The “ugly” face of social investment? The politics of childcare in Central and Eastern Europe

In this article, we aim to understand the development dynamics of a specific area of social investment (SI), that is, childcare policies, in the context of postcommunist politics and the recent right-wing turn that took place in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. This article identifies varieties of channels for promoting SI. First, in taking the perspective of the “mixed economy of welfare,” we argue that attempts made to introduce elements of SI to the childcare policies involved various leading roles available for either the private sector or state/public domain. Second, it is important to distinguish between implicit/unintended and explicit/intended projects both in relation to cases in which SI strategy is applied via marketization/privatization and when it involves a government-led project. Third, we take into account the politics of SI implementation that might involve applying certain principles central to policy concepts (such as “investment”) in justifying policy instruments incompatible with original ideas. Although arguments about SI have been extensively used by Eastern European leaders, their goal has been to justify welfare reforms that were implicitly or explicitly directed towards the middle class while excluding the “nondeserving” often based on ethnic identity. We characterize Poland as a case of “implicit marketization,” the Czech Republic as a case of “explicit privatization,” and the Hungarian version of SI as a case of “explicit public dualization.” In this, we show that in some cases, the implementation of SI approaches by right-wing populist parties might rear its “ugly” head.     

The Genesis of “The Meaning of the Classics”:On the Objectives and Methods of Jingxue Hermeneutics

In terms of the construction of meaning, what jingxue(study of the classics) deals with is precisely the hermeneutics of the Confucian classics. Jingxue hermeneutics is fundamentally practical statecraft; therefore, its specific objectives do not point to an objective existence unrelated to human beings, but to yi(meaning) or yili(principles), otherwise known as jingyi(meaning of the classics) or dayi(profound significance). “The meaning of the classics” is the product of interpretation. In jing...     

The “Feeling of Knowing,” the Psychedelic Sensorium,and Contemporary Neuroscience

ABSTRACT

Noetic insight involves direct access to knowledge beyond that which is available through the five senses or through reason. It typically has to do with sensing the interconnectedness of all things, and is informed by a feeling that one knows but without knowing how. Psychedelic substances constitute one vehicle for the production of noetic experiences. Using a biopsychosocial approach, this article explores the shifting contexts for the enjoyment and analysis of noetic experience in twentieth-century American popular and scientific culture, beginning with the psychedelic revolution and culminating in the “quantum computer” turn of brain (and mind). It emerges that the ‘feeling of knowing’ may be a sensory ability after all, and a key to understanding many other forms of anomalous cognition.     

The Intellectual Genealogy of “Root-seeking Literature” and Its Modern Field of Vision

"Root-seeking literature" was so namedin 1985. When writers from the "educatedyouth" came on stage as a group and magni-fied their individual memories into collectiveones and into memories of the era and of the     

The Matrix and Parameters of the“Jiugong Modes”of Chinese Basic Intonation

Ｉ.Ｉｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎ　　ＴｈｅＪｉｕｇｏｎｇｍａｔｒｉｘｏｕｔｌｉｎｅｓｔｈｅｒｕｌｅｓｇｏｖｅｒｎｉｎｇｔｈｅｍｏｄｅｓｏｆＣｈｉｎｅｓｅｂａｓｉｃｉｎｔｏｎａｔｉｏｎｓ,ａｎｄｄｉｖｉｄｅｓｔｈｅｄｉｓｃｏｕｒｓｅｐｉｔｃｈａｎｄｔｈｅｓｏｕｎｄｌｅｎｇｔｈｒｅｓｐｅｃｔｉｖｅｌｙｉｎｔｏｔｈｒｅｅｌｅｖｅｌｓ,ｌｏｗ (Ａ) ,ｍｅｄｉｕｍ (Ｂ) ,ｈｉｇｈ (Ｃ) ,ａｎｄｔｈｅｔｈｒｅｅｔｅｍｐｏｓｏｆｓｌｏｗ (ｃ) ,ｍｅｄｉｕｍ (ｂ)ａｎｄｆａｓｔ (ａ) ( 3ｔｉｍｅｓ 3) .Ｔｈｅｐｉｔｃｈａｎｄ…     

The“Contextual”Research Program and the Development of the Philosophy of Science

文章针对21世纪科学哲学如何应对自然科学和社会科学的新发展、国内科学哲学研究如何解决学科边缘化的危机等关键问题,通过对国际科学哲学发展趋势的把握和对“语境”理论的研究,提出把“语境”作为我们自己独特的研究范式和研究纲领,作为一种思维的平台,来把握主流思想的逻辑路径并探索面向未来的演变趋势。目的在于规范科学哲学学科在我国的发展,并将其引入主流发展的轨道,与国际科学哲学接轨。     

The Forerunner of the Yellow Turban Uprising and Its Relationship with Shamanism and Primitive Daoism─Also on “Yellow Turban”and “Yellow God Yuezhang”

TheoriginofDaoismisacomplicatedproblem.Muchhasbeenwrittenonit.Withthehelpofunearthedancientrelics,thisarticleexaminestheproblemfromaparticularperspective,namelytherelationshipofprimitiveDaoismduringtheEasternHandynastytotheshamans(wu)andshamanism(wushu)popularatthetime.OnecannotdenytheinfluenceofbookssuchasTaipingqinglingshu,Taipingjing,andothersupontheformationofprimitiveDaoism.Butthesebooksonlyreflectthethoughtoftherulers,fundamentallydifferentfromtheprimitiveDaoismthatstenunedfromthepeo…     

The Purpose,Benefits, and Challenges of “Check-in” in a Group-work Class

The purpose of this article is to illustrate, through teaching examples and student logs, a technique, called “check-in” routinely used in the author's group-work classes. Check-in is a process where students are invited, in the beginning of each class, to share their struggles, questions, dilemmas, accomplishments, and failures related to their group-work learning. Check-in requires students to listen and offer support, ideas, challenges, and guidance to each other. The goal of check-in is to help students develop their group-work skills and knowledge. Integrating democratic teaching practice with group stage development theory, particularly beginnings and middles, this article explores the process, complexities, and skills inherent in the check-in process. Implications for group-work practice skills are discussed.     

The Historical Definition of“Modernization”and a New Understanding of Modern World Development

Ⅰ.TheRiseoftheStudvofModernizationinChinaSincethebeginningofthe1980s,themajortopicforthesocialsciencesinChinahasbeentheroadtomodernizationwithChinesecharacteristics.TheproblemthatmostconcernsChinesehistoriansishowtoconductaprofoundhistoricalanalysisofthetremendouschangesexperiencedbyChinaalongitsroadtothemodernworldfromthenewperspectiveof"modernization."Thenewconceptof"modernization"bull-dozeditswayintotheChinesesocialsciencesinthe1980s,inthewakeofatidalwaveofreformsandopeninguptotheoutsi…     

“Build a wall”. “Tax a shed”. “Fix a debt limit”. The constructive and destructive potential of populist anti-statism and “naïve” statism

ABSTRACT

Populist surges, movements and parties often centre around radically simplifying policy proposals, sometimes anti-statist in intent (e.g. fix a limit to state borrowing in cash terms), and at other times pushing naïve statist solutions (e.g. build a giant wall to keep out migrants; or tax companies' activities in a given shed, not their profits). Most liberal political science condemns the crudity and often unrestrained vigour of populist “solutions”. But on occasion, they can have value in counteracting the increasing complexities that elites often build into public policies. Two case studies show populist pressure for simplification working effectively in one instance – the “tax shaming” campaign against multinationals avoiding corporation taxes; and engendering only disorder in another instance – the effort to enforce national debt limits in nominal terms in the USA.     

The Social Networks of UrbanFamilies: The CurrentSituation and Changes

Asabasicsocialunit,thefamilycomprisesanaturalcircleofcontacts,notjustbetweenfamilymembersrelatedbybloodormarriage,butalsowithneighbors,colleaguesandfriends.Since1949,thesocialnetworkinurbanChinahasconsistedofthefamily,theworkplacesofthefamilymembersandtheneighborhoodinwhichthey1ive.Thispatternisexplainedbythefactthattheworkplace,onbehalfofthestate,takescareofalmosteverythinginrelationtoanemployeeandhisorherfamily,whileneighborhoodorganizationsaregivenpartialresponsibilityforresidentswhohavenof…     

The Information Superhighway and Cultural Development

I.AnIndustrialRev6lutionintheRealmofCultureThedevelopmentofprinting,especiallytheprintingpress,ledtothefirstrevolutionininformationtechnologyinthehistoryofhumancivilization.PrintingisoneofthefourmajorinventionsofancientChina.Asearlyasthe11thcentury,Chinainventedblockprinting,whichspreadtoEuropethroughvariouschannelsandhadaprofoundinfluenceonthebirthanddevelopmentofprintinginEurope.Inacertainsense,onecansaythatthefirstrevolutionininformationtechnology,triggeredoffbytheinventionoftheprinting…     

The Market Economy and State Regulation

Themarketeconomyhasthreebasicfunctions;rationalallocation,stimulatingsocio-economicandtechnicalprogress,andguaranteeingefficientdistributionaccordingtomarketindicators.Inanationaleconomywithasocialdivisionoflaborandinwhichtheeconomyitselfindependentlydisperseseconomicadvantages,themarketeconomybecomesthefundamentaleconomicregulatorymechanism.However,themarketeconomy,asameansofallocatingresourcesandregulatingandcontrollingtheeconomy,canneverautomaticallyoronitsownfulfilltheentireoperationalaims…     

差之毫厘谬以千里——“The Paralympics”翻译探析差之毫厘谬以千里——“The Paralympics”翻译探析

“北京残奥会”给中国留下了宝贵的物质及精神遗产,对中国残疾人事业起了极大的促进作用.然而,由于将“the Paralympics”译成“残奥会”,在中国人思想中产生了许多混淆.本文通过对“残奥会”的历史及“Paralympics”词源的追溯及分析,指出“the Paralympics”应该改译成“帕运会”     

The Development and Definitionof Light Fiction

ⅠTherehasneverbeenafixeddefinitionof"lightfiction"(t0ngSuxiaoshu0).Peopleunderstandandstudyitonthebasisofitsactualexistenceratherthanastheresultofits"definition."Theonlywaytounderstandanddefinesuchacomplexsubjectisinthelightofitsconcretedevelopment.Zhang…     

The New “Bridge to Adulthood”: Searching for Meaning and Cohesion in the Nexus of “Hook-ups,” Internet Porn,and Instant Messages

The transition from adolescence to young adulthood has sometimes been referred to as the “bridge to young adulthood.” This period is critically important for consolidating identity and for developing a deeper capacity for sexual and nonsexual intimacy. However, widening reliance on cyber technology, social media websites, and instant text messaging, in combination with newly emerging patterns of sexual relations and recreational drug and alcohol use, has complicated the navigation of the developmental transition to young adulthood. We review psychoanalytic theory pertaining to the transition from adolescence to adulthood with a focus on Erikson’s theory of psychosexual/psychosocial epigenesis in order to explicate the developmental tasks specific to this transition. This developmental stage will also be examined through the lens of developmental neurobiology. Recent theorizing on Internet-mediated sexuality will be discussed as it relates to the case studies presented. Case material will demonstrate difficulties with the transition to adulthood, manifested in part-object relating, and the use of cyber-mediated and compulsive sexuality to resolve dysphoric self-states.     

The “Socialization of Elderly Hospitalization” in China: Development,Problems, and Solutions

ABSTRACT

Objectives to analyze the development of the elderly patients with chronic diseases and to make some suggestions for the elderly social hospitalization. Methods By using yearbook data and theoretical analyses, the paper respectively presents the problems and furthermore solutions of China's elderly services. Results The elderly patients with chronic illnesses have formed a new group, and the phenomenon of “socialization of elderly hospitalization” has become a major social risk. Discussions China needs to promote the idea of “long-term care” in elderly social security, establishing long-term care insurance and fostering a private, professional elderly service system.     

Social Work Research and Its Relevance to Practice: “The Gap Between Research and Practice Continues to be Wide”

The social work profession requires a body of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of interventions; yet, the social work scientific community could benefit from strengthening its contribution to the profession's body of evidence. Through twenty qualitative interviews with social work professors who are employed at four-year academic institutions (referred to as “social work academics”), this study explored how academics define social work research and how they perceive research to inform practice. The data were analyzed along the six steps of thematic analysis, resulting in 13 themes and six sub-themes in relation to the definition of research activity and social work research, the extent to which research informs practice, and the barriers and facilitators to research informing practice. The findings revealed that social work continues to lack a clear definition of research and produces research that only minimally influences practice, often due to the pressure for social work academics to research and publish in support of their career trajectory within academia versus writing for practitioners. The social work profession should take action to address and further research the research-practice disconnect by establishing a clear definition and aims of social work research, and training academics in effective research-to-practice translational methods.     

The Conflict between and Inter-mingling of Christianity and Chi-nese Culture

From their ignorance and contempt forbasic human rights and freedom of belief thediehard conservative officialdom of the Mingand Qing dynasties adopted a caustic atti-tude toward Catholic and Protestant churchesfrom the West. Undertaking long journeys,the missionaries went to China to preach thegospel. This in itself constitutes a proclama-tion to Chinese men of letters that freedomof belief itself is a cardinal hallmark in theconcept of human rights. The generousnessand benevolence shown b…     

The “Congressionalization” of state legislative races

This paper examines the phenomenon of the “Congressionalization” of state legislative races. That is, as state legislative campaigns become more expensive, use more mass media, polling, and professional political consulting, these races are looking more and more like Congressional campaigns. Although others have pointed toward a “Congressionalization” trend, there is little concrete support to prove such a trend. We provide a detailed case study of the characteristics of state legislative races in a single state in the mid-1990s. We find that although there is indeed support for the view that these races are looking more and more Congressional-like, state legislative races are still distinctive in a number of important ways.