Insecure times? Workers' perceived job and labor market security in 23 OECD countries

By examining the association between employees' perceptions of job security and central labor market policies and characteristics, this paper seeks to understand the mechanisms through which institutions generate confidence and positive expectations among individuals regarding their economic future. The analyses distinguish between different facets of perceived job security and different institutional mechanisms. My multilevel analyses of a data set that contains information on 12,431 individuals and 23 countries show that some labor market policies and characteristics are more likely than others to provide workers with subjective security. Unemployment assistance in particular is an effective means of reducing workers' worries about job loss. Dismissal protection, by contrast, only unleashes its psychologically protective effects under certain conditions. The paper's main conclusion is that the effectiveness of policies varies and that different types of labor market institutions serve as complements rather than as substitutes.     

Icons,Itinerary, and Identity: Associations of Boundary and Mobility within the Contemporary US Passport

Regulatory shifts in US border policy set in motion through implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative are concurrent with recent formal and functional changes to the US passport. This article examines these modifications interweaving themes of boundary, mobility, and identity. The study focuses on the tripartite means by which the state employs the passport: as the primary affixer of national identity; as a mediator of contact and mobility across national boundaries; and as a mode for the projection of a certain territorial discourse to its citizenry and ‘others.’ These concepts are developed through an analysis of the narrative and iconic representations contained within the new book itself; material sources from government archives; as well as discussions and interviews with US State Department functionaries closely associated with the design and distribution of the new e-passport. Through the latter examination, a view is afforded into the process by which key state documents are crafted and an inherent tension revealed within an agency charged with establishing a particular unifying ‘brand’ for the preeminent instrument of national identification, whilst dutifully acknowledging the diverse constituency of a nation that historically fashions itself as one constructed from the many. In conclusion, the study suggests that the new passport is the handiwork of a plethora of state actors and a servant of many masters, for it is not only a facilitator of mobility and a vouchsafe for the identity of the bearer, but also, a tiny but significant piece of US property, itself an agent of border maintenance and boundary construction that enables the state to lay claim to its citizenry.     

Towards a Society for All Ages

Summary

Any social action plan, scheme, or program for welfare or intervention can be formulated only on the basis of data generated by research findings. Empirical data forms the backbone of the formulation of policy. This paper outlines the summary of the Indian research effort in the area of aging. An examination of the research trends shows both strengths and weaknesses. The generation of large and varied pieces of data across disciplines is a strength, while the absence of methodological rigor, integration of research effort, and the building of theory are the lacunae. The needs of the elderly, elder-care issues, State vs. family care, elder abuse, interventional and action plan research are some areas that need accentuation. Documentation of data, creation of databases, and a national body for overseeing research are requirements that cannot be delayed any longer.     

中国价格水平的国际比较：差距及影响因素

基于世界银行2011年国际比较项目（ ICP）数据结果,分析中国价格水平的国际差距,研究其影响因素,剖析世界银行推算的中国购买力平价和价格水平指数的合理性和局限性。研究表明,中国价格总水平相对较低,但在多重因素作用下,呈大幅上升趋势,与国际的差距缩小,价格的国际竞争优势逐渐减弱。在现阶段,中国价格水平与经济发展水平大体相适应。从长期趋势看,中国价格水平继续上升的压力较大,须控制通胀预期,稳定人民币汇率,谨防价格水平上升超出经济发展水平的正常范围。     

论《刑法》第288条的法律适用之困境及完善

国务院法制办于2014年5月发布了《中华人民共和国无线电管理条例（修订草案）（征求意见稿）》,将无线电频率和卫星轨道资源明确规定为无线电管理条例保护的对象,这无疑给刑法提出了新问题。为了维护无线电通讯秩序,中国1997年《刑法》增设了第288条扰乱无线电通讯管理秩序罪,但此罪在犯罪成立的条件上要求过高、在司法实践的认定上存在困难,几乎沦为“废条”。《刑法》要发挥保护无线电频率和卫星轨道资源的作用,就必须根据现实的需要对第288条做出适当的修改,使其走出“废条”困境。     

汉语国际教育中的安徽文化传播 ——以安徽某大学为例

汉语国际教育是传播安徽文化的重要舞台.在汉语国际教育中要树立对外汉语教师地域性教学意识和地方文化意识,充分发挥对外汉语教学中安徽文化各传播途径的作用,结合语言教学多角度展示安徽文化,加强留学生体验安徽优秀传统文化的实践.     

Conditional VAR and Expected Shortfall: A New Functional Approach

We estimate two well-known risk measures, the value-at-risk (VAR) and the expected shortfall, conditionally to a functional variable (i.e., a random variable valued in some semi(pseudo)-metric space). We use nonparametric kernel estimation for constructing estimators of these quantities, under general dependence conditions. Theoretical properties are stated whereas practical aspects are illustrated on simulated data: nonlinear functional and GARCH(1,1) models. Some ideas on bandwidth selection using bootstrap are introduced. Finally, an empirical example is given through data of the S&P 500 time series.     

应用型本科院校国际化人才培养模式研究——以三明学院为例

国际通识教育课程项目是由教育部下属留学服务中心审批,在通识教育理念的基础上培养人才的国际化办学项目。三明学院作为应用型本科院校,以培养有特色应用技术型人才为目标,积极推进人才培养模式改革。结合三明学院的实际情况,从课程设置、教师资源、授课方式、教学质量保障体系和第二课堂等方面,对国际通识教育课程项目的国际化人才培养模式进行研究,希望能够为应用型本科院校创新人才培养模式提供经验。     

澳门土地制度改变及其影响与纱纸契合法性问题

澳门基本法第七条规定,澳门境内的土地和自然资源,除在澳门特区成立前已依法确认的私有土地外,属于国家所有。土地制度的改变、土地所有权的改变,除了涉及澳门土地所属问题,还涉及澳门特区的成立和基本法的实施对澳门原有法律制度和司法程序的影响。具代表性的案例是去年澳门特区终审法院就观音堂地段的所有权和使用权的民事诉讼案所作出的裁决:在特区成立前未获依法确认为私有的土地,特区成立后就成为国家所有,也不能通过司法裁判确认这些土地的所有权或利用权为私有,无论有关诉讼是在特区成立之前还是之后提起的。也就是说,澳门从此再也不会有新的私人业权土地了,连"和平占有"也不能了。土地制度改变所带来的影响,可从上述观音堂地段的官司反映出来,未来可能还涉及棘手的离岛土地"纱纸契"的法律地位问题。本文以终审法院的有关裁决为例,进而讨论土地制度的改变对于土地"纱纸契"问题的影响。