The impact of at-large elections: vote dilution or choice dilution?

Multi-member, at-large legislative elections result in election outcomes different from outcomes in single-member district elections for two reasons: they cancel out the voting strength of geographically concentrated groups of voters (e.g., party groups, racial groups), and they make it difficult for a voter to vote for an individual candidate, rather than for one of the competing lists of candidates. An electoral setting in Long Island, New York, presents an opportunity to test which of these two aspects of at-large elections—vote dilution or choice dilution—accounts for the usual pattern of one party (or group) winning all the legislative seats at stake.     

Voting for government coalitions in Ireland under single transferable vote

This paper addresses the issue of whether voters indicate a preference for a government rather than, or in addition to a preference for a party, when they cast a ballot under the system of the single transferable vote (STV). It thus contributes to the existing literature on strategic coalition voting by examining whether coalition preferences matter where electors are given the option to rank the parties in order of preference. The question then becomes: does this ranking reflect or signal a coalition preference? Using survey data from two Irish elections, this paper finds that whereas first preferences are closely aligned with coalition choices, Irish voters do not systematically use second preferences to express a view on their preferred coalition formation.     

关于行政学院加快四大体系建设问题

班次体系建设、课程体系建设、教材体系建设和学科体系建设,是行政学院系统履行教学培训职能的四犬基本建设,是行政学院系统教学培训改革创新的抓手和主攻方向.这四大体系建设是紧密联系的有机整体,必须配套推进.增强四大体系建设的自觉性,是实现行政学院教学培训科学发展的必然要求.     

党的现代化探析

党的现代化是我们党不能回避的一个重大课题。明确目标和把握要素,是党的现代化的基本要求。促进党的自身建设的科学化、制度化和规范化,是党的现代化的重要任务。建立、完善和创新定位机制、合法机制、整合机制、民主机制、制约机制,是党的现代化的支撑点。     

充分发挥公安防暴职能作用为全面建设小康社会服务

在新形势下,公安防暴工作应该找准新位置,实践三个代表高标准确立奋斗目标,创建适合防暴工作特点的新机制,其中包括反恐处置突发事件新机制,重大安全保卫任务新机制,训练工作新机制,教育管理新机制。     

有组织犯罪的侦查思维

有组织犯罪在我国作为一种新型犯罪形式,其侦查思维方式与侦查常规犯罪相比有许多不同的特点。针对有组织犯罪及其反侦查的一些特征,侦查人员应改进思维方式,提高侦查情势分析能力,运用正确的思维方法和模式。     

邓小平新时期对台方略研究

邓小平是中国改革开放的总设计师,也是新时期党的对台方略的伟大“创造者”。在新的历史时期,邓小平断然放弃了“解放台湾”的提法,首创了实现海峡两岸和平统一、“一国两制”的基本方略。这一方略包括了坚持一个中国的基本原则,认为“中国解决所有问题的关键是要靠自己的发展”的观点。同时强调解决台湾问题,是中国人自己的事情,寄希望于台湾当局,更寄希望于台湾人民。邓小平的这一战略构想,具有重要的历史地位：既有长远的理论指导意义,也有强烈的现实针对性。     

计提资产减值准备谨慎性与客观性的矛盾及对策

计提资产减值准备的理论基础是谨慎性原则.资产减值判断和计量的制度缺陷以及操作过程中的职业判断,使得会计信息的客观性操作被降低了.我们应视各类资产存在这一矛盾的性质和程度,进一步完善相关的会计制度,加强内部控制,暂停实施部分项目.     

Explaining differences in EMAS participation rates across Europe: the importance of institutions,incomplete information and path dependence

What factors shape environmental policies across Europe? In order to answer this question most economists would probably adopt a Public Choice approach. This approach has convincingly explained some aspects of environmental policies that exist in a similar fashion across Europe. But why do many environmental policies differ across European countries? This article argues that in order to understand differences in environmental policies in Europe North’s analysis of institutional change focusing on formal and informal institutions, incomplete information and path dependence is useful. North’s approach is applied to explain differences in a particular field of European environmental policy: The implementation of the EU’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. The starting point of the analysis is the observation that participation of companies in EMAS markedly differs between countries. It is shown that these differences can be explained with differences in formal and informal institutions in the three Member States, incomplete information of relevant actors, and path dependence.     

Gangs and public policy

Research Summary Attention to gang issues has dramatically increased in the last several decades, both in the scholarly literature and in law enforcement. Despite widespread attention to the gang problem, researchers, police officers, and lawmakers have yet to agree on definitions used to characterize and understand the problem. This article summarizes the existing literature concerning the importance of accurately defining and classifying gang members, documents and analyzes state and federal gang legislation in the United States, and provides a detailed analysis of one state's system that might serve as a useful model for other states. Policy Implications Serious risks to public safety and civil liberties are associated with Type 1 and Type 2 classification errors regarding gang membership. The wide variation in state statutory definitions of “gang member” and in the construction and administration of gang databases presents major challenges for policymakers and academic researchers. This article addresses these challenges and argues that a more rigorous and unified system, based on one state's existing model, might be possible and could offer significant advantages in our efforts to address the delinquent and criminal behavior of gangs throughout the United States.