Analyzing the association of policy narratives with problem tractability in the implementation of EU decisions: Evidence from the phytosanitary policy area

The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) suggests that narratives can be employed to define and contest policy problems. Yet, few NPF studies have explicitly addressed the narrative portrayal of problem intractability. What role do narratives play in a situation of uncertainty about the causes and solutions of the problem, when strong divergences regarding the values and interests of the policy actors exist? The article anchors the NPF to the literatures on problem definition and implementation to advance two propositions about (a) how differences in the use of narrative elements can be suggestive of the degree of problem (in-)tractability; and (b) whether other elements of tractability, namely the presence of a valid causal theory, are associated with the usage of narrative strategies. I test the propositions by analyzing media commentaries surrounding the implementation of European decisions to tackle a tree-killing epidemic in Italy. The findings suggest that narratives can helpfully illustrate the intractability inherent in the policy debate. However, narratives can also develop independently of factors that the implementation literature understands as conducive to lowering intractability, namely knowledge accumulation. The NPF may represent a promising alternative to understand policy implementation processes.     

On new forms of government

The article by Ganghof, Eppner and Pörschke discusses the concept of semi-parliamentarism. This concept is very useful and will be used in future empirical studies. This short commentary provides a constructive critique of the concept, noting that only two countries currently meet the definitional criteria for the concept, that normative criteria should be avoided when defining regimes, that the definition introduces new criteria for classifying regimes, and that when it is applied empirically scholars should be careful not to introduce subjective judgments about which countries should be classed as semi-parliamentary.     

The Idea of a Category Mistake: From Ryle to Habermas,and Beyond

Summary

The term ‘category mistake’ began to turn up regularly in public discourse in the 1990s as a general term to describe a confusion between different fields of thought with serious practical consequences. But it began its career in philosophy, introduced by Gilbert Ryle in The Concept of Mind in 1949 to attack Cartesian dualism and assert a monistic solution to the so-called mind-body problem. This paper traces the stages by which it came into general usage, arguing that while by the later 1960s it had generally been rejected by philosophers, it was saved from disappearance by its migration into fields such as psychology and theology. From there, it moved into critical theory and then into international relations. Its entry into these latter areas first made plain its potential in political argument. Eventually, multiple meanings of the term came to coexist with one another, with the practical and rhetorical usage supplementing rather than replacing its original philosophical sense.     

公信力的概念辨析

公信力研究是信任理论研究的重要内容之一。目前,在研究中存在的问题主要是对基本概念研究不足。从已有的概念来看,主要有“信用”观、“资源”观、“能力”观、“信任”观。这些观点分别从某一侧面揭示了公信力的内涵。综合这些研究,对公信力可以作出这样的定义:公信力是指公共权力领域与公民社会领域中以组织形态存在的行动者(公共机构)及具有“公共性”的抽象存在物(主要包括语言、制度、权力、货币、真理等)因赢得公民的普遍信任而拥有的权威性资源。     

中国"三农"问题的由来和发展

中国在改革开放过程中出现的特有的城乡关系和特有的城乡发展路径,产生了中国特有的"三农"问题的理论.这个理论的形成和运用,对于深入认识我国的基本国情、用以指导社会主义现代化建设的实践和对其他国家的问题进行研究,都是很有意义的.我国"三农"问题总的情况是农业问题已经基本上得到了解决,但农民问题和农村问题还很严重,主要根源还在于计划经济体制下所形成的一套农村、农业政策还没有得到根本转变.解决农民问题和农村问题,要继续深化农村体制改革,下决心改革户籍制度,改革现有的土地承包制度,改革现有的国民收入分配格局和乡镇现有的政权体制包括财政体制.     

Middle-power definitions: confusion reigns supreme

Renewed interest in middle powers since the late 2000s has seen a surge in research. Yet an agreed definition is more elusive than ever. This compromises the ability to pursue meaningful research programs, communicate practical policy advice, and instruct future generations. Why is an agreed definition so elusive and how can this challenge be overcome? The author contends that the definition of the term ‘middle power’ has evolved to be less about discovering either ‘the meaning of a word’ or ‘the nature of a thing’ in the pursuit of knowledge, and more about persuasion, influence, coercion and, ultimately, the exercise of power. An alternative approach to definition offers the best hope to address this challenge. With this objective, the author first looks into the nature and criteria for definition in the social sciences. Second, he looks at the structure of contemporary attempts to redefine the term. Third, he analyses definitional ruptures to shed light on the rhetorical import of contests. Finally, the author turns to rhetorical theory to offer an alternative approach to the definition of the term ‘middle power’.     

皖南上海小三线职工的民生问题研究

上海小三线分布于皖南和浙西数百公里的山区,从1965年兴建到1988年移交结束,前后历时24年,人数最多时达到7.2万余人。小三线作为上海的后方基地和经济"飞地",自成一个社会体系。如何保障数万人的日常生活,解决他们面临的婚姻、户口、医疗、教育等问题,是小三线建设中的核心问题,也关涉到沪皖两地政府和职能部门的各项政策与协调。民生问题是研究小三线建设这一国家战略政策时不可忽略的重要方面。     

20世纪训诂学学科名称定义的争论

训诂学在我国有悠久的历史。但是作为一门学科,乃是从20世纪前期开始的。关于学科名称定义的讨论主要经历两个阶段,即20世纪20年代至40年代学科研究的发轫阶段,以及70年代末直至今天的学术锐进和日趋兴盛阶段。在这两个阶段,主要有“字义学”、“语义学”、“解释学”和“语义学加解释学”等几派观点。通过分析各派具有代表性的21家研究者的观点。可以发现,“训诂／学即解释学(注释学)”的观点较为科学,其中尤以冯浩菲先生的定义最为完备、科学。     

邓小平农民脱贫致富思想

邓小平农民脱贫致富思想 ,是以消灭贫穷论为基础和理论出发点展开的。它包括互相联系的三个组成部分 ,即农民脱贫论、农民致富论、农民扶贫论。邓小平的农民脱贫论揭示了农民脱贫的保障条件、农民脱贫的意义、农民脱贫的途径与方式 ;农民致富论阐明了农民致富性质、致富方法、致富道路、致富保证等思想 ;农民扶贫论包括扶贫的必要性和重要性、扶贫的基本思路及方法等方面     

中日关于“以上”和“以下”等概念的界定

在汉语和日语中,经常使用表示数量和程度范围的“以上”、“以下”、“不满（未满）”、“超过”等词汇。这些词汇来自中国汉语,但日本比中国界定明确,使用规范。我国汉语应该从中吸取有益的养分,这对于规范地使用汉语和丰富汉语具有重要的现实意义。