Craft and Capacity in the Public Service

Over the past 8 years, debates about Australia's public service have evolved from being focused mainly on skills and capacities to being now increasingly concerned about the operating environment for career officials, their ability to fulfil their stewardship obligations, and to practice their ‘craft’. In this article, I track those changes and ask what is the craft of public administration? How should we understand it? Are concerns it is imperilled or has been lost valid or overblown? I draw on the observations of current and former senior officials, and the findings of recent Capability Reviews. My primary focus is on the Australian Public Service, because here is where the debate has been most public and direct. I note that the focus of concern has shifted from public servants towards ministers, who have been largely absent from public sector reform initiatives of the past 40 years.     

建设社会主义核心价值体系

社会主义核心价值体系的提出,是党在思想文化建设上的一个重大理论创新、是马克思主义的最新理论。社会主义核心价值体系是社会主义制度的内在精神和生命之魂,它以理论层面为主导,统领理想、精神、道德不同层面,这些都是社会主义意识形态最重要的组成部分。建设这一体系,具有极强的现实针对性和重大的现实意义。     

提升新农村警务效能的思考

随着新农村建设的推进,农村警务工作空间不断扩展,内容不断增多,难度不断加大,迫切需要提升农村警务效能。而当前农村警务存在保障乏力、引导功能发挥不够充分、部分驻村民警服务意识不强等问题。为提升新农村警务效能,应建立健全以公安派出所为主体的警务运行机制、适应新农村建设要求的公共安全服务机制、情报信息采集研判机制和以驻村民警为主导、社区民众为基础的治安综合防控机制。     

和谐社会视野下的国家能力建设

在构建社会主义和谐社会的进程中,必须加强国家的宏观调控能力、公共服务能力、民主化法治化能力和社会治理能力,实现国家能力建设与和谐社会建设的相互适应与和谐共进。     

Explaining interest group access to parliamentary committees

This article explains why parliamentary groups invite interest groups to the parliamentary arena. It argues that interest groups’ access to committees not only reflects policy-makers’ need for information and expertise but also party preferences and institutional factors such as the type of government, parliamentary committee structure and committee agenda capacity. Results show that interest groups’ access to the parliamentary arena increases under minority governments, in the case of highly conflictual issues, and when the number of permanent committees increases. Also, results demonstrate that parliamentary groups invite interest organisations following different logics – problem-solving or confrontation logic – depending on the type of functions they have to perform – legislative and oversight activities. The article uses a novel, comprehensive database with information on the appearances of all interest groups in the Spanish parliament from 1996 to 2015.     

Decentralization in Cambodia: New Wine in Old Bottles

The usual arguments for decentralization by its advocates are that it can achieve accountability, transparency, participation and democracy. In reaching these goals, however, proponents of decentralization reform have articulated concerns about whether government officials have sufficient capacity to implement decentralization policies, particularly at local level. This article asserts that in Cambodia, where decentralization has unfolded gradually since its adoption some 15 years ago, lack of capacity is not the main problem. Decentralization is designed and implemented as part of the ruling political party's strategy to strengthen its grip at the sub‐national level rather than as an exercise for improving accountability and democracy. Although decentralization is unlikely to lead to democratic gains, it does provide an opportunity for the rejuvenation of a patronage‐based party in ways that could increase state capacity and improve development outcomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Community participation and local government capacity in Vietnam: Conditions for coproduction

With Public Administration Reform in Vietnam comes more local government responsibility for policy making. Building on the results of a multiple case study research on housing and infrastructure upgrading projects in four cities of Vietnam, it has been confirmed that the community participation and local government capacity in urban housing and infrastructure upgrading projects are positively related. The level of community participation in urban housing and infrastructure upgrading projects is influenced by local government capacity, and in turn, it has effects on the outcomes. There are some important aspects for the enhancement of the level of community participation. These are effective leadership, the financial resources aspect, and communication/information exchange. Moreover, based on the patterns of community participation in urban upgrading projects, it has been found that participation is strongly supported by government actors in these four cases, and a process of coproduction between the local government and the affected communities has taken place.     

建设中国特色的社会主义政治文明

从历史进程来看,现代中国人追求文明的历史进程大体经历了四个阶段。社会主义政治文明与马列主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论一脉相承,提出“建设社会主义政治文明”是一个重要的理论创新。社会主义政治文明是现代政治文明发展的先进形态。建设中国特色的社会主义政治文明,要按照“三个代表”的要求,实现政治意识文明、政治制度文明和政治行为文明,要把党的领导、人民当家作主和依法治国有机结合起来,立足国情,抓好制度建设这一关键。     

中国特色社会主义制度建设的伟大工程

党的十九届四中全会通过的《中共中央关于坚持和完善中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化若干重大问题的决定》,是一个关系党和国家长治久安的中国特色社会主义制度建设伟大工程,在党的历史上具有独特性和唯一性,具有里程碑意义。它构筑了党和国家长治久安制度建设的基本框架。党的领导制度体系建设是中国特色社会主义制度体系中最根本的制度建设。中国特色社会主义制度的"众星捧月"格局是相互衔接、相互联系的制度体系。目前的关键是加强干部队伍建设,不断提高领导干部的执政能力和治理水平。