Limits to Democratic Development in Civil Society and the State: The Case of Santo Domingo

Some scholars see civil society as key to democratization of the political system. In this view, pressure from civil society forces democratization of the state. However, this disregards the fact that changes in civil society's behaviour require changes in political society — changes are reciprocal. The demand–making strategies of grassroots organizations in the Dominican Republic in 1999 provide a good example of this dynamic: the incomplete nature of the democratic transition (specifically, the persistence of paternalism and clientelism) constrained the democratic strategy choices of the civil society organizations. Just as democratization within political society is inconsistent and incomplete, so will be the demand–making strategies of the grassroots towards the state. The Dominican case is of particular interest as it illustrates the blend of personalized and institutionalized elements characteristic of democratic transition.     

民法解释在处理旅游合同纠纷中的作用——以孟元诉中佳旅行社旅游合同纠纷案为例

现今旅游纠纷日益增多,而在我国旅游行政管理部门及司法实践中,普遍存在＂无法可依＂的认识误区,以及回避纠纷性质,重结果轻分析的倾向。《最高人民法院公报》公布的＂孟元诉中佳旅行社旅游合同纠纷案＂及其判决,虽然并未引起旅游业界、法学界的太多争议,但其在旅游合同性质认定及解除权问题上的认定,存在着一定的问题和瑕疵。本文从民法解释的角度重新审视该案,并对该案判决提出较为具体的不同意见,以呼吁业界通过解释现行民事立法,充分发挥其在解决旅游民事纠纷中的作用。     

The Superpowers in the Middle East

RAMI GINAT. The Soviet Union and Egypt, 1945–1955. London: Frank Cass, dist. Portland, OR: ISBS, 1993. Pp. xii, 268. $45.00 (US);

ABRAHAM BEN-ZVL The United States and Israel: The Limits of the Special Relationship. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. Pp. xi, 312. $35.00 (US).     

Voting Technology,Political Institutions,Legal Institutions and Civil Society: A Study of the Hypothesis of Cultural Lag in Reverse

The 2000 Presidential election was plagued by butterfly ballots and ‘pregnant chads’. Electronic voting systems, lacking verifiable paper trails that are subject to possible fraud, promise to wreak havoc with the 2004 Presidential election. There is a great diversity of systems of voting technology in the 50 states: from paper ballots, lever‐operated machines and punch cards to optical scanners and electronic systems. Associated with each technology is an estimated error rate. The underlying theory of this paper was set forth by William F. Ogburn in his famous book entitled Social Change, published in 1922. Dividing culture into material and non‐material elements, Ogburn argued that non‐material elements lag behind material elements. His explanation for this lag is that technology, which underlies material culture, changes at a faster rate than elements of non‐material culture. Obgurn did not contemplate the possibility of a reverse lag, viz., technology lagging behind non‐material culture. In analyzing the anomalous relationships between voting technology, political institutions and legal institutions, a striking instance of a ‘reverse cultural lag’ is discerned. To eliminate the phenomenon of the reverse cultural lag, there is a need for a federally‐funded program of a uniform, state‐of‐the‐art voting technology, plus an amended Help America Vote Act, to implement the innovations in the 3,114 counties. The complex problems reviewed in this paper point to a vexing question: how do we educate an electorate in a democratic society—such as the United States in the twenty‐first century—to be responsible for ensuring that periodically‐elected representatives implement the will of the people?     

China's Emergence and Impact on Technology in East Asia: The Case of Machinebuilding

Two Taiwan-based economists estimate the technology content of exports by the machinebuilding industry of the East Asia region during 2004-2008, using comparative analysis to clarify changes in the relative competitiveness of four East Asian nations (China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan) accompanying the formation of a regional trading bloc and production networks. In particular, they examine the technology content of these countries' machinebuilding sub-industries' exports within the Southeast Asian market (documenting the rise of the machinebuilding industry in China) as well as the penetration of Japanese, South Korean, and Taiwanese sub-industries into China's market. The results point to areas of emerging competition among China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan for East Asian markets, which can only be expected to intensify in the future. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F14, F15, F36, O14, P23. 7 tables, 36 references.     

东西:日本文化中的一对概念

日本地处中国的东部,是亚洲东方文明国家之一。面积为37．78万平方公里,与我国云南省的面积大体相同。长期以来,由于受历史、地理等诸方面条件的影响,自日本的中部分为东、西,东国与西国、关东与关西;江户与上方、东京与大阪等。下面从日本文化、民俗方面介绍一下日本的东、西。     

The Turkish–Armenian Rapprochment Processes: A Case Study Approach

Using a case study approach, this study examines Turkish and Armenian attempts at constructing a more positive relationship. It argues that the two countries need to look at what binds them in a web of mutual responsibility toward each other as states first. The only legal link between the two countries is the Treaty of Kars, which updated an earlier treaty. Given that the TARC and the Turkish–Armenian accords were both failures, this article argues that Armenia and Turkey need to litigate their differences on the basis of their only binding agreement.