Megachurch involvement at the local level: Examining conditions for church action in economic development

The roles of small congregations and their social impacts are well known, but few theoretical studies investigate megachurch congregations. These mammoth organizations have the potential for advancing social good, but minimal research specifically focuses on the activities of these congregations in economic development (ED). This study addresses this dearth of information by answering the following research questions: (a) In what ways are megachurches involved in ED activities? (b) Who benefits from these programs and how are the programs offered? and (c) What factors influence megachurches to offer ED activities? We frame our investigation using both demand‐ and supply‐side arguments from Frumkin's (2002) model of nonprofit and voluntary action. Online survey data and follow‐up interviews with 42 megachurch leaders in the Dallas/Fort Worth and greater Houston areas show that megachurches are implementing ED activities in alignment with demand‐side explanations, especially when advancing opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed. However, supply‐side arguments provide more explanatory power, indicating that volunteer engagement with ED activities plays a significant role in the provision of ED services through megachurches. Our study offers a better understanding of why megachurches carry out ED activities with considerable attention devoted to how megachurches partner with other congregations, nonprofits, and government entities to encourage economic growth and improve the economic well‐being of community members.     

我国新型农村社会养老保险经济支持能力研究

老农保的失败让人们对新农保充满期待的同时也存有几分担忧,他们担心农民的经济承受力。更怕财政不堪重负。为坚定领导层试点、推广新农保的信心和决心,加快新农保发展步伐,本文在测算新型农村社会养老保险的经济负担的基础上,对农民个人和政府两方面的经济支持能力进行分析,认为只要制度设计合理,农民个人和政府是有能力承担这部分支出的。     

政府公共决策的规则限制

政府公共决策是一次利益再分配过程,由于＂经济人＂假设和政府的有限理性,政府公共决策权力时常被滥用,造成政府公共决策失误。制定完善的规则,规范政府公共决策权力,可以有效防止政府公共决策失误,使之解决民生之苦、反映民生之需、实现民生之乐。     

有利于经济长期增长的政府类型剖析

促进经济的长期增长,是政府的重要目标。为此,就需构建扶弱性政府,而这又需构建与市场谈判势力对称的社会结构,以此削弱市场谈判势力强的利益集团的非市场谈判势力,增强市场谈判势力弱的利益集团的非市场谈判势力。     

国债收益率协整关系研究

通过对中国国债收益率与央票利率、基准利率和CPI的协整关系研究,揭示出我国国债市场的收益率走势与各宏观经济变量之间的互动关系。研究结果表明:在不施加任何约束的条件下,我国国债市场的风险长期来看是可以规避的,而国债与央票之间具有互动关系,二者的利率风险具有一定的互补性。     

试论政府信息主动公开行为的司法审查

我国《政府信息公开条例》突出了主动公开在信息公开领域的积极作用,强调了政府主动公开信息的原则。但现实表明,我国政府信息并未真正处于阳光之下,有必要借鉴国外有关主动公开政府信息的有益经验,结合我国实情,完善我国政府信息主动公开制度,以望早日实现政府信息公开的价值目标,实现＂阳光政府＂建设。     

政府智库与民间智库的合作与交流

政府智库与民间智库合作的制度条件主要包括开放的公共决策体制、共同的决策价值基础和对称的资源依赖结构。构建政府智库与民间智库的合作机制,应从以下方面着力：联合成立研究协会,搭建合作的组织平台;围绕研究主题,发挥合作的政策职能作用;成立智库合作发展基金,建立合作项目资助制度;提升研究质量,建立合作项目绩效的综合评价制度。     

对邯郸市服务型政府建设的调查与思考

与传统管制型政府截然不同,服务型政府将＂公共服务＂作为其职能设计的核心。政府不再是高高在上、指手划脚的管制者,而应逐渐成为平易近人、脚踏实地的服务者。服务型政府具有市场经济、公民本位、公共服务、高效行政等特点。我国服务型政府应该以马克思主义代表制思想、新公共管理理论、群众路线理论、党的最新理论成果等为其理论基础。社会主义市场经济的发展、行政体制改革的持续推进、知识经济和信息革命以及国外重塑政府运动的影响等构成我国服务型政府建设的现实动力。     

Changing symbolic and geographical boundaries between penal zones and rural communities in the Russian Federation

The article examines the processes involved in the integration of the USSR's secret places into mainstream rural society in the Russian Federation. Taking the example of one rural district in the Volga-Ural region that has been the site of a large prison complex over a period of ninety years, the article examines how economic changes and local government and penal reforms have eroded the boundary that marked off the penal region from the rural district in which it was located. Using interviews and social surveys conducted among the local population, the article examines the extent to which the opening of the penal sub-region has led to changes in the symbolic boundary between the communities in the rural raion. The article concludes that although new spaces of active government are being produced in rural Russia, these are not necessarily the basis for the emergence of new common identities among the people living in them.     

建设服务型政府,实现公共服务提供主体多元化

服务型政府将满足公民需求作为最高工作目标,不仅要求强化社会管理和公共服务职能,更需要通过体制机制创新来促进公共服务的有效供给。其中,公共服务的供给机制有效与否是政府不同层级和不同部门都要面对的普遍性问题。针对公共服务的混合性和复杂性,以及我国在公共服务提供方面的问题,参考发达国家的政府改革经验,我国应培育多元化的公共服务供给主体,通过将分散、异质性的服务需求与非规模化的服务供给对接来间接满足服务需求。多元化供给机制有利于发挥行政机制、市场机制和社会机制的各自优势,并实现三者的有机结合,从而有利于整合各种社会资源,满足公民的异质性公共服务需求。