Why We Need to ‘Unpack’ Regions to Compare Them More Effectively

States are finding it increasingly difficult to provide good governance in response to today's problems in a globalised world, as they are often either too small or too big to cope with current crises. One of the strategies of states to remedy this situation is to construct regional levels of governance at the supranational or national level. This has led to the creation of diverse forms of regional governance worldwide, thereby ushering in a neo-Westphalian world of states and regions. In order to advance the research agenda of comparative regionalism, scholars need to ‘unpack’ regions along several conceptual dimensions. This includes seeing regions as economic areas, public goods spaces as well as actors in the international arena. In addition, a distinction needs to be made in studying the projects, processes and products of region building. Moreover, studying regions needs to take into account the discursive context of ‘regionalism speak’. Finally, more attention needs to be dedicated to the internal complexity of regionalisms. In sum, comparing regions is not a straightforward exercise, and in some case regions should not be compared with other regions, but with states.     

天真与经验:人类灵魂的对立状态--简析布莱克的《天真与经验之歌》

<天真与经验之歌>是布莱克的一部诗歌合集,这部合集可谓英国浪漫主义运动的先河之作.诗人在诗中用他"魔鬼般的智慧"给我们描述了人类两种对立的灵魂状态,即天真状态和经验状态.布莱克所描绘的这个辩证统一的状态直至今日对我们仍具有很强的现实意义.     

The Regulatory State in Developing Countries: Can It Exist and Do We Want It? The Case of the Indonesian Power Sector

Abstract

In the rush for development, the regulatory state has assumed the mantle of a new panacea: the instruments and mechanisms necessary for better government, better governance, and better lives. This paper poses two basic questions in response to the rise of the regulatory state and its increasing diffusion into developing countries. First, can regulatory states exist in developing societies or, more accurately, can effective regulatory states emerge and hope to function in a manner similar to their counterparts in developed countries and deliver the types of benefits and outcomes they promise? And second, do regulatory states offer the most effective modalities for delivering enhanced social well-being? By unpacking the concept of the regulatory state and addressing its underlying assumptions and implicit normative values, it is suggested that the modalities of governance entailed in the regulatory state model may not be well suited to developing countries, hurting rather than enhancing governance outcomes. These issues are explored in relation to the Indonesian energy sector, specifically the upstream electricity generation, transmission and distribution sectors, and the machinations involved in governing the sector.     

试论国家语境下的民族政策价值取向

国家语境下的民族认同利益,首先表现于民族国家的利益,这种利益通过民族政策体现出来。每个国家的民族政策都有自己的特色,每种民族政策都蕴含着或体现着一定的价值取向。民族政策价值取向实质上是政策主体价值取向的外在表现。国家的民族政策是否成功,一般取决于两个因素:一个是民族政策的合理性;另一个是民族政策是否得到有效的实施。只有政策主体对国内的民族构成和民族关系的性质、地位、发展趋势等有深刻的认识,而且价值取向合理,能够将民族的局部利益同国家的整体利益结合起来,将眼前利益同长远利益结合起来,才有可能制定出科学、合理的民族政策。而政策是否能够得到不折不扣地实施,关键在于政策执行者对政策的理解、行政的效率和所能支配的政策资源数量。研究国家语境下的民族政策价值取向,把握民族国家的精神实质和基本的政策倾向,重视多民族国家认同利益的政策关照,是促进民族平等团结互助和谐的重要举措。     

WTO框架下政府采购合同的国际私法问题

界定了政府采购合同性质,分析了WTO框架下《政府采购协议》对政府采购合同的相关规定,在此基础上,重点论述WTO框架下政府采购合同涉及的国际私法问题:纠纷的解决方式、法律适用、国家及其财产豁免问题。     

论1787年《美国宪法》与1947年《中华民国宪法》之歧异

历史留给后人许多经验和教训 ,也留给人们思考的空间。通过对中美两部宪法在立宪理念、宪法内容、行宪结果及其原因的比较、分析 ,认为契约精神在我国的推广 ,将有助于推动我国宪政的完善与发展。     

公/私二分法与福利国家的"性别化"--西方社会工作的现代性思考

作者在文中使用公／私二分法作为概念工具,分析西方福利国家中的“社会的代表性”和公民权的性别化,指出“公民权”的性别取向导致了社会不平等。因此,在实践中注重“增权”的使命,成为当代社会工作研究和实务推展的一个新方向。     

The Baltic miracle? The economic crisis and its consequences for young people in the labor market of the Baltic states, 2007–2017

ABSTRACT

The financial crisis (2008–2009) resulted in significant deterioration of the youth labor market in the Baltic states. In 2017, however, the Baltic states were among the countries with the highest employment-to-population ratio in Europe (the ‘Baltic Miracle’). This article shows that the observed progress is mostly due to the demographic changes in the three countries. Isolating the demographic effect demonstrated that it played crucial role in mitigating the negative effects of the crisis, especially in Latvia and Lithuania. The results of the study show that in 2017 only in Estonia had the youth labor market returned to its precrisis conditions.     

Cape Verde and the risks of tourism specialisation: the tourism option for Africa’s small states

ABSTRACT

Tourism is a viable, but risky, option for many small island countries to integrate and compete in the world economy. This article examines tourism in the small island economy of Cape Verde. It assesses the risks to its long term development posed by the industry. The country has one of the fastest growing tourism industries in the world. However, this rapid growth is a dual-edge sword. Tourism-led growth results in real economic gains. However, the type and organisation of Cape Verde’s tourism industry magnifies the country’s already high structural vulnerability. Given its current structure and pace of growth, tourism increases macroeconomic risks and vulnerability. It is reproducing the same monoculture dependency that traditionally hampered development in African economies. The policy lessons are clear. Cape Verde must foster economic diversification while simultaneously engaging in strategies to mitigate the risks that accompany its biggest and fastest growing sector and export.     

后冷战时代的失败国家课题

失败国家是后冷战时代世界政治中的一个突出课题 ,它对内造成了严重的人道主义灾难 ,对外则是世界和平与地区安全的重大隐患。本文对失败国家的内涵、研究价值、指向性特征、形成原因、相关的国际干预机制等等进行了初步的探讨。