Controlling Democracy: The Principal–Agent Problems in Election Administration

Election reform has become a major issue since the 2000 election, but little consideration has been given to the issues associated with managing them. In this article, we use principal–agent theory to examine the problems associated with Election Day polling place voting. We note that Election Day voting manifests problems that agency theory shows are difficult to overcome, including adverse selection of and shirking by poll workers. We then examine alternate methods of voting, such as early, absentee, and Internet voting, and show how these reforms can mitigate many of the more severe principal–agent problems in election management.     

A simple model of technological intensification

Ugan, Bright and Rogers [When is technology worth the trouble? Journal of Archaeological Science 30 (10) (2003) 1315–1329] develop procurement and processing versions of an optimization model, termed the tech investment model, to formalize the conditions that favor investing time in the manufacture of more productive but more costly technologies. Their approach captures the tradeoffs that occur as less costly versions are supplanted by more costly versions of the same category of technology (e.g., fishhooks), but not the tradeoffs that occur when more costly categories of technology supplant different but less costly categories used for the same purpose (e.g., hook and line vs. spear). We (i) propose an alternative model in which different categories of technology are characterized by separate cost–benefit curves, (ii) develop point-estimate and curve-estimate versions on this model, and (iii) show how they might be applied using the development of weaponry in aboriginal California as an example.     

20世纪中国的史学方法论研究

20世纪中国史学方法论研究,是一笔丰厚的史学遗产。从梁启超的《新史学》,到三四十年代一系列史学理论方法论读本的出版,再到当代台湾的史学方法论研究,是新史学派史学方法发展的大体脉络。从李大钊对马克思主义历史观的介绍和宣传,到郭沫若所代表的开始用马克思主义研究中国历史的尝试和实践,再到翦伯赞的《历史哲学教程》的出版,标志着中国马克思主义史学发展的第一阶段;从50到70年代是马克思主义史学方法广泛普及和曲折发展的时期;改革开放以后的20年,是中国马克思主义史学史上方法论研究空前繁荣和活跃的时期。总结百年来的史学方法论研究,给新世纪史学发展留下了诸多启示。     

《吴子》研究

《吴子》一书的真伪向无定论,本借助近年来出土献的研究成果,从《吴子》所反映的战争观、语言特征及其与《孙膑兵法》的关系三方面入手讨论,认为《吴子》是成书于战国末年的一部古书。     

《庄子》内二篇文法抉微

《庄子》文章脉络断续隐约但讲究结构艺术,《齐物论》《养生主》是内篇中最长和最短的二篇,《齐物论》结构宏复,层次井然,局部问题的论述亦讲求逻辑。《养生主》小巧精致,每章各言一事而又相互勾连。以寓言阐发养生之道颇含巧思却能浑然天成。     

20世纪30年代法国军事辩论的惨痛教训

1940年法国战败,军事理论落后是其重要原因之一,而祸根在30年代的军事辩论时就已经种下。30年代法国军事辩论的主要内容是如何认识坦克集群战争。艾蒂安纳、杜芒克、戴高乐等人根据当时欧洲新的军事思潮,主张坦克战;反对派昧于历史新趋势,简单化地、过分乐观地认为,法国已经建立可靠的防线,法军已拥有足够的坦克,坦克只需掩护步兵,而组织坦克部队进攻将是一种冒险,敌人即使突破或绕过防线仍旧无法取胜。1940年法国的溃败,对这场军事辩论做了实际的总结。法国关于坦克集群战争的辩论和它屈服于坦克集群的事实,为我们提供了若干颇有价值的启示：军事理论的辩论一般具有长远意义;必须认识传统的力量及其限度;军事上的正确判断是打败对手的基本条件之一;必须看到军事理论、战争皆和社会生产、国家经济密切相关;落后的军事理论与压制先进军事思想的政策,势必对国家民族造成不可弥补的损失。     

邓小平与马克思主义理论学习

邓小平不仅自身在将马克思主义理论与中国具体实践成功结合方面树立起一座丰碑 ,成为全国人民科学地学习和运用马克思主义的光辉典范 ,而且高度重视、多次提出马克思主义理论学习问题 ,强调在新形势下马克思主义对党和国家的发展的重要指导作用 ,认为学习马克思主义理论要做到“精”与“通”的辩证统一、理论与实际的辩证统一、坚持与发展的辩证统一。     

鲁宾逊对美国历史教育的贡献

美国新史学家鲁宾逊提出了实用主义的历史教育论 ,设计了新的课程体系 ,编写了一系列历史教科书 ,对二十世纪美国的历史教育做出了重要贡献     

Gender-informed archaeology: The priority of definition, the use of analogy, and the multivariate approach

Despite recent efforts to construct gender theory in archaeology, I assert that no methodological or theoretical breakthroughs have occurred. This lack of progress is due to several factors. First, fundamental terms such as “theory,” “gender,” and “sex” have been used inconsistently; I suggest some working definitions for these terms. Second, researchers have resorted to the use of analogical arguments that implicitly deny the role of gender in the organization of human relations. Third, feminist political agendas have been conflated with research questions. In order to address some of these issues, I suggest that the application of a multivariate approach to the study of gender can avoid the problems inherent in any one line of evidence. Finally, I argue that a consideration of the scale of gender questions is essential to the application of existing theoretical frameworks to gender archaeologically.     

中国艺术考古学的奠基

艺术考古学作为一门在考古学与艺术学的边缘地带产生的交叉学科,其形成和确立顺应了考古学与艺术学学科发展的必然趋势;同样,考古学与艺术学理论的发展也为艺术考古学的建立奠定了理论和实践上的坚实基础。