Assessing the Debate, Assessing the Damage: Transatlantic Relations after Bush

Transatlantic relations during the Bush administration sank to the lowest point in the post-war period following the invasion of Iraq in 2003. This article provides an analysis of both the current state of that relationship and the academic debate which accompanies it. Arguments over the impact of various factors are analysed to determine the extent of transatlantic divergence. Thus, demographic change in America and Europe, divergence of political values between Europe and America, power differences, post-war geopolitical realignments, European integration and American unilateralism and exceptionalism are all analysed and evaluated. While some of these arguments presented are challenged, the article argues that the process of constructing separate European and American identities from within the transatlantic community is the single most significant contemporary challenge to transatlantic relations.     

Public Values in Public–Private Partnerships

Although public–private partnerships (PPPs) are often evaluated in terms of efficiency, their impact on public values is often neglected. In order to find out what we know about the public values–PPPs relation, this article reviews public administration literature and describes two opposite perspectives. The first perspective argues that public values are at stake whereas the second argues they are safeguarded or even reinforced. We argue that the assumptions of both perspectives are biased and incomparable due to the fact that each perspective holds a different ontological understanding of the concept of public values. Finally, we provide some ideas for further research.     

The communicative policy maker revisited: public administration in a twenty-first century cultural-choice framework

In recent years, public administration thinking shifts the focus from the internal public organisation behaviour towards cross-boundary operation that is, operation across governments and sectors. Public bureaucrats become agents in a multiple-interest political environment within which not only technical management issues are discussed, but also dynamic public values are shaped through a dialogical process. In a cultural choice framework, governments operate different service portfolios and the source of allocation problems occurs due to interdependencies between these functions and variation in public preferences. Beyond service production costs, there exist variable characteristics, such as citizen interest, market competition, and managerial structure and operating behaviour in the aggregate responsibilities governments take. Progressive public administrators need to respond to a threefold challenge: The global versus local challenge to define cultural variability; the leadership challenge to interact with citizens; and the cross-boundary challenge to develop a collaborative rather than a competitive future.     

Nothing wasted: engaging values and the imagination. How can working with feminist speculative fictions enthuse and engage students with social justice and sustainability in an age of austerity?

In the context of contemporary higher education, post white paper, ‘Students at the heart of the system’ [BIS, 2011. Students at the heart of the system [online]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31384/11-944-higher-education-students-at-heart-of-system.pdf, (Accessed 5 Feb 2014), in which funding and commodification of learning and of students dominate university mission statements and agendas, it is crucial that we collaborate with our students to engage imagination and critical faculties with issues of value, and of social justice. Teaching and researching contemporary feminist speculative fictions and feminist critical practice offer a priceless opportunity to make a difference, to challenge the intellectual impoverishment that this new austerity brings with it. Learning and teaching research into threshold concepts and signature pedagogies combine here with feminist critical practice in a discussion of teaching two speculative fictions which engage criticality and values: Atwood [Atwood, 2003. Oryx and Crake. New York: Nan A. Talese.) and Hopkinson [Hopkinson, 1996. A habit of waste. Skin folk. New York: Aspect, 183–202] each of which critiques flawed societies using tropes of waste, and rejection of difference. Each suggests recovery from damage done in the name of austerity, and imagines futures for the critical imagination, social justice, self-worth and agency.     

After Reform: Accommodating Old Values and Assimilating New Ones

Public administration is characterised by a multiplicity of incompatible values. In the 1990s, reformers avoided confronting the inevitable tradeoffs among these values by focusing almost exclusively on the cost‐effective achievement of results. However, older values have a tendency to ‘bite back’ and new ones emerge. In the near term future, public administration will have to deal with at least three sets of values: 1) those that are non‐mission based, and consequently not directly related to achieving results; 2) those that go unprotected when government work is outsourced to private entities; and 3) those associated with globalisation.     

科学认识我国社会主义改革实践对人们思想的影响

改革开放,发展社会主义市场经济,对人们思想观念产生的影响,既有积极方面,又有消极方面。而在抓好物质明建设的同时,抓好精神明建设,兴利除弊则是我们面临的重要课题。     

网络社会的道德自律

网络社会作为一种全新的虚拟化和符号化的社会系统,在其初始阶段,道德问题尤为突出.只有通过建立一种内在的控制机制,才能从根本上减弱人们的行为失范.建立这种内在控制机制的关键一环便是强化网民的道德自律.     

浅谈家庭消费的道德原则

家庭是人们消费的主要场所,随着社会主义市场经济的发展,家庭消费呈现出多样性、个性化等特点,但也出现了许多非伦理化现象,因此家庭消费必须遵循身心健康发展原则、符合家庭整体利益原则、家庭幸福原则、生态关怀原则等等,才能保证家庭成员的全面健康发展,才能建立和谐幸福美满的现代文明家庭。     

司法过程中的法律方法论

法律方法是法治理想成为可能的条件之一。本文通过对种种法律方法关系的梳理,揭示了法律方法对维护法治的积极意义。作者认为,法律发现是法律方法中首先使用的方法,而法律推理则是由成文法向判决转换的必用方法。在法律发现到法律推理的过程中,法律解释、法律论证、价值衡量、漏洞补充等都发挥着重要作用。     

What Could Be the ＂Imaginary Institution＂ of the City？

In his book The Imaginary Institution of Society, the French philosopher Castoriadis wanted to explain the radical change of societies and their diversity; the social imaginary matters, and explains social change. But what is it today？ The Castoriadis＇s answer is mainly a criticism of the imaginary of the bureaucratic society （perfect anticipations）. He hoped more autonomy. In the paper, it is proposed this interpretation of the imaginary of the city： The main myths are personal strength, chance （here the reference is Ulrich Beck＇s book The Risk Society）, and individual happiness （the reference being the works of the French philosopher Lipovetsky）. One is able to explain the discrepancy between public policies （including city planning） and the real social needs. It exists because the doctrines used lag behind the ＂social imaginary significations＂. The concerned fields are the beauty of cities, spatial segregation, women in the city, environment, drugs, etc.