Political support among winners and losers: Within- and between-country effects of structure,process and performance in Europe

Why is the winner-loser gap in political support wider in some countries and narrower in others? Previous studies have focused on how the input side of political systems (i.e., the institutional structure) affects the winner-loser gap. This study suggests that one should also consider the output side (i.e., the quality of political process and economic performance) and posits that two mechanisms – rational and psychological – can explain how output factors affect the gap. Going beyond previous research, this article also considers whether contextual characteristics explain the variation in the gap not only between countries, but also within them. Applying mixed models to survey data from 30 European countries between 2002 and 2015, the study finds that the differences in support between winners and losers across countries are smaller in consensual systems, as in these contexts the support among losers is higher. However, changes in the institutional structure do not explain the over-time variation in the winner-loser gap. Moreover, increasing quality of process and economic performance do not attenuate the gap across countries and over time, as they affect positively the political support of both winners and losers. The study shows which contextual factors explain the winner-loser gap and points to the conditions that increase losers’ consent, which is a crucial element of democratic legitimacy.     

Entering the men's domain? Gender and portfolio allocation in European governments

While all government portfolios used to be the purview of men exclusively, more and more women are selected to sit around the cabinet table. But under which circumstances do women get appointed to different ministerial portfolios? This article, proposes a theoretical framework to consider how party leaders’ attitudes and motivations influence the allocation of portfolios to male and female ministers. These propositions are tested empirically by bringing together data on 7,005 cabinet appointments across 29 European countries from the late 1980s until 2014. Considering the key partisan dynamics of the ministerial selection process, it is found that women are significantly less likely to be appointed to the ‘core’ offices of state, and ‘masculine’ and ‘neutral’ policy areas. However, these gender differences are moderated by the ideology of the party that allocates them. Women are more likely to be appointed to ‘masculine’ portfolios when a party's voters have more progressive gender attitudes. This theoretical framework and analysis enhances our understanding of women's access to the government, which has important implications for how ministers are selected, as well as how women are represented in the most powerful policy-making positions in Europe.     

我国对外经济发展方式的战略转变

近些年来,我国经济发展不仅取得了举世瞩目的成就,同时也加快了我国经济发展方式的转变,增强了综合国力,获得了极大的经济效益。但是现阶段,在我国对外经济发展方式转变的过程中,在制度环境和经济环境的角度等方面,仍然存在一系列的问题。分析我国对外经济发展方式的特点,探索我国对外经济发展方式存在的问题和转变的制约因素,总结我国对外经济发展方式转变的战略选择,对我国对外经济发展方式的战略转变进行研究有一定的理论价值。     

The Bordered World of Cross-border Cooperation: The Determinants of Local Government Contact Networks within Euroregions

The article discusses the determinants of local government contact networks within cross-border cooperation organizations (Euroregions). Relying on social capital theory, a combination of social network and qualitative analytical tools are applied on data from two Scandinavian and two East Central European cases. The analysis reveals that, even in favourable circumstances, contact networks are thin and Euroregions fail to develop into truly integrated political spaces. The analysis also shows that contact patterns on one side of the border, determined primarily by inter-municipal cooperation, will matter for how contact networks are formed across the border. The findings are important, as membership in a Euroregion is expected to foster cross-border political relationships that could have possible spillover effects in terms of encouraging policy cooperation outside the framework of the Euroregion, which in turn would enhance the likelihood of well-functioning cross-border governance spaces.     

多元社会治理中政府主导作用探析

在多元复合治理体系的建设中,既需要以社会组织为代表的社会力量发挥主体作用,更需要政府发挥主导作用。政府在社会治理中的主导作用,不仅是对传统社会管理方式的自我扬弃,而且是对新的社会治理方式的积极创新,但目前对这个问题的研究还很不够。为此,就迫切需要正确认识和把握政府在多元社会治理中主导作用的科学性内涵、理论合理性和现实必要性等。对政府在多元社会治理中主导作用的探索与研究,对创新社会治理体系、提高社会治理水平、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化等,均具有重要的参考价值和借鉴意义。     

论政府对现代企业的法制监管——以日本核泄漏案为例

随着全球经济一体化以及区域经济集团化的纵深发展,市场经济已促使各国政府与企业的关系日益密切。这一密切的联系是建立在目标统一以及兼有冲突与合作特征的职能分离基础之上的。日本核泄漏事件引出了突发事件背后隐藏的日本政府与民营企业之间官商勾结、监管失控等重大问题,对目前我国如何正确处理政企关系,明确各监管部门的职责,充分发挥市场自由竞争及政府的调控作用,制定配套的法律来弥补监管漏洞等具有重要的警示作用。     

清末天津卫生防疫制度探析

随着西方医学技术在天津的传播与发展,清末天津地方政府制订了一系列仿效西方国家的卫生防疫行政管理制度,而后又出台了海港防疫制度。这些措施有得有失,因此有必要在对其进行历史考察的基础上展开梳理与评析。     

试论突发事件中地方政府的媒体应对

突发事件的突然性、危害性、紧急性等特点容易使其成为社会关注的事件,成为媒体关注的焦点.在突发事件中,媒体的参与给地方政府的危机管理既带来了挑战,也产生了积极效应.因此,地方政府在突发事件处理过程中要学会科学应对媒体,健全危机新闻发言人制度,建立突发事件新闻信息传递网络机制,加强突发事件的媒体管理等,是地方政府做好媒体应对的制度保障.     

论英国"协同政府"的理念及对中国的启示

"协同政府"是一个在英国学界经常讨论的前沿性治理模式,影响了1997-2010年英国政府治理国家和社会的政策制定及执行过程.本文旨在分析"协同政府"治理理念的起源、性质以及所存在的问题,并探讨了此理念对于中国的借鉴意义.     

强化学习促进创新——对民族地区创建学习型政府的几点建议

"民族地区要发展,政府能力须提高".加快民族地区经济、社会的全面发展,必须不断提高公务员的综合素质,建设一支高素质的公务员队伍.因此,创建学习型政府并打造一支在政治上过硬、业务上精湛的公务员队伍,从而走出一条在"在学习中创新,在创新中学习"的具有民族特色的发展之路是实现民族地区经济社会跨越式发展的重要途径.