The Semantics of Corruption: Political Science Perspectives on Imperial and Post-Imperial Methods of State-Building

Although imperial historians concentrate on regions and periods with abundant documentation, it is worth considering how another discipline copes with the political fate of post-colonial societies whose records are not so easily accessible. The nine works reviewed below cover problems of misgovernment in new states in several regions. This article concentrates on their methods and conclusions for states in sub-Saharan Africa and more especially West Africa. Authors and editors have made considerable use of patron-client (or clientelistic) explanations in their interpretations of the aims and performance of African leaders under post-independence constitutions. Techniques of patronage have a long history; colonial rulers applied them to find useful intermediaries between administrators and African ethnic groups; and there is ample evidence for their existence in the politics of new states under the label of ‘corruption’.

Despite accepted definitions of patronage, the terminology of clientelism contains ambiguities when employed to denote historical cases in a large number of cultural contexts with poor economic management and dictatorial governance. The collective conclusion of the books reviewed charges African civil and military leaders with corruption in appropriation of public resources for private gains. All the authors comment on that generic term; one of them supplies a detailed analysis of its ramifications. Most have drawn, too, on imperial works and records as background to their explanation for the policies of civil and military leaders in independent states in coping with debt management, risk of territorial fragmentation, use of parastatals and misuse of resources. It is concluded here, however, that input from the late colonial period has been misunderstood; second, that anthropologists’ knowledge of the institution of chieftainship, its survival or disappearance, throws light on the ‘indeterminacy’ of leadership succession in Africa, unless overcome by the mechanisms of constitutional elections; and, third, that political science has not investigated the reasons for the lack of competent judicial and civil service institutions to safeguard the working of Africa's constitutions.     

Drifting Along or Dropping into Homelessness: A Class Analysis of Responses to Homelessness

Abstract: Prominent assumptions about street homelessness and how it should be addressed originate primarily from middle class domiciled worldviews. This article draws on interviews with 58 street homeless people to develop a typology for explaining different forms of homelessness resulting from differences in class of origin. The concepts of social distance and abjection are used to illustrate how class politics manifests in street homelessness and in responses to this issue. Many of our homeless participants referred to two broad groupings of homeless people who display distinct experiences and cultures in their daily lives on the streets. Drifters are people who do not experience homelessness as a sharp disjuncture from their previously housed life. Street homelessness is a continuation of the hardships of their lower class backgrounds. Droppers are people who have “fallen” on hard times and aspire to return to mainstream middle class lifeworlds. Differentiating between these two groups provides a space for defamiliarizing dominant understandings of, and current generic responses to, homelessness and foregrounds the need for reorienting services to better meet the needs of drifters.     

Changing places: investigating the cultural terrain of village pubs in south Northamptonshire

The village pub has traditionally held an important ‘place’ in British economy and society and as such is an interesting site for social and cultural analysis. At one level, it is a site with pronounced mythic qualities. Yet on another level, the place of the village pub is highly unstable and contested, with many reportedly facing closure. Adopting an avowedly ‘production-centred’ approach, this paper presents exploratory survey findings from two case study villages in south Northamptonshire. This includes an examination of each pub's input supply network, including links with brewers and other suppliers. The paper attempts to move beyond viewing the village pub simply as a declining rural service and focuses in particular on the ways in which pubs commodify ‘local culture’ as an economic resource. It concludes by introducing the concept of ‘cultural terrain’ and its application to the study of village pubs and rural services more generally.

Changement de décor: examiner le champ culturel des pubs de village dans le sud du Northamptonshire

Le pub de village a conservé depuis longtemps une «place» importante dans l'économie et la société de l'Angleterre. Il est un lieu qui présente un grand intérêt pour analyser les dimensions sociales et culturelles. Le pub de village est d'emblée un lieu ayant acquis d'importantes qualités mythiques, mais occupe à un autre niveau une place très instable et contestée. Selon les informations disponibles, plusieurs auraient déclaré faillite. Partant d'une approche ouvertement «centrée sur la production», cet article présente des conclusions d'une étude de cas exploratoire réalisée sur deux villages dans le sud du Northamptonshire. Il est proposé un examen du réseau d'approvisionnement de chaque pub, y compris les partenariats avec les brasseurs et fournisseurs. L'article tente de dépasser l'idée que le pub de village est un service rural en voie de disparition. Il porte principalement sur les façons dont les pubs commercialise la «culture locale» pour en faire une ressource économique. L'article se termine par un survol de la notion de «champ culturel» et de son application dans la présente étude sur les pubs de village et les services ruraux en général.

Cambiar de lugar: una investigación del terreno cultural de los bares de pueblos en el sur de Northamptonshire

Tradicionalmente el bar de un pueblo ha ocupado un lugar importante en la economía y la sociedad británicas y por eso es un sitio interesante donde hacer análisis social y cultural. A un nivel es un sitio de cualidades míticas pero a otro nivel el lugar del bar del pueblo es muy inestable, ya que muchos corren el peligro de que los cierren. Con un enfoque centrado en la producción, este papel presenta los resultados de estudios preliminares realizados en dos pueblos del sur de Northamptonshire. Incluye un examen de la red de proveedores de cada bar, incluyendo los vínculos con cervecerías y otros proveedores. El papel pretende ir más allá de la idea que hay del bar del pueblo como un servicio rural en declive y se centra en particular en las maneras en que los bares hacen mercancía de ‘la cultura local’ como recurso económico. Concluye por introducir el concepto de ‘terreno cultural’ y la aplicación de ello al estudio de los bares de pueblos y servicios en zonas rurales en general.     

生态系统服务对区域经济增长的影响研究——以黑龙江省为例

以净初级生产力作为生态系统服务的综合测量指标,在经典柯布道格拉斯生产函数的基础上,运用协整与误差修正模型对1986-2010年黑龙江省生态系统服务对区域经济增长的影响进行了分析,并评估了净初级生产力的边际价格。结果表明,黑龙江省生态系统服务对区域经济增长具有明显的促进作用,净初级生产力每提高1%促进真实GDP增长0.0257%;在生态系统服务的影响下,黑龙江省经济系统以每年1.8%的速率将系统波动产生的非均衡状态向长期均衡状态调整,说明生态系统服务在促进经济增长的同时也保障了经济体系的稳定运行;在误差修正模型基础上得到的黑龙江省净初级生产力的边际价格为255.1元/106kgC(以1952年价格为基准),此价格主要受净初级生产力产出弹性的影响。     

Barriers to Co-Governance: Examining the "Chemistry" of Home-Care Networks in Germany, England, and Quebec

This article aims at studying the dynamics of organized home care and particular problems in the delivery of social services, analyzed against the background of the international recasting of welfare systems. Challenging an influential academic discourse on the advent of new forms of network governance thought to improve service provision, three jurisdictions—Germany, England, and Quebec—are compared with regard to how home-care networks are actually configured and the rationales which appear to shape the interaction between network members. The article argues that notwithstanding the extensive literature extolling the virtues of network governance or the possibility of reconciling different governance modes, home care operates through arrangements embracing conflicting rationales. Rather than providing for mutual adjustment and shared perspectives, contemporary home-care networks tend to produce tensions and outcome problems as a result of the "biased" interplay between various steering rationales within given institutional arrangements and different meta-governance regimes.     

基于国际酒店集团布局的中国城市网络连接度研究

截至2013年5月,世界酒店业300强中在中国形成网络化经营的20家国际酒店集团已在我国221个城市有布局。不同于以泰勒为代表的基于跨国生产性服务企业布局的城市连接度研究,本文以消费性服务企业中的国际酒店业在华布局为研究切入点,通过城市网络连接度测度发现:第一,我国酒店业城市网络已形成以上海、北京、杭州、西安为中心的层级体系,上海已具备成为国际酒店业首位城市和世界级旅居城市的条件;第二,在环渤海、长三角和珠三角三大经济区域中,基于国际酒店集团服务价值判定的区内和区际城市连接度水平存在较大差异,其中长三角地区连接度总和与均值最高;第三,在酒店业的全球生产网络中,中国城市的酒店业布局具有品牌层次的低端锁定特征,中心性和总部经济效应有待提高。     

中国社会性公共服务空间分异研究

本文构建了社会性公共服务水平测度指标体系,对1990年以来中国社会性公共服务空间分异过程、特征及机制进行了系统分析。结果表明,中国社会性公共服务的空间分异程度总体上偏高,中国社会性公共服务水平东西两极分化明显,呈东高西低的空间格局;1990-2005年,中国社会性公共服务空间分异过程总体上呈V字形,1990-1994年社会性公共服务空间分异程度趋于缩小,之后转为扩大;中国社会性公共服务的空间分异受两种机制支配,即经济空间分异对社会性公共服务空间分异的导向性影响,以及经济空间分异、人口向东部地区迁移、社会性公共服务发展的滞后性等因素的综合作用。     

基于考古遗址公园的城市文化生态系统研究——以西安市为例

考古遗址公园是大遗址保护与利用的主要形式,不仅具有文化传承的作用,也具有生态、经济方面的功能,已于城市发展密不可分。鉴于分区规划对大遗址的影响,结合考古遗址公园蓬勃发展的现状,本文提出利用西安市域内的5大遗址公园和浐灞生态园构筑围绕西安核心区域的"文化-生态廊道"的规划理念,希冀能够在西安地区形成一条由西向东脉络鲜明的中华民族文化地标线。     

Why do business service firms cluster? Small consultancies, clustering and decentralization in London and southern England

Notwithstanding their remarkable recent growth, surprisingly little research has hitherto been conducted on the evolving geography of professional and business services in Britain. This paper analyses the results of a detailed survey of 300 small and medium-sized management and engineering consultancies, in investigating the forces underpinning both the striking clustering of such firms in central London and their growth in decentralized locations of East Anglia and South West England. Particular attention is paid to the notion of clustering, the role of demand-side influences, localized 'collective learning' processes, and increasing globalization in clustering, and to so-called 'enterprising behaviour theory' in explaining decentralization.     

The Location and Concentration of Businesses in Britain: Business Clusters, Business Services, Market Coverage and Local Economic Development

An important debate has recently developed around the significance of business clusters for the development of the economy. This paper assesses the extent to which concentrated clusters of businesses exist in Britain, using the fine spatial mesh of postcode districts. It identifies the major clusters using a development of the methodology to define local labour market areas. The paper demonstrates the high degree of localization and uneven development of businesses in Britain. It also shows that business service firms are even more highly localized and clustered than other businesses. Moreover, the larger the business centre, the more localized and clustered the firms. The pattern suggests that there is a strong influence of increasing returns of scale, and that, as well as local clusters, much of the British economy is covered by one metacluster. Implications from these results are drawn for the likely future development of the economy, the location of business service suppliers in order to develop their market coverage, and local economic development policy.