Competition and solidarity: union members and immigration in Europe

This article addresses an understudied question in the comparative political economy of migration. How have trade unions shaped the attitudes of their members toward immigration? Unions are at the core of left-wing politics in most European countries, and support for immigration is usually a left-wing position. However, many of the core constituents of unions are those whose interests are most likely to be adversely affected by an increase in the supply of labour. The article shows that the pattern of European trade union leaders becoming supportive of open immigration policies has solidified over the past decade. It then provides evidence that this rhetoric has shaped the attitudes of union members and that the effect has become stronger over time. Finally, it shows that the effect is robust to the exclusion of countries where self-selection into unions on the basis of ideology is likely to be strongest.     

Trade and Industrial Policy as Levers for Sustainable Energy Technology Adoption? Experiences from Urban Latin America

Debates abound regarding the link between trade and industrial policy and the adoption of sustainable energy technologies in developing countries. Some purport that open trade regimes support technology diffusion, while others indicate that more interventionist regimes are more conducive. This paper uses empirical evidence from Mexico City and São Paulo to argue that sustainable energy technology uptake can be more prevalent in settings with partially open trade policy regimes. These regimes have afforded countries more opportunities to develop local capabilities, which, in turn, has had knock‐on effects on sustainable energy technology uptake. Specifically, having more local technology sources (equipment, expertise) brought quicker access to these technologies, created more perceptions of technology “ownership,” fostered more effective mobilization, and helped create well‐established standards, which in turn contributed positively to sustainable energy technology uptake, while taxes and tariffs were less influential.     

Globalization and Divergent Paths of Industrial Development: Mobile Phone Manufacturing in China,Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

Globalisation has challenged the way industrial development takes place. Fragmented and decentralised global production and the rapid growth of consumer markets in emerging economies demand a more sophisticated framework to analyse development paths than does the dichotomy of export orientation and import substitution. This article proposes a typology based on (a) specialisation in the global value chain and (b) market orientation to distinguish different development trajectories and then applies the typology to mobile phone manufacturing in four East Asian countries. This study finds that globalisation does not lead to the convergence of development paths, but promotes cross-national divergence depending on countries’ positions in the value chain and market niches. Both Korea and Taiwan emerge as key players in global markets, yet in different parts of the global value chain. Their common orientation toward global markets strikingly contrasts the inability of Japanese firms to translate their domestic success overseas. Finally, Chinese firms concurrently engage in different development paths, making the country’s multi-path approach unique. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of industrial development in East Asia in an era of globalisation.     

Who’s in favour? Same-sex union laws in parliament

The article analyses which parties support registered partnership and same-sex marriage bills in parliament in Western Europe. Existing comparative research indicates that left parties back same-sex union laws. This article shows that support is not limited to the left camp. Liberal and even Christian democratic parties have expressed above-average support as well, albeit with certain exceptions. The chief opponents of same-sex union laws are Protestant parties and the parties of the far right; in terms of numbers, however, both are largely insignificant. Far more relevant for these laws’ chances of success are the positions of the large parties at the centre and at the right of the political spectrum. The analysis reveals considerable inter-country differences in these parties’ attitudes, which can be explained to a large extent with the two-worlds-of-morality-politics distinction introduced by Engeli, Green-Pedersen and Larsen: countries in which centre and right parties continue to oppose same-sex union laws are part of the religious world, with the exception of France. The results for France indicate a need for further research.     

In need of a cultural shift to promote restorative justice in Southern Europe

The article describes the main results of a European project on restorative justice (RJ) called Freedom Wings (FW) and presents a new model to promote RJ in Southern Europe, which was developed from FW findings. The principal mission of the FW project is to disseminate best practices of RJ within a transnational network and to promote community participation in conflict prevention and resolution, in order to support individual and social well-being. This paper presents the main findings of multiagency and professional focus groups exploring restorative approaches and community justice. Observation of experts’ social representation of RJ helped the authors to understand the operation of the justice systems in each country and the attitudes of senior officials towards implementing restorative practices in a way that actively involves the community. The analysis shows the necessity of a cultural change in order to switch from a form of RJ managed by the judicial system to one led by the community. The EU project enabled the research team to theorize a model for promoting a relational and restorative community.     

工伤赔偿与民事侵权赔偿的关系——从司法审判的角度审视

现代工业社会,工伤是经常发生的侵害劳动者权益的问题。工伤赔偿与民事赔偿请求权竞合时给司法审判带来了困难。理性处理二者的关系是和谐社会的必然要求。未来工伤保险立法必须对工伤保险赔偿与民事侵权赔偿之间的适用关系做出明确的界定,应根据工伤发生的原因而适用不同的处理模式。     

从民族生态的特点看移民式扶贫开发——以广西环江的跨县异地安置为例

环江自1993起的十年时间内,以异地安置方式先后接收了近6万大石山区贫困人口。经过多年发展,移民们已较好地融入了环江当地的生产生活,从搬出来,到稳下来,正奔着“富”起来的目标踏实前行着。分析上述事件有诸多视角,本文意欲从现实民族生态的特点出发作一番尝试性思考。     

信息分化与弱势群体的权利贫困

信息分化是指在当代社会信息化发展过程中．由于信息技术的迅速发展与有效应用而导出的一种人类社会的不同信息活动主体之间的信息差距及其不断扩大的社会分化现象。它与公民的权利贫困相关,它往往进一步加剧弱势群体的权利贫困。对于社会弱势群体的权利贫困状况,各级政府要给予高度重视,应该加大“信息扶贫”的力度,让弱势群体回归主流社会。     

产业集群发展中的政府治理

产业集群是一种新型的产业组织形式,治理是地方政府作用于产业集群的有效方式。产业集群的政府治理是市场经济条件下政府经济职能在产业集群发展中的表现。它主要表现在以下三个方面:完善市场机制,激活中间体组织的治理功能,转变政府职能、提供公共产品和服务。     

上市公司股权集中度与经营绩效关系的行业特征分析

本文利用上海证券交易所采掘、电力和煤气行业的40家及批发、零售贸易业,电子信息产业的91家上市公司的数据,在进行适当的筛选和剔除之后,对它们2003年至2005年三年的数据进行了实证研究。结果表明,在不同的行业特征条件下,股权集中度对公司经营绩效的影响是不同的:在竞争性行业的上市公司中,股权相对集中,且有若干个大股东的股权集中度有利于公司绩效的提升;在垄断性行业的上市公司中,则是较高的股权集中度有利于公司绩效的提升,无论是第一大股东、前五大股东或前十大股东的持股比例都应保持较高水平。这些实证结果为完善我国的上市公司治理提供了有益的启示。