Apps4Africa: A new State Department public diplomacy initiative

In 2010 the U.S. State Department funded an “Apps4Africa” contest to encourage development of socially conscious mobile applications for Africa. The initiative marked a significant departure from traditional public diplomacy efforts to expand diplomatic outreach beyond traditional government-to-government relationships. This case study analyses Apps4Africa to reveal its appropriateness as a model for future efforts and concludes Apps4Africa succeeded primarily because it responded to the changing dynamics of the 21st Century.     

双重的约束：女性科技人才成长的制约因素分析

近年来，我国的科技事业发展迅速。然而，科技人才队伍中的女性科技人才却发展较为缓慢，原因在于女性科技人才的发展受到了公私领域的双重约束即私人领域的家庭劳动、家庭决策、家庭教育投资以及公共领域的科技人才准入、培育和评价机制制约了女性科技人才的发展。在这种双重约束下，女性科技人才只能在具有性别排斥的科技领域中充当幕后支撑力量，相反，男性则在科技人才发展中占主导优势，成为主要的受惠群体。     

经典公共领域的重塑及建构——以网络媒介兴起后的网络公共领域为例

新时期,由网络媒介技术迅猛发展带来了经典公共领域范畴的重塑或新生。因此,在此探讨经典公共领域的重塑主要特指网络公共领域,广义上还应包含因网络媒介影响的其它生活场域。本文力求运用解释学方法阐释新时期网络媒介的兴起带来了经典公共领域的重塑,并尝试提出中国理想网络公共领域的构建建议。     

Exploring Partial Order of European Countries

Partial Order Theory has been recently more and more employed in applied science to overcome the intrinsic disadvantage hidden in aggregation, if a multiple attribute system is available. Despite its numerous positive features, there are many practical cases where the interpretation of the partial order can be rather troublesome. In these cases the analysis of underlying dimensions could be useful to uncover particular data structures. The paper shows a way of addressing the problem with the help of an actual case study, which deals with European opinions on services of general interest. In particular, a partial order of countries is firstly provided and then a method to detect dimensions is discussed and applied. The analysis stems directly from the Partially Order Set (poset) and Lattice theory with particular references to dimension theory and Formal Concept Analysis. The study is eventually able to pinpoint role and relevance of different attributes characterizing EU countries which are used to define the partial order.

The Tunnel at the End of the Light: the Crisis of Transition in Hungary

The economic, political and social transition processes of the last two decades, far from being in harmony, clearly have a detrimental rather than an enriching influence on each other. These processes will never become harmonised just by themselves in a natural fashion. The worst obstacle of a successful transformation is that the chief actors, such as the government, the market and the representatives of the society. The Prince, the Merchant and the Citizen do not show the necessary commitment, competence and determination to create a new, effective type of partnership. This is a challenge which urgently demands answers on all levels of governance, economic and social life. This must be done in the frames of local communities, and on the regional, the European and the global levels. Nearly twenty years after the political turnabout, Hungary now needs a new social contract and must lay down the ethical, political, institutional and intellectual foundations for its twenty-first century democracy.

服务型政府视野中的公共服务分工

建设服务型政府要求强化政府的公共服务能力.公共服务分工是指政府在强化公共服务职能和财政责任的同时,还要充分发挥市场在配置资源和社会在整合资源方面的特有作用,发展公共服务规划者和生产者的专业优势.尽管公共服务分工有利于弥补政府直接生产的局限性,但也不可避免地存在交易成本,需要进行有效的合同治理.对于公共服务分工而言,选择能够节省交易成本和具备激励机制的制度安排至关重要.公共服务的分工还有助于防止政府、市场与社会组织之间的相互对抗,重建新的权利和责任体系,有效地促进社会和谐.     

News

U. S. National Income Series Revised—Congress Votes No on Censuses of Business and Manufactures—Britain Revises Living Cost Index-U. S. and U. K. Surveys Uncover Lacks in Statistical Training-Forthcoming Statistical Conferences     

Revisiting gendered assumptions of practitioner power: An exploratory study examining the role of social media expertise

The purpose of this exploratory study was to expand upon previous literatures in public relations power, and fill the need for more scholarship regarding practitioners’ perceptions of social media work, power, and gender. Findings from a survey of PRSA members showed that there is a gendered difference in power perception between males and females regardless of their PR roles or level of experience, but social media expertise was perceived equally between both genders. We argue that while social media expertise may serve to reduce a gendered power divide in public relations, continued critical exploration of social media and gender inequality is necessary.     

One does not simply meme about organizations: Exploring the content creation strategies of user-generated memes on Imgur

This study explores how online publics are engaging with organizations by creating and sharing brand-related content online, outside corporate-controlled communication environments. This research employs a quantitative content analysis of memes shared on the social networking site Imgur to reveal how user-generated content conveys meaning about organizations. The analysis reveals brand-centric memes are generally classified as orphan memes, or memes that have distinct textual and visual characteristics separating them from established or emerging meme families. Memes about organizations are neither an overwhelming reflection of biting criticism or support, but rather a reflection of online public engagement with organizations that primarily use humor and textual brand features (or quiddities) to convey their commitment and satisfaction with the organization and unite meme families.     

Public participation and the politics of humiliation

ABSTRACT

The article contends that the most popular form of Public Participation (PP) in SA is public protest, which, as a result of historical continuity, represents a direct response to the humiliations experienced by the poor, unemployed and socially excluded. Despite an enlightened human rights Constitution, if citizens are treated as consumers and left to the vagaries of the market PP mechanisms are likely to fail as they do not address the real social issues at the root of the discontent.