Optimism, Pessimism, and Coalitional Presidentialism: Debating the Institutional Design of Brazilian Democracy

Research on Brazil's political institutions has gone through several phases since democratisation in 1985. In the early years of democracy, pessimism prevailed with regard to governability. This view gave way in the mid-1990s to a more optimistic view that stressed two innovations of the Constitution of 1988: enhanced presidential power and centralised legislative procedure. In recent years, a third phase of research has shifted attention to the crucial role of inter-party alliances. These analytical approaches have converged into an emerging research programme on 'coalitional presidentialism', which places executive-legislative relations at the centre stage of macropolitical analysis. This article reviews the three phases of the debate and reflects on future research agendas.     

考量我国离婚后的扶养制度

目前,离婚后的扶养制度在我国以《婚姻法》第42条为核心,以最高人民法院司法解释有关规定为补充,形成较为完备的体系。但是,对于扶养之要件、扶养的变更、救助性扶养的客体、补偿性扶养等规定不甚详细。因此,研究并完善离婚后的扶养制度仍具有较强的现实意义。     

The German Civil Code of 1896: An Economic Interpretation

The 19th century has seen some large codifications, several of which such as the Code de Napoleon of 1804 and the German Civil Code of 1900 have shown remarkable longevity. This article deals with the economists' influence on the German Civil Code of 1900. It is argued that the economists played an important role in re-shaping the Code, that this was even a concerted effort, and that Otto von Gierke's legal doctrine proved to be particularly viable for the introduction of economic ideas into legal reasoning.     

RESIDENT PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME AND DISORDER: HOW MUCH IS “BIAS”, AND HOW MUCH IS SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT DIFFERENCES?*

This study attempted to disentangle the extent to which residents are systematically biased when reporting on the level of crime or disorder in their neighborhood. By using a unique sample of households nested in household clusters, this study teased out the degree of systematic bias on the part of respondents when perceiving crime and disorder. The findings are generally consistent with theoretical expectations of which types of residents will perceive more crime or disorder and contrast with the generally mixed results of prior studies that used an inappropriate aggregate unit when assuming that residents live in the same social context of crime or disorder. Estimating ancillary models on a sample of respondents nested in tracts produced mixed results that mirror the existing literature. This article shows that Whites consistently perceive more crime or disorder than their neighbors. It also shows that females, those with children, and those with longer residence in the neighborhood perceive more crime or disorder than their neighbors.     

理解国家自主性的综合性框架

国家自主性是现代国家的一个基本特征,对国家善治也具有重要意义。我们理解国家自主性首先要把国家理解为一个具有自主行动特性的主体,而不是一个被动接受意志的客体;其次国家自主性不仅是主体的特征,而且受到社会客体力量的制约;再次,国家自主性能否体现出来,还与国家自身的能力有关,弱能力的国家将会受到社会的俘获而无法显示自主性。国家的主体地位、社会力量的制约与国家自身的能力大小,就是我们理解现实中的国家自主性的基本框架。     

警察形象危机与媒体公关对策

警察形象危机会使公安机关陷入巨大的舆论压力之中,并对警察的整体声誉造成严重损害。在危机状态下,媒体既是公安机关管理形象危机的对手,又是不得不与之合作的对象。因此,公安机关在形象危机事件中,应针对危机不同发展阶段的特点以及媒体不同时期行为的特征,运用一系列可实际操作的对策,积极开展警察形象危机媒体公关,以期通过与媒体的合作,最大限度地控制和化解危机,维护公安机关的形象。     

社团、社团领袖与华人社会——以印尼棉兰市为个案的初步研究

本文以笔者赴印尼棉兰华人社区的个案考察为依据，把棉兰华人社团、社团领袖按经济实力、社会活动能力做了划分，并就各层次的社团与社团领袖的关系，分析了棉兰华社的内部结构，以期探讨这一有特色的印尼华人社区。     

由“躲猫猫”事件看我国监狱法律关系主体范围拓展的必要性

《监狱法》的颁布实施为我国罪犯权利的保护提供了有效的法制保障。与近年来看守所非正常死亡事件频发相比，我国监狱对于罪犯的权利保护工作得到了社会公众的认可。进一步拓展监狱法律关系主体的现有范围，将看守所及其羁押的嫌疑人纳入《监狱法》的调整范围，是减少和预防“躲猫猫”事件重演的一条可行途径。     

对建设平等和谐家庭的理性思考

作者认为,要建设和谐家庭,首先要从理性上认识家庭与社会的关系,要明确家庭和谐的根本在于家庭关系和谐.本文针对建设和谐家庭所面对的新问题、新挑战,着重阐释如何在个人行为和社会行为的统一中建设和谐家庭.     

中国倡导国际关系民主化的重大战略意义

经济全球化和世界多极化发展，呼唤和催生国际关系民主化，同时，实现国际关系民主化也是当前大多数国家在国际关系中追求的价值取向。当前影响和平与发展的不确定因素依然存在，要从根本上解决这些问题必须通过实现国际关系民主化这一途径来加以解决。实现国际关系民主化目标是一个长期的渐进过程，应该从道义和舆论、双边或多边外交关系和国际制度建设三个层面加以推进。这一思想无论是在理论领域丰富和发展中国国际战略思想，还是在维护世界和平、促进发展、提高中国的国际地位、改善和发展我国的对外关系等实践中都具有非常重要的战略意义。