Extra-parliamentary behaviour in Northern Ireland: MLAs and constituency service

Little is known about the attitudes and behaviour of Northern Ireland’s subnational legislators (Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs) beyond their activities at Parliament Buildings, Stormont. This article provides the first analysis of MLAs’ extra-parliamentary behaviour through a mixed-methods study of their constituency service. The study finds that MLAs attach considerable importance to constituency service, devoting more time to its provision than to parliamentary duties. Noticeable variation exists between and within parties in terms of constituency service effort, although unionist MLAs tend to have a stronger constituency focus than non-unionist MLAs. Variation in constituency service effort at the individual level has more to do with MLAs’ role orientations than electoral incentives. In terms of their home style, MLAs exhibit local behaviour that is more characteristic of their contemporaries in the Republic of Ireland than their counterparts in the rest of the United Kingdom.     

吉林省区域创新能力分析

在全球化背景下,经济发展出现了十分明显的区域化特征。区域的创新能力已日益成为地区经济获取国际竞争优势的决定因素。在中央振兴东北老工业基地的有利形势下,吉林省如何提高区域创新能力,从而有效提高竞争力,是十分重要的现实问题。区域创新能力应遵从区域创新体系、区域技术创新的链条建设、区域创新环境建设以及兼顾地区发展存量、相对水平和增长率等原则。根据统计数据进行分析,吉林省区域创新能力比较弱,因此,加强区域创新体系建设,大幅度提高吉林省区域创新能力,这是增强吉林省区域竞争力的根本途径。     

吉林省发行中小企业集合债券的可行性研究

新形势下的经济政策使资本市场融资功能和地方债的发行逐渐恢复,但对于中小企业来说解决资金需求仍是难题。我国企业债券市场发展步入新阶段,中小企业集合债券作为我国债券市场的新品种,已在国内成功发行五家中小企业集合债券。在当前经济形式下吉林省应积极利用国家政策,促进吉林省中小企业的健康发展,发行中小企业集合债券,拓宽融资渠道,促进吉林省经济的发展和产业调整。     

一事一议财政奖补政策效应分析与建议——以黑龙江省为例

一事一议财政奖补政策有效地利用了公共财政,并有偏重地无偿资助农村公益事业结构中较为薄弱的环节,形成了政府在准公共产品领域推动农村公益事业投资的引导机制,体现了地方政府对村级公益事业领域管理的宗旨与目的,促进了农村一事一议制度的有效开展和农村小型公益事业建设的快速发展。文章认为,该政策在试点的过程中需要简化奖补程序、调整奖补办法、因地制宜制定奖补标准,并通过完善政策来进一步推动村级公益事业建设。     

新社会阶层政治参与研究——基于江苏的调查数据

作为新兴的社会群体和利益主体,新社会阶层的政治地位和政治参与正提上议程.本文运用社会学的精英理论、中产阶层理论和政治参与等相关理论,以江苏省新社会阶层的政治参与为案例,系统地描述、分析了新社会阶层的政治参与素质、政治参与途径和政治参与功能等方面,在此基础上指出新社会阶层的政治参与是我国社会发展中的"一股积极的成长中的力量".     

基于生态足迹模型的临沂市可持续发展分析

可持续发展是人类发展追求的目标与归宿,生态足迹模型为可持续发展研究提供了定量研究的依据。利用山东省临沂市2007年统计数据,对临沂市的生态足迹和生态承载力进行了计算,并进一步算出了本地区的生态赤字,对其可持续发展提出了建议。然后,对本地区的万元GDP生态足迹、人均生态协调系数和生态承载缺陷度进行了计算,在进行横向比较的基础上对临沂地区发展的可持续性进行了评价。     

Great effort,little help? Peace and conflict resolution organisations in Northern Ireland and Turkey

This article offers a comparative analysis of the role played by peace and conflict resolution organisations (P/CROs) in Northern Ireland and Turkey in negotiating solutions to ethno-nationalist conflicts in these countries. It argues that P/CROs have been instrumental in de-escalating violence and encouraging conflicting parties to resolve conflict peacefully. Examining both the elite and grass-roots levels, the article assesses P/CROs that have advanced middle-range approaches and track-two dialogue towards peace. Drawing on data from multiple sources, including semi-structured interviews, archival material and official documents, the analysis indicates that P/CROs have a range of tools at their disposal to influence political decision-makers. These include public (and closed) conferences, forums and events attended by current or former politicians, representatives of the conflicting parties and prominent figures and intellectuals in the conflict-affected society, as well as other grass-roots initiatives. The article finds that P/CROs provided help shaping and promoting non-violent processes of conflict resolution between the British Government and the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the Turkish Government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).     

“The Movement Moves Against you”: Coercive Spoiler Management in the Northern Ireland Peace Process

More than a decade on, the Northern Ireland peace process can largely be considered a success. Despite the failure of the Provisional Republican Movement to achieve a united Ireland free of British control, the large-scale violence of “The Troubles” has been relegated to the past. Applying the logic of coercive diplomacy, this study examines the role of threats and the use of selective and limited violence by the Provisional Movement to manage real and potential opponents and challengers that have emerged within its own ideological ranks to maintain its position of dominance and prevent a spoiling of the peace process. This study shows that the Provisional Movement retained the capability to employ violence and demonstrated the credibility of coercive threat through a willingness to use force against its opponents on the Republican spectrum, and was able to do so with a high degree of impunity.     

The Continuing Volatility of Devolution in Northern Ireland: The Shadow of Direct Rule

Since the establishment of devolution in 1999, Northern Ireland's power‐sharing governments have been fragile and prone to crisis. However, following a decade of relative stability and cooperation between Nationalists and Unionists at Stormont, hopes were high that the devolved arrangements had finally become embedded and more resistant to collapse. This optimism was dashed when Sinn Féin brought down the devolved institutions in January 2017. A snap election once again returned the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin as the largest parties and their inability to form a government resulted in yet another political stalemate. This article begins by outlining the pattern of political crises in Northern Ireland and assesses both the trigger factors and the responses. It then goes beyond the most obvious explanation for this continuing instability—that of the deep sectarian based divisions—and points to a number of other reasons for the volatility. These include issues such as the incomplete implementation of previous agreements, the impact of broader UK policies and the shadow of Direct Rule.     

泛长三角区域分工中的安徽农产品加工业发展战略

该文分析了安徽省作为泛长三角区域农产品供应基地的全理性与重要性,并提出了促进安徽农产品加工业发展的主要政策措施。