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.     

试论投资基金的治理结构

投资基金的治理结构包含三个层次,即基金的各方当事人权利义务的制度安排、基金内部约束机制、外部市场压力及监管制度。针对我国基金治理结构目前存在的问题,可通过引入独立董事制度、将基金经理的报酬机制与公司的经营业绩挂钩、增强外部市场的竞争压力等途径,使之逐步完善。     

论重视和加快民办高等教育的发展

民办高等教育在十几年里飞速发展 ,取得巨大成就的同时也遇到很多的困难与问题。文章试图从宏观上论述在新的时代背景 ,尤其是即将步入WTO的国际大环境下 ,如何改变民办高等教育发展的不利因素 ,并采取有效的政策扶持 ,积极加快湖南的民办高等教育发展的问题     

高等教育学费和学生资助政策

在高等教育投入的多元化趋势中,伴随着高校收费政策的实施,学生资助问题成为国家宏观教育政策关注的重点领域。本文在国际高等教育投入和学生资助模式比较分析的基础上,对我国高等教育学费和学生资助提出政策建议。争取除学费外的其他社会投入应成为中国进一步筹措高等教育经费的重点;在确定高等教育学费时应兼顾培养成本和人均收入水平;同时要建立和完善多元化的学生资助体系。     

浅析正在形成中的电子资金划拨法

电子资金划拨正以其高效率低成本的巨大优势,逐渐取代票据等传统的支付方式,得到广泛的应用与推广。这种新的支付方式的出现,也促成了以它为调整对象的电子资金划拨法的产生与发展。本文尝试对这一正在形成中的法律进行探讨,以期引起社会各界尤其是法学界对此的重视与研究,从而对我国在进行相关立法时有所裨益。     

论养老保险基金参与公司治理

通过对国有企业改制中公司治理方面出现的问题的分析 ,从养老保险基金参与对公司治理方面进行探讨 ,提出改进上市公司治理机制的现实政策选择 ,这有利于我国证券市场的发展和完善 ,有利于我国国有企业的改革     

Making ends meet: perceptions of poverty in Sweden

During the era after the Second World War, Sweden has built a welfare system based on labor market participation and income maintenance. Low unemployment and decent wages are supposed to guarantee people a labor market income or income maintenance, which in turn should provide a proper standard for everyone. However, a rapid increase in unemployment and economic problems have made the future of the Swedish welfare state more uncertain than ever. These circumstances have, among other things, led to the suggestion that Sweden should abandon the income maintenance policy and create a social policy system with the more limited ambition of guaranteeing everyone a minimum income. In that case, one central question must be answered: what constitutes a decent minimum income in today's Sweden? Where should we draw the poverty line under which people will not be forced to live? These questions are central in the current debate. The consensual poverty line method is used in this article to derive a poverty line relevant for today's Sweden. The results shows that more than every fifth household has an income below the consensual poverty line. That is, they have an income that most Swedes would argue is too low to make ends meet. The level of the consensual poverty line was compared with the National Board of Health and Welfare's guidelines for social assistance. The consensual poverty line was shown to be more generous to small households and the norm for social assistance was more generous to larger households. Finally, the expenditure for guaranteeing all Swedish household a minimum income equal to the consensual poverty line was estimated: more than SEK 25 billion per year. The results in the article casts serious doubt on the ability of the Swedish welfare state to secure a decent income to all citizens.     

商业银行跨营基金业务的风险与防范

作为混业经营的尝试,商业银行设立基金管理公司,在提升金融效益的同时,伴随而来的是巨大的金融风险。风险主要来自两方面:跨市场经营和分业监管体系.进一步完善资本市场,建立严密的业务隔离机制和联合监管新体制,将是我们防范和化解此类风险的必然选择。     

The Sandwich Generation: Dependency, Proximity, and Task Assistance Needs of Parents

This study was designed to determine the extent of sandwiched families and the impact of dependency and proximity to task assistance provided to parent(s). Data were collected in Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Michigan from a random sample of 40–65-year-old respondents. Fifteen percent are sandwiched between needs of aging parents and financially dependent children. Respondents are much more likely to be providing assistance to mothers than fathers. Parents are most likely to live near, but not necessarily with, the respondent. Spouses and partners' parents, however, are likely to live farther away. Task assistance provided most often to aging parent(s) includes help with transportation and shopping; financial assistance was reported least often. Income of respondent and dependency and proximity of parents are significantly related to providing assistance to parents. This study offers a unique glimpse at the relationships between personal characteristics, dependency, proximity, and task assistance issues as they pertain to the sandwich generation.     

对口支援政策下的产业援疆模式选择与实现路径

积极探索和研究产业援疆模式,有助于实现东西部经济合作,促进产业结构调整,推动新疆自我发展能力的提高。该文基于对口支援政策,总结和借鉴了内地省份飞地经济发展的经验和启示,结合新疆区情,根据产业援疆中的政府作用和资金特点,认为江苏模式、中石化模式、广东模式、山东模式四种较为成功、典型的产业援疆模式及其适用领域,可作为产业援疆借鉴与选择的路径模式,并从产业援疆的市场主体、转移动力、政策体系、运行机制、园区开放等方面就提升产业援疆模式的效率提出了相应的措施和建议。