Circular economy and the city: an urban political economy agenda

ABSTRACT

The circular economy (CE) has become a matter of urban development. A literature review shows that the CE debate is biased toward technology-driven industrial change, while bracketing broader socio-political interests. We address this gap by exploring the political economy of scale of the CE. Looking into the case of Brussels (Belgium), a city that has recently adopted the CE as part of its socio-economic strategy, we explore how the anticipated transition to a ‘circular city’ chimes with long-standing urban development agendas. While there is little evidence of stable growth coalitions between corporate and political elites, we argue that the CE provides an ‘urban sustainability fix’ by selectively incorporating ecological goals in urban governance strategies. We further scrutinise the landscape of diverse and heterogenous CE practices in food and transport, highlighting how they are regulated and organised, what labour conditions they offer, and how they are anchored in urban space.     

Life and labor on the internal colonial edge: Political economy of kolberi in Rojhelat

Through the investigation of kolberi (cross-border labor), this paper sheds light on the state’s policy of de-development (or internal colonialization) of the Kurdish region (known as Rojhelat) in Iran. While the most dangerous form of labor, kolberi has become a dominant employment opportunity for Rojhelat Kurds in the last decade. There are no Iranian state laws criminalizing kolberi, and yet those laborers die on a regular basis—being shot or thrown off mountain cliffs by the state forces, stepping into minefields, and so forth. Nevertheless, there is not a single scholarly paper on this subject. Using the mixed methods research approach, our study analyzes the existing data along with in-depth interviews with 20 people who are currently engaged in kolberi to contextualize this understudied phenomenon. Our finding demonstrates that kolberi is a direct outcome of a uni-ethno-religious policies of development and part and parcel of the state's Perso-Shi‘ification strategy in Kurdistan. Therefore, kolberi is more of a political phenomenon than an economic one.     

宗喀巴《密宗道次第广论》的哲学思想探析

宗喀巴指出，佛陀所创正法，唯在于“教”“证”两种，“教”是指佛教教理，“证”为修道中的证悟。宗喀巴《密宗道次第广论》具有鲜明的“教”与“证”相结合的特色。此著在“教”方面体现为本体论、佛性论、人生论、道德论、方法论等哲学思想，贯穿于《密宗道次第广论》的哲学主线是中观应成派一切诸法缘起性空论。通过灌顶、诵咒、观想及借助坛城、法器等修各种瑜伽，以亲证或体现这些哲学思想。诸如此类的哲学思想是《密宗道次第广论》所论述的各种修行实践的深刻内涵，而各种修行实践是其外在表现形式。     

论全球气候治理中城市的角色转型——兼论中国困境与出路

从全球气候治理的1.0时期、2.0时期到3.0时期，城市逐渐实现了从“幕后参与者”到“共同引领者”的角色转型。这一转型既得益于全球治理理论在气候变化领域的延伸，更受惠于城市外交理论的推动和全球气候治理中“集体行动的困境”之驱使。就目前来看，中国城市的这一“共同引领者”角色还无法完全体现出来——不仅在隐性的“南北分割”的权力结构和发展中国家的气候治理分歧中，面临着对外发展的困境；而且在中央政府对地方政府的气候治理行动的“单向”型构造及城市的“经济发展”和“治理责任”的两难抉择中，面临着对内优化的瓶颈。针对这些问题，中国可以采取“两条干路+六条支路”的“两轨并行”式路径来寻求合理的应对之策。国家可以在寻求发展中国家的集体身份认同之时，进一步完善国内温室气体减排政策和立法，并赋予城市以一定的自主性；而城市也可以在深化城市气候外交，加强与国家的“双向”型气候治理互动的同时，推动“韧性城市”的长效发展。     

Family Therapy and the Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Therapeutic Use of Songs in Apartheid South Africa

A central issue for family therapy is the critical question of how to define its role in influencing social change. Family therapy has tended to focus on how to liberate and empower individual clients, not communities, from the travails of tradition. This article highlights social change mechanisms implemented by the oppressed majority in South Africa during the apartheid period. It draws inspiration from the pedagogy of the oppressed articulated by Steve Biko and other members of his generation. This enabled the Black majority in South Africa ‘to name their world by reflecting on their conditions, imagining a better world, and then taking action to create it’ (Freire, 1968, p. 253) through the use of revolutionary songs that resulted in the collapse of the cruel apartheid system. The implications for family therapy are discussed.     

中华民族共同体建设视阈下改土归流的历程、原因及作用

明清时期中央王朝实施的改土归流，不仅彻底废除了土司的政治、经济、军事、司法等特权，将国家版图内的人事权、财政权、军事指挥权、行政管理权、文化教育权等悉数收归中央，而且也是中华民族共同体由“自在”向“自觉”过渡的关键环节。明清改土归流经历了一个长期、艰巨、复杂的过程，其中既有土司利益与王朝利益的矛盾、各地土司与辖区民众的矛盾，也有中央王朝通过改土归流以增加税收、朝廷命官与乡村民众要求改土归流等现实动因。改土归流实现了国家“大一统”的目标、凸显明清国家治理能力的进步、加快了中华民族共同体建设的速度。中华民族共同体是一个由政治共同体、经济共同体、文化共同体和社会共同体四者构成的命运共同体。改土归流的实施，不仅是推动共同体由“自在”向“自觉”迈进的关键步骤和重要举措，而且使中华民族共同体在政治、经济、文化和社会诸方面发生巨大变化。     

汇率货币模型的非线性协整关系检验——基于深度GRU神经网络

本文采用深度门控循环单元（GRU）神经网络探讨三种汇率货币模型（弹性价格、前瞻性和实际利率差模型）的非线性协整关系。GRU技术在深度学习中具有智能记忆、自主学习和强逼近能力等优点。为此，本文运用该技术对6组典型浮动汇率制国别数据进行了非线性Johansen协整检验。结果表明，汇率与宏观经济基本面之间存在非线性协整关系，从而说明了货币模型在非线性条件下的有效性，以及先进的深度学习工具在检验经济理论中的优势。     

主观感知还是客观责任? ——中国农民工作回报期望影响因素研究

理清农民工作回报期望的影响因素进而精准施策,对于破解城乡发展不平衡和满足农民对美好生活的向往意义重大。利用Multinomial Logistic模型和CGSS2015相关数据的实证研究结论发现:以主观社会经济地位和外出务工经历为代表的主观感知性因素是影响农民工作回报期望的关键,而以养老责任和未成年子女数量为代表的客观责任因素的影响则不显著。同时,受教育程度也是影响农民工作回报期望的重要因素,受教育程度为初中及以下的农民对生理回报和安全回报有更强烈的诉求。     

美国、中国与朝鲜停战谈判中的战俘遣返问题

在1951年6月至1953年7月的朝鲜停战谈判中，战俘遣返问题是谈判双方争论最为激烈、耗时最长的议题。美国出于冷战需要，拒不同意遣返所有被俘朝中人员；而朝中方面则依据关于战俘遣返问题的日内瓦公约，要求遣返所有战俘。由于在此问题上僵持不下，致使谈判几次陷于停顿。最终，谈判双方各自做出一定让步，使得战俘遣返问题得以解决，为朝鲜停战协定的签订消除了最后也是最大的一个障碍。