The evolution of the New Patriotic Party in Ghana

This paper examines the emergence and development of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the context of a broader examination of the roles of political parties within the Ghanaian political landscape. After describing the political architecture as well as some significant constitutional issues of Ghana's democracy and the roles played by other societal stakeholders, the paper examines the rationale for the formation of the NPP, its manifesto, structure, constituency, power brokers. It then analyses various aspects of the implementation (or not) of the NPP's political and economic objectives since it came to power in 2000 with a message of ‘positive change’. The electoral politics of the campaigns against its major opposition, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and issues of regionalism, ethnicity and other factors are considered in detail. The paper concludes with some lessons learned and generic recommendations for emerging African political parties in relatively young democracies.     

Cosmopolitanism and the African Renaissance: Pixley I. Seme and Alain L. Locke

Abstract

The heretofore unknown relationship between Pixley kaIsaka Seme, one of the founders of the African National Congress, and Alain L. Locke, the primary architect of the Harlem Renaissance, is revealed and explored. I suggest that Seme's Pan-African sensibilities created the conditions for Locke to explore what it means to pursue an African Renaissance; and Locke's focus on literary expression was an exemplar for Seme's later forays in journalism and cosmopolitan unions across ethnic lines. Seme and Locke, however, created significantly different concepts of African regeneration, Renaissance, race and cosmopolitanism. Their concepts are described and evaluated. Seme's approach to Renaissance is criticised for its reliance on an ideal of valuation that renders values stable and unchanging. Locke's value theory contends that valuation is necessarily engaged in transvaluation, thus, human cognition is necessarily always engaged in creating new value categories. Locke's approach is criticised because it allows for what I define as ‘sophisticated cruelty’ – the unintentional social destruction of ethnic group values. I argue that Locke's approach of moderate cosmopolitan has the least theoretical disadvantages of major concepts of cosmopolitanism and Pan Africanism.     

Institutional reform and political party engagement: Challenges to democratic transformation in post-CPA Sudan

ABSTRACT

This article looks at the role of institutions and political parties as main agents of the democratisation process in the Sudan, following the signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). A review of the historic weaknesses of intermittent democratic rule in the Sudan, since its independence in 1956 and through to the signing of the CPA, is offered. Those elements of the CPA critical to institutional reform and democratisation are identified and their implementation assessed, including the results of the CPA-mandated elections held in April 2010. The four principal political parties and their capacities to contribute to democratic transformation are analysed.     

加快转变经济发展方式战略思想的形成、发展与实践

在2006年10月至2007年10月加快转变经济发展方式战略思想的提出和初步形成时期,胡锦涛提出了加快转型发展的新理念、新概念、新战略;在2007年10月至2012年加快转变经济发展方式战略思想的丰富和发展时期,目标方向、基本要求、政策导向、工作重点、战略关键等诸项战略思想逐步丰富和发展起来。党的十六大以来,胡锦涛提出和发展了加快转变经济发展方式的重大战略思想,反映了我们党对发展问题的新认识。十年来,我国推动转型发展在六个方面取得了可喜的进展。     

党的十八大对探索中国特色社会主义规律的历史性贡献

中国特色社会主义规律是党的十八大报告提出的一个重大命题,标志我们党对中国特色社会主义的认识和实践提升到了一个自觉探索、把握和运用规律的高度。     

廉洁政治:内涵、结构与运行逻辑

十八大报告在党的重要文献中第一次提出"廉洁政治"这个概念,要求做到干部清正、政府清廉、政治清明。从政治发展角度来看,廉洁政治是现代国家治理的必然要求。廉洁政治内涵具有三个理论维度:政治设计、价值取向和实践状态。政治设计为廉洁政治建设提供合法性,价值取向为廉洁政治建设提供发展方向,实践状态让政治设计和价值取向实现统一,从而为廉洁政治建设开辟道路。廉洁政治的内在结构包括廉洁政治观念、廉洁政治关系和廉洁政治行为三个部分,这三个部分具有一定的逻辑关系,从廉洁政治观念到廉洁政治关系再到廉洁政治行为,一个比一个更接近于政治生活现实。建设廉洁政治应遵循并实现法治逻辑、制度逻辑和治理逻辑的统一:法治逻辑要求依法治腐,把所有廉政建设事务纳入法制框架;制度逻辑要求制度反腐,推进宏观层面的行政体制改革、中观层面的廉政制度建设以及微观层面的分权机制探索;治理层面要求实现廉政组织重构、廉政资源配置、廉政信息公开、廉政主体合作等。     

论十六大对党的性质理论的重大突破与发展

十六大把党的性质概括为“两个先锋队”、“一个核心”和“三个代表”，“两个先锋队”是基本点。“两个先锋队”既坚持了关于党的性质的理论成果，又突破了传统的理论表述形式，从根本上丰富了党的性质理论；既坚持了党的阶级性原则，又突破了“全民党”的思维定式，使党的性质理论获得了质的飞跃；既坚持了党的先进性原则，又扩大了党的群众基础，使党的群众性获得了历史性的突破。     

日本式腐败的表现形式与深层原因试析——以KSD事件为线索

政治家收受贿赂并利用职务之便营私舞弊的腐败现象在世界各国都时有发生,这在日本也不例外。但日本的腐败现象与其他国家的此类现象相比,既有共同之点,又有不同之处。其主要特色表现为,政界、官界和业界三方相互利用、各得其利。     

检察制度是实现中国宪政的重要形式

宪政无定式但其有定法,不能充分了解宪政形式的多样性和内在规律的趋同性就会对检察制度理论进行随意的攀附、位移甚至替换。在比对各国的宪政体制及其检察制度后,可以看出,中国的检察制度是宪政理论在中国的具体应用。中国检察制度的设计是建立在立宪主义的高度审视我国权力的合理配置,代表了我国宪政体制完善的方向。     

党和国家领导制度的改革与完善

江泽民指出:“各级党委要学会在宪法和法律的范围内加强和改善党的领导”。因此,党和国家领导制度的改革和完善,要形成“四权统一、两权平衡”的政治格局,要正确处理执政党和参政党的关系,要理顺党和人大的关系,要理顺党和政府的关系。