The Denial of Virtue

When a New York City man risked his own life to save a stranger on the subway tracks, the New York Times interpreted his behavior not in terms of virtue but as a product of certain ‘hard-wiring’ he happened to possess. In denying virtue, the Times followed a school of thought that is pervasive in social science (referred to in this paper as the ‘individualists’) who, for example, explain charitable donations by pointing out tax deductions, explain volunteer work by revealing the opportunities contained therein to meet other singles, and so on. Actually, the assumptions and arguments which ground this widespread ‘denial of virtue’ are both empirically and normatively flawed, and the theory itself is belied by data about people doing good for moral reasons. Evidence drawn from personal introspection, from empirical studies of human behavior, from analysis of voting as a civil act, from interpreting peoples’ reaction to Alzheimer’s disease, from critical inspection of the logic of ‘individualist’ social explanations, and from a normative criticism of the products of the ‘individualist’ approach all support a rejection of the ‘individualist’ approach. The deniers of virtue should heed the evidence and pay mind to the amoralizing consequences of their erroneous theories.

Welfare Performance in Southern Europe: Employment Crisis and Poverty Risk

The Great Recession has had a deep impact on employment levels and on income inequality in the Southern European countries (Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy). It has given rise to a new stage in the discussion on the distinctiveness of a possible ‘Mediterranean’ variant of welfare capitalism. This paper analyses the performance of the Mediterranean cluster during the Great Recession period in its two main dimensions, labour market participation and poverty risk, and to what extent that performance has evolved in a divergent or convergent manner. Firstly, it portrays the main changes in this variant of welfare capitalism during the last two decades. The second and third sections, respectively, provide a comparative profile of the employment crisis suffered by these countries and of its impact on poverty risks. Finally, the main institutional traits are discussed, explaining the relative performance of welfare capitalism in this cluster of countries.     

Support for Democracy in Times of Crisis: Diffuse and Specific Regime Support in Portugal and Greece

In the context of a cross-national economic crisis, questions about democratic legitimacy are again topical. We explore the question of democratic legitimacy in Portugal and Greece by employing the conceptual differentiation between diffuse and specific regime support. Our findings indicate that while specific support has fallen in both countries, only Greece has experienced a precipitous fall in diffuse support, suggesting a link between regime performance and support for democracy. Individual-level analyses do not reveal any clear patterns concerning the impact of long-term societal factors or short-term economic considerations. Due to data quality limitations the paper has a predominately exploratory nature.     

Regionalism and African agency: negotiating an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and SADC-Minus

This article investigates the regional dynamics of African agency in the case of negotiations on an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and a group of Southern African countries, known as SADC-Minus. I argue that these negotiations were shaped by a pattern of differentiated responses to the choice set on offer under the EPAs by SADC-Minus policy makers and by a series of strategic interactions and power plays between them. I offer two contributions to an emerging literature on the role of African agency in international politics. First, I argue for a clear separation between ontological claims about the structure–agency relationship and empirical questions about the preferences, strategies and influence of African actors. Second, I suggest that, in order to understand the regional dynamics of African agency, it is important to pay close attention to the diversity and contingency of African preferences and to the role of both power politics and rhetorical contestation in regional political processes.     

从经济犯罪看犯罪生态学之重构

将生态学作为一种研究方法、思维方式、理论成果运用于犯罪学领域,犯罪生态学得以重构,现代犯罪生态学由此产生。这是传统犯罪生态学理论的质的飞跃。从研究经济犯罪的角度审视,犯罪生态学的重构路径和学术价值在于:运用现代生态学学科概念、理论学说、观念体系,对犯罪现象、原因和预防进行分析;运用生态自我调适和自我控制的方法来减少犯罪产生的条件,达到从根本上抑制犯罪的目的。     

北部湾经济区保税物流体系建设研究

保税物流是国家给予广西经济发展的优惠政策,是推动北部湾经济区开放开发的重要工具,如何构建北部湾经济区保税物流体系是广西经济发展面临的重要课题。保税物流是高端物流,对区域经济发展的贡献较大。北部湾经济区保税物流体系建设重点是在市场、物流与制度上与国际接轨,构建高效的运营管理机制和紧密联系的产业分工协作机制。在产业定位与选择上是培育区域具有竞争力的优势产业,同时建立支撑产业发展的配套服务体系。在建设过程中要注意避免产生孤岛效应。     

辽宁沿海经济带开发建设中海洋利用与保护问题研究

该文分析了辽宁沿海经济带发展规划实施以来海洋利用与保护工作面临的形势和存在的主要问题,提出了加强辽宁海洋利用与保护、服务沿海经济带建设的对策和建议。     

统筹城乡发展 推动辽宁沿海经济带城镇化

该文分析了城镇化发展规律和辽宁沿海经济带城镇化发展现状,提出了经济带城镇化的构想。按照城乡统筹的思路,重点探讨了户籍、土地、就业、社会保障、住房、教育医疗、资金投入等推进沿海城镇化的七个关键问题,提出了若干思路和改革措施。     

Economic Competitiveness and Social Policy in Open Economies

While many studies have shown that greater trade openness affects the overall size of social spending, this study emphasizes that it also affects types of social policies that a government prioritizes. When faced with deepening trade competition, governments tend to use different policy measures to address the opportunities and challenges stemming from their economic competitiveness in the international market. Policy makers in countries with high relative labor costs are likely to privilege social insurances and income transfer. This is because as high labor costs make their workers more vulnerable in the trade competition, governments seek to protect skilled labor in order to maintain their economic advantage in advanced industries. In contrast, when relative labor costs are low, human capital investment programs are likely to be emphasized to enhance productivity and the quality of labor to capitalize the cost competitiveness of a country’s workers. The findings from empirical analyzes of 26 OECD economies from 1991 to 2012 support these arguments.     

东亚地中海自由贸易圈形成的可能性

日本海、东海、黄海统称为东亚地中海 ,由于环保、交通等原因 ,“东亚地中海经济圈”的现实性日益加强。根据中、日、韩现有的贸易关系 ,在三国之间缔结自由贸易协定是互利的 ,应首选部分地区搞自由贸易圈 ,并在此基础上将俄、朝、蒙等国扩充进来 ,最终建立起“东亚地中海自由贸易圈”。