Citizenship narratives in the face of bad governance: the voices of the working poor in Bangladesh

The complex nature of the challenge posed by state–society relations to the realization of citizenship rights in poorer countries reflects the unwillingness as well as incapacity on the part of the state to guarantee basic security of life and livelihoods to its citizens, and its proneness to capture by powerful elites. Identity, affiliations, and access to resources continue to be defined by one's place within a social order that is largely constituted by the ascribed relationships of family, kinship, and community. These ‘given’ relationships pervade all spheres of society and render irrelevant the idea of an impersonal public sphere that individuals enter as bearers of rights, equal in the eyes of the law. This paper explores the proposition that the possibility of belonging to alternative associations whose membership is chosen rather than ascribed by social position offers pathways to a more democratic social order. Bangladesh offers an interesting context to explore this proposition both because it embodies many of the problems of bad governance outlined above and because it contains a large number of civil society associations, many of which work primarily with the poor. The paper is based on interviews with members of some of these organizations in rural and urban areas of the country.     

Spatial Distributions of Oxygen Stable Isotope Ratios in Tap Water From Mexico for Region of Origin Predictions of Unidentified Border Crossers

One of the many difficulties associated with identifying undocumented border crossers stems from an inability to narrow down the search area for the region of origin and family members to obtain family reference samples for DNA comparison. While the geography of regions of origins is wide, the biological profiles of the undocumented border crossers often show strong similarities, young and male. The isotopic composition of human bones, teeth, and hair has been demonstrated to be useful biomarkers for tracing locations and movements of individuals and for aiding in the identification of human remains. Data obtained from human remains can be compared to and aligned with various reference sources, such as soils and bedrock, archaeological remains, or cultural data. Here, the spatial deficiency in isotopic reference data for Mexico, specifically for oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotopes in tap water, is being addressed through the collection and analysis of over 150 water samples and explored with tooth enamel isotopic values from recently identified Mexican nationals. The isoscape was developed using a Spine with Barriers interpolation method and shows sufficient detail to narrow down the regions where specific isotopic values are represented. The individuals were plotted on the developed isoscape using conditional correlations. The methodology was successful in assigning the correct regions of origin for the two individuals, which shows the tremendous potential of the developed isoscape. Nonetheless, there is more research needed to further improve upon this geolocation method, including analysis of multiple isotopes in different tissues, and the development of new isotopic methods.     

海峡经济区竞争性区域体系构建研究

竞争性区域是拥有独特“地方品质”的区域,以创新和知识作为其发展的催化剂,成为国家乃至全球最具发展活力的区域。竞争性区域的构建过程集中体现为提升区域竞争力的战略政策要点和与此相配套实施的多级治理措施的高效统一。从竞争性区域构建理论视角考察,海峡经济区作为两岸经济整合的独特区域,其基础设施网络连接性、产学研互动合作、产业集群培育、城市经济协同发展方面亟待推进,竞争性区域特质尚不发育。今后应从基础设施的协调与衔接、区域产业分工协作体系建立、厦金特区和福马特区创建、经济运行机制衔接、台湾海峡城市联盟缔结、开展以政府政策协调为中介的公私合营等方面着力推进,以构建海峡经济区竞争性区域配套体系,推动海峡经济区迅速崛起成为中国乃至世界新兴的竞争性区域。     

转型时期宁夏民族关系的主要影响因素分析

宁夏是我国唯一的省级回族自治地方,社会转型时期影响宁夏民族关系的社会因素涉及政治、经济、文化、社会等诸多领域。对各领域影响因素进行深入研究和正确把握,可以为政府制定民族政策、有效调控民族关系提供理论依据。     

关于贵州民族地区经济实现"历史性跨越"的思考

贫穷落后的贵州民族地区经济社会发展实现历史性跨越是一个重要的理论和现实问题。本文从历史性跨越的基本内涵入手,探索贵州民族地区实现历史跨越的可行性以及实现历史性跨越的途径。     

先秦巴蜀地区百濮和氐羌的来源

先秦巴蜀地区各族,除巴、蜀两族外,主要为百濮和氐羌两大民族系统。巴蜀地区的百濮,多为商周时代即已在当地定居的族群,也有春秋时代从江汉地区迁徙而来的濮人支系,主要分布在四川盆地、四川西南和四川东部。巴蜀地区的氐羌民族系统至少在夏商时代就已出现,主要分布在川西高原。     

东北亚区域合作与图们江地区开发展望

本文考察了东北亚区域经济合作中的多国合作项目——图们江地区经济开发项目的背景之后,把图们江地区经济开发分为3个阶段,即起步（90年代前期）阶段、冷却（90年代后期）阶段、升温（2000年以后）阶段,着重阐述了东北亚地理中心图们江地区开发开放的火车头——延边;参考东盟经济合作的成功经验,探讨了东北亚经济合作的可能性;对图们江地区开发开放的前景进行了展望并提出了几点建议。     

PCR扩增SON基因3’非编码区进行种属鉴定

根据人 DNA的 SON基因碱基序列选择性设计一对特异性引物 ,并对人和猕猴、阿拉伯狒狒、猪、牛、羊、马、驴、骡、狗、猫、兔、大白鼠、小白鼠、豚鼠等 14种哺乳类动物染色体 DNA的 SON基因 3’非编码区中的种属特异性区域进行 PCR扩增 ,扩增产物经 SSCP分离银染色技术检测 ,观察到人和 14种哺乳类动物的 SSCP图谱有明显不同。本方法可以对人和上述 14种哺乳类动物进行种属鉴定 ,适合于法医学种属鉴定的应用     

The Poet and the Poor Law. Reflections Upon John Clare's ``The Parish'

This article argues that the work of the hedgerow poet John Clare is invaluable for legal social history in illuminating the reality of the operation of the poor law as it affected the lives of the poor. Clare's poem,The Parish, written between 1823–6 was not published during the author's lifetime. Written as he first achieved fame, it consists of 2,202 lines of satire denouncing the cant and hypocrisy he himself had witnessed and experienced in local village life. His Parish was his settlement parish where he and his parents were subject to the power of the vestry and local officials. This piece considers the text within the context of the legal history of the poor law. The value ofThe Parish as a primary source for that legal history is not merely in the simple narrative of biographical events allied to the poet's words, evocative as they are. It lies in the subtleties of Clare's own ambiguity about being poor and in the way those ambiguities assist us today both in understanding Clare's times and values and in hearing Clare mediating the universal experience of poverty through his art. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

浅谈“先富”向“共富”转变过程中的公平与效率问题

中共十六届五中全会审议并通过了《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十一个五年规划的建议》,其中“共同富裕”成为了亮点之一,在“先富”向“共富”转变这样一个特殊时期,很多人认为不应该再提“效率优先”了,“注重公平”才是头等重要的大事。然而,正是在这样一个特殊时期,坚持“效率优先”更具有不容轻视的重要意义。