关于新经济条件下的中国工会组织及其工作思路的思考

文章从经济和历史两个维度,分析了中国特殊劳动关系下的工会工作,阐述了重视并加强工会工作的必要性和现实性,以及在对待工会问题上所存在的一些缺憾和亟待解决的问题。从而折射出中国特色市场经济条件下工会工作的现实复杂性与艰巨性,进而推演出新形势下工会组织的准确定位与工作思路:从企业的国际性发展规律和社会的实际需要来理顺劳资关系;提高工会干部的综合素质是理顺劳动关系的根本。     

The Impact of Political Competition on Economic Growth: Evidence from Municipalities in South Africa

This paper examines the impact of political competition on economic growth. In this paper, I show that internal political dynamics, distinct from the type of political system, can having different effects on growth. Using results from the 1994 and 1999 elections in South Africa, I show that municipalities with higher levels of political competition have shown lower levels of economic growth. I use individual level surveys to show that this political competition is associated with political paralysis, dissatisfaction with the current democracy and government and lower optimism about the future.     

(In)equality and the South African Constitution

ABSTRACT

Does the South African Constitution constrain or empower government, courts and citizens in addressing systemic social and economic inequalities? This article argues that the Constitution is explicitly ‘transformative’, but is an enabling document, providing ‘scaffolding’ for political and legal activities. It is government, strong institutions and civil society that are ultimately responsible for securing its equality aspirations. Here the Constitution admits of different understandings of equality and different economic and social policy choices. This article identifies these contested meanings of equality and suggests that a liberal egalitarian/social democratic version is dominant in policy choices and the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court. It illustrates this with reference to the Court’s jurisprudence on equality, and suggests that more radical and transformative interpretations remain possible. However, it concludes that we cannot escape politics, the need for good policy choices and effective implementation and enforcement.     

Indonesian politics in 2012: coalitions,accountability and the future of democracy

Indonesia is a successful but flawed democracy: while the electoral process has worked well, the quality of democratic governance is less encouraging. Missing from the equation between elections and democracy is political accountability. Parties’ obsession with coalition building as a route to political power has made it difficult for voters to attribute success or failure to elected officials. Coalition government allows politicians to send contradictory messages, and in 2012 religious minorities – which are neither banned nor protected – have paid a heavy price for the lack of accountability and leadership. In Jakarta an outsider, Joko Widodo, won the gubernatorial election despite facing an incumbent backed by a broad coalition. His victory illustrates that coalition building does not guarantee success, and that the electorate is mature enough not to be swayed by appeals to religious and ethnic sentiment. This gives heart to those hoping to strengthen democracy and democratic values in Indonesia.     

论市场经济语境下的民主制度

市场经济的成熟发展必然催生出符合现代文明发展方向的政治制度——民主;民主制度所蕴涵的价值诉求必将对以市场经济为核心的资源配置方式,产生深远积极的影响;如何有效地减少市场失灵与政府失灵是制度创新的关键。     

The origin and diffusion of shocks to regional interest rates in the United States, 1880-2002

This paper is about the behavior of regional interest rates in the United States from 1880 to 2002. The main concern is with the shocks to regional rates. Where did they originate? How did they diffuse? How did the pattern change over time? We show that in the late nineteenth century the main source of shocks to rates on the periphery were shocks originating on the periphery itself. This pattern continued through World War I and the Great Depression. After World War II, however, the importance of disturbances on the periphery diminished and shocks to rates in the Eastern financial centers became the main source of fluctuations in all regions.     

工会承诺、组织承诺和员工绩效——被企业所有制类型跨层次调节的中介模型

基于我国工会维稳与维权的双重角色,要发挥工会预防劳资矛盾激化的功能,并履行集体劳动争议代表的责任,需要研究工人是否对工会有承诺,以及这种承诺与组织承诺和员工绩效的关系。鉴于不同所有制企业工会的差异,文章基于角色理论、认知理论和交换理论,针对员工的工会承诺、组织承诺和绩效之间的关系展开研究,研究中使用了32家企业共709个员工样本的嵌套数据建立了不同所有制企业跨层次被调节的中介模型进行假设验证。研究结果表明：工会承诺正向影响组织承诺,组织承诺在工会承诺和员工绩效关系中起中介作用,并且该中介作用在公有制企业中较强,在非公有制企业中较弱。文章最后对实证分析部分进行了讨论,并指出未来研究方向。     

创新落实"四项民主"与建设社会主义新农村

创新不是创造,不是无中生有,凭空产生。管理民主的创新问题,是在十一五规划的大背景之下,针对农村基层自治的一些细节问题结合十六届五中全会的精神提出的,也是针对基层自治制度的一些未完成及结合建设社会主义新农村这一时代任务提出的。     

Measuring the Economic Costs and Benefits of the EU

The EU has pursued protectionist policies not merely in food but also in manufacturing at the customs union level. In services it has not dismantled much of the existing national protectionism. The economic costs are calculated here at some 3% of GDP for the UK and some 2% for the rest of the EU. Added to its social interventionism, these costs suggest that the EU has put political integration before economic efficiency. This paper draws heavily on my book with Vidya Mahambare and Eric Nowell (Minford et al., 2005). I am grateful for helpful comments to Kim Huynh, Michele Fratianni and other participants at the IU 2006 conference in Fratianni’s honour. I contributed this paper in recognition of many pleasurable discussions with Michele over the years on this and many other topics. JEL Classification Numbers: F13, F14