浅析中国公共文化服务理论研究中存在的问题

作为一种新生的理论,中国的公共文化服务理论研究刚刚起步,在当前国内的公共文化服务理论构建中,还存在一些问题,主要表现在:地方性的个案研究较多,系统性的宏观理论研究较少;国内公共文化服务理论的研究水平明显落后于公共文化服务的建设实践;西方成熟文化理论与中国公共文化建设实践的初级阶段存在某种程度的不对称等。面对这些问题,在今后的研究中,应更加注重本土化研究和系统性研究。     

风险社会中刑事司法程序若干问题的思考

在风险社会中,科技发展也促进了犯罪形势的变化,刑法理论在某些方面已经作了一定改变。基于刑事一体化的考虑,刑事司法程序也应作出相应变化。“9·11”事件对传统刑事司法程序理念冲击很大,刑事程序中科技证据的运用和刑事公益诉讼的完善,应引起一定的关注。     

后现代、刑事和解及公共政策

＂后现代＂是对肇始于启蒙时代,以总体性思维和理性主义为标志的＂现代＂的反思和反动。刑事和解则是多元视角中的一种平等对话机制,和后现代有着天然的联系。后现代以公共政策为中介,对刑事和解进行自我限以求在国家刑法主导,刑罚在场的情况下实现和解目标。中国刑法应当认真面对后现代思潮,使刑法呈现出人文学科应有的风貌,并积极促进刑法理论变革以回应社会实践之需要。     

循环经济法视野下公众参与机制及其保障

公众参与推动循环经济发展是一个诱致性制度变迁过程。循环经济法视野下公众参与机制的基本要素有三个方面：公民参与的环境权;政府公开有关资源环境和生态的信息;健全的非政府组织。根据循环经济公众参与机制的基本要素和当前我国循环经济公众参与的现状与不足,从确保公民可实施的环境权、扩大循环经济信息的“公开性”及“透明度”、促进非政府组织参与资源环境及生态管理、优化公众参与的平台和程序等方面构建了公众参与循环经济的支持保障机制。     

论公共危机管理中的公民参与

目前,我国政府公共危机管理中的公民参与处于较低水平、面临许多困境,因此,应该通过多种途径扩大公民有序参与公共危机管理的渠道,规范公民有序参与公共危机管理的行为,最终形成政府与公民、媒体、非政府组织等等良性互动的合作模式,最大限度地降低公共危机事件造成的损害。     

Community acceptance of recycled water: can we inoculate the public against scare campaigns?

Without improved water resource management, it is predicted that water shortages will affect two‐thirds of humanity by 2025. One solution that has traditionally faced fierce public resistance is recycled waste water. This study investigates the extent to which public communication strategies can influence community acceptance of recycled water, using the framework of Inoculation Theory. A four‐phase experimental design was conducted. Participants completed an initial questionnaire and were then randomly assigned to a control group, a manipulation check group or a treatment group. A final follow‐up survey measured changes in the dependent variable: stated likelihood of using recycled water for different uses. Results indicate that communication strategies based on Inoculation Theory are limited in their effectiveness for this product category. Findings do, however, identify a clear recency effect, indicating that continuous public communications are key to ensuring that community scare campaigns do not prevent implementation of water augmentation projects. This study differs from previous applications of Inoculation Theory because of the challenges associated with marketing a monopoly commodity, which is a necessity to support life. This empirical study uses fictional marketing stimuli to test the theory in a context, which is growing in global importance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changing the Tobacco Use Management System: Blending Systems Thinking with Actor–Network Theory

Managing “wicked” issues like the tobacco epidemic is addressed using a combination of Open Systems Thinking (OST) and Actor–Network Theory (ANT). OST was used to construct a model of the tobacco problem as a management system acting in a broader environment. This highlighted several problems with the current system but provided no mechanism for reform. ANT, the “sociology of translation,” was used for understanding how change occurs. Unlike systems thinking, ANT focuses the contest for change on heterogeneous networks of human and nonhuman actors that must be constructed through a process of defining and defending models of change, building alliances, gaining public acceptance, and finally achieving institutional acceptance of the reform (or of some compromise). We then show how this dual approach can shed light on a current challenge in controlling tobacco, the issue of product regulation, and the broader issue of harm reduction versus harm elimination.     

Preferences,Knowledge, and Citizen Probability Assessments of the Terrorism Risk of Nuclear Power

How does the American public assess risk when it comes to national security issues? This paper addresses this question by analyzing variation in citizen probability assessments of the terrorism risk of nuclear power plants. Drawing on the literature on how motivated reasoning, selective information processing, and domain‐specific knowledge influence public opinion, we argue that heterogeneous issue preferences and knowledge of nuclear energy and homeland security have important explanatory power. Using original data from a unique 2009 national survey in the United States, we show that Americans are divided in their probability assessments of the terrorism risk of nuclear power plants. Consistent with our theoretical expectations, individuals who support using nuclear power to meet rising energy demands, who are generally less concerned with terrorism, or who are more knowledgeable about terrorism and nuclear security tend to provide lower assessments of the likelihood that nuclear power plants increase terrorist attacks, and vice versa. The findings have implications for the literature on public opinion, risk assessment, energy policy and planning, and homeland security.