Still a poster child for social investment? Changing regulatory dynamics of early childhood education and care in Denmark and Sweden

This paper investigates the regulation of publicly organized early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Denmark and Sweden, through the regulatory welfare state (RWS) framework. The analysis focuses on how alterations in funding and quality of care are shaped by governmental and nongovernmental actors at national and local levels of government. Through focused structured analysis, we examine how various actors have shaped the funding and quality of childcare in Denmark and Sweden, from the early 2000s to 2020, with special attention to the period during and after the 2008 financial crisis. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, concerns about quality in care were raised on the political agenda by various actors in both countries, leading to decisions to improve the quality of care. Yet, the regulatory dynamics differ: In Denmark, the debate led to a decision in 2019, to implement a minimum statutory requirement of regulatory quality standards. From an RWS perspective, this outcome can be qualified as “double expansion,” because regulatory quality standards, and public funding for childcare increased. In Sweden, the debates about quality of ECEC led, in 2016, to political guidelines about quality standard, but with no additional national funds, and no mandatory regulatory quality requirements. Analytically, this can be qualified as “regulatory-led expansion,” that is requirements for quality standards, although the lack of additional national funds suggests that it will be difficult to improve ECEC quality substantially. The RWS perspective, which focuses on national and municipal levels of governance, also gives insights into hidden inequalities between municipalities regarding funding and quality of ECEC, which are more pronounced in Sweden than in Denmark.     

农村人力资源开发中政府参与现状及对策

目前,我国农村已基本形成了农业专业教育和农业职业教育为主的农业专业专门教育,以农民学校培训、岗位培训和资格证书培训为主的农民素质教育,以及以农村骨干、农技推广和管理人员继续教育为主的农村从业人员继续教育等体系。但是在农村人力资源开发中依然存在许多亟待解决的重大问题,这些问题的存在表明政府在指导、参与农村人力资源开发中存在着一系列的偏差和误区。应当加大财政投资,为农村人力资源开发提供资金支持;提供优质高效的公共服务,加速农村人力资源开发的成效;深化农村教育、医疗卫生、行政管理体制改革,加快农村人力资源开发的进程;强化舆论宣传、提高农民的人力资源开发的自主意识。     

中国农村贫困状况与最低生活保障制度的建立

随着我国农村贫困人口的大幅度减少和贫困率的下降,剩余的农村贫困人口呈现出了明显的家庭和个人特征:绝大多数贫困人口是因残疾患病等因素导致劳动力完全丧失的人口,他们很难继续从开发式扶贫中获得有效的帮助。近年来,中央政府对建立农村最低生活保障制度高度重视,在全国范围内迅速推开了一系列针对困难农户收入和医疗保障需要的社会救助制度。本文利用2005年的农村住户调查数据对农村贫困人群的贫困状况进行了描述和分析,在此基础上提出了建立农村社会保障制度的政策建议。     

Foster children＇s right to family： A description and analysis of the legislative approach in Sweden

This paper emphasizes the foster children＇s right to family life and investigates whether change of custody and guardianship to foster parents is a successful option to achieve this right. Using CRC as the base for my definition of the right to family I will include the right to continuity, well-being and a family environment in the understanding of the term ＂right to family＂ in this article. These rights may, primarily, be fulfilled by the child＇s parents, and, if necessary for the best interest of the child, be complemented or substituted by foster or adoption parents. The analysis of different solutions concerning state interventions will base on Swedish law. In Sweden, a child in need of help or assistance as a result of abuse, neglect, or other inappropriate behavior in the home setting may be helped by the Social Welfare Committee-voluntarily or by a court order-in the child＇s home or a foster home. Other alternatives contain judicial involvement by changing custody and guardianship or making a decision for adoption. Since many years ago, the most commonly used alternative for children needing long term placements outside their homes in Sweden has become foster care. This development of many long-term placements has been criticized for not fulfilling the needs of the children, especially their needs for family continuity, stability and well-being. As a consequence, an amendment to the Social Services Act 200l was enacted in 2003 which states that the Social Services Committee shall consider the ＂permanence＂ of foster care by changing custody and guardianship to the foster parents three years later since a child starts in foster care, and every six months thereafter, as long as the child remains in the foster parents＇ care. Assuming that the foster parents are fit and willing to become custodians and guardians, and the child views the foster home as his or her home, the District Court can decide to change the custody and the guardianship to the foster parents. The assessment is to be based solely on the best interest of the child, and not on the fitness or wishes of the original custodian. However, can changing the custody and guardianship assist foster children＇s right to family？ This paper elaborates on this question by describing a legal reform in Sweden.     

新形势下进一步加强农村基层党组织建设的着力点

农村基层党组织建设至关重要。基层组织是我们党全部工作和战斗力的基础,我们党的各项工作都要通过基层组织来落实。农村基层党组织在第一线直接接触群众、联系群众,直接树立党在群众中的形象,影响与决定着党同人民群众的关系。     

浅析农村集体资产流失的法律救济——兼论公益诉讼制度的设立

公益诉讼是目前法学界正在讨论的一个热点问题,其对维护社会公共利益具有极其重要的意义。农村集体资产流失也是一个影响农村发展和稳定的重大问题,但是从法学的角度对其进行研究和探讨的文章不多。笔者提出了通过建立公益诉讼制度救济农村集体资产流失的观点,希望能抛砖引玉。     

和谐社会视域下的农村政治文化建设

农村政治文化建设是新农村建设的内在要求。当前,宗族观念盛行、民主法制观念淡薄、政治参与意识淡薄等因素制约着农村政治文化的发展。发展农村政治文化,应进在促进农村经济发展的基础上,加强相应制度建设,加强对农民的政治教育,并拓展农民政治参与的渠道,引导其积极参与民主政治的实践。     

The role of symbolic politics in exceptional crime policy debate: a study of the 2014 Swedish general election

Symbolic politics are often considered to be closely linked to an alarmist rhetoric, as well as to punitive crime policy initiatives. This article explores the symbolic dimension of the Swedish crime policy debate. Since Sweden is frequently depicted as an antithesis to punitive Anglophone societies, exploring symbolic politics in this setting might expand our understanding of what symbolic statements may consist of. The article analyses the electoral campaign preceding the Swedish general election of 2014, with the aim of identifying which symbolic statements occupy a central position in the debate through the use of a qualitative content analysis. This analysis reveals an ambiguous political rhetoric, comprising morally and emotionally charged condemnatory statements about getting tough on crime, as well as reformist and restrained references to expert knowledge and long-term solutions. On the one hand, these reformist statements strengthen the image of Swedish crime policy as being based on ideals such as rationality and humanity. On the other, they also serve to legitimize and obscure penal expansion.     

Voluntary policing in Sweden: media reports of contemporary forms of police–citizen partnerships

Many Western-style democracies have witnessed a general shift in the distribution of crime prevention responsibility, away from the state and increasingly to citizens themselves. Civil society is today more and more often called upon as an additional policing resource. This article explores the phenomenon of voluntary citizen participation in policing in Sweden, based on an analysis of 9280 news-media articles. One state-sanctioned (the Volunteers of the Police) and one autonomous civic (Missing People Sweden) initiative were examined, from their respective start until 2017, to understand the role played by police–citizen partnerships in the establishment and legitimation of voluntary policing forms in Sweden. A high degree of integration between police and volunteer work was found, enabling not only effective citizen participation, but also having an influence on police operations. The more effective and publicly visible the voluntary policing bodies were, the more pressure there was on the police to defend its legitimacy, ally itself with the volunteers and regulate the latter’s activities while holding them responsible for their actions. Arguably, however, with the police–citizen relationship being one of integration and mutual dependence, the division of labour and the accountability of both parties risk becoming blurred or even confused.     

Sustainable Development in Developing Countries: The Role of Social Entrepreneurs

Internationally, there has been a general trend towards crime prevention and community safety measures. The main policy ideas and instruments associated with this trend have spread widely in Western countries. This article examines the Swedish national crime prevention policy. As Sweden is a welfare society with a long tradition of social crime prevention, it is of great interest to explore to what extent the aforementioned trend has influenced its crime prevention policy. We do this by examining Sweden's national policy and how its concepts have spread to the local level—specifically, to municipalities and their local crime prevention councils. We find that there has been a preventive shift in Sweden, although not as far-reaching as in many other European countries. Substantial changes have occurred in the understanding and direction of crime prevention work, and the question is to what extent this development will continue.