The dilemmas of pursuing ‘throughput legitimacy’ through participatory mechanisms

Under pressure to open up the ‘black box’ of governance, technocratic bodies are increasingly seeking to include civil society participation in the policy process. This article draws on empirical cases from the European Commission and NHS England to assess the extent to which the participatory mechanisms pursued by these institutions have been successful in eliciting ‘throughput legitimacy’. It is shown that though these mechanisms have taken very different forms – the former a classic instance of ‘window dressing’ participation, the latter closer to ‘best practice’ in this field – they nevertheless share a number of ongoing vulnerabilities. The article outlines the shared organisational, operational and existential dilemmas that technocratic bodies face when eliciting civil society participation, and highlight their reliance on backstage negotiation to sustain stakeholder buy-in. It concludes by highlighting the prospect that the pursuit of throughput legitimacy for technocratic bodies entails inherent limitations and contradictions.     

Unheard Voices: Why Former Child Welfare Workers Left Their Positions

This mixed methods study used a snowball sample (n = 54) to capture retrospective insight from former public child welfare workers about job satisfaction and reasons they left their positions. Responses to open-ended questions suggested a theme of lack of organizational support as the primary reason they left. Former workers also reported that they wanted a voice and someone to hear their concerns, greater recognition, and opportunity to practice self-care. Quantitatively, workers in their positions 8 years or longer were the most satisfied on a 19-item global scale examining job satisfaction. Respondents were unhappy with their workloads and emotional impact of their positions.     

网络民主热的冷思考

网络民主热潮的背后,折射出了现实政治的诸多困境.它的“一枝独秀”很大程度上缘于现实参与渠道的不畅通、多元民主力量的缺失以及代议机构功能不足等,它的有效治理取决于现实政治的容纳和对接,有赖于多元民主力量的壮大,以及各种民主形式之间的优势互补.     

论港澳台地区公共秩序保留制度的适用及其对我国大陆的启示

通过对我国港澳台地区公共秩序保留制度立法现状和司法适用进行梳理，认为港澳台地区公共秩序保留制度各具特色兼有不足。大陆地区已于2011年4月1日起正式实施《法律适用法》，但公共秩序保留制度的立法仍不完善。可以借鉴港澳台地区公共秩序保留制度的经验，将名称统一为公共秩序，明确公共秩序的内涵和限制其适用范围，区分国际公共秩序和区际公共秩序，选择“客观说”作为公共秩序保留制度的适用标准，在排除外国法或外域法适用后首选与纠纷有最密切联系地的法律，然后再考虑我国大陆地区的本地法。     

论公共安全管理专业服务社会能力的提升简

专业建设是高等学校各项建设的核心,是提高人才培养质量的保证.加强公共安全管理专业建设,提升服务社会能力是国家“十二五”规划“关于加强公共安全体系”的需求,也是专业持续健康发展的需要.公共安全管理专业应通过推进“校、局、企”对接,创新人才培养模式,推进实践教学改革,提升教师实践教学水平,推进评价模式改革等手段,提升服务社会能力.     

非全封闭线路治安问题防控探析

铁路非全封闭线路的治安防控由于物防建设不足,显现出情况复杂易反弹、路外伤亡事故比重高的特点,成为当前铁路公安机关线路治安防控工作的重点与难点。以徐州铁路公安处为视点,可以剖析非全封闭线路的分布特点、治安现状以及问题多发的原因,对此可采取以下措施进行改进:以转变观念为先导,增强工作信心;以道口监管为重点,压降问题发生;以夯实基础为抓手,加强治安防范;以改进勤务为方向,提升防控效能;以责任落实为保障,完善联防网络等防控对策。     

Cinema’s Milieu: Negotiating the movies’ public and popular dimensions in early twentieth-century Brazil

Drawing on extensive archival research, this paper examines the controversies over the place and the role of cinema in early twentieth-century Brazil. It situates these debates in the context of Brazil’s struggle to come to terms with the powerful forces of modernity, in particular with issues of race, immigration, class formation and conflict, and changing gender roles. Tracing the discourses of Brazil’s cultural elites and also the practical responses of film entrepreneurs and exhibitors, the paper discusses how these interactions overlapped with changes taking place in Brazil’s cinematic landscape and illustrates how they had profound effects on film content, its function, and exhibition practices.     

Framing Exclusion in the Public Sphere: Far-Right Mobilisation and the Debate on Charlie Hebdo in Italy

While the January 2015 Paris terrorist attacks presented a crucial opportunity for far-right mobilisation, the focus on liberal democratic values and Charlie Hebdo’s non-conformist progressive profile presented challenges for right-wing discourse. Taking Italy as a paradigmatic case of public controversies on cultural and religious affairs, this article examines the opportunities and constraints generated by multicultural crises for far-right framing choices. A qualitative frame analysis analyses the discourse of three types of far-right actors. While the populist radical right, extreme right, and ultra-religious right groups disagree on crucial criteria for outgroup exclusion, they collectively employed the Charlie Hebdo controversy to redefine their exclusionary discourse on liberal grounds with the goal of gaining legitimacy in the mainstream public sphere.     

“新与旧、公与私、理与时、情与势”中的人——试探李准1954-1955年(合作化高潮前)的小说创作

本文聚焦于作家李准的早期创作(1954年到1955年7月合作化高潮前),追踪李准如何观察互助合作过程所引发的农民在价值观念、心理、意识、情感、家庭关系等方面的变化状态,深入分析他围绕互助合作的动员组织方式、个人与集体关系、集体形成路径、新的家庭关系与乡村日常生活状态等主题所展开的观察和把握的具体意涵。文章进而揭示,李准的体察突破了惯常的"阶级"视角,有助于我们突破相关历史表述及其逻辑重新认识那一段历史中经验的真实意涵,同时使我们得以在更为丰富的维度中思考20世纪50年代合作化进程中集体与个人、公与私、情与理等重要问题。文章还将思考李准当年这些观察和理解对我们今天认识中国乡村社会和农民的启发意义。     

对基层公安民警教育培训的思考

现在的公安民警教育培训机制落后,针对性不强,已经不适应社会转型的需要。提高公安机关防控能力,并使每个民警真正做到“三懂”、“四会”,就必须改进创新现在的培训机制、培训模式、培训内容及培训理念,在理论、技术、解惑等诸多方面提高公安民警的素质。