Shaking off the neoliberal shackles: “democratic emergence” and the negotiation of democratic knowledge in the Middle East North Africa context

ABSTRACT

There is a general assumption in democracy promotion that liberal democracy is the panacea that will solve all political and economic problems faced by developing countries. Using the concept of “good society” as analytical prism, the analysis shows that while there is a rhetorical agreement as to what the “good society” entails, democracy promotion practices fail to allow for recipients’ inclusion in the negotiation and delivery of the “good society”. Contrasting US and Tunisian discourses on the “good society”, the article argues that democracy promotion practices are underpinned by neoliberal parameters borne out from a reliance on the transition paradigm, which in turn leave little room to democracy promotion recipients to formulate knowledge claims supporting the emergence of alternative conceptions of the “good society”. In contrast, the article opens up a reflective pathway to a negotiated democratic knowledge, which would reside in a paradigmatic change that consists in the abandonment of the transition paradigm in favour of a “democratic emergence” paradigm.     

WHERE IS THE VILLAGE GOING? MAINTAINING AND INCLUDING CULTURAL STRENGTHS TO PROTECT CHILDREN ORPHANED IN KENYA

This article is the result of a master's thesis about children and their universal right to be included in a family environment. This is not only protected under international law, but also intuitive to human beings. HIV‐AIDS continues to threaten lives of children, particularly in sub‐Saharan Africa in the form of orphaning. Looking at a case study from Kenya, it is revealed that, while legal protection is yet to be fully realized in the state, strong cultural norms of value are alive. Currently, the extended family system is the greatest protection to children orphaned or at risk of being orphaned. However, this system was made invisible in the domestic laws of Kenya under the Children Act 2001. This neglect calls for questions not only regarding the protection cultural norms may offer, according to the best interests of children, but also as to the cultural environment being created with the new law.     

Necessity for Legislation on China’s Recycling Economy and Regulatory Framework Analysis

In China, the necessity for legislation on recycling economy (RE) first lies in the difference in the conceptions applied to define it. Three schools in theory are prevailing at present: affirmative, negative, and replaceable. The paper insists that RE is of unique implication for China. A practical need for legislation exists; however, those rational parts in both negative and replaceable schools should be given full consideration. The necessity for RE legislation rests not only upon requirements for social and economic development but also upon economic globalization and the internalization of environmental protection. China’s RE legislation should learn from foreign countries, meet actual needs of the country, make sure to coordinate with clean production law, and make recommendations and options for legislative modes, principles, and systems. This paper is on the basis of Zhou Ke, Cao Jianqun, ”Necessity for Legislation on China’s Recycling Economy and Regulatory Framework Analysis”, Xinhua Digest (half monthly), Vol. 11, 2005(in Chinese)     

马克思人的全面发展思想在中国的继承和发展

马克思人的全面发展思想是马克思主义的重要组成部分,它具有丰富的内容.中共三代中央领导集体继承和发展了马克思人的全面发展思想.科学发展观对马克思人的全面发展思想的当代发展贡献甚大.     

浅析破坏生产经营罪

破坏生产经营罪本身的构成要件含糊不明,加之为顺应我国经济体制的变化,使法律适应客观形式的发展,1997年刑法将破坏集体生产罪修改为破坏生产经营罪,并对之进行体系结构归属调整。但也为此使刑法学者对破坏生产经营罪产生诸多争议。如此罪侵犯的客体是单一客体,还是复杂客体。特别是此罪容易与其他相关犯罪混淆,给司法实践带来不便。通过重新界定生产经营的内涵、犯罪的目的等,对其进行合理的限制解释,并将其与一些极易混淆的犯罪加以比较,进一步明确此罪。     

Rural land ownership reform in China’s property law

With regard to rural land ownership, there exist many problems, such as absence of the subject of right, ambiguity of the definition of right quality, and imperfection of the taking system. To perfect the rural land ownership system in China, we should continuously take villagers’ groups and villages as the subject of collective ownership and affirm the right of the members of collective organizations. In order to promote the development of the rural economy and realize the value of land, the contractual management right should be deemed as a property right and allowed to be transferred. The transferability of collective land ownership should be gradually established and the process of taking should be further normalized. Meanwhile, the farmers must receive sufficient compensation. The house site usage right is a special form of right of usufruct. To follow the principle that property should be made best use of, the house site usage right should also be transferable.     

浅谈工资集体协商的形式化倾向

保证职工的合理报酬,是建立和谐稳定劳动关系的关键环节。但由于种种原因,目前的工资集体协商制度还存在较严重的形式化倾向。工会组织是建立工资集体协商制度、协调和发展和谐劳动关系的推行者和执行者,在工作中无疑应该注意消除这种形式化倾向。     

美国煤矿安全生产法治化及对我国的影响

我国煤矿安全生产存在法律体系不完善、技术落后、监管不力、执法不严等问题,而美国煤矿安全生产立法严密、执法严厉、技术先进、政府服务完善。因此,我国应借鉴美国煤矿安全生产法治化经验,完善煤矿安全生产法律体系、严格煤矿安全执法、完善相关配套制度。     

中国循环经济立法初探

循环型经济是一种新型经济发展模式,随着环境问题日益突出,一些发达国家开始重视改革现有不合理的经济发展模式,促使本国经济朝着循环型经济发展.本文通过介绍循环经济的概念和基本特点,总结国外循环经济法的立法经验,对比德日两国与美国的循环经济立法,透视我国相关立法现状及存在的问题,对我国循环经济法的建立健全与配套制度的完善提出建议.     

研究企业的起源:马克思与科斯

作为经济学大师,马克思和科斯对企业的起源虽然有着不同的理解,但他们从不同角度对企业产生的前提、企业产生和成本的关系、企业的边界、企业的性质等问题的论述,却共同证明了企业不仅是市场经济条件下社会生产力的一种组织形式,而且是特定经济制度下一种社会生产关系的实现形式。