Young People's Attitudes Towards British Political Advertising: Nurturing or Impeding Voter Engagement?

SUMMARY

This article presents findings from a national survey of ‘potential’ first time voters at the 2001 British General Election–specifically their attitudes towards the print advertising used by the main political parties during this election. In analysing the data, the authors were particularly interested in examining the claim that political advertising contributes to a sense of malaise–most acutely apparent among young people. While we found high levels of claimed advertising awareness, this was coupled with largely unfavourable attitudes towards most of the print advertising used in the election. Despite these judgements, most young people considered the advertising to be at least as persuasive as its commercial cousins. Not surprisingly the evidence provides a mixed picture in terms of the role political advertising plays in the political dispositions of young people. As a familiar discourse advertising offers the political classes an entry point to establish a dialogue with young sections of the electorate. However, for many young people, political advertising appears to help reinforce their predilection about politics being something one naturally distrusts.     

中国农村基层民主治理的拓展性创新——河南邓州农村首创的"4+2"工作法调研报告

河南邓州农村首创的“四议两公开”制度,将村民自治由过去注重民主选举环节进一步拓展到村民直接参与民主决策、民主管理和民主监督全过程,是完善党领导的村级民主治理机制的有效实现形式。这一制度创新成果被正式写进2010年的中央一号文件,目前正在向全国各地农村全面推广,但在实际操作中仍存在“无人议事,无事可议,议而无用,用则违规”的诸多难题,尚需要从理论和实践两个层面上不断探索和完善。     

试论土地利用总体规划编制程序的完善——提高程序的民主性

研究目的:完善土地利用总体规划(以下简称土地规划)编制程序,为《土地管理法》修改提供参考。研究方法:价值分析和规范分析。研究结果:分析得出提高土地规划编制程序的民主性具有重要意义,并认为可以通过完善人大参与和公众参与提高编制程序的民主性,进而指出现有法律关于土地规划编制程序民主性规定的不足,对提高土地规划编制程序民主性的法律保障提出了相关建议。研究结论:地方各级土地规划应当经同级人大常委会或人大审议,全国土地规划应当经全国人大常委会审查同意;县级以上土地规划草案可采用听证会、论证会、座谈会等各种方式征求意见,乡镇土地规划草案应当召开听证会征求意见。     

The right to participate

A basic principle of democracy holds that all citizens have a right to participate in decisions that affect their personal interests, including decisions taken in the context of employment. Most industrialized, market economy democracies have created institutions to ensure that this right is effective. In North America, however, the right to participate in the making of critical employment decisions has not been secured, largely because of perverse, adversarial dynamics elicited by labor relations statutes. Universal, statutory participation via works councils is proposed as a means of making the right effective.     

PLURALITY IN URBAN POLITICS: Conflict and Commonality in Mouffe and Thévenot

In this article we introduce a pragmatist interpretation of agonistic pluralism and develop this into an analytical framework that is applied to the analysis of urban conflicts. In the article, we take stock of contemporary critical and radical urban scholarship, our aim being twofold. First, we substantiate Chantal Mouffe's notion of agonistic pluralism with tools from French pragmatic sociology. We suggest that, in a democracy, plurality emerges both as a plurality of conflict manifested in the variety of possible ways to identify injustices, and formulate and justify claims in public struggles, and a plurality of commonality, manifested in different logics by which a ‘we’ can be formed and action coordinated so as to solve issues without resorting to physical violence. Secondly, by applying the developed conceptualization of plurality to an ongoing urban conflict concerning an airport, we showcase the value of the approach for identifying and analyzing different forms and phases of actually existing political conflicts, and for recognizing their meaning for democracy.     

创建新时期“教工之家”,构建和谐校园

按照:家有组织、家有民主、家有创新、家有活动、家有温暖,围绕中心服务大局开展创建新时期教工之家活动,是增加基层工会活力,提高基层工会工作整体水平的有效形式,对于协调劳资关系,调动教职工积极性,推动教育改革和发展具有重要作用。     

市场视角下的合作社发展存在的问题及原因分析

我国的农民专业合作社运作以来,为提高农民收入发挥了积极作用。他的运作是以交易成本、规 模经济、组织行为、市场对接、农业弱质等理论为指导基础的。实践中较为理性的运作虽然规避了发展中 的风险,但也反映出问题:合作社企业化运作、合作社与农民联系不够紧密、依赖政府补贴等。针对这些 问题,基于市场竞争的角度,通过对合作社运行中的价格成本的逐层分析及对比分析,揭示了产生以上问 题的逻辑关系:市场规律下,作为价格接受者,规模小且资金、技术实力都不强的合作社,由于决策程序 复杂、存在协调成本、交易成本、管理成本,比其他主体的运营成本较高;迫于降低成本的压力,合作社 清减事务性工作人员,由大户或核心成员以合作社名义提供农资、技术咨询等服务,并完成营销工作,一 般会员不参与合作社管理,只按照与合作社签订的合同提供产品。以上分析揭示了农村合作社运作问题的 根本原因是市场规律使然,此合作社企业化运作模式会造成的民主管理弱化,盈余分配不均衡等问题,要 解决这些问题需要进一步提高政府的支持力度。     

Coming to Terms with Accountability

Abstract

In this article, we develop a theoretical argument that leads to a more optimistic outlook on the present state of accountability. By combining the different forums and functions of accountability in a multidimensional manner, the possibilities to hold power to account may be larger than often assumed. The main reason is that functions no longer depend on the well-functioning of a single forum and each forum serves multiple functions. In order to study accountability on a more systematic basis, we urgently need a solid conceptual framework. We aim to contribute to this much wanted coming to terms with accountability.     

INSPECTING THE FOUNDATIONS OF LIBERALISM

Liberal justice is rooted in a system of conventions. They arise spontaneously as behavioural equilibria that bring mutual advantage to those adopting them. They protect life, limb, property and the pursuit of peaceful purposes, and require the fulfilment of reciprocal promises. Collective choice, where some impose choices on others who submit, violates liberal justice and reduces the set of freedoms. Liberalism and democracy are incompatible as organising principles and 'liberal democracy' is a contradiction in terms.