Civil Society and Democracy: The Israeli Experience

Civil society has been considered pivotal to democracy, but the causes of its performance have remained controversial. According to one view the political context is a critical factor in shaping the contours of civil society. Another suggests that whether democracy prevails is contingent on society itself and the associations comprising it. In a test of these views it was assumed that if society prevails associations would vary by type. If the state is more important, then associations would be expected to score similarly on the democratic scale. It was also expected that variation among the types of performance would cut across group categories, reflecting general attributes of the polity. Data were derived from a survey conducted among voluntary associations in Israel (n = 360). Findings showed that (a) associations scored similarly on the democratic scale, (b) the scores for the democratic performance were not influenced by group category, and (c) the least performed function was integration.     

论我国农村基层民主建设的现实基础

基层民主建设是有中国特色的民主政治内容之一。近年来,我国农村的基层民主建设引起世人关注。本文从我国农村的经济因素、社会因素和文化因素三个方面探讨了在经济、文化相对落后的农村推进民主进程的可能性与可行性。     

宪法:民主之法——论宪法学的研究对象

民主是宪法学的研究对象 ,宪法产生发展的历史、宪法的内容及宪法发展目标揭示了宪法学这一本质特征。从历史发展过程来看 ,宪法含义经历了从规定政权组织结构到规定公民权利 ,从规定公民权利到保障宪法中公民权利实现的变化 ;从现实世界范围内各国宪法内容考察 ,它们在形式上都承认主权属于人民 ,确认了一系列民主制度和民主原则 ;从人类发展趋势来看 ,民主是人类社会不懈的追求 ,由于需求的无限性 ,人类对民主的追求也没有止境。据此 ,宪法学研究范围具体应包括 :宪法基本理论、宪法制度、国家、公民及国家与公民的关系。     

教学民主化功能浅论

教学民主化追求师生在教学活动中相互尊重、相互信任、相互配合和相互促进 ,致力于营造一种民主、平等、自由、和谐的教学氛围 ,这对教学目标子系统、结构子系统、动力子系统与评价子系统将产生深刻的影响与作用     

胡耀邦新时期党内民主思想初探

党内民主是党的生命,胡耀邦十分重视党内民主建设,他为新时期党内民主的发展做出了巨大的贡献。深入探讨胡耀邦党内民主思想,对于发展社会主义民主政治具有重要的现实意义。     

论乡村政治文明建设的两个基本维度--制度的完善与意识的培养

肇始于八十年代初村民自治兴起的我国乡村政治文明建设,至今已经历了二十多年的风雨历程。以村民自治为主要内容的乡村政治文明建设在法律化、制度化、规范化方面都取得了显著进步,但同时也存在着一些比较突出的问题和矛盾,其根本原因就在于制度的缺憾与村民民主意识的淡漠。因此,必须从完善乡村政治制度和提高村民的民主意识入手,推动乡村政治文明建设的健康发展。     

People and their waste in an emergency context: The case of Monrovia, Liberia

Liberia has gone through civil crisis for over a decade which has resulted in the destruction of infrastructure and disruption of basic services delivery particularly in Monrovia, the capital city. Most of the 1.3 million people living in Monrovia are without adequate environmental sanitation and waste management services which situation poses a serious health risk to the residents. The current waste management service coverage is less than 20% and disposal is by indiscriminate open dumping. In 2003, there were series of outbreaks of cholera epidemics in the city during which time a total of 26,651 cases were reported with many dying.The waste management plan was initiated as an exit strategy of UNICEF following an intervention response programme to assist the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) whose capacity in this area had been crippled as a result of years of war, through the provision of support in solid waste collection and disposal.The objectives of the plan were to:

(a) Improve waste management services delivery in the city.

(b) Strengthen the ability of the MCC to plan and manage the waste services delivery.

(c) Enhance cooperation of service beneficiaries through comprehensive and effective health education and service promotional campaign.

(d) Enhance revenue generation and community participation through the promotion of private sector and CBOs/NGOs active involvement in the waste management service delivery.

The general methodology adopted for the assignment entailed the following:Desk study and review of existing reports on Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES) in Monrovia and other relevant literature, consultation with stakeholders, site visits and participatory planning which aimed at soliciting the opinions of the various stakeholders involved with the respective components to capture their aspirations and experiences. It also covered collection and analysis of available information and data to facilitate the plan preparation and facilities design.The three-phased strategy (short, medium and long term) covering a period of 10 years (August 2004–December 2014), recommended a combination of technical options for collection based on the pursuit of staged development to allow for the adoption of realistically attainable standards within a framework of continuous and systematic improvements as economic conditions improved and new knowledge gained through practice. The plan sought to blend the capacity within the City Corporation with that of the private sector and NGOs/CBOs to respond to the diverse service demands of the city taking into consideration housing and infrastructural conditions, service costs and cost recovery to ensure sustainability. It also identified sources of financing and allocated financing responsibilities to facilitate effective plan implementation.     

略论党内民主的特征

大力发展党内民主,是党建理论与实践中迫切需要解决的重大课题。推进党内民主首先要正确认识党内民主,把握党内民主的特征。党内民主具有民主的一般性特征。同时,作为民主的一种特例,它还具有一些不同于一般民主的特征。具体而言,党内民主具有系统性与层次性、目的性与手段性、发展性与渐进性、相对性与开放性、有序性与法治性等特征。关注党内民主,把握党内民主的特征对于新形势下深入开展党内民主研究,促进党内民主的发展、完善有重要意义。     

论华中抗日根据地基层政权的民主选举—以乡选为中心的考察

为从根本上改造基层政权,中国共产党领导下的华中抗日根据地广泛开展了一场轰轰烈烈的民主选举运动。根据地颁布了一系列法令、条例,使选举规范化;人民群众在实践中也充分发挥智慧创造了适合自己的选举方式。选举体现了广泛性、平等性、真实性的特点。这一运动使基层政权性质彻底改变,为争取抗战乃至整个新民主主义革命的胜利提供了重要保证。     

论民盟"一大"纲领中的宪政模式--中西宪政模式比较研究

中间党派在1945年10月民盟"一大"纲领中设计出一套"中国型"的宪政模式。所谓"中国型"的宪政模式,就是中间党派吸收了西方宪政中政治民主的内容后,又注入了经济民主的内容。这是中间党派在中国宪政史上为中国设计的具有典型意义的宪政模式,但有关这一宪政模式的研究,目前史学界几乎无人涉足。运用比较研究的方法,将中间党派设计的这套"中国型"的宪政模式与西方代议制政体模式和孙中山的民生主义思想进行系统比较,旨在说明中间党派所设计的这套"中国型"的宪政模式的特质是:英美的政治民主加上孙中山的民生主义。