The Political Economy of Social Insurance: Towards a Fiscal‐Centred Framework

This article draws attention to social insurance (SI) as a revenue raising institution, and explores the potential merits of drawing on new fiscal sociology for studying the development of SI systems. This is done by revisiting previous research conducted in Germany, the USA, Finland and Israel and by offering a new reading of their findings. The reviewed cases support two interlocking claims drawn from new fiscal sociology to the study of SI. The first is that state actors may perceive SI as an extraction instrument and employ it to advance fiscal and/or economic interests other than covering the costs of SI schemes. The second is that the design and management of contribution policies for such purposes may have substantial ramifications for the development of SI schemes. In addition, while current understandings tend to associate fiscal concerns with welfare state retrenchment, this article shows that they can also play a major role in driving welfare state expansion.     

Housing hardship and energy insecurity among native-born and immigrant low-income families with children in the United States

The costs for rent and utilities account for the largest share of living expenses, yet these two critical dimensions of material hardship have seldom been examined concurrently in population-based studies. This paper employs multivariate statistical analysis using American Community Survey data to demonstrate the relative risk ratio of low-income renter-occupied households with children experiencing ‘rent burden', ‘energy insecurity', or a ‘double burden’ as opposed to no burden. Findings suggest that low-income households are more likely to experience these economic hardships in general but that specific groups are disproportionately burdened in different ways. For instance, whereas immigrants are more likely to experience rental burden, they are less likely to experience energy insecurity and are also spared from the double burden. In contrast, native-born African Americans are more likely than all other groups to experience the double burden. These results may be driven by the housing stock available to certain groups due to racial residential segregation, decisions regarding the quality of housing low-income householders are able to afford, as well as home-country values, such as modest living and energy conservation practices, among immigrant families. This paper also points to important policy gaps in safety net benefits related to housing and energy targeting low-income households.     

The Environmental Risks of Incomplete Globalisation

As the liberal optimism of the long 1990s has faded into a world of growing inequality and resurging nationalism, there is less certainty about the prospects of economic convergence and global integration. Beyond the formidable human cost of maintaining a divided world, the possibility of incomplete globalisation also gives rise to a number of environmental risks. While environmental political theory generally sees strength in localism, history rather shows that a robust world trade system is crucial to offset local resource scarcities and that cosmopolitan norms of solidarity are essential for helping communities to rebuild after environmental catastrophe. In relation to climate change, statist thinking has led to a focus on non-scalable technologies and a silent acceptance of chronic poverty abroad as a way of avoiding a climate emergency. Contrary to such views, this paper argues that accelerating the transition to a fully integrated high-energy planet may more effectively mitigate Anthropocene risks.     

Emergency Law in China: Its Formation,Present State and Future

中国非常法律的形成, 是为了应对紧急事件。这类法律由法律法规、应急预案和 军事法规等组成, 规定了战争状态、紧急状态和应急状态三种非常状态, 致力于建构 专业化大分工基础上的综合统一体制。在实践中, 应急预案取代了法律法规, 成为紧 急事件治理的基本规范依据; 政府和武装力量处于主导地位。中国非常法律基于必要 而形成, 其适用具有临时性, 主要内容具有授权性和预防性。非常法律未来发展的主 要目标是: 与中国特色社会主义法律体系衔接, 制定紧急状态下的基本法, 完善非常 法律的各项具体机制。

关键词: 非常状态 综合治理 执行主导 预防性法律

China’s emergency laws have emerged as a result of dealing with crises. They comprise laws and regulations, emergency plans, and military regulations, and define three exceptional or emergency states: war, emergency and emergency response, with the aim of constructing a comprehensive integrated system based on the specialized division of labor. In practice, however, emergency plans take the place of laws and regulations and provide the fundamental normative basis for tackling emergencies, with government and the military playing the dominant role. Developing out of necessity and possessing temporary applicability, China’s emergency laws are characterized by authorization and prevention. Integrating emergency law with the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, formulating basic law for emergency situations and improving the specific mechanisms of emergency law should be regarded as major steps in its future development.     

Neo‐liberalism by Decay? The Evolution of the Czech Welfare State

In this article we analyse the evolution of the Czech welfare state and we examine the factors explaining its path. We show that although the Czech welfare regime exhibits a 'mixed profile' that includes conservative and universalist elements, it is increasingly moving in a more liberal, residualist direction – not because of conscious steps but rather through decay. Governments have often zig-zagged in their policies and resorted to symbolic reforms at times rather than implementing ideologically based, consistent policies. We argue that historical and sociological institutionalism combined with a social-capital approach can explain this decay better than the more common arguments about economic pressures combined with ideological hegemony or the protest-avoidance strategy. In particular, the social capital approach adds to our institutional framework by explaining why cutbacks in welfare programmes have not met much opposition, even though public opinion surveys consistently show support for more generous welfare policies, and why policies have deviated so much from political rhetoric.     

乙二醇机组的温度模糊控制器设计与仿真

针对我国通信行业和计算机行业大型机房耗电量大的现状，提出了一种乙二醇机组控制系统。介绍了它的工作原理，阐述了它的总体控制方案，并重点阐述了采用温度模糊PID控制器对室内温度进行调节。仿真和实验结果表明：采用温度模糊控制器的系统运行稳定、可靠性高、节能效果明显，具有广阔的应用前景。     

多弥史钩沉

多弥 ,为隋唐时期汉文文献史籍记载的西北民族之一。《新唐书·西域传下》记其为西羌 ,滨犁牛河 (今青海通天河 ) ,“役属吐蕃 ,号难磨 (Nam mo)”。本文据此 ,认为“难磨”即藏文文献中所记之“南”(Nam)国或南部族 ,源于汉代以来西羌中的“卑”等羌 (以上前人均有论述 )。南部族在古藏文文献中往往与吐蕃原始六族中的“董”(sDong)族联系在一起 ,故多弥可还原为“董弥”(sDongmi,即董人之意 )。此名可能为其他族人对其的称呼 ,“南”为吐蕃人对其的称呼。另外 ,吐蕃征服“南国” ,约在唐贞观六年至显庆元年 ( 63 2— 65 6)之间。后为吐蕃“四方面王”之一 (《贤者喜宴》)、与吐蕃赞普通婚和结盟的大家族那囊氏 (sNa nam)应为南部族首领或大家族之一。唐安史之乱后 ,吐蕃曾征调南部至西域一带防戍 ,故 2 0世纪以来新疆出土的藏文简牍中有“南茹”、“南茹巴”的记载。唐末至五代 ,汉藏文书所记之“南山”、“南波”等 ,其中杂有“南”部族 ,故其所以得名 ,除因其居地在“南山”(今祁连山 )外 ,还有其民族构成中有“南”部族的缘故。     

论民族素质能量的积聚途径和方式--民族素质研究之四

本文利用丰富的资料,从教育、研究与开发、知识产权保护、开放度等四个方面,对民族素质能量积聚的途径、方式进行了开拓性的研究.     

十六国时期少数民族政权法制的历史影响

十六国时期少数民族所建政权的法律制度多循魏晋,但当时一些有为君主为了适应特殊情势的需要,在取舍中原汉制的基础上,又制定了一些新的法律制度,在行政、刑事、民事、经济、婚姻、司法等制度方面均有所建树,从而使十六国时期的法制在中华法制文明发展史上留下了自己的身影。     

论多民族国家的政治理念及其贡献--以中国多民族国家与美国民族-国家的比较为例

西方学者认为,当前的世界是一个由“民族-国家(nation-state)”构成的“国际体系”。随着工业资本主义的全球扩张,“民族-国家”体系也已经扩张到全球的每一个角落;“民族主义(nationalism)”迄今为止仍然是全球范围内影响最为深远、最具有号召力的政治口号之一。但中国作为一个特例,在经历了引进“民族主义”话语的时代以后,却最终选择了“多民族国家”的政治理念,并在现实运作中稳步发展,这表明“民族-国家”及其“民族主义”意识形态并非这个世界上的唯一选择。