职业自主性与国家干预——西方职业社会学研究述评

本文是关于西方职业社会学研究的发展历程、基本概念、主要研究主题和理论辩论的一个述评。文章从职业的概念入手,对关于职业化的研究、职业自主性与职业地位、职业—国家关系等研究主题都作了概括性的论述和分析。第一部分介绍职业社会学发展史上界定“职业”、“职业化”等基本概念的各种努力及其批判;第二部分着重分析“职业自主性”与“职业地位”这两个相互联系的核心概念及其意涵,并试图将现有理论对这些概念的不同理解在各个维度上进行比较;第三部分由英美职业社会学的主流研究对国家干预的忽视入手,论述两个关于职业—国家关系问题的主要理论视角,并提出一个关于职业之间竞争与国家对这些竞争的规范的生态性理论。文章的结语部分讨论职业社会学研究对于整个社会学发展的普遍性意涵,并试图揭示这一研究领域的一些未来发展趋势。     

从全能到和谐:中国国家治理演进

中国国家治理道路的形成是一个漫长的探索过程。经历了全能国家治理、发展型国家治理,随着社会主义和谐社会的构建,国家治理又迈进新时代。目前中国国家治理尚有许多问题与难题,但其治理模式仍然能够为当下以及未来提供具有参考价值的理论与实践指导,同时也为其他国家提供一种可供借鉴的国家治理范式。本文试图对其进行梳理和总结,希望对国家治理理论有更进一步的认识和研究。     

中国社会分层机制变迁与新兴阶层崛起

社会分层研究历来就是社会学研究的重要理论传统领域，也是社会学区别于其他学科的主要特征之一。在这一领域内，受到关注最多的就是社会分层的结构研究，研究者对这一问题的兴趣主要基于这样的假设：阶级阶层是最主要的社会行动单位，阶级和阶层的共同行动是最     

马克思主义视域下的国家治理

西方马克思主义对于世界有着非常深远的影响,其指导思想在国家治理方面也具有重要价值,通过马克思主义理解国家治理属性以及社会主义国家的治理结构,是西方体制论、人治论以及政府优劣论等理论的升级,从较为明确的阶级立场对社会治理和国家治理提出了完整的见解,国家政权中国最核心的地位就是无产阶级,并深度挖掘人性价值和发展根本性原则。本文对国家治理内涵进行了简要分析,并对马克思主义指导下国家治理的社会学意义以及现代价值进行了简要分析,并集中阐释了西方马克思主义视域下的资本主义国家治理以及社会主义国家治理,旨在为相关研究人员提供有价值的参考建议。     

帝国的军事宿命——兵制中的国家治理逻辑

已有的关于国家治理逻辑的探讨侧重于央地关系而忽略了其他领域.本文通过相关的历史社会学分析,展现了帝国在兵制中的国家治理逻辑.本文发现,不同于央地关系,中央政府在兵制上往往缺乏平衡效率与风险的手段.这是因为国家对土地的控制力同时形塑了帝国军队的职业化水平(军事效率)以及士兵控制(军事风险).因此,帝国在失去对土地的控制时,会陷入军事效率与军事风险二选一的困境.而无论采取哪种选择,帝国最终都无法逃避覆灭的宿命.这一发现向我们揭示了一套不同于主流文献的、基于结构的中国国家治理理论.     

关于财政税收工作存在的问题及深化改革的探究

财政税收在国家收入中占有很大的比重,国家的经济建设和文化建设都需要财政税收的支持。随着我国经济的发展,企业的蓬勃兴起,我国对财政税收政策进行了大幅度调整,但是,还是有不少企业进行不法行为,他们采用制造虚假的财务报表逃税、漏税,这给国家财政部门的执法带来了很大困扰,也不利于国家汇拢财政进行经济建设。本文通过分析我国财政税收工作的现状和存在的问题,对财政税收的改革提出行之有效的建议,制定合理的财政税收政策,保障我国财政税收工作的顺利进展。     

对格奥尔格·齐美尔社会学思想的梳理

如果“个体行为受到社会以及社会环境的影响”可以作为社会学的基本假设，那么，齐美尔的社会学理论可以说是具有现代性和可本土化特征的，他所提出的“形式社会学”跳出了有机理论和历史现象的具体性两个范畴，成为了一个可普遍认知的研究对象和方法论。虽然这个学说带有哲学的色彩，但是抽象社会形式这种普适的思维方式对于社会学的本土化是有重要的借鉴意义的。     

新政治社会学:范式转型还是理论补充?

"经典政治社会学"与"新政治社会学"在关注权力存在的形式和权力运作的方式时,理论视野存在着差异。前者的权力概念集中在民族—国家层次上,将国家与市民社会的关系作为核心问题;后者则更注重充斥于整个社会生活中的权力现象,在高于民族—国家的宏观领域里或者在低于民族—国家的微观层次上来考虑权力问题;然而,"新政治社会学"并没有形成一种完整的理论范式来替代经典政治社会学,相反,其理论观点不过是对"经典政治社会学"的补充。经典政治社会学和新政治社会学的理论对于认识中国社会的权力现象都是有价值的。     

CPI与税收收入关系研究——基于中国的特殊性

CPI与税收收入的关系问题一直备受关注。本文在强调该命题的国情特殊性前提下,进行概念厘清、理论辨别、国情特殊性假设分析,进而系统地探讨税收与CPI的双向互动关系。研究认为CPI对税收只具有间接影响并且要分情况而论,税收对CPI的影响与CPI的编制以及国家税制结构有密切的关系。     

试论社会学的中国化与现代化

在重建社会学的又一阶段,社会学的中国化问题被作为一项重大的理论课题提到了社会学研究的议事日程上,这表明这门学科的发展在中国开始进入一个更深入的层次。本文拟对“社会学中国化”的科学含意及其实现途径作一初步的探讨,以就教于社会学界的同行。     

World Culture and Transnational Economic Governance: Theory and Evidence

The current global financial crisis has led to renewed efforts to strengthen the formal rules and organizations of transnational economic governance. A substantial body of research in sociology and related fields suggests that the informal norms, values, expectations, and ideas that make up a world culture are equally important for understanding why countries cooperate, and why those cooperative efforts sometimes fail. This article explores these insights, showing how they can be applied to current debates about transnational economic governance, by paying particular attention to the emergence, adoption, and evolution of the Basel Capital Accords.     

Sociology's misfortune: disciplines, interdisciplinarity and the impact of audit culture

This paper is about tendencies to the subversion of sociology as a discipline. It connects external factors of the wider socio-political environment of higher education in the UK, especially those associated with the audit culture and new systems of governance, with the internal organization of the discipline. While the environment is similar for all social science subjects, the paper argues that there are specific consequences for sociology because of characteristics peculiar to the discipline. The paper discusses these consequences in terms of the changing relationship between sociology and the growing interdisciplinary area of applied social studies as a form of 'mode 2 knowledge'. It argues that while sociology 'exports' concepts, methodologies and personnel it lacks the internal disciplinary integrity of other 'exporter' disciplines, such as economics, political science and anthropology. The consequence is an increasingly blurred distinction between sociology as a discipline and the interdisciplinary area of applied social studies with a potential loss of disciplinary identity. The paper concludes with a discussion of how this loss of identity is associated with a reduced ability to reproduce a critical sensibility within sociology and absorption to the constraints of audit culture with its preferred form of mode 2 knowledge.     

Teaching, tracking, and marketing our product

Many sociology departments have faced difficult times in the past decade. This article examines how this crisis confronted two universities in North Carolina and the strategies which they used to strengthen their departments. Major emphasis is given to how state associations can assist departments in developing applied curriculum, publicizing their successful endeavors, and recruiting students. The article also provides insights about dealing with outcomes assessment as well as administering internship programs. Jan Rienerth teaching interests are in women’s issues, applied sociology, and experimental learning. Her research has focused on women and the elderly in prison. Martin Shultz primary research area involves the long term changes in the American family, especially divorce. In the past ten years, he has developed additional interests in applied sociology with an internship program. Richard Caston interests include socio-economics, health, and applied research.     

Migration, Return, and Development: An Institutional Perspective

The development community has been rather reluctant in the past to integrate migration as a parameter for development policies, as often advocated by politicians and the migration community. The following analysis demonstrates that the position of development institutions on this matter has evolved, e.g., in the direction of increased interest among development practitioners to look at remittances as a tool for development. The article discusses the importance of brain drain and possibilities for using return migration as a brain gain. It introduces the concept "migration band" as an aggregate expression of Martin's "migration hump" for individual countries. Furthermore, it suggests policy options for a foreign input policy mix to developing countries composed of foreign direct investment, trade liberalizations, aid, remittances, return migration, and improved governance.     

Save the World on Your Own Time: Or, What’s the Matter with Sociology?

This essay explores the question of why sociology departments, compared to other university departments, are often viewed negatively by higher-level administrators (deans, provosts, chancellors and presidents). We are asked to consider, as sociologists, how departments are ranked and evaluated by administrators. The characteristics of any good university department are identified (e.g., grants, support from alumni, publications, quality of teaching, national rankings, student enrollments); and, the characteristics of dynamic and healthy departments are outlined (e.g., student learning is primary; there is a commitment to the goals of the larger organization; leadership is provided by the unit to solve all-university problems; there is a focus on learning; faculty are productive; there are strong communication links across the organization). The question is posed and then systemically answered as to how sociology departments compare in terms of these standards. It is suggested that a major factor in terms of how and why sociology departments are negatively evaluated is the fact that sociology uses narratives of power and explanations of organizational behavior that are inherently oppositional, i.e., there is an “us” and “them” mentally that sometimes develops. Other reasons for organizational marginalization are identified such as the “canon wars” and their lingering effects, and the fact that the sociological enterprise has been diluted by the teaching of “sociology” in many other campus units, such as composition programs. Finally, questions are raised about how sociology, as an intellectual enterprise, differs from other disciplines in terms of pedagogy, the sequencing of courses, “grand” theory, and forms of apprenticeship. It is recommended that sociologists act positively to help the organizations within which they work to identify common problems and solve them. It is argued that sociology can and should “own” the area of civic engagement as a means of making a positive and distinctive contribution. Sociological “stories” grounded in the reality of everyday life are compelling. It is suggested that sociologists need to deepen connections with their communities and to offer real solutions to real problems.     

Challenge of multi-level governance in developing countries and possible GIS applications

Of the three most prominent issues in governance discourse—the horizontal coordination of markets, government hierarchies and networks, global governance and multi-level governance—this paper argues that the last, developing and sustaining structures of multi-level governance, constitutes the most profound governance challenge for most developing countries.The paper identifies the major forces promoting change in favor of multi-level governance in developing countries. Using the growing literature and comparative national experiences (illustrated with the examples of India, the Philippines, Colombia and Nigeria), it highlights the key achievements of democratic decentralization as well as its nagging problems in these countries. Finally, the paper demonstrates the significance of these developments for democracy and development in these countries and shows some of the ways by which external partners—especially experts associated with the Geographic Information Systems for Developing Countries can assist and possibly benefit from this process.     

Toward a Historical Sociology of COVID-19: Path Dependence Method and Temporal Connections

Encountering the unprecedented social crisis of COVID-19, an increasing number of sociologists are calling for historical sociology to engage empirically with the dynamics of the COVID-19 crisis. I present the “path dependence method” and the “temporal connections” to interpret social life during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using the path dependence method, I show how the personal, social, and national problems created by the COVID-19 crisis initiate a new path and furthermore how this newly created path is justified in a society. Through the temporal connections, I will show how non-Western countries responded more reasonably and quickly than most Western countries to the COVID-19 crisis. The overall aim of this research is to disclose effectiveness of historical sociology, to encourage researchers to think time variable, and to argue that linking historical-sociological knowledge to the COVID-19 crisis would be a positive step for an in-depth COVID-19 sociology.     

From Cyber-Libertarianism to Neoliberalism: Internet Exceptionalism,Multi-stakeholderism,and the Institutionalisation of Internet Governance in the 1990s

Although it is often taken for granted that Internet governance should employ the principle of multi-stakeholderism and that existing governance structures are not suitable for the regulation of the Internet, this article places the emergence of such principles in the context of the 1990s. Drawing on international political sociology and neo-Gramscian scholarship, it explores how different elites were able to coalesce around basic principles of Internet governance to create the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). These principles were the common elements of distinct discourses and were instrumental in the unification of a power elite. They also helped to create a hegemonic discourse that was acceptable to a broader public. Based on the study of policy documents produced during the debates that led to the creation of the ICANN, this article outlines five different discourses on Internet governance and focuses on the principles of multi-stakeholderism and Internet exceptionalism as basic elements of a hegemonic discourse. The study of the origins of these principles in the 1990s can shed light on their status in current debates.     

Modernization,neo-liberal globalization,or variegated development: the Indian food system transformation in comparative perspective

This paper discusses the question of when generalizations risk compromising the utility and accuracy of a theory and seeks to show how a balance can be struck between generalized and context-specific analyses in disciplines like international sociology, political economy, and comparative politics. For this purpose, the paper reviews three theoretical approaches to agri-food system change, placed at different levels on the ladder of generality. It then considers these approaches in relation to India's changing agri-food system. Finally, the paper discusses the general and the particularistic features of the Indian case and examines their implications for theories relating to global governance and international political economy.     

Contemplating a postmodern sociology: genealogy, limits and critique

As its title suggests, this paper explores certain directions a specifically postmodern sociology (rather than say a sociology of postmodernism) might take. It reinterprets Gouldner's prescient warnings of a crisis in ‘academic’ sociology as an expression of despair within modern sociology. In particular, three important ‘contradictions’ are examined as possible points of departure for a postmodern sociological discourse. Foucault's genealogical approach, it is argued, is useful in helping to orientate any attempts to develop a sociology of this kind. The analysis concludes by anticipating possible objections, showing how these might profitably be incorporated into future enquiries. The aim of the paper is not to offer concrete enunciations for a postmodern sociology, but to develop more modest rules of thumb through which such a discourse might be erected.