批判,并以预测模式为中心,提出了个殊主义、目的性司法和对司法过程进行经验主义探究等改革主张,对美国法理学的未来走向影响深远。     

检察官客观义务:制度本源与实践限度

从现代政治权力的原理来看,检察官客观义务的意义在于按照现代性的权力逻辑与治理模式,实现了现代刑事诉讼权力结构的分化并维系着刑事司法制度的正当性。由于刑事诉讼制度本身与检察官个体都无法克服与超越刑事司法中的某些固有因素,检察官客观义务在实践中存在相当的限度。在推动刑事诉讼制度合理化建设上,我们应该在深入理解检察官客观义务的基础上,推行一些更为现实的改革方略。