Unspanned Macroeconomic Factors in the Yield Curve

In this article, we extract common factors from a cross-section of U.S. macro-variables and Treasury zero-coupon yields. We find that two macroeconomic factors have an important predictive content for government bond yields and excess returns. These factors are not spanned by the cross-section of yields and are well proxied by economic growth and real interest rates.     

20世纪20年代末京津地区外报的衰落评析

本文展现了20世纪20年代京津地区外文报纸从北洋军阀统治晚期到南京政府统一全国初期被层层挤压、无法立足的衰落过程,并对后期中国政府和中国人民打击外报的缘由、手段,以及效果进行深入分析。外报的衰落标志着中国民族报业逐步摆脱外国势力,进入一个新阶段。     

Government Intervention in Public Sector Industrial Relations: Lessons from the Alberta Teachers’ Association

In the public sector, Canadian governments intervene frequently in labor disputes by suspending collective bargaining and curtailing legal strikes. Previous research has focused on the contours of government intervention, such as its overall effects on collective bargaining and strikes. The discussion highlights one actor, a government, restricting the behavior of another actor, a union, using legislation and policy making. As a result, we know less about more micro-level elements and implications of the process of government intervention. I address these themes using a detailed case study of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the strikes it coordinated in 2002.

Australia’s national urban policy: The smart cities agenda in perspective

The Australian Government's attempts at national urban policy have been sporadic and inconsistent, under the constraints of constitutional, financial, ideological and political factors. This paper concerns the recent resurgence of national urban policy under the rubric of “smart cities” adopted by the Turnbull Government and carried on by the incumbent Morrison Government. It investigates how this round of smart cities agenda articulates with Australia's political tradition of national urban policy to seek continuity and change, through comparing historical policies, unpacking major smart cities programmes, identifying explanatory factors and critically commenting on its innovation and legacy. Drawing upon these analyses, this paper argues that understanding the smart cities agenda needs to move beyond the political, ideological “to-and-fro” pendulum to national urban policy observed in history. Rather, it resonates with a globalised policy norm established upon the city-based global integration and competition, driven by an imperative of transitioning to a knowledge economy and pursuing innovation capacity. It is too early to judge whether the smart cities agenda will bring changes to Australian cities in the way it wishes, since it involves long-term infrastructure investment and urban development projects. However, a comprehensive and consistent national urban policy to govern the Australian system of cities and towns has not been established yet.     

南京国民政府公务员考选制度的近代化意义

南京国民政府公务员考选制度是中国历史上第一个准现代化的人事考试制度,考选人才方面既吸收了古代考试的公平精神又采纳了西方文官考试的先进理念,具备了近代化的特征。从人才的选拔看具备了公平性,但体制的缺陷使其任用的成效不尽人意,阻碍了它近代化的进程。     

H-Day 1967 – An alternative perspective on “propaganda” in the historiography of public relation

This article presents an alternative perspective regarding the concept of “propaganda” in the historiography of public relations. Recent scholars of public relations have rightly criticized early attempts to write the field’s history as a linear progression, from propaganda to excellence. At the same time, however, the same recent scholars have come to accept a linear conceptual change, and that “propaganda” became an impossible term in liberal democratic countries in the 1960s. By using the empirical case of the massive communication efforts initiated by the Swedish Commission on Right-Hand Traffic, which was assigned to implement right-hand traffic in 1967, this article shows that the concept of “propaganda” both occurred frequently and was used in a neutral sense. To deepen the understanding of this alternative perspective, the article both presents how the historical actors conceptualized their work, and describes how the communication work of the Commission was performed.     

基层维稳的“人墙”模式及其反思——基于小镇在某祭祀活动中的维稳实录

维护社会稳定是基层治理中的重要工作。在节日及重大活动中保持社会秩序稳定,防止诉求者在政府认为不适当的时候,以不适当的方式对外宣泄诉求是基层治理中常规的维稳内容。文章通过描述鄂北一个小镇在某次祭祀活动中的维稳过程,试图说明,目前小镇乃至于全国多数乡镇在维持社会稳定中,惯用一种以人盯人为手段,利用很多人员构筑出多层次的"人墙",将可疑对象控制在"墙"内,最大程度限制其向外界宣泄诉求的"人墙"模式。尽管,在多道"人墙"的阻隔下,维稳效果能达到治理者的预期目的,但这种维稳模式成本过大,而且只是暂时隐藏矛盾而不能真正解决问题,从长远看,不具有可持续性。同时,采取这种方式维稳可能激发诉求者对政府的不满,暴露政府维稳工作的"软肋",甚至可能导致政府和诉求者的关系陷入恶性循环,其最终后果可能是大幅度提高政府维稳的成本和代价。     

基于利益集团视角的乡镇企业改制研究

中国的乡镇企业是在改革开放初期,广大农民为参与工业化过程中的利益分割而选择的一种经济组织形式,但是随着市场经济体制改革的不断深入,乡镇企业发展后劲严重不足,不得不进行转型改制。为什么会出现这样一种局面,则正是本文所要回答的问题。文章主要运用奥尔森的利益集团理论以及行动理论来解释乡镇企业在农村由兴起到改制的变迁。最后得出的结论认为,在社区政府、乡镇企业经营者、社区农民和乡镇企业职工等各方力量共同作用下,乡镇企业完成了自身转型改制的制度变迁过程。     

论政府在和谐社会构建中的责任

建设一个和谐相处的社会是人类孜孜不倦的追求和梦想,是全体中国人民的共同愿望,更是各级政府义不容辞的责任。政府在和谐社会构建中具有发展社会主义民主的责任;协调社会利益关系的责任;维护社会公平正义的责任和促进人与自然和谐相处的责任。     

西部区域经济发展与地方政府行为创新

20世纪80年代以来进行的三次改革使得地方自主权进一步扩大,中国经济发展统一大市场和区域经济的内在要求与事实上的行政区经济的强化的冲突日益凸显。在西部区域经济发展中,地方政府既要履行地方政府的一般职能,又要发挥其特殊的作用。推进西部区域经济发展,地方政府角色应当重新定位。