Hedge Funds, the Deutsche Börse Affair and Predatory Anglo-American Capitalism

Boardroom trouble at Deutsche Börse, the company that operates Germany's main stock market, has recently provoked an important debate about competing capitalist models. Werner Seifert, Deutsche Börse's ousted Chief Executive, was eager to portray himself as the innocent victim of aggressive Anglo-American investors who had bought into his company but failed to understand its traditional operating ethos. In this, he was ably supported by key figures within the ruling Social Democratic Party, who, in order to shore up the party's core support, had increasingly come to blame overseas hedge funds for the development of German corporate governance models which prioritised profits over jobs. I review the SPD's structural reading of the Deutsche Börse affair, whilst comparing it to an alternative interest-based reading. The latter allows me to focus more closely on the issue which, more than any other, led to Seifert's downfall: his refusal to bow to the expressed interests of his own shareholders by pressing ahead, against their wishes, with a hostile bid for the London Stock Exchange. Seifert's eventual removal foreclosed the possibility of an integrated London-Frankfurt stock market and, somewhat ironically given the SPD's response to the affair, as a consequence it also prevented the entry of London's highly capitalised institutional investors into the German market for corporate control. The actions of Deutsche Börse's overseas shareholders might still be seen as evidence of a predatory Anglo-American capitalism. However, their successful removal of Werner Seifert may well have been responsible for temporarily keeping other financial predators at bay.     

党务公开：发展党内民主的理论和制度创新

党的十六届四中全会《决定》首次明确提出逐步推进党务公开,这是党的执政理念的新突破和提高党的执政能力的新举措。党务公开是发展党内民主的内在要求,贯穿于党内民主建设的各个方面和环节。推进党务公开,进一步扩大了党员和群众对党内事务的知情权、参与权、选择权和监督权,成为新时期发展党内民主的理论和制度创新。     

山西城市化发展的战略选择

山西作为全国能源重化工基地,长期存在的工业发展结构性矛盾突出、工矿城市比例高、城市环境质量较差、城乡居民收入水平低等因素制约着山西城市化的进一步发展。新形势下山西城市化发展应遵循以下发展思路:以新型工业化推进城市化发展;走全面发展和协调发展的城市化道路;以体制和技术创新为动力,加快资源型城市的转型;以发展第三产业为突破口,建设风格各异的现代城市。     

领导干部“主动辞职”现象研究

文章对领导干部“主动辞职”现象进行了探讨,认为这种现象引发社会注目有“主动辞职”行为的超前性、彻底性、趋利性和群体的特殊性四方面的原因;产生“主动辞职”行为有行为主体———“主动辞职”者自身、行为客体———党政部门、行为所处的社会环境三方面的原因。同时,文章指出应从正视现象、提升规范、反思党政机关自身三方面积极应对领导干部“主动辞职”现象。     

匿名威胁爆炸案的新特点及其现场处置对策

近些年北京发生匿名威胁爆炸案件显现猛升势头,并出现一些新的特点.对这类案件的现场处置应遵循"信、严、快、判、细、敢"六字方针.     

后现代质疑现代性对实践科学发展观的借鉴作用

现代性是现代资本主义社会的经济秩序、政治体制、文化状况的统称.质疑现代性、批判现代性是后现代主义的根本特征与价值取向.后现代主义对现代性的质疑,主要有:以"微观权力论"质疑批判了西方所谓的建立在理性主义基础上的自由民主制度;以"工具理性"概念揭露了资本主义制度下科学技术异化为统治人的力量,对自然界和人类社会造成的危害;以"非中心化"思想,质疑现代化中出现的形形色色的中心主义,诸如,人类中心主义、个人中心主义、欧洲中心主义等等,同时表达了对处于社会边缘的弱势群体的价值和利益的关注.这些质疑对实践科学发展观的主要启迪是:首先要明确我们搞的现代化不是西方化,只有坚持社会主义方向,走社会主义道路,促进生产力发展,才能避免西方现代化中出现的一些弊端;在现代化进程中,要注意从产生异化的原因入手,创造条件防止科学技术异化为统治人的力量;在处理人与自然的关系上,要拒斥狭隘的人类中心主义,正确认识、处理经济系统与生态系统的矛盾,求得经济与社会的协调的可持续发展.     

Governance and Regulation of the Peruvian University System: Overcoming Reform Resistance through Quality Assurance Policies

This article examines the new governance of the Peruvian university system, which evolved in response to market liberalisation and weak quality assurance mechanisms. New actors and commercial interests emerged, building their network of relationships within the political arena. With the passing of a new Universities Law in 2014, ambitious reforms were set in motion, designed to reverse the decline in the quality of higher education. This study examines these reforms, focusing on whether and how they are changing the governance and structure of the system. It also identifies some conceptual and design flaws, such as the weaknesses of the main steering body and the accreditation regime, as well as limitations on the independence of the regulatory agency.     

Trends and mechanisms of corruption in South Korea

Corruption remains one of the key obstacles to democratization and good governance. Given the nature of the subject, corruption is notoriously difficult to study. International comparisons and rankings of good governance such as the World Bank World Governance Indicators, the Bertelsmann Sustainable Governance Index, or Transparency International's Global Corruption Index are very useful for providing the big picture on corruption. To understand trends and mechanisms of corruption, however, it is necessary to conduct case studies on both successful and failed cases of anti-corruption policies. This paper investigates the successes and challenges of the fight against corruption in South Korea since the beginning of democratization in 1987. The investigation shows that Korea has generally been successful in controlling corruption. The paper argues that the remaining problems can be largely explained by the legacy of authoritarian rule and the undermining of state autonomy through the concentration of economic power.     

对强制隔离戒毒执行工作实施执法监督的思考

2008年6月1日《中华人民共和国禁毒法》颁布生效后，我国形成了强制隔离戒毒决定权和执行权相分离的全新戒毒体系，从法理精神和司法体制改革方向上来说不愧为一大进步，更加有利于对执法权主体的监督，但由于这种监督多半是作用于实施决定权的主体，且当前强制隔离戒毒执行工作执法监督方面的立法缺失和配套制度的不完善，以及强制隔离戒毒执行工作的方法模式尚处于初级阶段，实际运作中，对强制隔离戒毒执行主体的执法监督存在着从立法层面到实施层面的缺失，     

Re-conceptualizing State Responsibility: Human Security Protection, Confl icts and Governance

Different from the perspective of traditional national security, human security is an essential component of non-traditional security. Human security is influenced by multi-dimensional factors. Human security will be threatened if one or more of these dimensional factors get twisted. Such threats, once accumulated to a certain level, may trigger a confl ict. While some factors may have a low correlation with confl ict, some other factors may have a multiplying effect in triggering the confl ict. Further, confl ict may be triggered by a single factor or multiple factors. Poor governance may lead to escalation of confl icts. Deep understanding of triggering effects and their correlation with confl icts is essential to addressing the root causes and the management of conflicts effectively. Concepts of human security, state responsibility of protection and neo-interventionism have been developed in succession. Though the people-centered security framework draws global attention, it should be recognized that there is no international consensus on an optimal type of governance. However, according to the Charter of the United Nations, the primary responsibilities of human security protection should be rested on the government of a state. The principle of sovereignty remains the fundamental principle of international relations, which should be the guiding principle for addressing human security issues.