Governance of Education in the United Kingdom: Convergence or Divergence?

Abstract

This article considers how structures and processes of governance in education have changed in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland over recent years, setting this discussion within the context of debates about the nature of governance and governing in public services more generally. It is argued, firstly, that governance needs to be considered as a comprehensive concept that encompasses both the role of the state and the range of other actors and processes through which educational provision is steered; and secondly, that governance is essentially about power: its distribution and its use. The article draws on these key ideas to explore the similarities and differences between the experiences of the four constituent jurisdictions of the United Kingdom over recent years. It considers whether the approaches in the jurisdictions are converging or diverging, the reasons underlying this, and prospects for the future. It is concluded that, while national histories and cultures have served to maintain very distinctive governance identities among the jurisdictions, international trends, and the ways in which governments respond to these, are putting these identities under considerable pressure.     

Beyond Boom and Bust: External Rents,Durable Authoritarianism,and Institutional Adaptation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Drawing on recent critiques and advances in theories of the rentier state, this paper uses an in-depth case study of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to posit a new “supply and demand” approach to the study of external rents and authoritarian durability. The Jordanian rentier state is not exclusively a product of external rents, particularly foreign aid, but also of the demands of a coalition encompassing groups with highly disparate economic policy preferences. The breadth of the Hashemite coalition requires that the regime dispense rent-fueled side payments to coalition members through constructing distributive institutions. Yet neither rent supply nor coalition demands are static. Assisted by geopolitically motivated donors, the Hashemites have adapted institutions over time to tap a diverse supply of rents that range from economic and military aid to protocol trade, allowing them to retain power through periods of late development, domestic political crisis, and neoliberal conditionality.

论英国禁止双重危险游戏规则在我国的运用范围

由于我国刑事诉讼制度既没有确立既判力理论,也没有吸纳禁止双重危险规则,因此,不论是立法、司法以及有关解释中都没有涉及一事不再理原则,其字里行间都没有对被告人的同一行为进行反复追诉、重复审判作出限制性规定,从而使法院所作的裁判都不具有不受质疑的权威性、确定性、稳定性和终局性,司法实践中出现反复追诉、重新审判、多次处罚的情形已经是见怪不怪.     

古亚述民事习惯法初探

约公元前1900年左右至前16世纪,美索不达米亚平原北部生活着古闪米特族的一支--古亚述人,他们虽不如古巴比伦人那么著名,但仍然以自己独特的方式传承了人类古老文明,在古代民法的起源上有着自己独特的贡献.本文分为三个部分,对古亚述商人的经济交往关系、民事规则与商业习俗作了比较系统的梳理,旨在重拾对这一民族的文明再认识,揭示人类民法产生与发展的一般规律.     

A Field Experiment on the Effects of Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on the Quality of Representation

The principle of equal representation is the cornerstone of modern democracy, yet there have been concerns that the benefits of representation can be skewed, advantaging some over others. We argue that elected officials will be more responsive to constituents whom they perceive as more like themselves and more likely to be politically active. We examine inequalities in representation in a parliamentary democracy where, intrinsic to the institutional framework, there is a long‐standing reputation for serving constituent needs: the United Kingdom. We also advance the literature by focusing on the expediency of responsiveness and the helpfulness of response. Drawing on a field experiment, we find both an overall high level of responsiveness and helpfulness but also biases affecting MP's responsiveness. Our findings raise important questions about equal access to representation, even in a political system where constituency service is the norm and expectation.     

Case Comment: The Legality of ‘Kettling’ after Austin

This case comment considers the European Court of Human Rights decision of Austin v United Kingdom (2012) 55 EHRR 14. Austin claimed, unsuccessfully, that police kettling at a public protest in London amounted to a violation of her right to liberty under Article 5 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This case comment suggests that the court took an unexpected and unorthodox approach to the issue of ‘deprivation’ within Article 5. This decision may come to undermine the protections afforded by Article 5 and extend the current exceptions to Article 5 to an indefinite range of situations.     

Social exclusion and employment among UK and Germany

The European Commission linked with the inadequate realization of social rights, aspiring to examine the ＂social rights of citizenship to a basic standard of living and to participation in major social and economic opportunities in society＂. Employment is a top priority for the European Union aiming to achieve an employment rate of 70% by the year 2010, and in so doing to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty and social exclusion. This essay will attempt to compare how Germany and United Kingdom address these issues, the different welfare regimes and how the social care response is handled in each country.     

“雄王”、“雒王”称谓之辩管见

越南上古史"雄王"、"雒王"称谓之辩问题早已存在,论者甚多,诸说并存.我国学术界普遍认为由"雒"讹为"雄",也有不同意见,而越南学术界倾向于肯定"雄王"称谓.本文提出,以"雒王"为正说,可以从四个方面去加深认识;而以"雄王"为正说,也需要从多方面再论证.对这一问题的进一步研究,很可能还有待新史料特别是考古学的新发现.     

立法促进大学知识产业化的作用透视——发达国家的实践与经验借鉴

20世纪80年代以来,国际高等教育政策发生了显著变化,高等教育学术性得到加强的同时市场化程度加快、知识产业化凸显,大学正成为产业科技创新的合作伙伴,在经济发展中发挥着越来越重要的作用.大学知识产业化一方面是大学自身发展的要求,同时也是国家政策驱力所致.产业化过程中各国都采取了相应的立法或政策措施鼓励大学科研走出象牙塔,与产业密切结合.美国政府通过科技立法制定灵活的创新政策激励大学知识产业化;英国政府积极推动多元化的产学合作政策方案,建立产学间交流渠道.鼓励大学成为地方经济发展的动力;日本政府一贯致力于产学合作各项法律制度的完善,为产学合作发展建立良好的法制环境.发达国家制定的促进大学知识产业化的相关立法取得了良好绩效,为我国大学知识产业化专门立法提供可资借鉴的经验.     

Making political citizens? Migrants’ narratives of naturalization in the United Kingdom*

Citizenship tests are arguably intended as moments of hailing, or interpellation, through which norms are internalized and citizen-subjects produced. We analyse the multiple political subjects revealed through migrants’ narratives of the citizenship test process, drawing on 158 interviews with migrants in Leicester and London who are at different stages in the UK citizenship test process. In dialogue with three counter-figures in the critical naturalization literature – the ‘neoliberal citizen’; the ‘anxious citizen’; and the ‘heroic citizen’ – we propose the figure of the ‘citizen-negotiator’, a socially situated actor who attempts to assert control over their life as they navigate the test process and state power. Through the focus on negotiation, we see migrants navigating a process of differentiation founded on pre-existing inequalities rather than a journey toward transformation.