Public Debt,Economic Growth,and Public Sector Management in Developing Countries: Is There a Link?

The article investigates whether differences in public sector management quality affect the link between public debt and economic growth in developing countries. For this purpose, we primarily use the World Bank's institutional indices of public sector management (PSM). Using PSM thresholds, we split our panel into country clusters and make comparisons. Our linear baseline regressions reveal a significant negative relationship between public debt and growth. The various robustness exercises that we perform also confirm these results. When we dissect our data set into “weak” and “strong” county clusters using public sector management scores, however, we find different results. While public debt still displayed a negative relationship with growth in countries with “weak” public sector management quality, it generally displayed a positive relationship in the latter group. The tests for non‐linearity shows evidence of an “inverse‐U”‐shape relationship between public debt and economic growth. However, we fail to see a similar significant relationship on country clusters that account for PSM quality. Yet, countries with well‐managed public sectors demonstrate a higher public debt sustainability threshold. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

城市群环境共同体：概念、特征及形成逻辑

城市群环境共同体是指在“城市群公域”范围内,基于生态系统的整体性和环境影响的关联性,基于生态文明的共同利益,城市间共同治理公域环境事务,共享生态环境价值而形成的城市联合体。城市群环境共同体既是一个价值共同体,也是一个责任共同体;既是内生性的共同体,也是建构性的共同体;既是城际之间的地域共同体,也是人与自然和谐的生态共同体。这种由多主体、多中心、多层次构成的城市群环境共同体的突出特征是：一体化共生、网络式格局和嵌套式结构。城市群环境共同体的形成和发展存在诸多条件和动力因素,基本的函数变量和形成逻辑就是在城市群区域内存在联结纽带的共同利益;基于集体认同的相互信任;提供激励约束的制度规则;实施集体参与的合作行动。     

Crises and Paradigm Shift: A Response to Critics

International financial and regulatory reform continues in 2014, building upon the burst of crisis‐induced institutional and regulatory reforms begun in 2008. In particular, the Financial Stability Board is an element and an agent of reform and this paradigm shift. The leap taken was and remains a predominantly technocratic central banking macroprudential narrative and process, controlled by this elite epistemic community. As the new regulatory normal evolves in 2014, it now does so at a slower pace, as the crisis appears to abate. Today elements of paradigm defence, maintenance and resilience are seen.     

Experiencing and Reflecting Participatory Research:A Study on the Development of Social Work in an Urban Community in Mainland China

Recently, as Chinese social work development has entered into a critical period for meeting the demand for social work professionalization and specialization, it comes to be one of the major problems that how social work practice is combined with research. One of the answers is to use the method of participatory research. It may guide social workers' practice and at the same time, conduct social work research. The article takes a close look at the development of social work in an urban community in Mainland China. The results show, the traditional three social work intervening methods, such as casework, group work, and community work, have to be transformed into an integrative programs which may correspond to the demand for the weight of multiple management and instability from the local community.     

What has worked and what has not with Minnesota sex offenders: a review of the evidence

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, many states in the USA have attempted to control sexual offending and, more narrowly, sexual recidivism by implementing longer prison sentences for sex crimes, sex offender registration and notification, residency restrictions, involuntary civil commitment and lifetime probation and parole. The early 1990s also marked the beginning of a decline in official rates of sexual offending, including sexual recidivism. This study reviews recent research conducted on Minnesota sex offenders in an effort to identify which policies, programmes and practices might have contributed to the drop in sexual recidivism rates that have been observed over the last few decades. By assessing what has, and has not, worked with Minnesota sex offenders, this study discusses how lessons learned from the Minnesota experience may apply to broader efforts within the USA and abroad to control sexual offending.     

浅谈社区警务民力资源的挖掘

尽管社区警务模式、机制在世界各地不尽相同,但有一点是公认的,即社区警务工作必须融公众于警务之中,最大限度地挖掘社区民力资源,预防和减少违法犯罪的发生,维护共有的社会安全和稳定。挖掘社区民力资源,应在客观认识民力资源的前提下,从泛化辅警力量、大力推行商业型民力资源、强化民力资源的经费保障、加强安全防范宣传教育等方面积极开展工作。     

美国社区矫正模式之发展方向：从危险特质到多元整合

美国社区矫正作为广义社区矫正模式的代表，积累了许多值得我国借鉴的成熟经验。其社区矫正大致经历了从危险特质模式向以社区为本、以案主为本、社会支持网络等多元要素整合方向发展的过程。危险特质模式具有理性化、技术化、机构化、专业化的特点，多元整合方向则是在传统危险特质模式的基础上，针对其弊端展开的。美国社区矫正的发展方向对我国正在试行的社区矫正具有积极意义。     

社区矫正中剥夺政治权利的困惑与出路

我国社区矫正的试点工作中将被剥夺政治权利的罪犯作为其适用范围。然而现实中剥夺政治权利的惩罚性不足导致被执行人难以监管。在社区矫正的过程中增加公益劳动、思想汇报等刑事义务,不仅使被执行人产生抵触情绪,又变相地限制了他们的自由,且于法无据,并且还有违国际公约的精神。一些地方文件的变通又损害了上层次规范的严肃性。对于现实中的这种困惑,从长远和宏观的战略眼光来看,应于刑法中设立社区服务刑,并且作为一个独立的刑种规定在附加刑中来予以解决。     

论广州市社区矫正工作的完善与发展

广州市的社区矫正试点工作已经展开,根据试点情况来看,还存在一些问题如矫正人员素质与社区矫正工作的要求不相适应、矫正措施的单一、矫正对象的狭窄以及矫正方案的粗糙等。正确分析当前试点工作所面临的困难与机遇,通过扩大矫正对象范围、丰富矫正手段、细化矫正工作可以有效的完善和发展广州社区矫正工作。     

青少年健康成长与社区文化环境建设的思考

人创造环境,环境也创造人,环境决定着青少年的意识和精神,并最终决定着他们的行为和方式。社区是青少年健康成长的重要空间。社区文化环境建设的好坏对于青少年的健康成长起到了重要的作用。