Northern Ireland: Democratizing for Development

This introductory article does three things. First, it indicates the general purpose of this special edition and outlines the structure and intention of the four main articles that follow. Secondly, it elaborates the arguments and theoretical discourse underpinning the articles, and thirdly, it locates these concerns and development initiatives not only in the specific regional context of Northern Ireland, but also in the wider framework of a new global economy.     

Shaping a Regional Vision: the Case of Northern Ireland

The theme of this paper is the preparation of a new regional plan for Northern Ireland, known as Shaping Our Future: a Regional Strategic Framework (RSF) and the public consultation exercise which underpinned its development. The paper attempts to provide a reflective contextualized account of the development of a 'new' model of participation and its operation in practice. Arguably, the particular political circumstances in Northern Ireland provide an interesting case study of issues and tensions that connect to wider debates about the shaping of strategic planning policy and the growing demands for the development of participatory democracy.     

Youth unemployment in Northern Ireland

Nearly one tenth (8 per cent) of each cohort of school leavers in Northern Ireland experience long spells of unemployment and inactivity ("Status 0") between the ages of 16 and 18. This is important because many such young people are likely to end up unemployed and long-term unemployed in later life. In Northern Ireland around 15 per cent of the male workforce is unemployed, and around one half of these have been out of work for more than one year. This paper outlines the nature of the Status 0 experience amongst 16 and 17 year olds in Northern Ireland, and discusses three main aspects of policy which might guide the overall policy response in Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

Firstly, resources should be targeted carefully towards the most “at risk” young people, especially during the early stages of their progression through compulsory education. Secondly, relevant professionals should ensure that the most marginalised young people are not allowed to fall through the nets of mainstream provision and, in particular, every effort should be made to help young people avoid entering Status 0 immediately after leaving school. Thirdly, consideration should be given to the financial incentives faced by training providers in terms of recruiting low achievers who are at most risk of entering Status 0. There is some evidence to suggest that many of the existing incentives in Northern Ireland are inadequate and, in some cases, may exacerbate many of the problems faced by marginalised young people.     

Partnerships and Policy in Northern Ireland

This paper evaluates the experiences of the Derry/Londonderry Partnership Board established as part of the European Union's(EU) Peace and Reconciliation Programme in Northern Ireland and suggests that it has been able to establish a distinctive approach to community consultation, strategy formulation and programme delivery. It explores the method and content of its most recent Action Plan and argues that the fealty that has traditionally informed local government discourses has been challenged by an open, pluralist and respectful analysis of positions and problems. The paper concludes by arguing that the real contribution of the Partnerships have been to create the space for civic democracy to be played out in an attempt to embed the peace process and a long-term political settlement.     

Investment, employment, and political conflict in Northern Ireland

This paper combines panel data on employment and investmentin different types of capital good in Northern Ireland withtime-series data on the level of political conflict (measuredin various ways) in order to estimate the extent to which conflictdiscourages employment and investment of different kinds. Whileall factors of production are affected by political conflict,the magnitude of the effect varies substantially from one toanother.     

The causes and consequences of rent-seeking in Northern Ireland, 1945–721

Northern Ireland’s economic performance during the ‘golden age’ was weak. Crafts suggested that rent-seeking was an important determinant of this poor record. This article offers support for such a conclusion. It is suggested that the growth record was shaped by British regulations preventing conflicts of ministerial interest not being made operational until 1963. This institutional divergence tended to promote rent-seeking behaviour, which impeded the pursuit of an industrial policy that could promote economic efficiency. In 1963 the institutional structure and the industrial policy framework changed. These changes stimulated the pursuit of efficiency and contributed to an improved regional economic performance.     

苏北地区高新技术产业发展策略研究

随着经济全球化趋势的增强,高新技术产业已成为世界各国和地区综合实力竞争的一个焦点,高新技术产业在全面提升产业层次、加快经济转型等方面发挥了重要作用。文章在分析江苏省高新技术产业发展现状的基础上,探讨了苏北地区高新技术产业发展中面临的研发授入不足、关联效应不明显等问题,从政策扶持、加强产学研合作、加快科技企业孵化器建设等方面提出加快苏北地区高新技术产业发展的具体策略。     

城乡统筹背景的空间发展:村落衰退与重构

在现阶段全面建设小康社会和社会主义新农村背景下,我国的乡村发展进入加速重构的关键期。应结合乡村发展的特殊性,以村落重构为切入点,系统分析村落重构的类型、特征及原因,在城乡统筹发展前提下对重构村落进行改造或引导其合理消失。     

新媒体传播环境下党刊的发展

新媒体的迅猛发展,对党刊来说,既是挑战又是机遇。新媒体的介入,意味着传播秩序的颠覆,意味着生存空间的挤压。但是,新媒体也带来了新的传播空间。党刊对自身发展环境的变化要有清醒的认识：要办好主刊,在内容、形式上,必须准确定位、果断改革;在发行上,必须解放思想、勇于开拓。     

浅析马克思主义生态文明思想的发展脉络

近年来资源短缺、环境恶化、全球变暖、生态危机等一系列威胁人类生存发展的问题层出不穷。生态危机与其说是自然界生态平衡的打破倒不如说是人类社会人与人之间关系的异化。因此,我们有必要理清生态文明思想的发展脉络,去回首马克思、恩格斯的生态学思想,目睹西方生态学马克思主义对生态文明的发展,践行党的十八大提出的生态文明建设。     

陕北次级经济区发展初探

陕北地区无论从自然环境还是社会发展水平都明显地有别于陕西关中地区和陕南地区。丰富的自然资源和旅游资源是陕北次级经济区的发展优势,但基础设施不完善、教育水平落后、生态环境脆弱、制度创新不足等现状又严重地制约着它的发展。因此,完善基础设施、加快城镇建设,普及基础教育、发展职业教育、引进高级人才,培育特色产业、深化特色产业链,保护生态环境,改善投资软环境等是加快建设陕北次级经济区的重要突破口。     

中国转型经济情境下的商业模式创新:主题设计与量表开发

商业模式创新是网络经济时代企业转型升级的重要载体,其主题设计作为企业获得持续性竞争优势的价值源泉近年来备受关注。鉴于主题设计是情境化的产物,本文结合中国转型经济情境,整合商业模式理论与制度理论,提炼出以开拓性和完善性为主题的商业模式创新设计,并在混合研究的基础上,开发出初始测度量表,而后利用两套独立样本数据分别进行探索性因子分析和验证性因子分析。实证分析结果表明,中国转型经济情境下商业模式创新由2个主题维度和16个测项构成,验证了本研究提出的主题设计框架,并开发出了信度、效度良好的测度量表。本研究弥补了商业模式创新"情境化"的不足,较好地回答了创业企业如何通过商业模式创新进行能动性制度变革,为商业模式创新和转型经济情境下的企业战略做出了理论贡献,也为中国转型情境下创业企业通过商业模式创新实现赶超提供了实践启示。     

Towards internal cohesion? The role of local government in economic development under the EU Single Programme in Northern Ireland

This paper focuses on the extent to which EU funding available under the Local Economic Development Measure of the Northern Ireland Single Programme (1994-99) has encouraged local government in Northern Ireland to adopt a new role in local economic development. It also considers whether the implementation of the Measure has effectively addressed its objectives of economic and social cohesion. It discusses the rationale for district council involvement and concludes that the local government structure in Northern Ireland requires adaptation to optimise the impact of the aid on offer.