156 research outputs found
Book review: 9/11 ten years after: perspectives and problems
Ten years on, what have been the principal impacts of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the external policies and international outlooks of the worldâs major powers? This book investigates a range of international responses to the events of 9/11, to evaluate their consistency over time; to analyse their long-term significance and to consider both their implications for the international security agenda and the prospects for international cooperation in addressing the challenges posed. Jude Howell believes the breadth of the book will ensure that it provides a useful source for researchers and students in the fields of security studies and international relations
Is being more like China the answer for Britain? â Jude Howell
At last weekâs Conservative Party conference, the Secretary for Health, Jeremy Hunt, urged the British population to âbe prepared to work hard in a way that Asian economies are prepared to work hardâ. His indirect reference to China must surely set alarm bells ringing amongst those who are familiar with the tale of âhard workâ in China for the less well-off
Can the Chinese Communist Party Survive? The limits of adaptation limits
Professor of International Development Jude Howell talks about her recent research into governance in China in this post written for the LSE International Development blog, based on her article on the same subject published in Journal of Social Policy in January
Adaptation under scrutiny: peering through the lens of community governance in China
This paper examines processes of adaptive governance and authoritarian resilience through the lens of community governance, bringing together hitherto unrelated fields of study. It argues first that adaptation has unintended consequences that can threaten stability but do not necessarily cause regime crisis. Second, it contends that the structural fault-lines of institutionalised categorical inequality, marketisation, and professionalization, along with the pathologies of Leninist authoritarianism, undermine adaptive community governance. The paper draws on qualitative research in two neighbourhoods of Shanghai
Now Osama bin Laden is no more, is it time to reflect on the delinking of aid?
So Osama bin Laden is now dead. After months of observing his hide-out in Abbottabad, 40 miles north of Islamabad, Pakistan, American Special Forces launched a clandestine operation to capture or kill Bin Laden. Within forty minutes it was all over and done with. His body was whisked swiftly away into the skies and ceremoniously dropped into the ocean. The last thing the Americans wanted was for his grave to become a shrine for al-Qaeda sympathisers. American politicians and the American public rejoiced; their number one enemy was now dealt with. Americans could feel safer. However, as President Obama cautioned, this was not the end of al-Qaeda, nor the end of international terrorism. In his words, ââŠhis death does not mark the end of our effort. Thereâs no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against usâ. There were still people out there who presented a threat to the American way of life. So the American people must continue to `remain vigilant at home and abroadâ
Obama changes rhetoric but the âwar on terrorâ continues to impact civil society
Despite a change in rhetoric, the legislation, practices, policies and structures introduced since 9/11 still inhibit societyâs ability to practise democrac
All-China Federation of Trades Unions beyond reform?: the slow march of direct elections
Since the mid-1990s trade union leaders in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shandong and other coastal provinces have been quietly introducing direct elections for grassroots trade union cadres, in order to nurture a stratum of grassroots trade union cadres who prioritize workersâ interests. Yet these elections have not been generalized across the country, been institutionalized through legislation or drawn droves of international observers in the way that village elections did in the 1980s and 1990s. What might have promised to be Chinaâs ââsecond silent revolutionââ has failed to take off. This article explores the political, structural and institutional reasons behind the piecemeal and slow spread of direct basic union elections in China. In doing so it analyses the parameters constraining the reform of the All-China Federation of Trades Unions in the direction of a more effective, worker-oriented organization
Reassessing the HuâWen era: a golden age for social policy
The HuâWen era has been characterized as a âlost decadeâ for economic and political
reform, but a âgolden eraâ in terms of economic growth and political stability. Yet, relatively
little attention has been paid to the social policies introduced during Hu and Wenâs decade in
power. These important policies, however, abolished agricultural taxes, extended health
insurance, pensions and income support to all rural as well as urban residents, and built a
civic welfare infrastructure to address migrantsâ grievances. These policies, some of which
were developed under the preceding Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji leadership, were introduced
for a complex mix of reasons. Their aim was not only to reduce inequalities but also to
stimulate domestic consumption and sustain economic growth, offset the effects of Chinaâs
entry to the WTO and the global recession of 2008, and maintain social stability. They were
the product of domestic bureaucratic politics and experimentation. They were also strongly
influenced by Chinaâs integration into the international economy, as well as by international
governmental and non-governmental organizations and the ideas they introduced into Chinaâs
domestic policy networks. Although HuâWen era social policy reforms had only limited
effects on reducing income inequality and involved complex politics, they did establish for
the first time entitlements to social security and safety nets for all Chinaâs population
Village elections in China: recent prospects, new challenges
RĂ©sumĂ©L'introduction progressive d'Ă©lections villageoises en Chine a retenu toute l'attention des politiques, chercheurs et autres analystes, en Chine comme Ă l'Ă©tranger. Or ce processus a conduit Ă une diminution de la reprĂ©sentation des femmes au sein des comitĂ©s villageois. AprĂšs avoir dĂ©crit le dĂ©roulement des Ă©lections villageoises, l'auteur Ă©voque les controverses qu'a fait naĂźtre l'idĂ©e de compĂ©tition, les problĂšmes qui en ont rĂ©sultĂ© et la maniĂšre dont ces Ă©lections ont Ă©tĂ© traitĂ©es dans la littĂ©rature. Puis elle s'intĂ©resse Ă la rĂ©partition hommes/femmes dans les comitĂ©s villageois tout en resituant cette question dans le contexte plus gĂ©nĂ©ral de la participation des femmes Ă la vie politique chinoise. Sont ensuite examinĂ©s les principaux facteurs qui expliquent la faible reprĂ©sentation des femmes dans ces comitĂ©s Ă©lus, et ce Ă partir d'enquĂȘtes menĂ©es dans les provinces du Hunan et du Shandong. Pour finir, sont explorĂ©es quelques-unes des mesures qui, Ă l'avenir, pourraient permettre d'accroĂźtre cette reprĂ©sentation.AbstractThe gradual introduction of village elections across China has drawn considerable attention from policy-makers, scholars and analysts both within China and abroad. These elections have led to a decline in the representation of women on village committees. The gender aspects of this trend are examined. An overview of this process discusses the controversies surrounding the idea of competitive elections, the issues that have arisen, and the way these elections have been treated in the literature. The gender composition of village committees is placed in the broader context of women's participation in Chinese politics. Findings from fieldwork carried out in Hunan and Shandong provinces are used to shade light on the factors limiting women's participation. Some factors that might improve women's involvement in politics are brought under consideration
Government contracting services to social organisations in China: a review of research for future enquiry
Contracting of social services has been adopted in China as an innovation in welfare provision. This article reviews the emerging literature on contracting of services to social organisations in China in order to identify lines of further enquiry. It reviews research published in the English and Chinese languages up to 2018. We identify three distinct narratives: public sector reform, improvement of welfare service quality and capacity, and transformation of state-society relations. We contrast the identified narratives with the empirical evidence produced for the Chinese case. We demonstrate that, despite contradictory empirical evidence, the premise that contracting improves public sector efficiency and quality of services predominates. The narrative that contracting transforms state-society relations is contested. This article contributes to the understanding of how contracting of services is justified in theory and practice, and proposes an agenda for future social policy research on contracting of services to social organisations in China
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