Decentralization in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

Decentralization in South Africa was entrenched in the new democratic constitution of 1996 and charged local government with bringing basic and other services to the population. Our in-depth empirical study of 38 municipalities across South Africa indicates that the experiment with decentralization has largely failed to achieve its main aims—democratizing local government and delivering adequate basic services to all communities. In order to provide some answers to the question as to why this failure occurred, we focus attention on the legislative over-burdening of local government and its concurrent lack of institutional capacity to actually turn legal obligation and decentralization principles into practice as two of the main and related causes for this failure. While the South African constitution gave clear mandates to local government, the issue of adequate institutional capacity for municipal government was largely overlooked or ignored altogether.     

The European Union Faced With the Challenges of Food Safety： Solutions Proposed in the Framework of the Common Agricultural Policy （CAP） and Strategies of the Actors Concerned

Within the framework of Common Agricultural Policy （CAP）, how has the European Union （EU） responded to new challenges emerging at the end of the last century？ The overall picture shows that the process of improving health conditions includes various players. The overall objectives of the CAP are specified in Article 39 of the Treaty of Rome： to increase agricultural productivity and ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community. The word ＂security＂ here refers to the stability of supply. The first major reform came in 1992, linked to the Uruguay Round Cycle of initial responses to consumes expectations regarding food safety and the prevention of health risks. The centrepiece of EU food policy, European Food Safety Authority （EFSA） is consumed with all maters effecting food safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare, and plant health. The controversy around the need for reforms and their implementation has featured prominently in the public debate. The paper analyzes these debates by drawing on scientific studies carried out by multidisciplinary laboratories.     

One-Stop Shops Reform in China as Sequencing： A Case of Chuzhou City

The article describes the action trajectory and the value concept of e-government service innovation in Chuzhou City, Anhui Province during 2006-2012. The background, value orientation, innovation, and reconstruction results as well as implementation strategy of the sequence of four rounds of reorganizing a one-stop shop structure are analyzed. From the perspective of overall efficiency of government services, some recommendations are put forward to break fragmented services of local government. At the level of central government, ideas and future directions have been discussed. In this respect, the Chuzhou City Government has been a pace-setter. Last year, it launched a new round of government reorganization. The aims are to realize every ordinary matter by applying one examination and approval and one review exercise; further increase the rate of on-spot handling; and try to ensure that for every complex matter, the three steps of reception, examination, and approval procedure should be completed in five days.     

《食品安全法》中“预防原则”之立法检讨——以食品风险监测与评估制度为中心

预防原则是基于危害发生前的保证和防犯的考虑,在我国立法中设置了食品风险监测与评估制度,但是该制度与比较法视野中预防原则的概念和实践存在一定区别,使得食品安全法中风险监测和评估制度的功能发挥受到了一定影响,风险监测和评估制度的完善需要在程序、机制及司法审查诸方面借鉴和参考预防原则的核心内容,以真正促进食品安全的监测和评估制度在实践中的有效运行。     

浅议我国食品安全法律规制问题

近年,层出不穷的食品安全事件引起了人们对我国现有食品安全法律制度的思考。制度的缺失和执法的不力成为导致我国食品安全问题频发的两大因素。本文以我国食品安全问题现状为切入点,分析了现行食品安全法律制度的不足,提出了相关完善建议,以期对我国食品安全法律规制建设有所裨益。     

简易程序中行政处罚决定的告知与送达

公安部《道路交通安全违法行为处理程序规定》规定：交通警察一人可以当场作出处罚决定,在当事人拒绝签字、拒绝签收的情况下,应当在处罚决定书上注明。这种＂注明＂是否等于告知、能否代替送达是一个未明确的问题,它在实践中会影响到执法和当事人的权利,以及公平正义的实现。     

企业社会责任视角下的食品安全法律对策研究

食品安全问题产生的主要原因是食品企业缺乏社会责任,强化食品企业在食品安全上的社会责任是解决食品安全问题的基础和关键。食品企业作为食品安全第一责任人,应承担起自身的社会责任。同时政府要在全社会倡导企业社会责任意识、完善立法、加强食品安全监管。     

绿色食品新概念与食品安全举措

在食品科技日益进步的今天,发生在世界各地和我国一些地方的各种各样的食品质量安全事件不绝于耳。一个时期以来人们谈"食"色变,吃动物怕激素,吃植物怕毒素,喝饮料怕色素。能吃什么,心里没数,造成人人自危现象,进而迫使人们增强回归自然理念,崇尚绿色有机无公害食品,让人们吃得安全、健康和放心,已成为全球关注的焦点。     

对我国食品安全现状的思考

食品是人类赖以生存和发展的物质基础,食品安全已远远超越人们对维持生命基本物质需要这样的简单层次,但我国的食品安全监管尚存在诸多问题,导致＂毒奶粉＂等食品安全事件频发。因此,需要从完善我国食品安全监管体制、建立食品安全监管的保障体系、提高食品安全监管效能、建立食品安全突发事件应急机制、建立食品安全监管的社会推动机制等五个方面提出对策建议,以此促进我国食品安全事业的健康发展。     

OVERCOMING A DECADE OF CRISIS: ZIMBABWE'S LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN TRANSITION

The world's attention has focused on Zimbabwe as the country has moved from the turmoil of the 2008 elections to a tentative democratic transition under the current Inclusive Government. The country's newly elected local authorities and an apparent interest in decentralization have been largely ignored in the process, however. This essay thus provides an extensive, survey‐based examination of local governance in Zimbabwe as of 2009. Four areas are discussed. First, with the growth of the political opposition to the ruling regime, local governance has also suffered from the deep polarization among all the country's institutions. The inexperience of the new local councilors vis‐à‐vis local administration officials also holds significant ramifications. Second, although local officials believe that public participation in decision‐making is strong, citizen involvement is actually quite weak. Third, reeling from the country's 2008 economic crisis, local authorities were operating as best as they could on minimal income and barely functioning in many areas. Financial transfers ended long ago; revenue generation remains poor. Finally, this essay captures the poor state of public services. Achievement of a national democratic consensus, decentralization that actually promotes democratic local governance and strengthening once‐strong local institutional capacity will determine the future progress of local governance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.