Party Competition and Reforms of Unemployment Benefits in Germany: How a Small Change in Electoral Demand Can Make a Big Difference

This article shows how party competition has influenced reforms of unemployment benefits in Germany. The existing literature on German labour market policy emphasises institutional factors and predicts policy stability. Consequently, the recent fundamental reforms (‘Hartz reforms’) pose a challenge to previous research. By looking at the spatial configuration of the party system and at policy demand, this article argues that the incremental retrenchments of the 1980s and 1990s were conditioned by centripetal competition and a high degree of welfare consensus, whereas the more radical Hartz reforms were made possible by a limited shift in public opinion in favour of restructuring and the lack of a left-wing counterweight in the party system. Thus, the structure of the party system exacerbated the effect of a demand shift that was only moderate. The analysis is not meant to discard other explanatory factors, rather it intends to demonstrate the relevance of party competition to the study of labour market reforms in Germany and, more generally, to comparative welfare state research.     

Combating Depopulation in the Northern Periphery: Local Leadership Strategies in two Norwegian Municipalities

This article concerns how the municipal organisation and its leaders respond to challenges posed by the post-industrial era, in the form of shrinking employment opportunities and population decline. By developing distinct policies of supporting cultural and new economic initiatives, they depart from traditional steering modes and engage in ‘networked governance’ to safeguard community viability. This extends the scope of what we normally expect of local government, as it implies practices and de facto decision making outside the public realm. With these strategies, municipal leaders show that they are eager to do something for the people in the municipality. Their relative success in the use of governance methods might be regarded as new ways of legitimising the politicians' and the municipalities' role. In this respect, creating policies that relate to the formation of community identity may be an important asset.     

The Quest for Leadership Legitimacy among Singapore Malays

Abstract

Much has been written about the problems and concerns affecting the Malay ethnic minority in Singapore. These include issues such as their socio-economic situation, relatively low educational performance, and increasing incidences of social ailments like high rates of drug addiction, divorce and youth delinquency. In the context of Singapore's multiracial and multi-religious fabric, little has been articulated about what is here argued to be a core issue of the ‘Malay plight’, namely, the legitimacy of the Malay political leadership. Apparently both the ruling-party-affiliated Malay politicians and their Malay opposition counterpart have been at odds with their perceptions and predispositions towards this particular issue. It is here that a bold, albeit controversial, alternative model called the ‘collective leadership’, was publicly goaded by the Association of Malay/Muslim Professionals in both their 1990 and 2000 National Conventions, which requires due consideration. Perhaps at a time of a changing Singapore society, this alternative or its variant could go some way towards mitigating, if not resolving, the long-standing Malay plight, and thus, benefit not only the Malay minority itself, but Singapore as a whole.     

Comparing federal institutions: Power and representation in six federations

The study of comparative federalism is often hampered by the diverse range of federal institutional arrangements in practice, as well as the ambiguity surrounding the concept of federalism. This article identifies three main conceptual approaches to federalism – sociological, constitutional, and governmental – then proposes a revised governmental approach that takes account of the institutional effects of federalism, for application in comparative politics research. Minimally defined, all federations are products of institutional rules that create separate territorial spheres of authority. This article compares Canada, the United States, Australia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland along two key institutional dimensions that structure politics in the federal state: resource allocation, and the representation of constituent units in federal-level decision-making.     

Some common questions about participatory research: a review of the literature

This article reviews, through reference to the published literature, some key questions about participatory research. When should participatory research be used? How should participatory research be applied? What about quality of science in participatory research? Are there any institutional issues associated with the use of participatory research? And what are the benefits and costs of participatory research? The article is not a comprehensive literature review on participatory research, it is not meant to set standards for participatory research, nor to define what constitutes ‘good’ participatory research, but rather it seeks to summarise the realities of implementing participatory research, as discussed and debated by several published authors, and to provide some useful background for this special issue.     

试论社会主义和谐社会人民共建人民共享

构建社会主义和谐社会必须坚持党的领导,同时要以不断提高党的执政能力,保持党的先进性,以党内民主推进社会民主,通过民主政治的扩展,充分体现广大人民在构建和谐社会中的主体作用,进而保证社会的公平公正,达到人尽其用,共同富裕的目标。     

前沿科技的广泛辐射带动作用

前沿科技已经成为决定一个国家国际竞争力的关键因素。我国当前面临着经济全球化竞争、经济社会协调发展、国家安全威胁和资源环境危机四大战略性挑战。以全面、协调、可持续的科学发展观为指导,发展高新技术尤其是前沿科技是从根本上解决国家面临的挑战、实现中华民族伟大复兴的必由之路。     

缘何不是法律方法——原本法学的探源

中国法学界对在汉语中到底是使用“法学方法”还是“法律方法”存在着争议。之所以会产生这种争议是因为人们对德国法学中“法学方法论”一词中的“法学”的蕴涵不太清楚。德语的“法学方法论”中的“法学”有特定的内涵和意义,而不是中国法学界所普遍理解的法学。前者是由西方法律文明的创造者——古罗马人所创立的一门独立的科学或实践智慧,是西方两千多年法律文明中绵延不绝的伟大传统。这种传统意义的法学称为原本法学。相对于原本法学来说,现在所谓的其他法学学科如法社会学、法经济学、法史学、甚至法哲学,都是一种交叉或边缘学科。在这种意义下,在汉语中还是使用“法学方法”一词较为合理。     

专家库管理系统在社科管理工作中的理论与实践

充分发挥天津市哲学社会科学高级人才库管理系统的作用,为天津人力资源的有序利用和开发奠定良好的基础。     

中国外交学研究方法探讨

邓小平理论、邓小平外交思想、“三个代表”重要思想为中国外交学科建设提供了理论指南,代表最广大人民群众的根本利益是外交学研究的出发点和归宿,代表先进文化是中国外交学科发展的方向。历史唯物主义和辩证法是外交学研究的核心方法,可以归纳为五个方面的内容。历史发展新时期的中国外交实践为中国外交学研究提供了切实可行的理论指导和依据。