Armed mobilisation and the nexus of territory,identity, and authority: the contested territorial aspirations of the Banyamulenge in eastern DR Congo

The closely intertwined notions of territory, identity, and authority are at the heart of conflict dynamics in the eastern DR Congo. Focusing on the territorial aspirations of the Banyamulenge community in South Kivu, this article looks at the ways in which the nexus of territory, identity, and authority shapes and is shaped by armed mobilisation. Excluded from a customary chiefdom in the colonial era, the Banyamulenge, a community framed as ‘migrants’, have been striving for a territory of their own for decades. These aspirations have fed into armed activity by both Banyamulenge and Mai-Mai groups linked to opposing communities, providing deeply resonating mobilising narratives that are employed to justify violent action. Yet, as this article demonstrates, the links between armed mobilisation and the nexus of territory, identity, and authority are both contingent and reciprocal, as violent conflict also impacts the meanings and boundaries of identities, authority structures and territory.     

Decentralized Governance under Centralized Party Rule in Ethiopia: The Tigray Experience

Abstract

In the mid-1990s Ethiopia adopted a federal constitution promising regional autonomy and the creation and strengthening of local government units below the regional level. Some observers attribute the various shortcomings of Ethiopian federalism that have emerged since then to the original institutional/constitutional design. This paper, however, argues that what is not in the constitution has come to influence the workings of decentralization more than what is codified in it. The dominant national party in power, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), either directly or through affiliates, controls political office at all levels of government, thereby limiting the room for local initiative and autonomy. The presence of a national dominant party limits the responsiveness and downward accountability of Wereda (district) authorities; it also undermines political competition, and by extension, good governance at the grassroots level. The paper is based on field research carried out in the Tigray regional state of Ethiopia. The conclusion is that when one party dominates the politics of the region and its institutions, extra-constitutional intra-party politics determine how things work, thereby subjugating localities’ autonomy and impeding their ability to deliver on promises of decentralization.     

Decentralization and Development in Contemporary Uganda

Abstract

There has long been an emphasis on the importance of decentralization in providing better quality public services in the developing world. In order to assess the effectiveness of decentralization I examine here the case study of Uganda, which has seen major decentralization of power over the last quarter-century. In particular the current government has introduced a five-tiered local government structure, decentralized both fiscal and political power to local governments and introduced regular local government elections. However, initial excitement about Uganda's decentralization programme has tapered off in recent years due to a number of problems outlined here. In particular, I show that decentralization in Uganda has suffered from a lack of independence from central government control, which has led to a lack of effectiveness in the provision of high quality public goods.     

提升地方巡视工作实效性的路径选择

巡视工作是中国共产党深化党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争的重要举措,十多年来巡视工作取得了积极的成效,积累了丰富的经验。但如何提高巡视工作的实效性,仍然是地方(省、自治区、直辖市)巡视机构面临的一个重要课题。具体说来,提高地方巡视机构巡视工作的实效性,可从以下三个方面入手:进一步优化体制机制,形成上下联动的战略态势;抓住核心环节,在信息收集、专题调查、结果运用上下工夫;大力提高巡视人员业务水平,增强发现问题、解决问题的能力。     

Outcome‐focussed planning in Australian local government: How council plans and cultural development plans measure up

Contemporary public policy increasingly emphasises a focus on outcomes, the difference that occurs in the lives of citizens from policy and activity of government. Other contemporary imperatives for effective planning include: recognition of the values of the community whom plans serve, direction towards goals and objectives, utilisation of evidence, articulation of theories of change that underpin planning and responsiveness to evaluation. This article reports a desk‐based research project to assess how local government planning documents meet these imperatives. Two documents are examined for 67 councils across Australia: the major strategic document, council plan or other‐named document and the cultural development plan (CDP) or other‐named document that directs staff and investment aimed at cultural enrichment of the LGA. Findings indicate that the majority of councils’ documents appeared only concordant with one or two of these planning imperatives. No plan addressed more than three. Overall, council plans and cultural development plans did not clearly indicate their responsiveness to values of their communities, nor include objectives that formed measurable steps towards goals or formally refer to the use of evidence in decision‐making. No plans included theories of change to underpin decision‐making. This analysis indicates clear areas of improvement for planning for local governance.     

英、美、澳地方政府绩效评估指标比较及启示

在分析了英国、美国、澳大利亚几个国家对地方政府进行评估而采用的指标体系和框架之后,通过比较他们的共同点与不同之处,提出了对中国地方政府绩效评估有价值的启示,以更加完善的评估指标体系来引导地方政府真正为了人民群众公共利益而提升责任性和绩效管理水平。     

Offender’s Personal Circumstances and Punishment: Toward a More Refined Model for the Explanation of Sentencing Disparities

Prior research suggests that offender sex, age, and race are often influential determinants of sentencing outcomes. According to focal concerns theory, they affect sentencing because—due to limited time and information—judges rely on stereotypical behavioral expectations when assessing offender blameworthiness and dangerousness. As such, extralegal offender characteristics may serve as proxies for more specific risk indicators. Whether more complete information on additional risk factors helps account for the effects of extralegal characteristics, however, remains an untested assumption. Therefore, this study analyzes the Dutch data on standardized pre-sentencing reports to examine the influence of personal circumstances of the offender, such as employment, family, and drug use factors, on the likelihood and length of incarceration. The results suggest that personal circumstances exert inconsistent influence over sentencing outcomes and that they fail to significantly mitigate the direct effects of sex and age, but do mitigate the effects of national origin.     

论外交保护中用尽当地救济的法律地位与规则性质

外交保护是国家保护海外公民最重要的手段之一。用尽当地救济是外交保护的前提条件。长期以来,它一直被认为是国际习惯。随着国际争端解决方式的多样化以及保护人权呼声的高涨,一些学者开始质疑该规则的国际习惯地位。但是这种质疑不具有合理性和可行性。在法律地位的基础上,国际社会对用尽当地救济的规则性质始终莫衷一是。事实上,应当对侵害行为区分不同情况,分别判定用尽当地救济是程序法性质的,还是实体法性质的。     

政府行为失范下的维稳困境——基于转型期我国地方政府失范拆迁行为的思考

随着我国社会转型的不断深入，利益分化程度不断加剧，各种群体性突发事件明显增多，特别是近几年来，由于地方政府行为失范所诱发的各种拆迁矛盾层出不穷，愈演愈烈，致使我国维稳陷入困境。为此，规范地方政府行为，维护社会稳定、和谐，是目前摆在我们面前的一个重大任务。     

清末宪政改革中的地方自治——以《清末筹备立宪档案史料》为中心的考察

早在“百日维新”前夕,朝廷官员袁世凯就提出了异于康梁的、自地方变起的改革思路。1901年后,袁氏利用自己的影响力和权力资源,在天津推动地方自治改革,颇有成效。终于,以预备立宪为契机,地方自治改革得以在全国推行。本文试图以《清末筹备立宪档案史料》为基本依据,展现士大夫观念之先进(他们对立宪与地方自治之认知程度可能远远超过我们的想象),以及在中央权威弱化的背景下推行地方自治政策之困局。