Accountability of Public Servants under Dominant Political Settlements of China: Effects,Challenges, and Issues

Some scholars think that accountability is attainable only under the electoral political system. However, it is argued that China could achieve some weak accountability even without general election system. How could this be achieved in China? The paper attempts to analyze this question with the following steps: first, it describes the specific accountability system by categorizing different approaches based on four dimensions, then focuses on the impacts that these approaches would have, which are based on finance, fairness and efficiency. It is concluded that under a dominant political settlement, only weak accountability exists in China, not real or strong accountability.     

A critique of bourgeois theories of economic development

Festival expenditures amount to over 15 per cent of a household's annual expenditures in rural India. Yet they have never been studied by economists. This article uses both qualitative and quantitative data from a case study of three South Indian villages to show that festivals are important public goods in the village, but neither a pure entertainment motive nor an altruistic desire to contribute to a public event seems to explain their size. Households which spend money on festivals, everything else held equal, are able, however, to generate tangible rewards - lower prices on food, higher social status and more invitations to meals from other families. This indicates that active participation in festivals generates private economic and social returns which help resolve a potential free-rider problem. The evidence is consistent with the notion that festivals serve as mechanisms by which communities build social networks.     

高校党外知识分子政治参与的双重性及其对策

高校党外知识分子是党外知识分子重要组成部分。当前,高校党外知识分子呈数量多、年轻化、素质高等特点,引导他们政治参与,发挥参政议政作用具有重要意义。本文分析高校党外知识分子政治参与的双重性及其成因,提出从政治上引导、生活上关心、渠道上拓宽等对策。     

Partisan Media and Engagement: A Field Experiment in a Newly Liberalized System

How does media exposure affect political engagement in newly liberalized systems? Some celebrate newly vibrant and diverse media, believing that they mobilize citizens. Others worry that these outlets, which are often partisan, dampen engagement. We theorize that exposure to political programming engenders interest in politics irrespective of program bias, but that interest does not necessarily beget action. Partisan media affect participation only when altering attitude strength, and thus motivations. To evaluate media effects on interest and participation, we conducted a field experiment in Ghana, in which subjects in tro-tros (commuter vans) were randomly exposed to different types of live talk radio. We find that partisan and nonpartisan media increased political interest, but not participation. Instead, exposure to alternate perspectives on cross-cutting media (i.e., those biased against subjects’ partisan preferences) heightened ambivalence and dampened participation, measured as signing a petition to parties. Partisan media simultaneously increased interest and decreased participation.     

公民治理理论析论

20世纪90年代后期产生于美国的公民治理理论代表了一种新的公共行政价值观,它建立在对新公共管理理论某些缺陷的批判基础之上,在一定意义上可以看成是对新公共管理理论的一种超越。本文比较系统地辨析和概括了公民治理的基本观点,公民治理与公民参与之间的紧密关系,并对其实践价值作了简要评析。     

行政裁量控制中的裁量基准和公众参与

行政裁量在行政管理领域中被广泛地采用,没有行政裁量就没有行政管理。行政裁量权的合理运行,可以起到维护公共利益和公共秩序,提高行政效率的重要作用。为了规范行政裁量权的行使,确有必要通过裁量控制中的公众参与的三大程序制度对它加以控制。     

关于网上价格听证的几点思考

本文在简要回顾国外迅速发展的电子参与实践的基础上,针对我国价格听证的实际,系统地探讨了一种新的公众参与形式——网上价格听证,分析了其功能定位,阐述了其实施要点,研究了网上价格听证在价格听证过程中的作用。     

论基层人大代表选举制度与公民政治参与

人民代表大会制度是我国公民政治参与水平和效果的直接体现，基层人大代表选举是我国公民政治参与的主要舞台。当前，我国基层人大代表选举中存在一些问题，主要表现在基层人大代表的确立制度存有缺陷、人大代表候选人与选民的沟通不畅、选民的实际参与度有限三个方面。完善基层人大代表选举制度，提高公民政治参与的有效度，必须提高人大代表确立的竞争性，增强人大代表与选民的合意性。     

自治背景下流动农民的政治参与

流动农民是一个数量庞大而又十分特殊的阶层,考察流动农民阶层的政治参与状况,既有着重要的理论价值,又有着显著的现实意义。目前突出的问题是其政治参与权利日趋边缘化。如何将一个为数庞大的阶层的变化了的政治参与意愿通过制度化的办法予以满足,是政府必然要考虑和解决的问题。政府和社会应高度重视流动农民的政治参与,为流动农民的权益保护创造平等的政治环境;加大户籍制度改革力度,清除流动农民政治参与的体制性障碍;改革现行的就业制度,促进流动农民市民化;提高流动农民的组织化程度,为流动农民的有序政治参与提供组织载体。     

美国公共利益集团政治评析

美国的公共利益集团政治表现为新的行动主义的政治参与模式。它的发展是美国多元主义政治理想的体现 ,是后工业社会中后物质主义意识的产物 ,是政府职能扩大的结果。美国公共利益集团政治在发展过程中出现了自由派与保守派间的激烈冲突 ,使公共利益集团政治的发展仍面临重重阻力。