Farming out state revenue: the debate about the General Customs Lease Company in Sweden, 1723–65

A typical trait of the fiscal system of the ancien régime was the farming out of state revenue, most often represented by England and France. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on the articulation of political economy and discourses on private and public organization in the early modern period, using the Swedish Riksdag as the focal point. Furthermore, it adds to historical research on private organizations for the operation of public services, and to a theoretical discussion on institutional development in the early modern period. In this article the Swedish General Customs Lease Company (Generaltullarren-desocieteten) 1723–65 is used as an example, arguing that Sweden represents an alternative model for the organization of revenue collection in early modern Europe; demonstrating that the General Customs Lease Company includes characteristics found both in England and in France. The analysis focuses on the political level, using parliamentary debates about the organization of the customs service. Thus, the explanation pays close attention to arguments wielded in favour, or against, farming out state revenue to private individuals. The political debates show an increasing critique against the large profits made by the shareholders in the Customs Company, as well as condemnations against the Customs Company for promoting self-interest at the expense of the common good.     

Be there or be square – The impact of participation and performance in the 2017 Dutch TV debates and its coverage on voting behaviour

TV debates are often seen as the most important events that provide the electorate with information about leading candidates and key issues during electoral campaigns. Research provides evidence for various debate effects, showing both a direct and indirect influence on voting decisions. There is, however, only scant evidence on the relative impact of TV debates when examining these effects at the same time. To fill this gap, our study aims to analyse whether and to what extent a candidate's participation in a debate, their performance in the debate or the related media coverage influence the electorate when examined simultaneously. We consider the case of the 2017 Dutch general elections, which offers an almost ideal setting due to the broadcast of several TV debates of different formats and candidate compositions throughout the campaign period. To distinguish the effects of single debates, we use original Dutch panel survey data. We find a weak overall influence of the debates; the most significant effects are decreasing vote intentions for the two main competitors (VVD and PVV) after both candidates refused to participate in the first TV debate, and a ‘winner-effect’ for one of the two main candidates in a head-to-head debate.     

十八届三中全会后关于党建问题的若干思考

中国共产党是中国特色社会主义事业的领导核心,是中国各项事业成功的保证。推动当下中国的改革与发展,关键在党。在当前改革处于攻坚的时期,面对全新的任务和挑战,进一步加强党的建设,更好地完成党的执政使命也是中国进行全面深化改革的关键之一。为此,要坚持思想建设的重要地位不动摇,确保正确改革方向;坚持民主集中制,完善党的领导体制和执政方式;加强党风反腐倡廉建设,推进发展廉洁政治。     

邓小平与党的十二届三中全会

邓小平对党的十二届三中全会作出了重大贡献。他拍板确定主题,营造氛围,为会议成功召开创造良好条件;他指导文件起草,称赞其为"一个政治经济学的初稿",极大提升了会议的历史地位;他鼓舞信心,指点迷津,为贯彻落实会议精神保驾护航。     

十八届四中全会法治思想中的民生理念

党的十八届四中全会对法的论述诠释了法的目标,即把中国建设成社会主义法治国家,解释了法律是治国重要的武器,好的法律体系和法律制度才能真正贯彻公平、正义,维护人民的各种权益。全会一再强调恪守立法为民思想,加强法律体系建设,以高标准、严要求,加强法律制度和法律执行队伍的建设。无论全会中论述法的目的,还是法的权威及法律实施的各项要求,无一不透漏着党的民生思想,展现着以民为先、为民服务的思想。民生思想贯穿十八届四中全会报告,彰显在法治思想的精神与理念中。     

日本明治时期民法典论争与我国清末礼法之争(二)

本文就日本明治时期民法典论争及其与我国清末礼法之争进行评析和比较,着重分析研究了其间的差异及产生这种差异的内在原因,主要从四个方面进行了论述:一、日本明治时期的民法典论争,简要介绍其产生发展的前后过程;二、日本民法典论争与清末礼法之争的相同点,分析两者之间存在的共同特点;三、日本民法典论争与清末礼法之争的不同点,分析两者之间存在的不同之处;四、对两者间异同的思考,对两者之间何以存在异同的中日两国的内外因素进行了探讨.     

Ethics and Foreign Policy: Structured Debates for the International Studies Classroom

Debates about humanitarian intervention, foreign and defense policy priorities, and the ethics of the use of force have become highly politicized in the post-Cold War era. This article explores the value of structured classroom debates on ethical dimensions of international relations as active teaching and learning tools for introductory and advanced international studies courses. Specifically, this article presents design information for structured debates on the ethics of the use of military force, humanitarian interventions, and U.S. foreign policy toward international institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). Building on the literature on active teaching and learning, the article describes the development of these exercises and assesses their effectiveness through ten years of classroom application.     

日本明治时期民法典论争与我国清末礼法之争(一)

本文就日本明治时期民法典论争及其与我国清末礼法之争进行评析和比较,着重分析研究了其间的差异及产生这种差异的内在原因,主要从四个方面进行了论述:一、日本明治时期的民法典论争,简要介绍其产生发展的前后过程;二、日本民法典论争与清末礼法之争的相同点,分析两者之间存在的共同特点;三、日本民法典论争与清末礼法之争的不同点,分析两者之间的存在的不同之处;四、对两者间异同的思考,对两者之间何以存在异同的中日两国的内外因素进行了探讨.     

The Contingency of Voter Learning: How Election Debates Influenced Voters’ Ability and Accuracy to Position Parties in the 2010 Dutch Election Campaign

Election campaigns are expected to inform voters about parties’ issue positions, thereby increasing voters’ ability to influence future policy and thus enhancing the practice of democratic government. We argue that campaign learning is not only contingent on voters’ characteristics and different sources of information, but also on how parties communicate their issue positions in election debates. We combine a two-wave panel survey with content analysis data of three televised election debates. In cross-classified multilevel auto-regression models we examine the influence of these debates in the 2010 Dutch parliamentary election campaign on voters’ knowledge of the positions of eight parties on three issues. The Dutch multiparty system allows us to separate voters’ ability to position parties from their accuracy in ordering these parties. We reach three main conclusions. First, this study shows that voters become more able and accurate during the campaign. However, these campaign learning effects erode after the elections. Second, whereas voters’ attention to campaigns consistently contributes to their ability to position parties, its effect on accuracy is somewhat less consistent. Third, televised election debates contribute to what voters learn. Parties that advocate their issue positions in the debates stimulate debate viewers’ ability to position these parties on these issues. In the face of the complexity of campaigns and debates in multiparty systems, campaigns are more likely to boost voters’ subjective ability to position parties than their accuracy.