The Influences of Perceived Managerial Discretion and Risk-Taking Behavior on Government Organizational Performance

Purpose: This study investigates pertinent factors in perceived managerial discretion (PMD) in association with risk-taking behavior (RTB) and organizational performance within government organizations. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a mix of qualitative methods—using focus group discussions (FGDs) to select key variables affecting PMD and to validate the research findings—and quantitative methods—using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test eight hypotheses developed from FGDs and from a literature review. Out of 340 questionnaires sent out to potential participants, 260 were returned and deemed valid for SEM analysis, reflecting a satisfactory response rate of 76%. Findings: A total of six factors affecting PMD were identified: quasi-legal constraint (QLC), powerful outside forces (POFs), inertial forces (IFs), powerful inside forces (PIFs), power base (PB), and political acumen (PA). The SEM analysis indicated that QLC, PIF, PB, and PA enhance PMD, while IF tends to inhibit PMD. Stronger PMD was associated with weaker RTB on the part of government-official decision makers, while greater RTB was associated with more positive organizational outcomes. These findings are partially consistent with prior findings, with some notable contradictions. Research implications/limitations: The primary limitation of this study was its limited external validity, as these findings can only be extended to organizations with similar characteristics of those of the government institution used as the case study. These findings must be used with care for different types of public organizations. Practical implications: These findings support taking the following steps: (1) review and remove equivocal regulations that could restrain PMD, (2) streamline bureaucracy, (3) establish regulations that allow more space for innovation and discretion, (4) delineate the tasks and responsibilities of decision makers, and (5) discourage abrupt policy changes, promoting proper scrutiny and notice.     

对英国失业状况和就业政策的考察

本较详细地介绍了８０年代以来英国的失业状况及政府为解决失业问题所陛的对策,以供我国解决此类问题作参考。章认为,解决下岗、失业问题和实施再就业措施,绝不是一个独立的安排过剩劳动力的问题,要避免单纯为了解解下岗和失业压力而采取不利于维护和提高我国产业国际竞争力的措施。这是一个关系到我国劳动力就业的长期态势的战略性问题。     

建立公务员失业保险制度的必要性及对策思考

随着政府机构的改革和国家公务员制度的推行,《公务员法》即将实施,国家公务员失业的情况难以避免。建立我国公务员失业保险制度迫在眉睫,应尽早将其提上我国社会保障制度改革的议事日程。     

第三次分配制度化的实现：注意力分配与正向激励——基于某公共组织支教事业的行动视角

第三次分配制度化是形式上制度的建立,但更强调过程和目标上制度要求的实现,即第三次分配相关活动的持续和重复。基于中观的公共组织行动者视角,研究发现,在一定的公共空间内个体参与第三次分配的热情和效果得以持续。以H大学的支教事业为例,此校由外而内将支教注意力纵向分配,并通过正向激励,动态实现了个体持续以志愿服务参与第三次分配的制度化要求。第三次分配制度化实现的行动方法论是：一方面,公共组织的注意力分配是第三次分配制度化实现的行动起点,组织向外确保注意力分配的科学性,向内则将注意力层层分配;另一方面,公共组织的正向激励是第三次分配制度化实现的行动保障,通过采取物质和精神的综合激励方式,针对第三次分配的参与类型,在参与准入或过程维度对参与者施以差别标准,同时吸纳多元反馈,动员和维系社会力量的慈善参与行为。     

资源失灵与阻抗力--基于M村婚姻暴力现象的研究

解释婚姻暴力时资源正功能论和资源负功能论并存,现实中女性拥有较多资源也可能长期遭受婚姻暴力,构成本文所谓"资源失灵"现象。本文通过对资源概念进行界定及分类,厘清问题本质,考察农村家庭中妻子面对婚姻暴力时经济资源失灵的过程与机理,揭示家庭背景、社区文化等结构资源对个体经济资源的主导作用,从阻抗力的角度思考相关对策。女性具有的男权中心性别观念会扭曲其对经济资源的主观认知,抑制其资源利用能力,导致资源失灵。家庭因素、社区环境等结构资源通过社会化过程影响个体的观念系统,也会以社会支持方式促进或压制经济资源的作用。婚姻暴力阻抗力能减少受暴女性对施暴者或者婚姻关系的依赖性,其产生需激活相应的外部结构资源,并激发个体的意愿与决心。     

目前我国宏观调控的目标、重点及其相关政策的选择

近年来我国经济发展的总体态势出现了一些新情况、新问题、政府宏观调控的目标、重点和相关政策也发生了很大变化。针对这种情况，本通过大量的实证分析，阐明了当前我国通货紧缩现象不会持续，结构性失业问题明显突出，经济增长速度必须适度；揭示了我国宏观调控的重点及其主要方面应该放在优化结构上，而不能一味追求扩大需求；系统阐述了与宏观调控目标和重点相配合的有关政策措施的主要内容。     

试论我国县级政府转变职能和机构改革的重点与难点

本文着重研究了县级政府机构改革应牢牢抓住职能转变这个重点和关键,通过重组政府职能体系,构筑社会经济中介服务组织,规范行政行为,维持经济秩序等方面的工作实现职能转变;同时在转变职能的前提下进行机构改革。最后本文还有针对性地提出了县级政府转变职能和进行机构改革的思路。     

Making the Harder Yards: Environmental Policy Integration in Australia

Solutions to environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and land and water resource degradation require long term integration of economic, social and environmental policies. This poses challenges to specialised, hierarchical public administration systems. The study reported here examined strategies, structures and processes to enable environmental policy integration in six Australian states and territories, and some federal arrangements. The study found that the most prominent success factors, barriers and gaps that affect environmental policy integration relate to leadership, long term embedding of environmental policy integration and implementation capacity. Factors deserving further research and policy attention include leadership, cultural change and capacity building; embedding sustainability in structures and processes; development of a long term evidence based approach; strengthening decentralised implementation arrangements; and evaluation of policy integration initiatives.     

CRIMINAL ACHIEVEMENT, OFFENDER NETWORKS AND THE BENEFITS OF LOW SELF-CONTROL

This study follows recent research on criminal earnings and examines the impact of underlying traits (low self-control) and personal organization features (nonredundant networking) on the criminal earnings of a sample of incarcerated offenders previously involved in market and predatory crimes. Controlling for various background factors (age, noncriminal income, lambda and costs of doing crime), both low self-control and nonredundant networking independently explain why some offenders are more successful than others in achieving higher monetary standards through crime. Although efficient, brokerage-like networking enhances market offenders' earnings, low self-control emerges as an asset for predatory offenders: the lower their self-control, the higher their criminal earnings. For market offenders, however, low self-control has no direct effect, but it does mitigate the impact of effective networking on criminal earnings. The results emerging from this study have implications for Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory of crime and the advent of a criminal network perspective. Extensions are also made toward the conventional/criminal embeddedness framework and deterrence research.     

实践意识·制度结构·权力资源--从结构化理论看思想政治工作有效性问题

结构化理论是社会学中揭示个人行为与社会系统互动关系的重要理论之一.其中实践意识、结构性制约和权力资源配置的论述,对于我们进一步探寻教育者、受教育者、制度等思想政治工作变量间的内在联系,深入探讨如何增强思想政治工作有效性有着重要的启示作用.这表现在整合官兵的实践意识,为增强军队思想政治工作有效性提供坚实的思想基础;优化制度结构,为增强有效性提供科学的制度保障;合理运用权力资源,为增强有效性提供有力的权威支持.