国家间公共政策的转移——概念、研究态势和理论

公共政策的制定者在决策过程中往往通过某种方式来参考其它国家的决策者在相似情况下的做法,包括正面经验和负面教训。这种政策转移(Policy Transfer)现象是公共政策制定和制度创新在现实中的一种主要途径和方式。论述分三个部分:首先,简述了政策转移的概念化过程,辨别了和其它相近概念的异同;其次,勾勒了本课题研究的多学科、多方法和多层次的态势,列举和介绍了一些代表性的研究实例;最后,探讨了相关的理论生成的问题。通过对有关政策转移问题研究的回顾、分析和总结,强调了我国政策转移中大量转移实践和理论研究缺失之间的矛盾现象;提出了开展我国政策转移研究的必要性和关注点;旨在引起我国公共政策的制定者和学者对这一课题的重视,为公共政策有关的决策实践和理论研究提供一个观察、分析和决策的角度。     

中美公共政策评估系统比较及启示

构思精美,设计精良的政策并非都能达到预期的效果.由于认知的局限性和政策的复杂性,在政策实践中,事与愿违的现象是普遍存在的.因此,政策评估至关重要.现代意义上的政策评估兴起于上世纪60一70年代的美国,而我国在引进政策科学后总体上仍处于"引进"阶段,尚未完全完成"消化、吸收尤其是创新"过程.本文通过比较研究中美两国在公共政策评估系统的差异,从评估者、评估对象、评估目的、评估标准和评估方法五个方面对比分析,得出一些针对我国公共政策评估系统存在问题的启示.     

中国公共管理的“公共性”释义

“公共性”是一个分析现代政府活动性质和行为的重要工具,对公共管理的“公共性”的探讨有利于国家公共政策的制定与执行,对处在转型期的中国而言,研究政府公共管理的“公共性”在这种特定环境与制度下的内涵更具有重要意义。本文从根本理念层面、道德层面和政治过程层面来解释公共管理的“公共性”内容,分析了我国政府对公共管理的根本理念定位———公众满意,国家公务员的公共行政道德责任建设及公民参与对“公共性”实现的重要作用。     

公证人的法律责任问题研究

就公证法律责任的主体、承担法律责任的基本原则、及其种类等方面来研究公证人的法律责任,从而规范公证法律行为,构建和完善与国际接轨并符合中国国情的公证法律制度体系。     

我国事业单位制度变革的路向与策略——一个公共治理的分析框架

在公共治理框架下的我国事业单位变革的总体思路应该是统筹规划,全盘布局,分类改革,分立政策,分别引导,分层操作,通过深层次制度变革和配套政策引导,将现存的事业单位各自引导成长为不同的社会治理主体部分,从传统的一元治理模式(即政府管理社会事务)向多元治理模式(即政府、企业、第三部门共同治理社会事务)方向发展。其中公益性事业单位的改革是我国事业单位改革的重点和难点,要针对这类事业单位改革目标进行二次认定,区分为政立事业单位和社立事业单位,并设定各自的改革方向和变革路径。     

论公共冲突的专业化治理——以上海市H法律服务调解中心为例

合作治理是实现国家与社会之间良性互动的方向.新时代背景下,合作治理呈现出新的特征,政治场域和社会场域基于特定公共事务而进行的专业性合作在维护社会秩序、改善基层治理、化解公共冲突中发挥着举足轻重的作用,这一模式被称之为专业化治理.以上海市H法律服务调解中心为例,对专业化治理的生成背景、运行机理和实践效应进行明晰.在此基础...     

Job Expectations and Career Goals of Title IV-E Child Welfare Social Workers with Varying Levels of Work Experience: How Do They Differ?

A comparison of three groups of Title IV-E child welfare workers revealed significant differences among all groups on job expectations and career goals. New workers reported most positive expectations for their jobs, and greatest interest in child welfare careers and in pursuing educational goals. Seasoned workers expressed least positive expectations and least interest in future child welfare careers and educational goals. Findings may assist universities in student selection and curriculum. Child welfare agencies may benefit in areas of recruitment, training, and policies. Realistic job previews might moderate high expectations for new workers and reduce unmet expectations for experienced workers.     

The Taliban: a new proxy for Iran in Afghanistan?

Abstract

Iran has pursued a highly contradictory policy towards Afghanistan. On the one hand, it became a significant beneficiary of the overthrow of the Taliban regime by the US-led military intervention in 2001 in Afghanistan. The new Afghan government established cordial ties with Iran, allowing it to expand its political, economic and cultural influence in the country. Yet Iran has also provided significant support to the Taliban in its campaign to violently upend the political, social and economic processes in the country. This article examines the underlying domestic and regional security dynamics that contribute to this contradictory behaviour. It offers an assessment of how tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic, as well as Tehran’s growing threat perception following the rise of the Islamic State – Khorasan in 2014, impact on Iran’s policy towards the Taliban. The paper argues that Tehran views the Taliban as an instrument to disrupt the influence of other actors in Afghanistan. The instrumentalisation of the Taliban, however, is likely to be counterproductive for Iranian security in the long run as it contributes to Afghanistan’s instability and insecurity and undermines Iran’s own long-term interests.     

Migrant Workers or Working Women? Comparing Labour Supply Policies in Post-War Europe

ABSTRACT

Why did some European countries choose migrant labour to expand their labour force in the decades that followed World War II, while others opted for measures to expand female employment via welfare expansion? The paper argues that gender norms and the political strength of the left were important structuring factors in these choices. Female employment required a substantial expansion of state intervention (e.g. childcare; paid maternity leave). Meanwhile, migrant recruitment required minimal public investments, at least in the short term, and preserved traditional gender roles. Using the contrasting cases of Sweden and Switzerland, the article argues that the combination of a weak left (labour unions and social democratic parties) and conservative gender norms fostered the massive expansion of foreign labour and a late development of female labour force participation in Switzerland. In contrast, more progressive gender norms and a strong labour movement put an early end to guest worker programmes in Sweden, and paved the way for policies to promote female labour force participation.     

Social Policy by Other Means: Theorizing Unconventional Forms of Welfare Production

Abstract

The goal of this special issue is to highlight the importance of unconventional social policies, theorize their development in comparison with traditional welfare state accounts and outline a new research agenda. In this introduction to the special issue, the editors present the concept of social policy by other means as encompassing two kinds of unconventional social policy (from the point of view of mainstream comparative research): First, functional equivalents to formal systems of social protection and, second, non-state provision of benefits. The concept builds upon a sizeable, but fragmented literature in comparative welfare state research. While numerous examples demonstrate that social policy by other means is more pervasive in both OECD and non-OECD countries than often acknowledged, a brief survey of the top 20 articles in the field reveals that this fact is not sufficiently reflected in the academic literature. With reference to both existing studies and the contributions to this special issue, the editors go on to explore (1) the different forms of social policy by other means, (2) explanatory theories and (3) their effectiveness in terms of social outcomes. They close by outlining a research agenda.