Local government advocacy in the ‘suburban age’: an institutionalist interpretation of Melbourne’s evolving sub-metropolitan regional structures

ABSTRACT

The ‘suburban age’ has been conceptualised as the dominant global urban spatial reality for the 21^st Century, yet the politics associated with this heightened expansiveness remain underdeveloped. Of relevance is the potential for suburban discontentment across a myriad of spaces centred upon the under provision of infrastructure and employment. With urban regions often highly fragmented by local government boundaries, bottom-up inter-local government responses assume significance, including sub-regional advocacy given enduring hierarchical government dependencies. In consideration of the evolving strength of sub-regional advocacy, three institutionalist themes are introduced: credibility, coherency and coordination. Empirical insights are presented from chief executive officer (CEO)-based interviews conducted across expansive Melbourne, Australia. In Melbourne, a ‘weak mayor/strong CEO’ local government system predominates beneath a state government with extensive metropolitan responsibilities. Melbourne’s sub-metropolitan regional structures have recently looked to strengthen their external presence through actions illustrative of the identified themes, with local government CEOs playing a key role in directing their evolving character. The global ‘suburban age’ must be associated with heightened sub-regional competition across enlarged urban regions, the management of which will present a growing spatial challenge for political leaders.     

东北亚区域政治学研究体系的建构及其他

东北亚区域政治研究作为国际政治学研究的一个重要组成部分 ,还没有形成相对系统的、独立的研究体系。适应东北亚区域历史与现实的复杂状况 ,有必要加强综合性的区域研究 ,探讨如何运用国际政治与国际关系研究的理论与方法 ,全面地、历史地分析研究东北亚地区的和平与发展问题 ,提出有战略意义的方案和建议。     

东亚区域合作与第二轨道外交

建立东亚共同体已经成为东亚各国的共同目标。作为第二轨道外交活动平台的“东亚思想库网络”在东亚一体化的进程中发挥着积极的作用。文章强调“东亚思想库网络”在促进东亚合作的过程中应发挥四项功能,并提出了推动东亚合作的具体建议。     

澳门冲突法与内地冲突法之比较

澳门回归后的冲突法有不少新的变化 ,为促进相互借鉴和学习 ,文章将澳门冲突法与内地冲突法在立法模式、体系结构、调整范围、主要内容、法律选择方法等方面作了分析比较 ,以期推动两地之间法律冲突问题的解决。     

关于促进隆阳区域经济快速发展的思考

发展隆阳区区域经济,要在坚持区域经济协调发展的基础上,按照邓小平同志关于区域经济非均衡发展的思想,强化分类意识,实施四大战略.     

The Changing Paradigm of Pacific Regional Politics

Abstract

Analyses of recent developments in Pacific regional politics have emphasized the role of ideas and new thinking about how the Pacific should engage in global and regional diplomacy (the so-called ‘paradigm shift’). These ideas include the call for regional self-determination, the claim that Pacific island states need to engage more assertively in global diplomacy, the call for a ‘genuine Pacific voice’ to be heard in global forums, recognition that a ‘one region approach’ need not be the best approach, the reconfiguring of diplomatic alliances to leverage Pacific island positions better in global forums, and embracing non-state actors as equal partners. The importance of this paradigm shift is that it challenges many prevailing stereotypes and assumptions about Pacific islands diplomacy. It recognizes and facilitates choices and alternatives. It emphasizes the imperative of being proactive and of taking responsibility for the challenges facing the Pacific islands; and being creative in finding solutions. This is a fundamentally empowering transformation. But in order to understand where this might lead, it is necessary to explore where this transformation has so far played out. Case studies at the national, regional and global levels give insights into the impact and potential of the new Pacific diplomacy.     

生存资本与生活空间的竞争——以台湾中部两部客家移民族谱为讨论对象

近来社会史研究,倾向于关注人类与环境间的关系,强调把人类聚落空间当成一个整体,从各个面向综合讨论。有鉴于移民族群在迁移过程当中,经历时间漫长,取得历史材料不易,家谱成为保存移民发展史的数据库。家谱撰写者为了垂训后世子孙,巨细靡遗地叙述开基祖艰苦创业立基的过程,内容包含家族历史以及开基祖从原生地到迁居地之后,建立移民聚落空间的历程。本文试以台中石冈《刘元龙公派下家谱》、苗栗铜锣《李氏宗谱史记》为讨论对象,探讨清代渡海来台拓垦的先民们,借由精神上血缘凝聚力与物质上的经济合作力量,以宗族为单位,建构生存空间,逐步地域社会化的过程。     

Gender equality and the electoral system in the regional council of Sardinia

This article provides an account of the process followed by the legislative assembly of the autonomous region of Sardinia, the regional council, to change its electoral law. More specifically, this article will focus on equal access to the elective office at the regional council that the electoral law should have guaranteed. The introduction of measures of gender equality is part of the broader process of change in the electoral law of Sardinia. It is also part of the wider review process of Sardinian autonomy that finds its roots in the amendment of title V of the Italian Constitution of 2001. Following these reforms, constitutional law 3/2013 states that ‘In order to achieve the balance between men and women in representation’, the new electoral law should ‘promote a new equal opportunity in the access to the office of regional councillor’ (article 16). The introduction of double preference for male and female candidates would have guaranteed equality, instead of reserving a share of seats to the underrepresented sex. It would have involved a new approach to the problem of underrepresentation of women. At the 20 June 2013 meeting, however, double preference was rejected in a secret ballot. Yet only four years later, on 21 November 2017, the electoral law was changed to guarantee equal access for women.     

A semiotic study of regional branding reflected in the slogans of Korean regions

The purpose of the present analyses of regional slogans is to provide a semiotic perspective for understanding the symbolic communication systems involved in the construction of Korean regional governments. This study attempts to evaluate the slogans in terms of the semantic and morphological aspects of the texts. Findings show an overuse of signs within the slogans of regional governments that weakened the delivery of information regarding local identity. A leading slogan for a large region may create a unique identity in relative terms, whereas second-tier regions tend to mimic the success of others. The present research illustrates that each region of Korea cannot be differentiated in terms of a semantic analysis of linguistic signs. The communication tendencies that influence the creation of slogans for Korean regions are morphologically complex but semantically simple, resulting in the failure of these regions to secure distinctiveness in their individual brand identities.     

经济法视野下区域协调发展机构的重构

区域协调发展机构是专门负责区域规划,制定区域政策,促进区域协调发展的机构.目前很多国家都通过立法特别设立了协调区域发展机构,其对于区域协调发展起了很大的促进作用.但是,我国在这方面的法律层面的立法几乎是空白,因此没有依据法律规定设立的专门协调区域发展的机构.而现今存在的一些根据政策法规设立的协调区域发展的机构也存在诸多问题和不足,因此,制定专门的法律,并基于此设立专门的区域协调发展机构,对于促进区域协调发展是非常必要的.