Violence,fear, and development in Latin America: a critical overview

This introduction presents the core concepts that shape this special issue on the impact of violence and the processes of development in Central and South America. The understanding of development is considered in terms broader than the economic context alone, in order to assess wider social and political aspects. With a similarly expansive scope, forms of violence are addressed that range from direct physical harm and bodily attack to the often more subtle aggression of racialised abuse or the pressures on community-centred production from dominant market forces. In these contexts, violence, economic initiatives, and political allegiances form unintended and often dangerous networks of consequence for development matters. All the articles in this volume exemplify further the spatial environments of violence and diverse ‘landscapes of fear’ that shape our existence and help to define our actions, territories, and understanding of what happens around us.     

Social capital

In parallel with, and as a complement to, globalisation, ‘social capital’ has enjoyed a meteoric rise across the social sciences over the last two decades. Not surprisingly, it has been particularly prominent across development studies, not least through heavy promotion by the World Bank. As a concept, though, as has been argued persistently by a minority critical literature, social capital is fundamentally flawed. Although capable of addressing almost anything designated as social, it has tended to neglect the state, class, power, and conflict. As a buzzword, it has heavily constrained the currently progressive departure from the extremes of neo-liberalism and post-modernism at a time of extremely aggressive assault by economics imperialism. Social capital should not be ignored but contested – and rejected.     

Citizenship: a perverse confluence

This article discusses the different meanings that citizenship has assumed in Latin America in the past few decades. Its main argument is that, in the perverse confluence between neo-liberal and democratic participatory projects, the common reference to citizenship, used by different political actors, projects an apparent homogeneity, obscuring differences and diluting the conflict between those projects.     

论环境与资源诉讼中的公益理念

环境权从某种意义上属“社会性”权利 ,无论在立法还是司法实践中 ,这一权利都带有明显的公益色彩。为保障公民环境权的实现 ,我国应借鉴西方国家经验 ,放宽对环境诉讼起诉资格的限制 ,对现行司法制度进行制度创新     

科学发展观——我国公共政策评估的首要标准

公共政策评估标准是开展公共政策评估的前提。为了更有效、更科学地开展公共政策评估活动,应设立正确的首要标准。科学发展观标准应当成为我国公共政策评估的首要标准。科学发展观标准是对以往我国公共政策评估标准的纠正和完善,符合我国社会主义国家公共政策的本质要求,顺应公共政策的发展趋势。坚持科学发展观作为我国公共政策评估的首要标准能有效提升我国公共政策质量,推进我国社会主义和谐社会建设进程。     

创设利益制度是社会和谐的法治基础——和谐社会利益关系问题的法学思考

利益矛盾和冲突不仅是社会转型期国家的显著特征,同时,也是形成不受以往制度约束的和谐环境的重要前提。本文以分析和谐社会利益制度的法律根源作为出发点,在此基础上从利益博弈的机理层面上探寻利益制度形成的逻辑起点和实体条件,以及政府如何在利益群体博弈过程中作出创新性的实验安排,进而为在我国社会转型过程中,形成社会和谐与经济发展的基础性力量,以及进一步提高政府执政合法性的问题提供必要的实践依据和理论支持。     

IMMIGRATION POLICY,BORDER SECURITY,AND MIGRANT DEATHS: AN IMPACT EVALUATION OF LIFE‐SAVING EFFORTS UNDER THE BORDER SAFETY INITIATIVE*

Subsequent to U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) efforts to control illegal immigration throughout the 1990s, concern arose over an apparent increase in deaths of illegal migrants as they began to undertake more treacherous routes to enter the United States from Mexico. In response, the Border Safety Initiative (BSI) was created to increase safety along the southwest border. Using multiple data sources, including the USBP BSI Incident Tracking System, this study evaluated the impact of life‐saving efforts performed under the BSI program. Results indicate that there has been no overall reduction in the rate of migrant deaths since BSI has been in operation. However, an evaluation of BORSTAR search and rescue teams and the 2003 Lateral Repatriation Program (LRP), which returned apprehended migrants from Tucson sector to less hazardous places along the border, were found to be effective in preventing migrant deaths. Policy Implications: Critics of U.S. immigration policy claim that the only way reductions in migrant deaths along the U.S.‐Mexico border can be achieved is through liberalization of immigration policy and relaxing of border security. Yet, for more than a decade, U.S. policy makers have increased restrictions on immigration and have tightened security at the borders. Considering this, alternative means must be deployed in order to save migrant lives in the near term rather than waiting for a reversal of immigration policy. This study suggests that proactive life‐saving measures implemented through a harm‐reduction strategy can have some impact on saving migrant lives.     

公务员体检中的体格归类与平等担任公职权

各地公务员录用体检办法和体检标准中因存在许多不合理的体格归类,而使相当多的具有一定生理缺陷的人被无情地挡在了公务员门槛之外,且难以获得公正的救济。以宪法平等权的精神来检验,这些归类或者不具有合法目的,或者违反了比例原则,都导致了立法歧视。为保护公民平等担任公职的权利,有必要对现行公务员录用体检制度进行改革。     

论江泽民新安全观的辩证思维及实践问题

江泽民提出的新安全观 ,从背景看是对冷战思维的否定 ,从内容看是对传统安全观的发展 ,从结构看是辩证统一的有机整体 ,从实践看它不仅符合中国国家安全利益 ,也符合世界各国国家安全利益 ,反映了冷战后世界发展的大趋势。特别是在霸权主义有新的表现、恐怖主义危害上升、影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加的情况下 ,江泽民新安全观越来越受到大多数国家的赞赏和欢迎。     

论涉警舆情的引导

在当前信息传播渠道越来越多，传播速度越来越快。社会不稳定、不确定因素和各种利益诉求增多，公安工作备受人民群众和社会各界关注的情况下，涉警舆情的引导工作就显得尤为重要，它直接关系到公安机关组织领导工作的稳定与发展。但是，现阶段涉警舆情引导工作，却面临着诸如社会舆情引导手段单一、反应速度较慢等一系列问题，面对涉警舆情的新形势．我们必须积极应对，采取针对性措施，扎实有效地做好涉警舆论的正面引导工作，进一步构建和谐警民关系，维护社会和谐稳定。