Institutional evolution and abrupt change: Reforming the administration of social assistance in Finland

Historical institutionalist studies have explained institutional change as resulting from critical junctures that interrupt long periods of stability or from endogenous, incremental evolution. Building on these theories, discursive institutionalists have focused on the roles of agency, ideas and discourse as explainers of change. Combining these approaches, this article analyses Finland’s decision in 2014 to transfer the administration of basic social assistance from municipalities to the central government. This study demonstrates that institutional change can be both abrupt and evolutionary. Due to sudden, exceptional political circumstances, the decision in question was made quickly and under pressure, circumventing possible veto players. However, it was possible only because of the incremental, endogenous change that had occurred in the way in which social assistance was administered at the municipal level. It enabled a change in political discourse, which eroded the credibility of the ideational frames that policy actors had previously utilised to reject the centralised model.     

德行领导对员工创新行为的影响---工作繁荣与情感承诺的作用*

研究表明，德行领导作为家长式领导的核心维度，对员工行为有重要影响，但现有研究忽视了员工工作状态的重要作用。本文基于自我决定理论，以员工工作繁荣为中介，探讨德行领导对员工创新行为的影响，并从社会认同的情感视角出发，考察了情感承诺在上述关系间的调节作用。研究表明，德行领导对员工工作繁荣与创新行为均存在显著正向影响；员工工作繁荣对其创新行为存在显著正向影响；员工工作繁荣在德行领导与创新行为之间起部分中介作用；情感承诺调节了德行领导对员工创新行为的影响，情感承诺越高，德行领导对员工创新行为的影响越显著。     

“Who generates this city”? Socialist strategy in contemporary London

This essay, based on a “militant ethnography” of the attempts of the small radical grassroots activist group, Our London (a pseudonym), to mobilize a collective oppositional politics through activities around an election campaign, engages critically with E. Laclau and C. Mouffe's arguments on discourse and collectivity in Hegemony and Socialist Strategy (London: Verso, 1985). I argue, on the basis of my findings, that while their model does provide insights that help describe the process of building collectivity from among disparate perspectives and identities, we need to go beyond a focus on discourse alone and consider the ways politics is shaped by material contexts. This is necessary if we are to understand the continued appeal of class politics as well as the difficulties in mobilizing collectivity in highly unequal and fragmented cities. From an activist perspective, the essay also highlights how developing a conception of collective interests and a critique of overarching systems of exploitation can be important in building political unity.     

The University: An Agent of Social Change?

Can universities be agents of progressive social change? How would we know if a university was acting as an agent of social change? Drawing on four case studies, I raise a number of questions to problematize our understanding of the university as an agent of social change. I outline a number of contributing factors that appear to explain successful cases. I conclude by arguing the relevancy of these cases for larger, and more traditional, sociological projects.     

恩施州经济社会发展战略回顾与构想

区域经济社会发展战略,是国家整个宏观经济社会发展战略的重要组成部分。随着时代的变迁,恩施州在不同的历史时代制定了不同的经济社会发展战略。在今天的西部大开发中,恩施州应该坚持“举西部旗、打民族牌、唱特色戏、建生态州”四位一体的经济社会发展战略重点,这是根据国家宏观经济社会发展战略的恩施州的宏观实际所作出的必然的战略选择。     

社会性别与深层道德结构--择偶、性的道德模式

在男权文化占主导地位的社会环境中,男女在择偶和性的道德模式上存在着完全不对等的规范,男女占有不同的社会资源,这些被长久地视为自然而然、合情合理的现象。文章试图从社会性别视角来探究隐藏在择偶和性风俗习惯背后的不平等的道德模式。     

民族文化、阶级和性别的阅读--中国大陆彝族女商业性性服务者个案研究

文章通过对一位彝族妇女的个案分析,揭示了文化、阶级、性别是如何纠合在一起,作为一种强大的推拉力,迫使一些妇女进入和滞留于商业性性交易中的。     

20世纪上半叶制约中国社会发展的决定性因素

20世纪上半叶在以战争与革命为主题的时代背景下 ,外国帝国主义的侵略和俄国十月革命对中国社会发展产生了重大影响。半殖民地半封建的社会形态、错综复杂的阶级结构和阶级关系、2 0世纪中国的两大历史主题等也是制约中国社会发展的重要因素。正是由于对这四个因素的正确认识和准确把握 ,中华民族实现了 2 0世纪上半叶中国社会的巨大变革     

"20世纪文艺复兴"的重要篇章--两次大战期间的美国小说思潮述评

两次世界大战期间的美国小说,成就尤显卓著.它作为综合体现美利坚民族文化意识的最重要文学样式,充分显示了美国文学的现代性、多样性和独创性,并从不同的侧面,反映了发达的资本主义社会背景下的各种冲突和矛盾,刻印着社会心理嬗变的轨迹.     

西方社会保障制度对我国的启示

西方国家社会保障制度建设和改革的实践,大体经历了四个阶段。从20世纪70年代开始至今进行了一系列的调整改革。我国社会保障制度建设和发展中仍存在一些问题,为完善我国社会保障制度,必须采取如下的措施:社会保障水平要与生产力发展水平相一致;开征社会保障税;加快社会保障法制建设;建立统一协调的社会化管理的社会保障管理体制;拓宽筹资渠道;建立多层次的社会保障体系;加强社会保障的监督工作。