How Much Privatization?

Although it is widely assumed that there has been a surge in the use of alternative service delivery methods, few empirical studies have examined the degree to which privatization actually has increased. This study examines the levels of privatization in cities over a 10–year period. The findings suggest that the use of privatization increased significantly between 1982 and 1992 for the 596 cities included in this inquiry.     

How free?1

This paper is a critique of the Marxian idea of a future stateless utopia. It is an immanent critique. Were one to start from non-Marxist assumptions, detailed argument would scarcely be necessary. Non-Marxists just take it for granted that any organized modern society foreseeable from the present world must necessarily involve state-type institutions of governance. My aim here is to show that, even thinking from within the Marxist tradition, the idea of a stateless utopia is not sustainable, unless as a blind act of faith.     

《How much博士帽》

如果花钱而不作相应学术研究,也不作够学报水平的论文就可以得到博士的话,那么一个国家的学术水平自然会不断下降,我们跟发达国家比,潜心作学问的人已经够少的了。如果鼓励这种卖文凭的行为,无异于大家认为注水猪肉里面注的水还不够多。     

How to picture race?

The purpose of the Swedish State Institute for Race Biology, SIRB, was to survey the Swedish people according to its race criteria. In this research process photographs were used to document and portray the different races living in Sweden. This article examines how the photographs were used in this process: What pictorial rhetoric did they use and what did the photographs bring to the research process? The result shows that SIRB did not succeeded in developing consistent methods of portraying race. The style and formula of the portraits varied; sometimes environmental aspects came in to focus, sometimes bodily aspects. These methodological shortcomings must be attributed not only to the fact that the institution was working with a new and immature scientific medium – photography – but also that it operated inside an immature scientific discipline. The race scientific community had no joint theories and methods to work with, and did not know how to affiliate with other disciplines – such as anthropology, focusing on environmental factors, or medicine, focusing on bodily aspects. But the lack of methodological consistency was not just a shortcoming; it could also be used to bias the material in a way that served the ideas of eugenics.     

How proactive? How pacifist? Charting Japan’s evolving defence posture

After 60 years maintaining Self-Defense Forces rather than a normal military, Japan is moving towards exercising collective self-defence, long restricted by interpretations of its 1945 Peace Constitution. The merits of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's ‘proactive pacifism’ are intensely debated by those welcoming greater international contributions from Japan and others suspicious of Japanese ‘remilitarisation’. A nation’s defence posture can theoretically be hijacked by aggressive nationalists, shift to pacifist isolationism, or rely on non-military internationalism or multilateral security cooperation. This article assesses competing explanations about the post-war trajectory of Japan’s defence posture by charting variation in military doctrine and capabilities. The analysis finds that Tokyo has made incremental policy adjustments under domestic and international constraints, and is not aggressively remilitarising.     

Immigration Reform in Canada and the United States: How Dramatic,How Different?

In contrast to recent policies in the United States, immigration reform in Canada, during the past decade, has resulted in one of the most transformative periods in Canada’s immigration history. This article examines these changes, against the comparative backdrop of American inaction. These include changes affecting the three classes of legal permanent residents—economic, family, and refugee—as well as temporary foreign workers and foreign students. Canadian citizenship rules have also been refocused from citizenship as a “right” to citizenship as a “responsibility.” The article illustrates the advantages of the Canadian system, but cautions against overmanagement, centralization of decision-making power, and the loss of Canada’s welcoming reputation. The Canadian system, while not perfect, is efficient and should be able to successfully adjust to future problems that arise, provided that the Canadian public has sufficient input in policy decisions. Given a more complex and cumbersome US immigration policy system, comprehensive immigration reform is not likely to occur if partisanship prevails.     

How Do They Fare Today？

On December 29, 1995, agrand ceremony was held in Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa to determine the soulboy of the late 10thPanchen Erdeni. The Living BuddhaBorne drew one of the three lots eachbearing the name of a soul boy candidatefrom the golden urn bestowed by the QingDynasty emperor. The result announcedby Gyangcain Norbu (PRC State Coun-cilor) that Gyaincain Norbu had beenselected. Now, nine years have passed andwhere are that two candidates who failedto be chosen? How do they fare in…     

How Civilized Were the Victorians?

Abstract

This article addresses the role of the ‘civilizing process’ in the historiography of the Victorian period. The author develops a critique of perspectives that deem the nineteenth century to be an era of discipline and self-restraint, arguing that these result from the hegemonic position of literary perspectives within Victorian Studies and their frequent reliance on Foucauldian-inspired techniques of discourse analysis. In response, he outlines and illustrates the potential for alternative research agendas and approaches that move away from representational sources in order that the Victorian period can be viewed in a new light. These include the study of vernacular photography, cultures of leisure, and the subcultures of groups where the importance of ‘nonverbal’ practices and the cultures inherent in bodily experiences are highlighted – forms of expression that reach beyond established discourse. It is argued that the failure of scholars of the Victorian period to consider this ‘nonverbal’ culture means that the theoretical frameworks of comprehension that currently characterize Victorian Studies are underdeveloped. The essay calls for Victorianists to broaden their theoretical perspectives, engage with new sources, and embrace new methodologies in order to enlarge our understanding of nineteenth-century culture.     

Canada: How Many Glaciations?

Editor's note: The first President's Symposium was held during the cag annual meeting at the University of Winnipeg in 1983. The idea was to air some broad and invigorating topic to which invited specialists from across the country could contribute under presidential direction. The inaugural topic selected by the president, Professor D.C. Ford, was ‘Canada: how many glaciations?’ The specialist contributors certainly learned a great deal, and the symposium was well received by the general membership whom the specialists wished to interest. This article consists of a summary of the presentations made by the various contributors and a concluding polemic.     

How Did the Ming Dynasty Rule Tibet？

In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty ( 1368-1644). In the autumn of the same year, Ming forces took over Dadu, capital of the Yuan Dynasty. All places of China including the Tibetan-inhabited areas outside Tibet pledged loyalty to the new dynasty.     

How Did the Ming Dynasty Rul Tibet?

n 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In the autumnof the same year, Ming forces took over Dadu, capital of the Yuan Dynasty. Allplaces of China including the Tibetan-inhabited areas outside Tibet pledgedIloyalty to the new dynasty.N…