Semi-presidentialism in lusophone countries: diffusion and operation

This article analyses the degree to which diffusion of Portugal's semi-presidential constitution occurred within lusophone countries following their move to multipartism in the 1990s. To do so, we first identify the main characteristics of the 1976 Portuguese constitution. Next, the constitutional choices made in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor are mapped. Using existing typologies, we classify these regimes and contrast them with their European and francophone African counterparts. Finally, we investigate the effective dynamics of lusophone semi-presidential systems by focusing on how heads of state deal with heads of government and parliamentary majorities. We claim there is a “family resemblance” among lusophone semi-presidential regimes. This finding is important because it accounts for constitutional choices in a group of recent democratizing countries, and shows how external influences interact with local factors to produce major political outcomes.     

Institutions and the Legislative Success of ‘Strong’ Presidents: An Analysis of Government Bills in Chile

This paper examines the approval of government bills in Chile, evaluating the effect of presidential prerogatives and policy substance, and considering both bill-specific and contextual effects. The results show that presidential prerogatives over financial policy, as well as the ability to affect the congressional agenda through urgent bill scheduling, significantly influence government bill approval. As expected, government success is enhanced during the honeymoon period. However, changes in public approval of the president do not appear to exert a significant effect on the passage of presidential bills.     

The Politics of 'Eurocratic' Structure and the New European Agencies

The establishment of agencies at the European level is one of the most notable recent developments in EU regulatory policy. This article examines how politics has shaped the design of EU regulatory agencies. Building on the American politics literature on delegation, the article explains how principal-agent concerns and political compromise have influenced agency design in the EU context; shows how conflicts between the EU's primary legislative actors - the Council and the Parliament - and its primary executive actor - the Commission - have influenced the design of new bureaucratic agencies; and discusses how the growing power of the European Parliament as a political principal has changed the politics of agency design.     

Breaking Fresh Ground

ABSTRACT

In the present paper, the author introduces her roles and duties at her current job. The author then describes how she got into community psychology and primary prevention and how her graduate school and previous work experiences have influenced her current work. Focusing on primary prevention, the author delineates how the two community psychology concepts -primary prevention and action research -can be applied to the promotion of adolescent mental health in the Korean society. The author then adds advice for foreign students who are considering studying community psychology in the U.S.     

基层社会建设的实践与理性思考

基层社会建设是整个社会建设的最终落脚点。基层稳则天下稳。基层社会建设是一个不断变化、与时俱进的动态过程，传统思维和习惯的工作方法已难以适应现阶段基层建设的需要，必须不断地研究新情况、解决新问题、开创新局面。     

关于初次分配注重公平的四点思考

十七大报告指出：“初次分配和再分配都要处理好效率和公平的关系”。这是我们党在重要文献中第一次提出初次分配的公平问题，也是分配理论的一大突破和创新。本文就为什么要提出初次分配注重公平、怎样衡量我国初次分配的公平问题、公平到底靠初次分配调节好还是靠再分配调节好、初次分配强调公平是否会导致低效率等四大问题，阐述了自己的见解。     

紧紧抓住执政兴国的第一要务

把发展作为执政兴国的第一要务 ,是对马克思主义理论的继承和创新 ,是保持党的先进性和发挥社会主义制度优越性的必然要求 ,是解决中国一切问题和在国际竞争中赢得主动的关键。要全面理解和把握发展这个执政兴国第一要务的本质要求 ,关键是要坚持发展的坚定性、创造性、科学性和规范性。同时 ,要高度重视人才资源在一个国家经济和社会发展中的基础性、战略性和决定性作用。     

哈特社会规则理论的限度

哈特以社会规则理论为核心阐释法律的概念,使规则区别于习惯,并将法律视为初级规则与次级规则的结合。同时,社会规则理论也具有一定的限度,这集中表现在,根据哈特的理论,在法体系之下,作为法律规则的初级规则的成立并不以其具有社会规则这一身份为必要条件。被制定出来的法律规则能够经由通过法体系效力判准的检验而在其被真正实践之前就成立,因此,有些法律规则不是社会规则,社会规则理论不能适用于所有的法律规则。     

论党的基本路线的变化与社会主义进程的推进

基本路线是无产阶级政党的行动纲领,其正确与否,关系到社会主义的前途和命运。探讨我党历史上基本路线的变化与社会主义进程推进之间的关系,对坚定党在社会主义初级阶段的基本路线不动摇,推进社会主义的进程有极其重要的意义。     

Primary Victims; the End of the Road?

This article is a discussion of oneaspect of the troubled area of negligencedealing with psychiatric damage. Theidentification of the category of 'primaryvictim' by the House of Lords has given rise toconsiderable doctrinal confusion and theelevation of this category of victim to aprivileged status. The occupational stress andnegligent information cases have addedcomplexity to the matrix and the article is arequest for doctrinal simplification.