THE INFLUENCE OF E‐GOVERNMENT ON ADMINISTRATIVE DISCRETION: THE CASE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN EGYPT

One important but often understudied area of research in public administration is the effect of e‐government on administrative discretion. This article examines e‐government factors that influence administrative discretion through a survey of local governments. The focus of this study is on Egyptian local governments, which are using e‐government to modernise public service delivery. Through a survey of administrative officials in these governments, this study found evidence that e‐government factors of collaboration and organisational change influenced administrative discretion. Other common factors noted in the literature such as size of the local government and demand by citizens for e‐government did not register an effect on administrative discretion. The results of this study imply that local governments should do more to enhance e‐government to reduce administrative discretion, especially in the area of increasing collaboration. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

试论新形势下高校反腐倡廉理论研究工作

加强高校反腐倡廉理论研究,是建立健全惩治和预防腐败体系的重要部分,也是强化高校服务地方职能的重要途径。面对反腐倡廉理论研究的新形势、新问题,从反腐倡廉理论研究的重要意义入手,对反腐倡廉理论研究工作创新平台的作用发挥和机制保障问题进行探讨。     

Reconfiguring citizenship and nationality: dual citizenship of Taiwanese migrants in China

Many researchers have redefined citizenship to better understand the membership status aspired and demanded by contemporary migrants. As a result, the concept of ‘membership’ as opposed to citizenship was proposed in delineating the decoupling between citizenship and nationality; immigrant demands for rights and state policies in response can thereby be interpreted without considering the political meanings of citizenship. However, the decoupling of citizenship and national identity can be challenged when it comes to dual citizenship, especially when the homeland and host states are engaged in political tensions. This article examines the shifting policies of China (the People's Republic of China, or PRC) and Taiwan (the Republic of China, or ROC) towards the citizenship conferred to Taiwanese migrants in China. The findings of this research suggest that political dimension (including political rights and obligations) should be regarded as an integral part of citizenship (i.e. national membership) especially in the rival-state context. The Taiwan–China case can contribute to our understanding of citizenship policy changes under the double pressure of inter-state rivalry and globalization. The globalizing forces help create conditions for ‘flexible citizenship’ in the ‘zones of hypergrowth’, while in the case of Taiwan–China inter-state competition draws governments and people back to zones of loyalty, the nationally defined memberships.     

International Technology Cooperation: The Problem of Commercial Rivalry

International technology cooperation promises to help countries exploit the potential of new innovations, but commercial rivalry between companies and governments raises obstacles to it. In this article, I present and solve a model of international technology cooperation. The formal analysis shows that a technology agreement must address two issues. First, governments must be able to induce companies to innovate. Second, governments must credibly commit to penalizing companies for failing to share new information produced through research. Based on these observations, I show that the potential for technology cooperation is maximized in symmetric settings between equally capable governments and companies. In practice, this observation warrants a policy focus on countries and industries that are already on a level playing ground. I also consider extensions to multinational companies and adverse selection problems. The formal analysis provides a solid foundation for practical policy implementation.     

Special Interests,Regulatory Quality,and the Pesticides Overload

Pesticides overuse is a serious threat to ecosystems and wildlife, human health, and agricultural sustainability. So far, however, social scientists have not produced systematic evidence on the political–economic determinants of pesticides overuse. We argue that the agrochemical industry, as a profit‐motivated interest group, will only mobilize politically to avoid reductions in pesticides use when regulatory institutions are potentially capable of correcting a market failure. If regulatory institutions are weakened by corruption or other factors, pesticides overuse occurs with or without the influence of the agrochemical industry. We test this interactive theory systematically against quantitative data on pesticides use in 24 Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries, 1991–2003. Using corruption and other indicators to capture bureaucratic quality, we find substantively large and statistically robust interactive effects. The agrochemical industry is a crucial determinant of pesticides use in nations with low corruption, whereas the agrochemical industry has no effect on pesticides use under corrupt regulatory institutions. Troublingly, these results imply that reduced corruption may not improve actual regulatory effectiveness unless political institutions can somehow constrain the influence of special interests.     

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.     

预约保险合同与其项下航次保单的关系

预约保险合同与其项下航次保单紧密相连。当前有关预约保险合同与其项下航次保单关系的观点均存在一定不足。在任意型预约保险合同下,航次保单才是真正的保险合同;在义务型预约保险合同下,航次保单应视为双方对该航次保险内容的修正。结合我国国情和国际通行做法,建议将我国《海商法》相关内容修改如下：预约保险合同下的保险标的必须特定化、保险标的必须全部投保、申报必须依次进行、善意的漏报或误报可以进行矫正等。     

从招商引资形势看贵州招商引资政策

招商引资是一个地区经济起飞的重要条件。受国际金融危机的影响,全球FDI（直接投资）格局发生了重大变化。我国使用外资绝对值在上升,相对值却在减少。20世纪末以来,贵州为引进外资提供了一些优惠政策,但也存在一系列问题。文章针对贵州招商引资现状和问题,围绕投资促进理念、营造投资环境、招商引资评估系统以及产业系统提出建议。     

我国国际私法学2007年—2010年研究重点及演进

通过内容分析法对2007年—2010年这四年中我国国际私法学研究重点进行分析界定,结果表明,涉外仲裁法律适用、涉外民商事管辖权、国际民事诉讼程序、国际私法立法发展、国际私法基本原理、国际私法基本制度、冲突法理论、涉外合同关系法律适用等是这四年国际私法学的重点研究领域,研究重点既有延续又有变化,主要为内容时代化、方法多样...