Words count: taking a count of the changing language of British aid

A word analysis of six UK government White Paper policy statements on aid (selected between 1960 and 2006) compares the top 20 words and key word pairs used in each document. Characteristic sentences are composed of the top 20s to represent the spirit of each paper. Results illuminate changes in the content of White Papers on aid, and point to trends in the history of the UK's approach to international development. A characteristic sentence to illustrate the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is contrasted with a sentence of words that did not appear in that document. Readers are invited and challenged to identify words they would like to be used and acted on more commonly in development.     

(Re‐)join the party! The effects of direct democracy on party membership in Europe

It has been argued that political parties are in decline. While they used to be responsible for connecting citizens to the state by translating their preferences into policies, they have increasingly become part of the state, acting as governors instead. While this perspective emphasises parties’ representative function, it is less clear what their role is in a more direct democratic context. Parties may gain support due to such context, but they may also be seen increasingly redundant in a situation where citizens can co‐decide directly. Focusing on party membership, this study tests these rival expectations on a panel of 16 West European democracies over the period 1980–2008 and finds that parties tend to have higher levels of party membership in a direct democratic context. The usage of referendums, however, does not contribute to this effect.     

李贽与西学

李贽晚年阐说《诗》义、发挥《学》《庸》、精研《易》理,似可看作是对利玛窦以基督教义来“合儒、补儒、超儒”的回应;他以华夏民族为天神之子,是对罗明坚宣扬的“圣灵降孕而生耶稣说”的回应,亦似可看作力图使基督教信仰中国化的最初尝试;以孔子“敬鬼神而远之”之义来批评各种求媚于鬼神的迷信活动和假道学的大言诓人,畅论不可谓祭天为祭理,亦不可谓祭气,是对利玛窦学说的发挥;其《明灯道古录》着力表彰与基督教哲学最近似的墨子学说,似乎也有寻求与西学的会通、使基督教信仰中国化的意味;其最后一部重要著作《九正易因》,从“万物统以乾元”推出“人人各正一乾之元”,因而“各具有是首出庶物之资”,更展示了一种以哲学代宗教的新思路。     

Dealing with populists in government: a framework for analysis

There is growing research on populist actors and their impact on the democratic system, but little has been written on how to deal with populist actors in government. To respond to this question, in this article we develop a theoretical framework that distinguishes three levels of analysis. First, we identify the set of domestic and external actors that can try to cope with the coming into power of populist forces. Second, we offer an overview of the different strategies that can be employed to react against populist actors in government. Third, we argue that it is important to consider the timing of the reactions. In addition, we also present a brief summary of the articles that are part of this special issue.     

Italy: a case of mutating populism?

Italy is often presented as a showcase of populist parties. In the 2013 parliamentary elections, half of the Italian electorate voted for a party that has been labelled populist. During the 1994–2011 period, Italy witnessed four coalition governments dominated by populists. In line with the framework guiding this special issue, Italy thus offers a unique opportunity to trace the reactions of political and societal actors to populists in government. We propose that it is necessary to examine not only how populism's opponents react, but also how fellow populists respond. Indeed, we observe in Italy, on the one hand, what we will call mutating populism and, on the other hand, a peculiar mixture of paralysis, antagonism, and imitation by their opponents. This contribution is structured as follows: first, we describe Italian populism in the context of the end of the Italian First Republic and the emergence of the new party system under the Second Republic. In the process we discuss events under the four Berlusconi governments (1994–1995; 2001–2005; 2005–2006; 2008–2011). In each phase, we distinguish between populist and anti-populist contenders. We also describe the reactions abroad to governing Italian populists, especially within the European Union.     

省以下垂直领导机关的行政复议管辖权评析

对省以下垂直领导机关作出的具体行政行为的复议管辖权问题,《行政复议法》没有作出明确规定。理论上对此存有争论,实践中的做法也不统一,《行政复议法实施条例》的有关规定,在一定程度上为解决这一问题提供了法律依据,但仍存有遗留问题,为此,建议对《行政复议法实施条例》第24条的规定作出法律解释或予以修改。     

行政成本概念鉴辨与重构

科学准确界定行政成本的定义与内涵是深刻认识行政成本的性质和范畴、深入研究行政成本、有针对性地有效控制行政成本的前提和基础。本文提出,行政成本是政府为了获得某种收益而必须为之付出的代价,即政府为了实现对社会的公共管理和为公众提供公共服务,所耗费的各种资源,以及由其所引发出的现今和未来一段时间的间接性损失。     

Avoiding Another ‘Squatter in Downing Street’ Controversy: The Need to Improve the Caretaker Conventions before the 2015 General Election

In the UK the rules governing caretaker situations have historically been underspecified. The UK's constitutional traditions, such as prime ministerial discretion to time elections and its two‐party system, have in the past limited the frequency and duration of caretaker periods. However, the recently lengthened election timetable, new constraints on the executive introduced by the Fixed‐term Parliaments Act (2011), and a decline in the dominance of the two largest parties are raising the risk that the UK will experience caretaker periods more often and for longer stretches of time. In this paper, we offer an analysis of the UK's current caretaker provisions and conclude that the existing conventions are insufficiently detailed and can render such periods problematic and controversy‐prone. Important lessons, we suggest, can be learned from reforms in other Westminster systems, and from the caretaker rules of other countries.     

The STAR Community Rating System: An Analysis of the Communities Participating in the Program

This study is the first to explore the STAR Community Rating System® (STAR), a data-driven sustainability framework and certification program launched in October 2012, that allows local governments to measure their sustainability performance and progress relative to other communities. This research identifies and analyzes the major characteristics of the communities that are currently participating in the program. A discussion of the findings and policy recommendations should help increase the membership and effectiveness of the STAR system. More importantly, it reinforces the enormous potential that local governments have with respect to leveraging the synergies between economic, environmental, and societal priorities.     

What Should We Do? Public Attitudes about How Local Government Officials Should Confront Fiscal Stress

Despite strong scholarly interest in the topic of fiscal stress, little attention has been paid to understanding how the general public thinks local governments should respond to situations where declining revenues endanger service levels. This study reports findings from a survey of 660 residents undertaken between November 2006 and January 2007 in the US state of Michigan to examine their support for eight potential strategies to cope with fiscal stress in five different local government services. We find that the public has a surprisingly nuanced perspective about these strategies and on their use for different services. Our findings may provide local policymakers with some insights about how to respond to fiscal stress.