Perception Gaps among Stakeholders Regarding the WCD Guidelines

In the World Commission on Dams (WCD) two-part report "Dams and Development," Part I reports fact-findings on large dams, and Part II proposes 26 guidelines for dam development projects. The WCD, however, has not succeeded in proposing a set of practical guidelines. As a model for global governance of a controversial environmental issue it also failed. Consequently, a large gap has emerged among the report's evaluations by various stakeholders. Most of the environmentally concerned non-governmental organizations (NGO) appreciated the guidelines and demanded their adoption by governments and financial institutions. Some governments and dam construction companies, however, were negative and/or skeptical, particularly concerning the guidelines' applicability. These groups feel that the following aspects have not been adequately clarified: 1) coverage of the guidelines; 2) whether the 26 guidelines should be considered as one entity; and, 3) whether all parties should have veto power. To make the guidelines widely acceptable and realistic as a model of global governance in the environmental fields, the authors recommend a review of the report and guidelines with the aims of: 1) clarifying the character of the report and guidelines; and, 2) examining the practicability of the guidelines.     

The Second World War as a turning point in Arab–Jewish relations: the case of Jaffa and Tel Aviv

One of the gravest outcomes of the period of the Arab revolt was the heavy economic damage caused to the Arab community. Jaffa, which suffered greatly in the years 1936–1939, sought to rebuild and restore the city to its status as a leading economic center in Palestine. This need intensified still more with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hence, it was in Jaffa's evident interest to bring about an improvement in relations with Tel Aviv and with Jews generally. Problems regarding the proper management of economic life in wartime exercised the Jewish settlement also; therefore, Jewish–Arab cooperation steadily grew in this period. The article gauges the measure of this cooperation and the nature of the ties that consolidated between Arabs and Jews during the war. The situation of Jaffa and Tel Aviv serves as a test case well exemplifying the force of the subsequent change in relations between Jews and Arabs in Palestine.     

经济全球化对全球文化的影响--兼论中国文化发展战略

构成文化核心的深层结构的价值观念与取向、思维与行为模式、宗教信仰、审美情趣等 ,具有很强的稳定性 ,有一种独立发展的内在惯性与规律 ,不会轻而易举地被同化 ;而以消费为中心的文化的浅层结构则容易被“全球化”。研究者不同的视角也会影响到对经济全球化背景下全球文化的走向的判断。全球文化将在冲突与融合的交互中走向与经济全球化相适应的新阶段     

应对重大突发公共卫生事件的敏捷性机制研究——四川省新冠疫情案例

大数据时代,危机背景下的敏捷治理是各国政府面临的热点话题和重要问题。新冠疫情这场公共危机给世界带来了巨大危害和挑战,也为地方政府部门的治理和创新提供了机遇。面对疫情,中国各省政府令行禁止,快速有效地控制了疫情蔓延,体现了特有的"中国速度"。本文以四川省的疫情防控工作为例,通过复盘典型案例揭示了应对重大突发公共卫生事件的敏捷性机制。主要贡献为:(1)将敏捷性的内涵与特点拓展到公共部门的应急管理领域,识别出公共组织敏捷性体现为危机识别、流程以及双元敏捷性;(2)提出危机治理能力和高效的管控方式的动态匹配是获取敏捷性的核心要素,其中危机治理能力是实现敏捷性的基础,高效的管控方式是实现敏捷性的关键手段;(3)归纳了应对重大突发公共卫生事件的敏捷性机制过程模型。本研究结论为各省政府的制度建设以实现敏捷治理提供有益指导,也进一步丰富了地方政府创新的理论基础。     

WTO公平竞争原则在倾销与反倾销领域中的影响适用

建立以公平竞争为基础的多边贸易体系是世界贸易组织的基本目标,世界贸易组织的宗旨和各协议都体现了公平竞争原则.在世贸组织各项条款中,这一原则主要体现在第六条"倾销"、第七条"补贴"和第十七条"国际贸易"等条款之中.     

非营利组织的人力资源管理

人力资源管理的思想已经在企业中得到了广泛的认同,但是在非营利组织中的运用却比较贫乏。非营利组织中人力资源管理的特殊性和人力资源的管理思想在非营利组织中的应用,主要涉及激励理论、薪酬设计、绩效考核方面。     

Dangerous othering in Meg Vandermerwe’s Zebra crossing: Ubuntu – ideals and realities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

This article explores the process of ‘othering’ in Meg Vandermerwe’s 2013 novel Zebra crossing. Othering is defined as a discursive practice in which one social group defines another in an inferior way. The novel is narrated by Zimbabwean-born albino, Chipo, who crosses the border into South Africa shortly before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Far from finding the better life she had hoped for there, Chipo is instead met with prejudice and disdain from locals. Through her portrayal of Chipo’s life as an illegal immigrant in Cape Town, Vandermerwe shows that while apartheid is over, social division and inter-group conflict are not. All the while juxtaposing this reality against the backdrop of the World Cup and the ubuntu ideals it championed but failed to deliver, Vandermerwe exposes how wide the gap is between theory and practice, ideology and lived reality. Highlighting the power of discursive practices like othering to produce real and violent consequences, Vandermerwe warns that if we do not truly embrace the values of forgiveness, compassion and acceptance, we face a dark future in which a cycle of conflict and injustice is repeated instead of being broken.     

What does the EU-SADC EPA really say? An analysis of the economic partnership agreement between the European Union and Southern Africa

After more than 10 years of negotiations, the European Union and six members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) successfully concluded talks on an economic partnership agreement (EPA). The EPA is a reciprocal trade agreement under the umbrella of the Cotonou Agreement, under which all parties commit to trade liberalisation but under which the SADC EPA countries can exempt sensitive products from liberalisation so as to take account of their level of development. This article explains in detail the contents of the agreement, examines the degree of trade liberalisation, and explores the lesser known provisions of the EPA. The article then argues that part of the agreement's developmental character resides in the numerous provisions that offer benefits to SADC EPA states but not to the EU. It also highlights provisions that could be invoked to help African states in the process of economic diversification. Finally, contrary to some detractors, the article takes the view that policy space for policy-makers remains by and large respected.     

Forensic Archaeological Recovery of a Large‐Scale Mass Disaster Scene: Lessons Learned from Two Complex Recovery Operations at the World Trade Center Site

In 2006, unexpected discoveries of buried World Trade Center (WTC) debris and human remains were made at the World Trade Center mass disaster site. New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) was given the task of systematically searching the site for any remaining victims' remains. The subsequent OCME assessment and archaeological excavation conducted from 2006 until 2013, resulted in the recovery of over 1,900 victims' remains. In addition, this operation demonstrated the essential skills archaeologists can provide in a mass disaster recovery operation. The OCME excavation data illustrates some of the challenges encountered during the original recovery effort of 2001/2002. It suggests that when understood within the larger site recovery context, certain fundamental components of the original recovery effort, such as operational priorities and activities in effect during the original recovery, directly or indirectly resulted in unsearched deposits that contained human remains.     

Over‐commitment and backsliding in international trade

‘International commitments pay’ could be the mantra of the current literature on international organisations: tying their hands at the international level is a means for governments to push through politically costly, but ultimately welfare‐enhancing reforms. It is argued in this article that this logic has a limit, which can be empirically observed. Past a given point, further depth of integration increases odds of backsliding. This belief is tested in the context of accession to an institution whose rules have been heavily scrutinised: the World Trade Organization (WTO). Countries with low rule of law are imposed a risk premium in the form of demands for deeper concessions, making ‘over‐committing’ possible. This relationship is used to assess the extent to which deeper commitments lead to backsliding. Industry‐level analysis supports these beliefs: deep commitments lead to increased odds of backtracking through a range of legal and extra‐legal mechanisms. Ambitious international commitments can backfire.