Empirical study of investment activity＇s drivers in capital-intensive Russian firms

In this paper we present the research results of key factors that determine the investment behavior of Russian companies during 2004-2008. The emphasis is made on the policy of capital expenditures. In the analysis, it included maeroeconomic, some industry factors （growth rate, spread of efficiency （ROIC-WACC）, market and industry risks） as well as some internal factors related to the equity structure and the quality of corporate governance.     

无处不在的身影——东正教介入俄罗斯社会政治生活试析

东正教在俄国远不只是一种宗教,而是俄罗斯文化传承的重要载体,在后苏联成为俄联邦重构的重要社会资源、政治力量和精神动力,被视为是标示俄罗斯民族精神的最重要标志。在后苏联到来过程和重建过程中,东正教扮演了极其重要的角色,而且这种角色源于俄国的历史进程。其实,无论是就基督教神学理论还是就俄国史而言,缺少了对东正教因素的考虑,就无法描述俄国社会进程。近20年来,俄国社会进程和东正教紧密相关,因此,当代俄国人能基于东正教信仰,去批判性地面对后苏联社会变革所带来的各种重大问题。除此之外,东正教还积极介入俄罗斯的对外事务,成为影响俄对外关系的一个不可忽视的重要因素。     

Orthodox Identity as Traditionalism: Construction of Political Meaning in the Current Public Discourse of the Russian Orthodox Church

This article reviews the articulation of traditional political values in the contemporary discourse of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). As an empirical basis, the article takes the ROC’s official documents reflecting its position on social and political issues, the statements of various Synodal departments and Church hierarchs, as well as the statements of those representatives of the Orthodox intelligentsia, who promote an alternative agenda for Church-state dialogue. The author analyses the discursive forms deployed for the use of two key concepts, related to two markers of traditionalist worldview (opinions about liberalism, and positions taken with regard to the rights of sexual minorities), and studies the context in which these confessional ethical norms are politicized. This allows the author to move from interpreting Orthodox identity as merely a confessional/religious affiliation, expressing itself in a range of practices (attending services, etc), to an interpretation of Orthodox identity as traditionalist in the political sense of that word, involving the formation of a distinctive political theology and the politicization of confessional ideas of morality.     

创造国际直接投资新环境开拓中俄经贸合作新局面

中俄两国经贸关系走上了正常发展的轨道,相互投资成为深化两国经济关系的重要内容。国际直接投资是突破贸易壁垒、进入一国市场的重要手段,也是稳定中俄经济关系的根本基础。中俄相互投资存在经济转轨尚未完全实现、法律法规不健全、缺乏有效的筹资渠道、沟通渠道不畅等制度性和基础性障碍。为促进中俄两国相互投资健康、快速发展,应在签定双边投资协定、建立中俄商业协会、开辟投资融资途径、相互建立工业园区以及举办投资洽谈会等方面构建相互投资的宏观环境。     

Science and International Environmental Nonregimes: The Case of Arctic Haze

Dimitrov et al. argue that nonregimes are a worthy object of research attention that can contribute to international regime theory. Case studies, however, are still sparse. In this article, I examine Arctic haze, an issue area where a transnational environmental problem existed but no regime formed. Arctic haze was (re‐)discovered in 1971 but by 2000, the window of opportunity to form a regime had closed. What factors explain why an Arctic haze regime was not formed between 1971 and 2000? I claim science‐based factors play the dominant role. An analytical approach applicable to the science‐policy interface was employed. Using this approach, I conclude that the Arctic haze nonregime is best explained by the absence of scientifically documented and compelling transboundary consequences to ecosystems and humans. This is a product of the unique nature of the Arctic atmosphere.     

从辛亥之殷鉴到“三大法宝”——中国制宪特征探析

一次革命之后的政治体制建设,应该有效回应革命之前各种危机的挑战。辛亥革命因首义仓促,未能回应晚清社会的政治危机,之后的国民革命和新民主主义革命,则直接借鉴了辛亥革命以来的经验教训,依从中国的政治文化,接受马克思主义——列宁主义的指导,找到了中国革命和政权建设中政党建设、武装力量与民主形式的制度连接。这种政治体制的关键要素,被毛泽东概括为“三大法宝”。     

新《保险法》适用环境下中国海上保险制度的完善

修改后的新《中华人民共和国保险法》于2009年10月1日开始生效。针对海运市场的特点和实际需要,就海上保险合同的定义所涉及的投保人与被保险人,海上保险合同的诺成性所涉及的保险费交纳与保单签发,海上保险合同的订立与生效,海上保险格式条款的适用规则,投保人的告知义务,保险人的说明义务等诸问题进行研究,并提出修改中国海上保险制度的若干建议。     

当代中国社会思潮与中国特色社会主义

改革开放30多年来,伴随着中国特色社会主义实践的不断推进,我国的各种社会思潮也是异彩纷呈、相互激荡。这些社会思潮不仅相互关联,同时也深刻影响着中国特色社会主义的理论和实践。实践证明,正确处理中国特色社会主义与当代中国社会思潮的关系,积极寻求二者的良性互动,是使中国特色社会主义道路越走越宽广的内在和必然要求。     

Environmental effects of GATT/WTO membership: an empirical evaluation

ABSTRACT

One of the great questions for scholars of international relations and economics concerns the relationship between the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the natural environment. Does membership in the multilateral trade regime constrain environmental regulation and increase the environmental burden of national economies? Do countries pay a heavy environmental price for trade liberalization? Although this question has been debated extensively, there is little statistical evidence to contribute the debate. We provide a comprehensive statistical analysis of the environmental effects of joining the multilateral trade regime. We collected data on a variety of environmental policies, institutions, and outcomes that should be influenced by the General Agreementon Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/WTO membership if the predictions of environmental pessimists or optimists are valid. A wide range of statistical models designed to identify the causal effect of the GATT/WTO on the environmental indicators shows that joining the GATT/WTO does not have negative effects on environmental quality.     

Playing the Diversity Card: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Policy under the Salmans

ABSTRACT

Since the 2003 regime change in Iraq and the 2011 Arab uprisings, the political map of the Middle East has been in flux. Regional actors have taken advantage of emerging windows of opportunity, which have affected the outcome of this process. Saudi Arabia’s role as an aspiring regional hegemon in the region is salient: the country’s assertive course in shaping its neighbourhood coincides with a more independent foreign policy that goes beyond the traditional US alliance and seeks to diversify its international partners. This diversification of Saudi foreign policy since the ascension to the throne of King Salman in 2015 is explained by using the IR concept of hedging.