Opposition dynamism under authoritarianism: the case of Yemen, 1994–2011

In contrast to the empirical conditions in large parts of the authoritarian world, the systematic literature on political opposition under authoritarianism either treats the opposition as a static entity or fails to comprehensively address its dynamic character. On the basis of a critical literature review and an ensuing analysis of the Joint Meeting Parties, a cross-ideological opposition alliance that gradually evolved to become the main competitor of the Salih regime in Yemen, we suggest that political opposition in electoral authoritarian regimes is an intrinsically dynamic institution in terms of its organizational shape, its goals and its modes of contestation. We also show that, while authoritarian structures do set the basic conditions defining opposition action, much of what motivates this action and contributes to opposition dynamism emerges from within the opposition. In addition, our findings on the Yemeni case suggest that opposition dynamism peaks when the strength of the opposition is nearly on par with that of the regime.     

Appropriating Nature in Crisis-ridden Greece: Deepening Neoliberal Capitalism,Part 2

This is the second paper in a two-paper series in which we present how the ongoing crisis in Greece has been used to accelerate the neoliberal restructuring of Greece with serious implications for the appropriation of nature. In this paper we focus specifically on particular aspects of the austerity programs that relate to natural resources and natural conditions. We examine changes to the business environment and ongoing privatization schemes to show how the Greek austerity programs benefited private capital with significant concessions of natural resources. By discussing relevant specific cases, we concretely show how austerity programs have had far-reaching adverse consequences for the living conditions of working people and their access to natural resources.     

Party bureaucrats,independent professionals,or politicians? A study of party employees

The number of party employees is increasing, but to what extent and in what sense are party employees integrated into their parties? Based on the literature on party change, the article identifies three important dimensions ? ties, tasks, and career plans ? and constructs a typology of four ideal types of party employees – technical assistants, party bureaucrats, independent professionals, and unelected politicians. Data on Norwegian party employees suggest that they have strong party ties and are entrusted with a wide range of political tasks. However, career plans rarely include elected office. The results indicate that party employees have stronger party ties than envisaged in influential party models. Professionalisation does not render party grassroots irrelevant, but rather turns some grassroots activists into professionals – what can be called ‘unelected politicians’. In conclusion, the article discusses implications for contemporary understandings of political parties.     

对《比较法总论》一书的评述

德国学者K.茨威格特和H.克茨所著的《比较法总论》一书通过探讨比较法的概念、功能、目的、方法及历史,向我们展示了世界各主要法系的概况。     

人民币汇率形成机制改革对中日贸易利益格局的影响

中日两国迅猛发展的经贸关系对东亚经济合作、整个世界经济的发展都会产生重要的影响;但在中日贸易利益分配格局中,我国却长期处于不利的地位。人民币汇率形成机制改革后,我国总价格贸易条件和中日双要素贸易条件将得到改善、比较价格水平将得到提升,同时也将促进我国产业和贸易结构升级,从而改善我国在中日贸易中的利益分配;但也应积极防御汇率双向浮动给中日贸易利益带来的风险和不确定性。     

日本养老金危机与政党走势——以2003-2007年国会选举为视角

2003—2007年日本国会选举,在自民党与民主党两大保守政党的竞争态势下,养老金制度改革与危机成为影响日本政党走势的重要原因之一。一个深层次的问题是,政党支持结构已经由传统模式向业绩投票模式转换,可是,"中位投票者"偏好的政策构想,基本相同的养老金制度致使投票人无所适从;投票人希望候选人成为能确保投票人偏好的政策代理人,然而,5 000万份年金记录丢失,致使养老金危机转向政党危机。构筑让国民信赖的养老金制度是走出政党危机的路径。日本养老金危机对中国有重要借鉴意义。     

暨南大学南洋文化事业部的历史沿革

1927年诞生的暨南大学南洋文化事业部,是中国现代史上规模最大、历时最久、成绩最多、声名最著的东南亚与华侨华人研究的专门机构,它开辟了中国现代东南亚与华侨华人研究的一个"新纪元".关于这一机构的历史沿革,已有的叙述或有讹误与疏略之处.本文对这一问题进行详细考察,提出较为清楚准确的表述,以供学者了解暨大校情以及进行东南亚与华侨华人研究学术史回顾时参考.     

地方政府治理体系对PPP落地率的影响研究——基于中国省级政府的模糊集定性比较分析

目前中国PPP项目落地率低,而且不同省份间差异大,反映的是各地政府治理体系对PPP政策执行效果影响的问题.为探讨地方治理体系与PPP落地率的关系,以中国30个省、自治区、直辖市(除西藏、台湾、香港、澳门外)为案例样本,通过模糊集定性比较分析方法,探究地方政府治理体系中政府执行政策的能力、制度环境和社会经济环境三者不同的...     

Neoliberalism: From New Liberal Philosophy to Anti-Liberal Slogan

In recent years, neoliberalism has become an academic catchphrase. Yet, in contrast to other prominent social science concepts such as democracy, the meaning and proper usage of neoliberalism curiously have elicited little scholarly debate. Based on a content analysis of 148 journal articles published from 1990 to 2004, we document three potentially problematic aspects of neoliberalism’s use: the term is often undefined; it is employed unevenly across ideological divides; and it is used to characterize an excessively broad variety of phenomena. To explain these characteristics, we trace the genesis and evolution of the term neoliberalism throughout several decades of political economy debates. We show that neoliberalism has undergone a striking transformation, from a positive label coined by the German Freiberg School to denote a moderate renovation of classical liberalism, to a normatively negative term associated with radical economic reforms in Pinochet’s Chile. We then present an extension of W. B. Gallie’s framework for analyzing essentially contested concepts to explain why the meaning of neoliberalism is so rarely debated, in contrast to other normatively and politically charged social science terms. We conclude by proposing several ways that the term can regain substantive meaning as a “new liberalism” and be transformed into a more useful analytic tool.

春秋时期的债务问题与政治危机

春秋时期是中国古代社会的重要转型期,经历了“高岸为谷,深谷为陵”的沧桑巨变。社会转型过程也就是财产与权力的再分配过程,债务问题即是研究这一转型过程的一个很好的切入点。春秋时期,债务问题更具普遍性,无论是官府借贷还是私人借贷都有了新发展,严重影响了国人的生产与生活,对各国的政局和社会治安产生了影响。