When civil engagement is part of the problem: Flawed anti-corruptionism in Russia and Ukraine

In developing countries, the fight against corruption entails purges of political and business elites and the restructuring of electoral, financial, and social provision systems, all of which are costly for the incumbents and, therefore, unlikely without sustained pressure from civil society. In the absence of empirical analyses, scholars and practitioners have, therefore, assumes that civil society plays an unequivocally positive role in anti-corruptionism. In this article, we challenge this dominant assumption. Instead, we show that, under certain conditions, an engaged non-governmental community may, in fact, undermine the fight against corruption. Using the data from forty interviews with anti-corruption practitioners in Ukraine and Russia, as well as primary documentary sources, we present two models of anti-corruptionism whereby active civil engagement produces suboptimal outcomes. One is faux collaboration, defined as a façade of cooperation between the state and civil society, which hides the reality of one-sided reforms. The other model is that of non-collaborative co-presence, whereby the governance role is shared by the government and non-governmental activists without compromise-based solutions. In both cases, civil engagement helps perpetuate abuses of power and subvert such long-term goals of anti-corruption reforms as democratization and effective governance.     

还历史本来面目——重新审视日本明治维新

发生在日本近代的明治维新,一开始并不是所谓主张进步的维新志士企图推翻落后保守的幕府政权的革命,而是一场围绕着开国与锁国的政治斗争。对立双方的主角,一方是主张对外开放的幕府政权,另一方则是部分主张复古排外的雄藩武士。这批武士与大权旁落很久的朝廷结盟,最终逼迫幕府“奉还大政”,建立起中央集权的明治政权。由于没有治国经验,新政权建立后不久即派出级别很高的岩仓使节团对欧美各先进国家进行全面考察。使节团回国后,日本政府迅速调整政策,全面学习西方,终于走上了近代资本主义道路。     

改革开放的孩子们——中国“70后”和“80后”青年的公平感和民主意识研究

改革开放之后成长起来的青年一代,在特定的社会历史条件下,形成了自己在学历、收入、就业、生活方式和态度表达方面的特点。70后和80后青年的社会态度也与众不同,更倾向于认为社会不公平和更强调个人权利和责任。针对当代青年的特殊性,本文提出了有利于青年发展的政策建议。     

物业税税制改革的财政公共管理体制困境探析——地方政府“逆向软预算约束”的分析框架

运用社会学和经济学的分析方法,探索了制约我国物业税税制改革的财政公共管理体制中的约束机制,得出结论如下:不规范的财政分权改革的直接后果造成了地方政府预算软约束和"逆向软预算约束",而分税制改革给地方政府收入结构带来的"驱赶效应"以及地方政府事实上具有获取体制外资源的强大能力在很大程度上又强化了地方政府的"逆向软预算约束"机制.在上述财政管理体制环境中进行物业税改革自然步履维艰,因为地方政府"逆向软预算约束"机制是制约物业税税制改革的直接原因;不彻底的财政分权体制缺陷是制约物业税税制改革的根本原因;社会约束不力以及相关制度设计缺陷是制约物业税税制改革的外在原因;税制设计严重老化是制约物业税税制发展的内在原因.     

Challenging Privatization: A Conceptual and Theoretical Argument

This is the second of a three-part polemic against the destruction of state owned enterprises in China (the first, “Against Privatization: A Historical and Empirical Argument”, is published in JCPS 13:1, 2008). It critically examines the ideology of privatization and argues for alternative guidelines of reform. The central contention is that a healthy market economy does not require domination of private property; rather it relies on apposite political-legal-ideological power and regulatory-monitoring regimes of accumulation and distribution socially legitimated within a given public culture. Rejecting the fallacies of ownership determinism and precision requirement on property rights for morality and efficiency, this essay clarifies distinction between the notion of exclusive properties and the vision of their socialized utility and management. Justifications for reforming state and private sectors alike in accordance with a unifying commons of social defense and feasibilities of innovative reform measures and policy proposals in that direction, will be elaborated in a third essay titled “Overcoming Privatization: A Strategic and Institutional Argument”.

《人民警察职业道德》课程教学改革的若干思考

《人民警察职业道德》课程作为公安院校独具特色的思想政治理论课,是公安院校思想政治工作的重要环节。在公安警务改革和执法思想变革的时代背景下,公安院校必须不断更新德育观念,坚持以课堂教学为主阵地,充实、完善教学内容,优化教学方法与考核方式,才能真正取得实效。     

运动员商事人格权的归属--兼论运动员商业开发体制的完善

随着社会的发展变化,商事人格权已经逐渐成为人们关注的焦点。运动员商事人格权归属不清已经成为制约我国体育事业发展的瓶颈,旧的运动员商业开发体制已经不能适应新形势的需要。应当从法学角度明确运动员商事人格权的归属和内容,以推动我国运动员商业开发体制的完善。     

推行社会化警察勤务构筑现代海港边检警务机制

转制后的边检勤务模式大致经历了三个阶段的发展,不同的勤务模式表现出相同的不足.对边检勤务体制的改革,应从边检工作长期发展的立足点出发,坚持与时俱进,拓宽管理渠道,丰富管理手段,变静态监管为动态监管,变微观的码头控制为宏观的社区控制,建立社会化边检警察勤务,构筑现代海港边检警务机制.     

我国公司法定分类模式的再探讨简

我国《公司法》将公司划分为有限责任公司与股份有限公司,这一分类只停留在表面差异上,未以公司的封闭性与开放性这一实质进行区分.目前学术界对我国公司分类模式提出了质疑.应在分析现有模式弊端的同时,借鉴相关国家经验,以寻求一种适合我国国情的公司法定分类新模式.     

论新《行政诉讼法》的若干制度创新

新《行政诉讼法》相对于原《行政诉讼法》有一系列制度创新,其中最重要的有下述八项:立案审查制改登记制,让当事人起诉难变起诉易;案件可跨行政区域管辖,让地方干预易变干预难;扩大受案范围,让行政解纷法治渠道窄变法治渠道宽;放宽当事人资格限制,让利害关系人参与诉讼机会少变参与机会多;增加复议机关被告责任和被诉行政机关负责人出庭应诉责任,让"告官见官难"变"告官见官易";改进诉讼程序,让起诉时限短、诉讼耗时长变起诉时限延长、诉讼耗时减少;扩大司法审查强度,增加裁判形式,让行政诉讼救济手段更多、监督力度更大;增加行政裁判的执行方式,让行政审判更有权威、更有公信力。