The Politics of Local Government Reform in Northern Ireland

A major review of public administration in Northern Ireland has resulted in proposals for radical reforms in health, education and local government services. Although originating from the devolved government of 1999, intermittent suspensions resulted in Direct Rule Ministers taking over responsibility for the review. This article traces the influence of a sizeable body of research evidence on the outcomes of the review, specifically controversial reforms to local government, and the significant influence attached to macro political factors in reaching key public policy decisions. It also highlights the asymmetry in power relations between Stormont and local government and how devolution has simply compounded regional centralism in Northern Ireland.     

Book reviews

Poverty, Progress and Exclusion: an Economic History of Latin America in the Twentieth Century. By Rosemary Thorp. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press for the Inter‐American Development Bank and the European Union, 1998. Pp.xiv + 369. £20.50. ISBN 1 886938 35 0

Economic Dynamism in the Asia‐Pacific: The Growth of Integration and Competitiveness. Edited by Graham Thompson. London: Routledge, 1998. Pp.402. £50 and £14.99. ISBN 0 415 17273 X and 17274 8

India and Pakistan: The First Fifty Years. Edited by Selig S. Harrison, Paul H. Kreisberg, and Dennis Kux. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp.xii + 217. £32.50 and £10.95. ISBN 0 521 64185 3 and 64585 9

Agencies in Foreign Aid: Comparing China, Sweden and the United States in Tanzania. Edited by Goran Hyden and Rwekaza Mukandala. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. Pp.ix + 246. $69.95. ISBN 0 312 22098 7

Market Integration, Regionalism and the Global Economy. Edited by Richard E. Baldwin, Daniel Cohen, Andre Sapir and Anthony Venables. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. xix + 344. £45 and £16.95. ISBN 0 521 64589 1 and 0 521 64181 0

Instruments of Change: Motivating and Financing Sustainable Development. By Theodore Panayotou. Earthscan in association with the United Nations Environment Programme, 1998. Pp.240. £19.95. ISBN 1 85383 467 X

Famine in Africa: Causes, Responses and Prevention. By Joachim von Braun, Tesfaye Teklu and Patrick Webb. Baltimore, MD and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Pp.xvii + 218. £32.50. ISBN 0 8018 6121 7

The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State. Edited by Roger Goodman, Gordon White and Huck‐ju Kwon. London and New York: Routledge, 1998. Pp.206. £17.99. ISBN 0 415 17211 X

Critical Development Theory: Contributions to a New Paradigm. Edited by Ronaldo Munck and Denis O'Hearn. London and New York: Zed Books, 1999. Pp.xx + 217. £39.95 and £22.50. ISBN 1 85649 637 6 and 638 4

Streetlife China: Transforming Culture, Rights and Markets. By Michael Dutton. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp.xvi + 304. £13.95 (US$19.95) and £37.50 (US$54.95). ISBN 0 521 63719 8 and 63141 6     

Book Reviews and Books Received

Author: NEEFJES, KOOS; Environments and Livelihoods: Strategies for Sustainability; Reviewer: Caroline Ashley; Editors: KLEINBERG, REMONDA BENSABAT and CLARK, JANINE A.; Economic Liberalization, Democratization and Civil Society in the Developing World; Reviewer: Walter Eberlei; Authors: CORBRIDGE, STUART and HARRISS, JOHN; Reinventing India: Liberalisation, Hindu Nationalism and Popular Democracy; Reviewer: Gurharpal Singh; Author: SEABRIGHT, PAUL; The Vanishing Rouble: Barter Networks and Non-Monetary Transactions in Post-Soviet Societies; Reviewer: Alistair McAuley; Author: BRASS, TOM; Peasants, Populism and Postmodernism: The Return of the Agrarian Myth; Reviewer: James Overton; Author: MBAKU, J.M.; Bureaucratic and Political Corruption in Africa: The Public Choice Perspective; Reviewer: Robert Williams; Author: ROSE-ACKERMAN, SUSAN; Corruption and Government: Causes, Consequences and Reform; Reviewer: Robert Williams; Author: FIELDS, GARY S.; Distribution and Development: A New Look at the Developing World; Reviewer: Arne Bigsten; Author: ABU SHAIR, OSANA J.A.R.; Privatization and Development; Reviewer: Stephen Trotter; Editors: COOK, PAUL, KIRKPATRICK, COLIN and NIXSON, FREDERICK; Privatization, Enterprise Development and Economic Reform: Experiences of Developing and Transitional Economies; Reviewer: Stephen Trotter; Editor: HARRIS, GEOFF; Recovery from Armed Conflict in Developing Countries: An Economic and Political Analysis; Reviewer: Paul Dunne     

Colt Technology Services v Ofcom – [2013] CAT 29 – Appealing a telecoms regulatory decision

A recent and interesting case (Colt v Office of Communications [2013] CAT 29) has shed some light on when and in what circumstances the decisions of the UK's telecoms regulator can be appealed.     

城市经济学应用研究热点综述:以典型城市为例

我国城市经济学的理论和应用研究开始于20世纪80年代,目前呈现出迅猛发展的势头。以天津作为样本城市,利用CNKI检索工具,重点梳理相关文献,可以发现,城市经济学在应用研究方面关注了城市经济社会发展中的重大现实问题,保持了该学科研究的时效性、集中性等特点,因而取得了一定的成果。今后,应充分发挥城市经济学实践推动理论发展的学科特性,积极借鉴和吸收理论进展中的新鲜成果,及时破解城市发展的实际问题,为城市发展提供有益的政策制定依据和未来发展方向指导。     

国家治理体系现代化视野中的司法审查制度——以完善现行《行政诉讼法》为中心

党的十八届三中全会指出,全面深化改革的总目标是完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度,推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化。国家治理体系现代化在很大程度上就是法治体系现代化。而作为保障公民合法权益、监督政府依法行政、解决行政争议的司法审查制度在整个法治体系中不可或缺。在法治国家、法治政府和法治社会一体建设的新时期,司法审查制度的完善必将助力于国家治理体系现代化的有效推进。完善《行政诉讼法》的关键在于消除立案难、审判难、执行难的制度性障碍,有针对性地构建与国家治理体系现代化相称的司法审查制度。     

泰国非政府组织研究现状综述

20世纪70年代以来,非政府组织(NGO)在全球范围内迅速发展,泰国非政府组织也获得较大发展,并对泰国的政治、经济、社会的发展产生了较大的影响。多年来,国内外学者对其多有著述,分别从不同侧面、多个视角给予了较为详尽的论述和评价,形成了各种观点。本文在这些研究的基础上就国内外学界对泰国非政府组织的研究现状进行简要总结和概述。     

关东军的机密文件与《满洲评论》

本篇将日方新史料《在满日系共产主义运动》引入《满洲评论》的文献解读,通过关东军宪兵队对《满洲评论》的记述,看待关东军眼中该刊的同人体制与编辑委员会,对照关东军宪兵队指认的“共产主义嫌疑”与该刊登载的文章内容。在合理解析《在满日系共产主义运动》的性质与史学价值的基础上,考量《满洲评论》在伪满社会文化生活中的定位。     

实施人才强国战略:国内外研究述评及研究趋势展望

国内对于实施人才强国战略的研究已经取得了系列研究成果,国外关于人才及人才强国战略的研究也有比较丰厚的学术积累。但总的来说,国内研究还带有明显的阶段性不足,国外研究对于我国的理论发展和实践启示作用也不容过高估计。从必要性和可能性角度思考,我国实施人才强国战略未来研究趋势理应是:以问题研究为导向,以对策研究为立足点,以深化研究为基础;在找到实施人才强国战略真问题的基础上,通过深化问题研究,最终寻求解决真问题的一揽子对策措施。     

进程与深化：近10年国内关于消费主义基本问题研究述评——基于CNKI检索篇名含“消费主义”的文献统计分析

消费主义是西方众多文化思潮之一,相对西方而言,我国学术界对消费主义的关注比较迟缓。检视中国知识资源总库（CNKI）近10年国内关于消费主义基本问题研究的学术景观,可以发现,学术界对消费主义的概念、本质、产生原因、特征、影响等做了全面的研究,逐步加快了国内对消费主义研究的步伐,也不断拓展国内消费主义研究视角,并取得了丰硕成果。随着新媒体技术的飞速发展和消费需求的持续增大,对消费主义问题的研究将创造出新的发展点,并在研究层次和研究方法上持续做出改进。