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.     

Doing more among institutional boundaries: Platform-enabled government in China

The concept of Government as a Platform (GaaP) has recently encountered setbacks in practice worldwide. While existing literature on inter-governmental collaboration has emphasized organizational restructuring and data sharing, this study argues that a pragmatic way to improve administrative efficiency in the absence of formal institutional change is to adopt an alternative model to GaaP: platform-enabled government. Enabled by innovations of the middle-tier platform, this new model of platform governance integrates the functions of distributed systems of multiple departments into a sequential workflow without the requirement of institutional reform or sharing proprietary data. To demonstrate how this model facilitates information flow across institutional boundaries and improves collaborative governance, we analyze horizontal, vertical, and public-private collaboration using a diverse case study design. We examine administrative review, law enforcement, and contact tracing during the pandemic in the context of China. Our findings suggest accommodating institutional boundaries is a practical and effective approach to advance the digital government agenda in decentralized contexts.     

Authoritarian legality and informal practices: Judges, lawyers and the state in Russia and China

To participate in the global economy authoritarian states are pressed to offer international business a legal order that protects the interests of investors, customers, and sellers, but the creation of a modern legal order threatens to undermine the leaders’ control of public life. An increasingly common way to resolve this dilemma, I argue, is developing formal legal institutions that appear to meet world standards, while using informal practices to maintain control over the administration of justice when needed. In this paper I show how the governments of post-Soviet Russia (with its hybrid or competitive authoritarian regime) and the fully authoritarian People’s Republic of China as well, have used this approach in their relations with judges and defense lawyers in their respective countries. The analysis underscores the utility of investigating informal practices along with the reform of formal legal institutions, especially in the context of transition.     

我国政府问责中的理论误读及反思

政府问责是实现责任政府的必然要求。事实上,政府问责并不是对政府特定时期失误、失职行为的简单惩罚,也不应该是政府在政治、舆论等压力之下的被动应急策略。政府问责应是一种常态化、规范化的以人民主权为逻辑基础的政府合法性展示过程,在此基础上,政府问责的目标、政府问责的落实、政府问责的途径以及政府问责的保障等都应有特定的内涵规定性,并共同构成有关政府问责的理论体系。     

对政府公信力的现实思考——以扬州卖地事件为案例

在现代社会,完善各类公开办事制度、提高政府工作透明度和公信力是提高政府诚信度的重要保证。然而。扬州市政府却因扬州卖地事件损害了自己的公信力。究其原因,主要是政府在此次事件中缺乏以民为本的理念。依法行政的观念淡薄,科学发展的意识欠缺。因此,增强地方政府公信力,地方政府必须牢固树立科学的行政理念,大力推进政府法治化进程,建立政府诚信监督机制及民众与政府良性互动机制,完善政府诚信管理体系。     

治理理论适用于中国的对策研究

治理理论是上世纪80年代在西方国家兴起的一种全新的理论,它的兴起主要是为了解决政府失灵和市场失灵所带来的社会问题。在我国进行市场经济体制改革的过程中,也存在着在政府和市场失灵的地方,治理理论是解决我们发展过程中的问题可资借鉴的一种比较先进的理论。但是,我们在运用它时却面临着一系列问题。所以,我们要努力解决这些问题,从而为应用治理理论创造条件。     

走出慈善的尴尬——试析我国慈善事业发展的困境及出路

目前我国慈善事业虽然发展迅速,但是仍面临一系列困境,如政府角色认识偏差、公民慈善意识较弱、公众对慈善认识的偏差等意识困境;法律不健全、登记困难、税收政策不完善等法制困境;信息公开和内部治理不健全等机制困境。中国的慈善事业健康发展的出路是树立现代慈善意识、走法制化道路和完善机制。     

我国农垦农地制度的变迁与创新——以海南农垦为例

包括海南农垦在内的全国农垦经历了丰富的制度变迁过程,其农地制度也经历了从高度集中统一的公有公用到职工家庭承包经营、租赁经营等变化。目前我国农垦农地制度在农地国有资产营运、监管、土地承包经营等方面还存在诸多问题,应采取明确农地国有资产行使、监管主体、建立国有农地承包经营制度等措施并加以完善。     

日本电子政府的构筑与发展

日本电子政府经历了起步、发展、成熟三个阶段,实现了政府办公的自动化、电子化,也使日本国民真正迈入了电子政府的时代。     

Sympathy for the devil: state engagement with criminal organisations in furtherance of public policy

Governments have long relied on non-state actors to assist in the implementation of public policy. Legitimate elements of civil society have become familiar instruments of governance. States have also engaged criminal actors to this end. This article will note examples of state collaboration with criminal interests, from pirates turned privateers during the 17th and 18th centuries, to the patriotic hackers of today. It will discuss the strategic considerations giving rise to such engagements, the pitfalls that may beset them, and the ethical considerations that might inform the decision by a state to enlist the services of illicit organisations.