Why Democratic Allies Defect Prematurely: Canadian and Dutch Unilateral Pullouts from the War in Afghanistan

Why do some democratic allies prematurely withdraw from ongoing military US-led coalition operations? Why are some democratic allies more reliable than others? This article proposes a multifactorial integrated framework consisting of several causal mechanisms drawn from ideological, domestic, and alliance explanations of premature defection. It compares and contrasts two neglected case studies, namely the Canadian and Dutch withdrawal of combat troops from NATO’s counterinsurgency mission in southern Afghanistan. The comparative analysis finds that democratic institutional designs, parliamentary war powers, leadership turnover, as well alliance dependence and threat perceptions did not play a meaningful role in both cases of premature defection. It rather finds that domestic elite consensus interacted with electoral calculations to account for pullout choices. Right-wing ideological beliefs held by state executives also slowed down the decision to withdraw, and alliance pressures interacted with domestic elite consensus to account for commitment renewal into a noncombat mission. The article concludes with some implications for the theory of democratic alliance reliability.     

Environmental Harm or Natural Hazard? Problem Identification and Adaptation in U.S. Municipal Climate Action Plans

A number of cities in the United States have devised climate action plans (CAPs) to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, few of these plans address strategies to adapt to the long term effects of climate change that will occur in the near and distant future. The research presented in this article examines why cities choose to embed adaptation provisions in their CAPs. Our study codes the content of CAPs for all cities (N = 98) in the United States with populations greater than 50,000. We find cities that frame problems associated with climate change in the language of hazards are more likely to include adaptation strategies in their CAPs than cities that focus on other types of environmental harm. Our findings suggest that more robust efforts to plan for climate change will require the activation of communities of interest beyond those that have been instrumental in setting the current climate agenda.     

Subjects with agency? Children’s participation in family law proceedings

Galvanised by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, many jurisdictions now recognise children’s rights to participate in decisions that affect them. While such legal rights have increased, research on family law proceedings shows how children’s views can still be undermined, ignored or not even sought in decisions about them. This article uses the academic resources of childhood studies, to consider dominant and alternative narratives of children’s participation within Scottish family law. Drawing upon reported case law and empirical research, the article concludes that children’s participation gains protection by being institutionalised but children’s participation is attenuated because it is not recognised as relational and contextual. As rationality, consistency and autonomy are privileged, the weight given to children’s views is lessened by concerns about children being manipulated or distressed. Courts and their decisions may be child-focused, centring on children’s welfare, but they are not child-inclusive, involving children in decision-making.     

The State of the Art of Child Hearings in Germany. Results of a Nationwide Representative Study in German Courts

According to German family law, in family court proceedings that deal with custody or access rights, family judges are obligated to personally hear the child if the feelings, ties, or will of the child are significant for the decision. In a research study commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Justice, a nationwide representative survey of all judges compiled their personal information and their attitudes and expectations as well as various parameters regarding the concrete practice of hearing children. Also, with a very complex methodological design, over 50 children and their parents were studied one week in advance of the hearing, directly before and after the hearing, and four weeks following the hearing. The results of the study are presented, particularly those pertaining to the burden and relief for the children and the expectations of judges. The practical experiences of family judges in personally hearing children are included as well.     

依法行政 规范管理 构建和谐计生

石阡县以贯彻落实"一法三规一条例"为主线,以稳定低生育水平为目标,坚持依法行政、规范管理,使全县人口计生工作步入了法制化轨道,塑造了"和谐计生"新形象,为全县经济社会快速发展营造了良好的人口环境。     

综合利用社会资源 建立利益导向机制

思南县通过加强部门协作,健全各项制度,转变工作思路和方法,充分利用社会资源,不断完善政策体系,建立计划生育利益导向机制,塑造了"和谐计生"新形象,为构建"和谐思南"营造了良好的人口环境。     

我国行政补偿制度运作实践中的问题及其对策——以征地补偿为中心

中国行政补偿的执法和司法实践中存在着强度偏弱、标准偏低、司法救济疲弱等问题,从而成为影响社会稳定的重要因素。为解决这些问题,应该转换思想、更新观念,树立服务行政的理念,逐步增强行政补偿的强度,相应提高行政补偿的标准,进一步探索行政补偿的新方式,制定《征收征用法》,强化行政补偿的司法救济措施。     

关于强化处系共管学生模式的几点思考

公安院校在管理学生的模式上一直是系管学生或处管学生,而“处系共管”是一种新的管理理念,具有特定的优势。     

高校毕业生就业服务体系的网络结构和运行机制

采用逻辑演绎和比较分析方法,结合中国高校毕业生特点以及就业服务参与主体的优势和劣势,从促进多主体相互合作的角度研究就业服务体系的网络结构和运行机制,尝试将相关主体进行结构化,建立就业服务体系的网络结构,探讨各主体在这一网络结构中的职责和沟通协作的途径,并归纳阐述保障这一网络结构顺畅运行的机制。在充分利用互联网平台基础之上,完善各项就业保障机制,通过构建合作统一的就业网络结构实现就业效率最大化。研究目的在于完善整个就业服务体系并提高其运行效率,为解决当前毕业生就业难题提供新的思路。     

试析冷战后美国维和行动政策的演变及未来走向

冷战后,随着美国对外战略、国内政治及联合国维和行动的发展,美国的维和行动政策不断调整。美国对联合国维和行动的政策先后经历了积极主导、消极参与、有限参与等阶段,但在联合国框架外的维和行动则呈扩大趋势,并带有明显的强制性与干预性。随着世界格局多极化趋势日渐增强,预计美国将调整其单边式维和政策,更加借助联合国和区域组织实施维和行动,并且维和行动的方式也将更加多样化。