In this article, the researchers tried to evaluate the contribution of civil society to Mongolian democracy and the problems faced by civil society. In addition, the article aimed to determine the unique national crit...In this article, the researchers tried to evaluate the contribution of civil society to Mongolian democracy and the problems faced by civil society. In addition, the article aimed to determine the unique national criteria of Mongolian democracy and the need to create an organization to monitor the process of democracy. The process of identifying important documents and ideals for the development of Mongolian civil society today is still in its early stages. It can be said that the approval of the democratic constitution and the first free and fair parliamentary elections as a country that has newly and restored democracy became another impetus for the creation of a new type of citizen organization. It is characterized by trying to study the changes that have occurred since this historical period at the intersection of political science and security studies. One of the most important issues today is to find out how many non-governmental and civil society organizations exist in Mongolia today, which are Western-oriented, focused on specific issues, have their own position and opinion, are specialized, and are capable of influencing government policy. On the other hand, in this article, we emphasize whether non-governmental and civil society organizations, which aim to hold the government accountable, and carry out influence and control activities, are fully developed.展开更多
While mental health issues are increasingly gaining attention in Ghana, little is known about the situation among deaf people. This study assessed the mental health care needs of deaf people in Ghana. A descriptive de...While mental health issues are increasingly gaining attention in Ghana, little is known about the situation among deaf people. This study assessed the mental health care needs of deaf people in Ghana. A descriptive design, consisting of interviews and focus group discussions, was used to collect data from 97 participants. Findings indicated that participants had limited knowledge on mental health issues. Mental health stigma, inaccessible mental health information and exclusion from mental health programmes were the major barriers hindering access to mental health care services. This study bridges the knowledge gap and provides evidence for the implementation of deaf-friendly services.展开更多
The integrated Civil Society Organizations(iCSO)System,developed by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs(DESA),facilitates interactions between civil society organizations and DESA.The system
The BRICS political parties,think tanks and civil society organizations Forum was held in Fuzhou,capital of southeast China’s Fujian Province,June 11-12,2017.The forum drew over 400 participants from BRICS and other ...The BRICS political parties,think tanks and civil society organizations Forum was held in Fuzhou,capital of southeast China’s Fujian Province,June 11-12,2017.The forum drew over 400 participants from BRICS and other developing countries.Heads of political parties,think tanks and civil society organiza-展开更多
Civil Society 20 China 2016(C20)was successfully convened in Qingdao on July 5th and 6th.Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to the Conference.State Councilor Yang Jiechi attended the openin...Civil Society 20 China 2016(C20)was successfully convened in Qingdao on July 5th and 6th.Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to the Conference.State Councilor Yang Jiechi attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.Sun Jiazheng,Vice-Chairman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of China展开更多
Historical changes have taken place in China under the reform-and-opening-up policy over the past three decades. Changes in China's social and economic structures, cultural scenes and social operations are revolution...Historical changes have taken place in China under the reform-and-opening-up policy over the past three decades. Changes in China's social and economic structures, cultural scenes and social operations are revolutionary. The Chinese people, who account for one fifth of the human race, are working hard to bring about a national reiuvanation.展开更多
Nobody can become an expert on the United Nations in one week. But a week-long training workshop on international human fights treaties in Geneva, Switzerland may herald more active participation of China's civil soc...Nobody can become an expert on the United Nations in one week. But a week-long training workshop on international human fights treaties in Geneva, Switzerland may herald more active participation of China's civil society in the country's commitment to these principles.展开更多
The cultural dimension of sustainability as the fourth pillar of the overall sustainable development framework encompasses both tangible and intangible cultures.In this study,tangible culture refers to the home enviro...The cultural dimension of sustainability as the fourth pillar of the overall sustainable development framework encompasses both tangible and intangible cultures.In this study,tangible culture refers to the home environments of Chinese residents in China and North America,while intangible culture refers to their faiths and belief systems,in other words,their philosophy and religion,reflected(or not)in their home environments.The paper argues that Chinese philosophy and religion have historically contributed to Chinese people’s environmental ethics and their health and happiness.Set within this context,the paper presents the author’s two empirical research findings on Chinese residents’philosophy and religion in contemporary China and North America.Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by asking Chinese residents the same research question in the 2007-2008 onsite survey and follow-up interviews in Beijing and Suzhou of China,and the 2013 online survey and follow-up interviews in the US and Canada.The findings show a significantly higher percentage of ethnic Chinese in North America holds traditional Chinese faiths than those in China,though Western cultural infiltration is also happening to them.Nevertheless,due to the limited number of participants,the findings may only be indicative.展开更多
This paper reports the developed mobile application through the use of advanced technologies such as mobile computing, cloud computing and Global Positioning System (GPS) in order to solve the challenges. The purpose ...This paper reports the developed mobile application through the use of advanced technologies such as mobile computing, cloud computing and Global Positioning System (GPS) in order to solve the challenges. The purpose of this study is to find out how the recent advances and mass adoption of ICT by the public can best be leveraged to enhance the performance of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in East Africa. The data collection techniques used are through questionnaires, observations and conducting interviews with different stakeholders in the civil society arena i.e., the donors, the CSOs and the people in society that are given a voice by civil societies. In the system development phase, agile development methodology was used. Analysis of the data collected showed that there is a gap in the availability of a single or a centralized platform which can be easily accessed, user-friendly and reliable where different actors can readily get reliable and up-to-date information about the available CSOs they are interested in. To address this problem, an interactive online directory of CSOs has been developed. The platform is mobile based and enables CSOs to register and fill up their current details, thus ensuring that there is always correct and updated information. The platform is equipped with, among other features, a geo-mapping facility which enables users of the system to correctly geo-locate their civil societies of interest on a map view. The results of system evaluation showed that 88.125% of users were satisfied with the system basing on the evaluation criteria.展开更多
To review and evaluate the transformation of Russia at the historical juncture of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet collapse is an essential task.Compared with political and economic transformation,social transformat...To review and evaluate the transformation of Russia at the historical juncture of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet collapse is an essential task.Compared with political and economic transformation,social transformation is more complex,slower,and more uncertain.This paper seeks to examine Russia’s social transformation from a totalitarian to a civil society from the perspective of the state-society relationship.Viewed from Western theories of civil society,the social transformation of Russia has not been a success:citizens have a low level of self-organization,civil rights are not genuinely guaranteed,and state power constantly intervenes in civil society.However,this transformation has achieved the goal of social solidarity.We need to reflect upon the concept of social transformation and gain an understanding of the structure of and changes in Russian society by taking into account its cultural logic and historical context.展开更多
Since the fall of the Soviet bloc and the various transformations in China since the late 1980s and early 1990s, scholars in both China and other regions have begun to use the term "civil society" to denote a realm ...Since the fall of the Soviet bloc and the various transformations in China since the late 1980s and early 1990s, scholars in both China and other regions have begun to use the term "civil society" to denote a realm of political practice separate from the state. Even today, the Chinese philosophy professor Han Lixin uses the term to denote future possibilities for China. However, unlike earlier works on civil society that attempt to guide China through Western liberal theory, Han explicitly draws on the Japanese "civil society Marxists," such as Hirata Kiyoaki and Mochizuki Seiji. This essay in some ways mimics Han's attempt to bring together Japanese Marxist theory and contemporary Chinese reality, but claims that reexamining theories of civil society in Japan should lead us to emphasize the logic of capital in understanding Chinese society and envisioning a future for socialism. The essay introduces the complex theorization of civil society by an often overlooked Marxist, Kakehashi Akihide. Kakehashi explicitly grasps civil society in relation to more fundamental categories in Marx's work, such as the commodity form. In this way, he points the way to a deeper understanding of the dynamic of capitalism and by extension the history of particular regions of the world, such as China. However, in the 1960s and early 1970s when the "civil society Marxists" Hirata Kiyoaki and Mochizuki Seiji popularized their reading of Marx, they focused on civil society as a moment of liberation without stressing the totalizing dynamic of capitalism. The essay discusses Han's use of Hirata and Mochizuki, before returning to the problem of how thinking of capitalism as a totalizing dynamic could further illuminate issues of post-1949 and contemporary China. In short, I argue that civil society is always already imbricated in a more fundamental logic of producing surplus value, which serves to undermine the freedom that civil society is supposed to realize. Hence a true theory of human emancipation must focus on the totalizing logic of capitalism and how to overcome it.展开更多
Two distinctive paradigms have been used in researching higher education phenomena in China’s process of social transformation.The first might be described as“critical realist,”and the second as“interpretivist.”T...Two distinctive paradigms have been used in researching higher education phenomena in China’s process of social transformation.The first might be described as“critical realist,”and the second as“interpretivist.”The book Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities:In the Move to Mass Higher Education,has inclined toward the second paradigm and a central concept is that of“civil society.”However,the authors of this article argue that the concept of“commercial civil society”may better explain the characteristics of Chinese private higher education.Different from civil society that is based on voluntary action and contributions,commercial civil society is characterized by profit making behavior.This article focuses on analyzing the profit making features of Chinese private higher education,and thus aims to supplement the interpretivist analysis presented in the book.The authors believe that the concept of“commercial civil society”not only reflects certain features of the social environment in which Chinese private higher education operates,but may also be helpful for analyzing private higher education phenomena in other countries.展开更多
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030(SFDRR) and its implementation is evaluated after its first five years. A dozen questions that the author and a colleague used in their evaluation of the Hyog...The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030(SFDRR) and its implementation is evaluated after its first five years. A dozen questions that the author and a colleague used in their evaluation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015(HFA) are repeated. Improvements are noted in relation to possible coherence and alignment with other components of the Post-2015 Agenda, especially as regards climate change and urban disasters as well as the higher visibility of civil society and women, and also regarding the specificity of targets and monitoring of governments’ successes. Nevertheless, the overall conclusion is that both the HFA and the SFDRR fail to deal with root causes of disaster. A new,radically proactive leadership role is suggested for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in partnership with civil society in identifying and warning all engaged in Post-2015 Agenda activities of possible creation of new risk by agenda implementation activities,especially for the poor and already-marginalized.展开更多
The rhetoric of popular political participation filled Republican China's newspapers, periodicals, and books throughout the 1910s and 1920s. The vocabulary, however, masked a different reality: the monopolization of...The rhetoric of popular political participation filled Republican China's newspapers, periodicals, and books throughout the 1910s and 1920s. The vocabulary, however, masked a different reality: the monopolization of political life by elites, well-organized political parties, and various kinds of activists. Through a three-part analysis of counterfeit legitimacy in early twentieth-century print media--the widespread use of the word "citizen," the seeming pervasiveness of civil society associations, and the periodic scheduling of elections--this article exposes the manner in which democratic-sounding rhetoric was manipulated for political gain. Chinese political culture in this era could be characterized as a culture of "misrepresentation" in which politically savvy individuals and groups deliberately cloaked themselves with misleading rhetoric. A recognition of this "usurpation of popular politics" should inform any scholarly attempts to locate a "civil society" or a "public sphere" in early twentieth century China.展开更多
The concept of“governance”has become omnipresent in the lexicon of politics and political science.It has very quickly acquired many different meanings,but its most important property seems to be its capacity to serv...The concept of“governance”has become omnipresent in the lexicon of politics and political science.It has very quickly acquired many different meanings,but its most important property seems to be its capacity to serve as a substitute for“government”.The former is(allegedly)good,and the latter is(allegedly)bad.In this essay,I explore the definition,the presumptions and the utility of governance.I conclude that it can make an important contribution of our understanding of the increasingly complex process of making and implementing public policies,but not as a substitute for government.展开更多
China’s environmental governance reforms are simultaneously strengthening state enforcement measures and encouraging citizen participation in monitoring and enforcement processes.State control over environmental prot...China’s environmental governance reforms are simultaneously strengthening state enforcement measures and encouraging citizen participation in monitoring and enforcement processes.State control over environmental protection and citizen participation appear to be in tension with each other.In discussing environmental governance under democracies,B€orzel and Riesse,however,theorise that opportunities for citizen participation increase as a state increases its enforcement capacity,at least until the state becomes very strong.This article analyses changes in the regulatory field that have strengthened state coercive capacity to enforce environmental law,and two aspects of citizen participation:civil society monitoring of polluters and participation in environmental public interest lawsuits.The early evidence on citizen participation since the revised Environmental Protection Law took effect on 1 January 2015 is mixed.Civil society organisations have been allowed to serve as plaintiffs in a small number of high-profile environmental public interest lawsuits,but that domain remains dominated by state-backed organisations and local procuratorates.Finally,in reaction to the threat of new fines and penalties on illegal emissions,some grassroots civil society organisations are finding new opportunities to advise and monitor polluters.展开更多
Over the past two decades,building culture has increasingly caught the attention of the architectural and planning professions.The building culture is to be understood in the broadest sense as the sum of all cultural,...Over the past two decades,building culture has increasingly caught the attention of the architectural and planning professions.The building culture is to be understood in the broadest sense as the sum of all cultural,economic,technological,social and ecological factors influencing the quality and process of planning and construction.While the revitalisation and promotion of building culture is central to discussions on urban areas,these are generally ignored in regard to rural areas.This article aims to provide an overview of how building culture has been promoted in Germany’s rural areas,thereby contributing to international research on this topic.The paper adopts a general descriptive approach in examining the promotion of building culture in rural Germany.It provides background knowledge on institutional promotion and demonstrates the diverse approaches implemented in representative villages as best practices examples.The German experience confirms that the promotion of building culture is a meaningful and effective measure to help revitalise rural areas.Moreover,the three selected rural municipalities show how stakeholders from civil society are increasingly involved in measures to implement and promote building culture in the local context.展开更多
文摘In this article, the researchers tried to evaluate the contribution of civil society to Mongolian democracy and the problems faced by civil society. In addition, the article aimed to determine the unique national criteria of Mongolian democracy and the need to create an organization to monitor the process of democracy. The process of identifying important documents and ideals for the development of Mongolian civil society today is still in its early stages. It can be said that the approval of the democratic constitution and the first free and fair parliamentary elections as a country that has newly and restored democracy became another impetus for the creation of a new type of citizen organization. It is characterized by trying to study the changes that have occurred since this historical period at the intersection of political science and security studies. One of the most important issues today is to find out how many non-governmental and civil society organizations exist in Mongolia today, which are Western-oriented, focused on specific issues, have their own position and opinion, are specialized, and are capable of influencing government policy. On the other hand, in this article, we emphasize whether non-governmental and civil society organizations, which aim to hold the government accountable, and carry out influence and control activities, are fully developed.
文摘While mental health issues are increasingly gaining attention in Ghana, little is known about the situation among deaf people. This study assessed the mental health care needs of deaf people in Ghana. A descriptive design, consisting of interviews and focus group discussions, was used to collect data from 97 participants. Findings indicated that participants had limited knowledge on mental health issues. Mental health stigma, inaccessible mental health information and exclusion from mental health programmes were the major barriers hindering access to mental health care services. This study bridges the knowledge gap and provides evidence for the implementation of deaf-friendly services.
文摘The integrated Civil Society Organizations(iCSO)System,developed by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs(DESA),facilitates interactions between civil society organizations and DESA.The system
文摘The BRICS political parties,think tanks and civil society organizations Forum was held in Fuzhou,capital of southeast China’s Fujian Province,June 11-12,2017.The forum drew over 400 participants from BRICS and other developing countries.Heads of political parties,think tanks and civil society organiza-
文摘Civil Society 20 China 2016(C20)was successfully convened in Qingdao on July 5th and 6th.Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to the Conference.State Councilor Yang Jiechi attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.Sun Jiazheng,Vice-Chairman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of China
文摘Historical changes have taken place in China under the reform-and-opening-up policy over the past three decades. Changes in China's social and economic structures, cultural scenes and social operations are revolutionary. The Chinese people, who account for one fifth of the human race, are working hard to bring about a national reiuvanation.
文摘Nobody can become an expert on the United Nations in one week. But a week-long training workshop on international human fights treaties in Geneva, Switzerland may herald more active participation of China's civil society in the country's commitment to these principles.
文摘The cultural dimension of sustainability as the fourth pillar of the overall sustainable development framework encompasses both tangible and intangible cultures.In this study,tangible culture refers to the home environments of Chinese residents in China and North America,while intangible culture refers to their faiths and belief systems,in other words,their philosophy and religion,reflected(or not)in their home environments.The paper argues that Chinese philosophy and religion have historically contributed to Chinese people’s environmental ethics and their health and happiness.Set within this context,the paper presents the author’s two empirical research findings on Chinese residents’philosophy and religion in contemporary China and North America.Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by asking Chinese residents the same research question in the 2007-2008 onsite survey and follow-up interviews in Beijing and Suzhou of China,and the 2013 online survey and follow-up interviews in the US and Canada.The findings show a significantly higher percentage of ethnic Chinese in North America holds traditional Chinese faiths than those in China,though Western cultural infiltration is also happening to them.Nevertheless,due to the limited number of participants,the findings may only be indicative.
文摘This paper reports the developed mobile application through the use of advanced technologies such as mobile computing, cloud computing and Global Positioning System (GPS) in order to solve the challenges. The purpose of this study is to find out how the recent advances and mass adoption of ICT by the public can best be leveraged to enhance the performance of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in East Africa. The data collection techniques used are through questionnaires, observations and conducting interviews with different stakeholders in the civil society arena i.e., the donors, the CSOs and the people in society that are given a voice by civil societies. In the system development phase, agile development methodology was used. Analysis of the data collected showed that there is a gap in the availability of a single or a centralized platform which can be easily accessed, user-friendly and reliable where different actors can readily get reliable and up-to-date information about the available CSOs they are interested in. To address this problem, an interactive online directory of CSOs has been developed. The platform is mobile based and enables CSOs to register and fill up their current details, thus ensuring that there is always correct and updated information. The platform is equipped with, among other features, a geo-mapping facility which enables users of the system to correctly geo-locate their civil societies of interest on a map view. The results of system evaluation showed that 88.125% of users were satisfied with the system basing on the evaluation criteria.
基金a phased result of“An Ethnographic Study of the Social Interaction and Mutual Benefit of People on the Sino-Russian Border:From the Perspective of the Belt and Road,”a project of the National Social Science Fund of China(19BMZ042)。
文摘To review and evaluate the transformation of Russia at the historical juncture of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet collapse is an essential task.Compared with political and economic transformation,social transformation is more complex,slower,and more uncertain.This paper seeks to examine Russia’s social transformation from a totalitarian to a civil society from the perspective of the state-society relationship.Viewed from Western theories of civil society,the social transformation of Russia has not been a success:citizens have a low level of self-organization,civil rights are not genuinely guaranteed,and state power constantly intervenes in civil society.However,this transformation has achieved the goal of social solidarity.We need to reflect upon the concept of social transformation and gain an understanding of the structure of and changes in Russian society by taking into account its cultural logic and historical context.
文摘Since the fall of the Soviet bloc and the various transformations in China since the late 1980s and early 1990s, scholars in both China and other regions have begun to use the term "civil society" to denote a realm of political practice separate from the state. Even today, the Chinese philosophy professor Han Lixin uses the term to denote future possibilities for China. However, unlike earlier works on civil society that attempt to guide China through Western liberal theory, Han explicitly draws on the Japanese "civil society Marxists," such as Hirata Kiyoaki and Mochizuki Seiji. This essay in some ways mimics Han's attempt to bring together Japanese Marxist theory and contemporary Chinese reality, but claims that reexamining theories of civil society in Japan should lead us to emphasize the logic of capital in understanding Chinese society and envisioning a future for socialism. The essay introduces the complex theorization of civil society by an often overlooked Marxist, Kakehashi Akihide. Kakehashi explicitly grasps civil society in relation to more fundamental categories in Marx's work, such as the commodity form. In this way, he points the way to a deeper understanding of the dynamic of capitalism and by extension the history of particular regions of the world, such as China. However, in the 1960s and early 1970s when the "civil society Marxists" Hirata Kiyoaki and Mochizuki Seiji popularized their reading of Marx, they focused on civil society as a moment of liberation without stressing the totalizing dynamic of capitalism. The essay discusses Han's use of Hirata and Mochizuki, before returning to the problem of how thinking of capitalism as a totalizing dynamic could further illuminate issues of post-1949 and contemporary China. In short, I argue that civil society is always already imbricated in a more fundamental logic of producing surplus value, which serves to undermine the freedom that civil society is supposed to realize. Hence a true theory of human emancipation must focus on the totalizing logic of capitalism and how to overcome it.
文摘Two distinctive paradigms have been used in researching higher education phenomena in China’s process of social transformation.The first might be described as“critical realist,”and the second as“interpretivist.”The book Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities:In the Move to Mass Higher Education,has inclined toward the second paradigm and a central concept is that of“civil society.”However,the authors of this article argue that the concept of“commercial civil society”may better explain the characteristics of Chinese private higher education.Different from civil society that is based on voluntary action and contributions,commercial civil society is characterized by profit making behavior.This article focuses on analyzing the profit making features of Chinese private higher education,and thus aims to supplement the interpretivist analysis presented in the book.The authors believe that the concept of“commercial civil society”not only reflects certain features of the social environment in which Chinese private higher education operates,but may also be helpful for analyzing private higher education phenomena in other countries.
文摘The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030(SFDRR) and its implementation is evaluated after its first five years. A dozen questions that the author and a colleague used in their evaluation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015(HFA) are repeated. Improvements are noted in relation to possible coherence and alignment with other components of the Post-2015 Agenda, especially as regards climate change and urban disasters as well as the higher visibility of civil society and women, and also regarding the specificity of targets and monitoring of governments’ successes. Nevertheless, the overall conclusion is that both the HFA and the SFDRR fail to deal with root causes of disaster. A new,radically proactive leadership role is suggested for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in partnership with civil society in identifying and warning all engaged in Post-2015 Agenda activities of possible creation of new risk by agenda implementation activities,especially for the poor and already-marginalized.
文摘The rhetoric of popular political participation filled Republican China's newspapers, periodicals, and books throughout the 1910s and 1920s. The vocabulary, however, masked a different reality: the monopolization of political life by elites, well-organized political parties, and various kinds of activists. Through a three-part analysis of counterfeit legitimacy in early twentieth-century print media--the widespread use of the word "citizen," the seeming pervasiveness of civil society associations, and the periodic scheduling of elections--this article exposes the manner in which democratic-sounding rhetoric was manipulated for political gain. Chinese political culture in this era could be characterized as a culture of "misrepresentation" in which politically savvy individuals and groups deliberately cloaked themselves with misleading rhetoric. A recognition of this "usurpation of popular politics" should inform any scholarly attempts to locate a "civil society" or a "public sphere" in early twentieth century China.
文摘The concept of“governance”has become omnipresent in the lexicon of politics and political science.It has very quickly acquired many different meanings,but its most important property seems to be its capacity to serve as a substitute for“government”.The former is(allegedly)good,and the latter is(allegedly)bad.In this essay,I explore the definition,the presumptions and the utility of governance.I conclude that it can make an important contribution of our understanding of the increasingly complex process of making and implementing public policies,but not as a substitute for government.
基金supported by a Research Award from the Fulbright Commission in 2014–2015,which allowed the author to conduct research at the Research Institute of Environmental Law at the Law School of Wuhan University,Chinasupported by grants from the Fulbright Commission,the Committee for Scholarly Communication with China,the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission,and the Appalachian College Association.
文摘China’s environmental governance reforms are simultaneously strengthening state enforcement measures and encouraging citizen participation in monitoring and enforcement processes.State control over environmental protection and citizen participation appear to be in tension with each other.In discussing environmental governance under democracies,B€orzel and Riesse,however,theorise that opportunities for citizen participation increase as a state increases its enforcement capacity,at least until the state becomes very strong.This article analyses changes in the regulatory field that have strengthened state coercive capacity to enforce environmental law,and two aspects of citizen participation:civil society monitoring of polluters and participation in environmental public interest lawsuits.The early evidence on citizen participation since the revised Environmental Protection Law took effect on 1 January 2015 is mixed.Civil society organisations have been allowed to serve as plaintiffs in a small number of high-profile environmental public interest lawsuits,but that domain remains dominated by state-backed organisations and local procuratorates.Finally,in reaction to the threat of new fines and penalties on illegal emissions,some grassroots civil society organisations are finding new opportunities to advise and monitor polluters.
文摘Over the past two decades,building culture has increasingly caught the attention of the architectural and planning professions.The building culture is to be understood in the broadest sense as the sum of all cultural,economic,technological,social and ecological factors influencing the quality and process of planning and construction.While the revitalisation and promotion of building culture is central to discussions on urban areas,these are generally ignored in regard to rural areas.This article aims to provide an overview of how building culture has been promoted in Germany’s rural areas,thereby contributing to international research on this topic.The paper adopts a general descriptive approach in examining the promotion of building culture in rural Germany.It provides background knowledge on institutional promotion and demonstrates the diverse approaches implemented in representative villages as best practices examples.The German experience confirms that the promotion of building culture is a meaningful and effective measure to help revitalise rural areas.Moreover,the three selected rural municipalities show how stakeholders from civil society are increasingly involved in measures to implement and promote building culture in the local context.