Is Germany following the British path? a comparative analysis of stability and change

This article reviews recent developments in industrial relations in Britain and Germany and examines the different adjustments to external influences of an economic, political and social structural kind. It concludes that the higher degree of stability and legitimacy of the German system is partly due to the lesser severity of external challenges and partly to structural characteristics of the two systems.     

Ideology or pragmatism? trade union education in France and Britain

Trade union education–a significant area of trade union activity – has been characterised by a tension between the desire to provide a certain ideological, economic and political perspective and the need to develop pragmatic bargaining skills. This comparative study examines the differing ways in which trade union education has developed in France and Britain.     

Europe: single market or political union?

The choice is between single market and political union over-simplified. Even an effective single market requires some political integration. So too does the management of a single currency, advantageous in itself. Neither requires a 'European economic government.' Beyond this, the peoples of Europe increasingly question the need for further supra-nationalism.'Political union,' in the form which frightens people, will not happen. Britain must play a full part in shaping the EU and its unique institutional structures, and prepare to join the euro-zone as soon as sensibly possible.     

Democracy and adaptation to economic and technological change: Is the British political system capable of adjusting?

Political systems provide the framework for organizational and technological change. Democratic systems are in some respects more open to economic and social adjustment than non-democratic systems; but the conflicting demands of entrenched interests and competition among parties for votes themselves create obstacles to adaptation.Britain's political system is the most stable in Western Europe, but it is also (after Italy) the one which is showing most signs of strain. How far is political stability a source of strength or of weakness under conditions of rapid economic and technological change? What aspects of Britain's current political difficulties are common to all democracies (as Sam Brittan argued in a classic study), or to all European social welfare economies, and what aspects are peculiar to our system alone? After five years of the most self-consciously radical government which Britain has had since 1945, how successful has our current government been in promoting economic and social change, while resisting any changes in our political system?It is argued that there has been a negative interaction between repeated efforts to transform Britain's industrial structure, and industrial relations, for example, and the obstacles to change posed by a restricted and centralised political system. Other illustrations of the interaction between political structure and policy output are taken from the evolution of Britain's relations with the European Community, from the management of industrial collaboration with other governments, and from attempts to reform the finances of local government. Britain's experience is compared and contrasted with those of the United States, France, Germany and Japan.     

The rhetoric and reality: employer responses to the national minimum wage

The national minimum wage (NMW) was introduced to Britain in April 1999 amid much speculation. This paper considers the political reasons for introducing the NMW and the economic effects of doing so. It also addresses the issue of the additional costs created by the NMW and the strategies adopted by employers to defray them. The paper provides evidence from the hotel sector that suggests some wage gains but no significant disemployment effects. The value of conventional labour market models as predictive tools is questioned.     

The Case for Britain Joining the EMS

Nigel Healey, of Leeds Polytechnic, argues that Britain should join the Exchange Rate Mechanism of the European Monetary System. He claims that the EMS would provide an anchor for economic policy in the absence of effective targets for monetary growth.     

新媒体视域下的企业政工工作路径探究

我国媒体传播工作在新媒体技术的快速发展下发生了巨大的变化,利用新媒体技术使得人们获取信息的方式越来越多样化。结合这一实际情况,为了提高企业政工工作的有效性,企业政工工作者应当顺应经济和社会发展的潮流,有效利用新媒体做好政工工作。论文首先论述了企业政治工作的背景,并在此基础上提出了许多政治工作对策,以期提高政治工作的有效性。     

创意产业对经济增长的影响分析——以英国为例

创意产业作为一个新兴产业,近年来取得了史无前例的发展,成为了促进经济增长的新引擎。英国作为创意产业发展最早的国家,创意产业已经发展为英国的支柱产业之一。创意产业对经济增长的直接促进作用并不明显,更大的贡献体现在创意活动知识和技术溢出效应以及对产业结构和劳动力结构的优化作用上。利用创意产业作为未来经济的增长点,应更多关注创意产业与传统产业的融合关系。在制定政策时,应从产业的关联效应入手,最大化创意产业的感应度和影响力。     

宏观调控行为的可诉性问题探究

宏观调控行为是国家经济管理的手段,有利于促进国民经济的稳定和经济建设的发展。宏观调控行为并非是一种国家行为,它的经济性强于政治性,是抽象决策行为与具体实施行为的综合体。应当承认司法权对宏观调控行为的审查与监督,确认宏观调控行为的可诉性,建立完善公益诉讼制度和违宪审查制度,使受控主体的利益得到充分的保护。     

Legitimating Inequality: Fooling Most of the People All of the Time

Over the three decades leading up to the crisis of 2008, inequality dramatically increased in the United States and Great Britain. What stands out, but is seldom noted, is that this occurred within democracies where the relative losers—the overwhelming majority—could in principle have used the political system to block or reverse rising inequality. Why did they not do so? A glance at history reveals that peoples have only very infrequently contested inequality because they were led to believe that their inferior status in terms of income, wealth, and privilege was just, that it was not really so bad, or that it was necessary for their future well‐being. Ideological systems legitimated a status quo of inequality, or in more modern times even increasing inequality. This article surveys the manner in which inequality has been historically legitimated, first predominantly by religion, then predominately by economic thought. Attention is then focused on the manner in which contemporary economic science and its popular interpretations in the media have served to legitimate inequality in the U.S. since the mid‐1970s. The article concludes with a reflection on the unique conditions that enable the legitimation of inequality to be delegitimated.     

The future of Europe - and Britain's economic future in Europe: the perspective of a Europe-based multinational

The paper asks why Europe matters, what a company like Unilever wants from Europe, what developments will deliver these conditions and whether it matters if Britain is in or out of Europe. It concludes that the most important benefit from Europe has been the Single Market. Developments which promote it such as EMU should be supported but other economic issues such as competitiveness and unemployment also need to be addressed. The benefits of the Single Market can most easily be secured inside Europe.     

The effect of employee share ownership on employee commitment and turnover: comparing the cases in Britain and South Korea and the role of the economy

Despite the consensus in the employee share ownership (ESO) literature for the need to explore contexts that influence ESO outcomes, studies examining two important factors, national context and status of the economy, are limited. In this study, the authors compare the outcomes of ESOs in Britain and South Korea during economic expansion and downturn. The results demonstrate that, during an economic expansion, the effect of ESOs in increasing employee commitment is stronger in South Korea, while their effect in decreasing employee turnover is stronger in Britain. However, during an economic downturn, the authors find no evidence for these effects in both societies. The findings lend support to the contingency perspective in managing ESOs and provide meaningful implications and guidance to the literature.     

社会转型时期企业员工思想政治工作的对策探讨

思想政治工作是维护企业和社会稳定的重要手段。在社会转型和经济转轨时期,收入及分配问题、巨大的竞争压力和企业人文关怀的缺失严重冲击了员工的思想,影响了企业和社会的稳定。文章认为,应构建以＂四个结合＂为核心的＂四位一体＂的思想政治工作体制,促进员工思想和企业稳定。     

新形势下“以德铸魂”加强职工思想道德建设的探讨

在市场经济改革不断深入的新形势下,针对职工思想道德建设方面出现的新问题、新情况和新矛盾,认真研究和把握职工思想状况及其变化规律,提高职工思想政治工作的针对性和有效性,增强思想政治工作的凝聚力、向心力、公信力、影响力,是每一位思想政治工作者应该探索的课题。     

新时期大学生思想政治教育面临的挑战与创新实践

在经济全球化、信息网络化以及高等教育大众化的社会背景条件下,大学生思想政治教育的环境、自身、要求都发生着深刻地改变,对高校思想政治教育工作带来了严峻的挑战。本文提出大学生思想政治教育要创新方式,以人为本,突出特色,学践结合,增强了思想政治教育的吸引力、感染力和针对性、实效性。     

The "New" Political Economies (A View from Russia)

This paper analyses some of the problems created by a rapidly changing interaction between the political and the economic spheres in society. In periods of condensed social change this interaction is profoundly different from customary evolutionary developments. In Russia various political economic concepts during the last century have led to profound shifts in economic mechanisms and structures (first toward a planned economy, later toward a market one). A knowledge of this experience (and the new problems that surface) might be useful if globalisation, environmental issues and the transition to a post-industrial society should lead to periods of condensed socioeconomic change in the West.     

Passages on the path to privatisation: the experience of British Steel

In 1988 public sector steelmaking in Britain was extinguished by the sale of all shares in British Steel plc. Given the politicised history of steel, the ease with which the company floated is surprising. This article suggests explanations which lie in the character of the principal industrial actors and the main political parties.     

The response of decentralized health services to demand uncertainty and the role of political parties in the Spanish public health system

Decentralization of the public health system should lead to health resources being managed more in line with citizens’ preferences. A decentralized system is more flexible in that it can better adapt resources to local needs. Moreover, if regional political parties have responsibility for public health policies, citizens will be able to elect those parties whose positions are more in line with their preferences. However, the role of political parties in public health management has received little attention in the literature. Focusing on the decision to provide reserve service capacity to deal with demand uncertainty, we analyse whether there have been differences between central and decentralized health authorities in Spain and whether these can be explained to some extent by the way different political parties manage the trade-off between being able to cover demand and the economic costs involved. Using data on Spanish public hospitals for the period 1996–2006, we model the difference between observed and potential output using an output-oriented distance function. Reserve capacity is modelled as a function of demand uncertainty, economic costs and the political party in power. We find differences in the way resources are managed by central government and decentralized authorities, even within the same political party. We also find differences between the decentralized authorities themselves according to the political party in power. We conclude that decentralization of public health in Spain has provided regional political authorities with greater flexibility to manage reserve capacity in line with citizens’ needs and preferences.     

Britain at the crossroads: the single currency

The concept of the single currency, to be adopted by the majority of the members of the European Union, is difficult for the general public to understand because of the lack of coherence of the objectives of its advocates (bureaucrats, ex-bureaucrats, academics, labour leaders, multinational business, and politicians). The general economic arguments for the single currency do not add up. Europe is not an 'optimal currency area.' A one-size-fits-all monetary policy will impose great strains. It is not necessary for Britain to participate in this enterprise. Britain does not need the euro, any more than Canada needs the US dollar. The ideal role for Britain is to be at the margin of Europe as the interface between Europe and North America     

践行社会主义核心价值体系培养“四有”新人

随着我国政治、经济、文化事业的蓬勃发展、社会主义现代化建设和小康社会的奋斗目标正在进一步实现,可是我们也应该看到,意识形态多样化的倾向也在严重影响着大学生的健康成长和思想。我们的党和国家要高度重视这些问题,我们要通过以社会主义核心价值体系为指导,对大学生思想政治教育的原因进行分析研究,我们必须要坚持马克思主义的主导地位、用中国特色社会主义核心价值体系来教育和引领大学生思想政治教育工作。