Sleaze or clear blue water?: the evolution of corporate and pressure group representation at the major UK party conferences

There has been growing academic and public interest in corporate political lobbying in both the UK and EU in recent years. In Britain, links between politicians and commercial interests have been one of the areas examined by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (‘the Nolan Committee’ and now ‘the Neill Committee’). A visible but under‐researched aspect of political lobbying by firms and other groups is the range of activities that take place at annual party conferences. An exhaustive study of these activities at the three main British party conferences between 1994–97 is reported, covering the period from Tony Blair's first appearance as party leader to the aftermath of the 1997 General Election. There is clear growth of visible lobbying, particularly at the Labour conferences, over the period leading up to the election, and a dropping off in 1997; particularly at the Conservative conference. The implications of the results for organisations, and particularly for public affairs practitioners, are considered. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications     

经济全球化与21世纪党的建设创新

经济全球化给党的建设提出了新课题。必须适应经济全球化的新形势,实施党的建设创新战略,开创经济全球化时代党的建设和社会主义现代化建设的新局面。     

以“三个代表”为指针 加强中心城区党建工作

加强中心城区党建工作必须以"三个代表”的思想为指针,紧密结合城区党建工作的实际情况,调查研究,总结经验,找出薄弱环节,查找深层次原因,切实解决存在的问题,探索并建立中心城区党建工作的新思路和新机制.     

I'm Not That Liberal: Explaining Conservative Democratic Identification

The persistence of self-identified conservative Democrats in the electorate is puzzling. Both the ongoing Southern realignment and the recent ideological polarization should have resulted in conservative Democrats changing their party identification to accord with their discrepant ideology. Instead, the number of conservative Democrats, as a percentage of the total electorate, has held steady over the last 20 years. I propose an explanation for this phenomenon that draws upon theories of mass belief systems, as well as an element of recent political reality: the popular stigmatization of the word liberal. I argue that Democrats who are susceptible to elite cues garner positive affect toward the conservative label and negative affect toward the liberal label. They then identify themselves accordingly, regardless of their issue positions.     

The five shades of grey: party systems and authoritarian institutions in post-Soviet Central Asian states

ABSTRACT

This article overviews and seeks to explain the processes of party system formation in the post-Soviet Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) by focusing on a crucial party-system property, fragmentation. The analysis reveals that to a much greater extent than in democracies, where party systems are largely shaped by societal factors, the level of party system fragmentation in autocracies is determined by the scope of presidential powers, as entrenched in the formal institutional order and reflected in the national constitution. The level of authoritarianism is largely inconsequential for party system fragmentation, while the role of electoral rules is secondary. Institutionally weak and institutionally strong autocratic presidents have a preference for fragmented party systems, while presidents with an intermediate range of powers seek and obtain low levels of party system fragmentation.     

论共产党治党治国的理论创新

“三个代表”重要思想无疑是马克思主义中国化的最新理论成果,那么,他“新”在何处呢?从无产阶级政党治党治国这一角度来看,“三个代表”重要思想的理论创新主要表现在他解决了中国共产党“为谁执政”、在执政过程中“如何治党”、“如何治国”的根本问题,深化了对人类社会发展规律、执政党的执政规律和社会主义建设规律的认识,开辟了马克思主义发展的新境界。     

合作抑或冲突：变革时代的政府与社会关系考察——对马克思主义治理学说的历史诠释

马克思治理学说的最高境界是实现对国家治理的彻底超越而达至社会自治,其核心是实现治理权由政府向社会的回归.历史的演绎使这一经典命题不断走出人们纯抽象思辨的"黑匣子"而成为可感知的现实政府与社会关系的传统模式和现代形态存在着控权与放权、自然经济主线和商品经济主线的根本分野;中国转型期的政府与社会关系实际上是一种兼容传统控制型模式和现代释放型模式的"复合式形态".此为中国经济和社会发展提供了一种积极的动力模型和较具说服力的解释框架.     

时代变化背景下对“两个务必”的重新审视

党的两代领导人在不同历史背景下都对"两个务必"作出了要求.在当前全面建设小康社会的新形势下,重新强调"两个务必",对于维护好、实现好、发展好人民群众利益,巩固党的执政地位,实现党的十六大制定的发展目标具有十分重要的意义.     

深入理解“三个代表”重要思想的关键是转换思维方式

思维方式的解放较之观念的解放是更为根本的思想解放.要使主体能够内化"三个代表"重要思想,必须具备与这一思想相通的思维方式.这就需要积极推进由传统的"革命党思维"向"执政党思维"转换,这是当前保持与时俱进精神状态、深入理解"三个代表"重要思想的关键.     

论法律适用中的"契约自由"原则——国际合同的自体法

肇始于16世纪的"意思自治"理论,标志着合同准据法理论发展的里程碑,即客观论向主观论的发展,特别是以意思自治为主、辅之以最密切联系原则的合同自体法理论的提出,更是将合同准据法理论推向一个前所未有的高度,它一改过去合同法律适用的机械性做法,强调尊重当事人自主意识,并将契约当做一个整体来看待,体现了国际私法合同法律适用的潮流和趋势。