Public Participation and Public Service Modernization: Learning from New Labor?

The public participation agenda is a significant element of public service reform in Europe and beyond. This article examines how citizen participation in local public services was conce ived and enacted under successive New Labor governments in the UK during the period 1997–2010. It is suggested that the emphasis on public participation was central to the ethos of New Labor. This accounts for the persistence of the participation agenda even in the face of scant empirical evidence that specific engagement and empowerment initiatives were successful. Significantly, there was no single New Labor participation narrative. There were instead several distinct strands, drawing variously from the Party's received traditions of State welfarism, corporatist central-local relations, municipal socialism, Blairite managerialism, and, lastly, mutual cooperativism. The article assesses the legacy of New Labor and public participation in the UK before drawing wider conclusions relating to international experience.     

City Management in the United States and Norway: A Comparative Analysis of Professional Orientations

This analysis examines the effects of political culture on the nature and practice of professional local government management by comparing the structures, responsibilities, and relationships of city administrative executives in the democratic countries of the United States and Norway. The findings suggest that, despite fundamental differences in societal institutions and settings, American and Norwegian city managers serve similar roles in their respective local government organizations. However, the notable variations in the processes of municipal management identified between the two nations appear to reflect the contextual influence of divergent political foundations on the operational environment of professional public administrators.     

The Correlates of Local Government Responsiveness Under Decentralization: Do Performance Ratings Matter in the Philippines?

To improve local service delivery under decentralization, performance ratings are often introduced. In this article, performance ratings and other correlates of the citizens’ assessment of the responsiveness of their local governments are investigated with a regression analysis of survey data collected during the pilot test of a performance rating scheme in 12 Philippine cities and municipalities in 2001–2003. The local governments in the eight sites where the ratings were announced are assessed less responsive by their own constituents than those in the four control areas by theirs. Possibly, the citizens exposed to the ratings expected better performances from their officials.     

全面建成小康社会与政府功能透视

全面建成小康社会离不开政府引导、保护、协调等功能的有效发挥,而引导功能无疑是首要之需,作为两大主体的中央政府、地方政府,既具有相向的表达、又具有紧密的关联。中央政府的引导功能主要通过规范授权、财政控制、政策工具、指标考核等方式实现,地方政府的引导功能作用主要通过实际设计、规划布局、理性选择等方式实现。准确把握两者之间的内在统一性、不可替代性,进一步优化宏观层面的整合设计,加强中观层面的统筹推进,有助于从根本上保证全面建成小康社会的质量和水平。     

转型社会中防范公共权力异化问题思考

在社会转型的大背景下,一些政府部门存在的公共权力异化现象,会在一定程度上影响现阶段民主政治建设和社会主义和谐社会的全面构建。公共权力异化的一大表现就是公共权力的滥用和私用,进而滋生腐败,损害公民的合法权益。针对这些问题,应从法制层面、制度层面、伦理层面以及文化层面,探讨公共权力的合理规制和有效运用,进而完善权力运行机制,促使政府部门"权为民所用,利为民所谋"。     

地方政府有效引导网络舆论思考

网络舆论的日益发展和兴起给地方政府带来了新的挑战和考验,网络舆论引导成为地方政府面临的新课题。尽管地方政府非常重视网络舆论引导,但在重视程度和引导效果方面依然存在差距,普遍存在网络舆论引导效果不彰的问题。因此,不断增强地方政府网络舆论引导性的有效性是各级地方政府亟待解决的问题。     

危难救助者的行政补偿研究

在现实生活中,危难救助者的损失往往得不到应有的赔偿或补偿,导致人们对危难救助行为心存疑虑.然而,随着风险社会的出现及其程度不断加深,在防范和化解风险过程中,一种最有效的途径无疑是让社会大众共同分担救助他人的义务,这相当于为国家履行职责.因此,国家的责任不可或缺.根据行政补偿理论中的公共负担平等说,国家应当对危难救助者给予行政补偿,以弥补其因救助行为所造成的损失.     

公域治理转向：公共治理模式的兴起

西方传统市民社会理论无法对后现代时期继续分化的社会公共领域作出有力解释。因此,须在治理背景下对市民社会理论予以重构。当社会管理创新业已成为当今我国改革的战略任务和社会共识时,坚持公权力机关主导下的传统管理模式已明显不合时宜。在社会结构深刻变化的时代,公共治理模式日益成为公域的必然选择,而公共治理模式尤应以软法机制为主要调整手段。     

论洛克有限政府思想及其宪政价值

洛克作为近代宪政民主政治思想重要的奠基人之一,凭借《政府论》上、下两篇的论述,在批判"君权神授"的基础上,对"有限政府"思想进行了较为全面的阐释。尤以《政府论》下篇为代表,对后世宪政的发展产生了莫大的影响。可以说在洛克相关理论的影响下,才有了今日限制政治权力、保障公民权利的现代宪政理论。本文通过对洛克有限政府思想进行溯源剖析,分析其中所蕴含的宪政价值。     

历史·范式·结构:犯罪学中的风险开示

在20世纪末,风险已成为占据主要支配力的问题处理方式。对于犯罪学来说,关于风险的争论已经贯穿在研究的全部范畴内。犯罪学中的风险理论经历了从隐性到显性的知识发展。在犯罪控制范式转变中,风险的规制、维控与治理与犯罪的预防、控制与治理分别对应而形成了以回抗、维控、化解风险压力为导向的控制结构。同时,作为犯罪控制结构要素的控制主体、控制措施与控制客体的任一环节的自反性都将使犯罪控制的运行超出设计初衷而出现风险性。犯罪学中的风险理论是犯罪学与风险学科的交叉研究理论,也存在由于风险的不确定性在犯罪治理中的适用所引发的一系列争议性问题。由此,风险议题在解决我国司法实践难题时显得尤为重要。