Law reform in small states†

Law reform can be a complex and challenging process in any jurisdiction. Small states face additional challenges, and some advantages, associated with a small population and land area. This article looks at how law reform agencies in small states adapt the law reform process, and the particular significance of comparative research in that context. It goes on to outline how, despite the challenges, small state and jurisdiction law reform agencies have made very considerable contributions to the law. Finally, the article assesses the particular utility of co-operation between law reform agencies, including through regional associations.     

Progressing with the reform and opening up: Retrospective of China’s civil law (1978–2008)

Over the past 30 years, Chinese civil and commercial law has made great achievements in providing theoretical support for Chinese legislation, establishing a theoretical system of civil and commercial law with Chinese characteristics, conducting in-depth and comparative research in this field, and making many summaries of trial practices, judicial interpretations and case studies of civil and commercial affairs. The academic circle has expressed professional comments regarding public events. The major theoretical breakthroughs include the clarification of the relationship between civil law and economic law, further research on the civil code system, basic consensus on the integration of civil law and commercial law, formation of the theoretical system of property right law with Chinese characteristics, innovation and development of contract law theories, basic information of personality law theories, and formation of the theoretical system of tort law. The orientation of Chinese civil and commercial law is to enhance comparative research on civil and commercial law nationally and internationally, focusing on the diversity of research methodologies.     

What prompts health care policy change? On political power contests and reform of health care systems (the case of Canada and Israel)

This article attempts to shed light on the complexity inherent in health care reform policies in the context of political power contests that trigger the changes imposed on the health care system. Rather than being solely a response to financial circumstances, as it is often claimed, we argue that these political contests lead to many of the changes in the systems. Furthermore, changes do not necessarily occur when worrying symptoms appear in the system, but rather when the contest reaches a peak and when neither side involved can emerge from the contest as winner or loser and as defender of the public interest. While in both cases fiscal problems in the health systems are usually brought up in order to justify reform, the trigger for change in Israel has been the power contest between the two main parties--the Labor Party and the Likud Party--with the Likud attempting to impair the financial basis of the former. In Canada, the power contests are between the provinces and the federal government.     

美国故事(十) 妙手仁心(下)

亲历住院部医疗服务七点多钟,天亮了。护士进来笑眯眯地通知我们,住院部正在准备房间,晚些时候,就会派人来急诊室接收转移,请我们耐心等待。九点多钟,住院部的接收护士按照上级指示,推着活动床     

美国故事(八) 妙手仁心(上)

老公得了急病春节过后不久的一个周六晚上,天气寒冷。这之前的礼拜三,老公肠胃感冒,感染了病毒的消化器官,运作失灵,连续三天,既没有胃口,也没有排便。婆婆看在眼里疼在心上,特意下厨,做了一小锅香喷喷的葱姜炝锅面,好说歹说劝老公喝了一碗热汤。这碗汤下肚还不到半个小     

Complaints against higher education establishments – an evaluation of recent reform

As a result of the Higher Education Act 2004, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) was established to deal with student complaints against universities. This reform was essential for various reasons including human rights legislation compliance and disparity between universities established by royal charter and post-1992 universities (former polytechnics). However, it is arguable that the new system is ill conceived and not performing the required function. As we are all obliged to ensure students are receiving the required pastoral care, this issue has significant and potentially far reaching impact on our practice.     

Democratic consolidation and parliamentary reform in Russia, 1990–93

It is a commonly held view that the Russian parliament, created in the late period of perestroika, possessed powers and structures that were incongruous with the process of democratic consolidation.’ It is a mistake, however, to suggest that parliamentary deputies failed to appreciate the problems that hampered both the parliament's work and its relationship with executive organs. Many deputies in both the All Union and Russian assemblies were committed to the creation of a ‘professional parliament’, and numerous reforms were put forward to resolve what some deputies called the ‘crisis of parliamentarism’ in Russia. These reforms, proposed by democrats and conservatives alike, raise new questions about the aims and objectives of deputies in Russia's first post‐Soviet parliament. What did deputies understand by the notion of a ‘professional parliament'? In what form did deputies envisage the new system of government? Were the many, often competing, proposals for parliamentary reform conducive to the achievement of democratic consolidation in Russia? This article will attempt to answer these questions by examining the proposals for parliamentary reform in the Russian parliament between 1990 and 1993.     

Medical malpractice reform and insurer claims defense: unintended effects?

In response to recent and past medical malpractice insurance crises, most states have implemented reforms meant to stabilize premiums and coverage availability. The importance of understanding whether these reforms implicitly affect the behavior and incentives of plaintiffs, attorneys, medical providers, and malpractice insurers in the intended way is crucial to policy makers, if they are to achieve their goal. This study specifically examines the effect of reforms on the claims defense efforts of insurers, given that defense expenses account for approximately 30 percent of malpractice premiums. Using state data for the period 1998-2002, we regress claims defense expenses against a variety of reform variables. These include seven tort reforms (noneconomic damage caps, punitive damage limits, attorney fee limits, modified collateral source rule, modified joint and several liability doctrine, mandatory pretrial screening, and statute of limitations) and two government-sponsored insurance mechanisms (joint underwriting associations and patient compensation funds). Claims defense expenses are found to be higher in the presence of noneconomic damage caps, punitive damage limits, and attorney fee limits--an unintended and counterproductive effect of reform--but are lower with mandatory pretrial screening and patient compensation funds.     

下棋(小小说)

星期天下午，五时。田局长一个人坐在阳台的躺椅上．凝望着渐落的夕阳，似乎正在沉思着什么。“叮咚……”门铃响了。“谁呀？”田局长很不高兴在这个时候有人来打扰。他走过去开了门。“老郑！什么风把你给吹来了？”一怔之后，田局长立即表现出了少有的热情，“快请进！如今你可是稀客了。”田局长与老郑从小就在一起光屁股长大，一起上的学，又是一起参的军、提的干、转的业。同时，他俩还有着共同的爱好——下象棋。真称得上是老同学，老朋友，老战友，更是铁杆的老棋友。平时，他俩不管工作多忙，都要抽出时间来，凑在一起杀上两局。然…     

天平(散文诗)

有人戏谑我肩上天平说;你的天平盛的是水还是沙。我久久思索,没有回答。 冬去春来,年复一年。我的笔录下多少曲直是非,卷宗横亘起长垣;我的脚量过多少谷壑山川,脚印铺写成陌阡。细想起来,为的什么?     

一千万(上)

事事缘有因,事事皆有果,因果不可逆,善恶自分明。一郑明用力拉开却又轻轻地关上了办公室的门,他现在确实不知道是该愤还是该悲。他抬头看着墙上挂着的那面锦旗,摇头苦笑着。锦旗正中上用楷书写着"精湛医术医德楷模"8个金黄色大字,上款是:"赠给医学院第一附属医院胸外科郑明主任",下款是:"患者秦宝和"。这是患者秦宝和出院前赠送的锦旗。他出院后的半年多时间里,给郑明来过几次电话,写过两封信,似乎康复得不错。现在,郑明却因他之死,不明不白地陷入了一件医疗事故纠纷诉讼之中。秦宝和是在一年半前死亡的。8个月后,他的妻子李淑珍向市法院提起诉讼,因秦宝和的死亡要求医院和郑明赔偿1000万元的经济损失和精神抚慰金。     

壁镜(小小说)

张县长没有别的爱好，唯一喜欢的就是“筑长城”。按张县长的说法，只有会休息的人，才会工作，而在繁忙的工作之余，和几个朋友打几圈麻将，可以换换脑子，便是最好的休息。 为了使自己能够更好地休息休息，以便更好地工作，张县长特意让人把家里面积最小的那间房子收拾出来，并取其名曰“雅趣斋”，正好可以放开一张麻将桌、四把椅子和一套茶具。于是每到双休日或平时工作有了空闲，张县长小小的“雅趣斋”内便哗哗拉拉的搓麻声与欢歌笑语齐飞，热闹非凡。 张县长的搓麻将水平非常高，这是不少科局长、乡镇主要领导和大企业的厂长经理都领…     

老太(小小说)

说老太，只不过５０岁刚出头，因头发全白了，显得苍老。 老太住村头上，单门独院。丈夫两年前去世，和养女翠翠相依为命。翠翠像园里的菜一样，鲜活水灵，青翠欲滴。我从小就喜欢和翠翠一块儿玩，上学以后更是形影不离。在一个班里听课，上学放学一起走，晚上在她家一块儿做作业，复习功课。老太把我当亲闺女看，有好吃好喝的总给我留着。 老太常在我和翠翠面前絮叨：“要不是年轻的时候叫爹娘耽误，我会在这儿呆着？你们身在福中不知福还不好好上学……”她姊妹多，又是老大，爹娘不叫她上学，烧饭、带弟妹、割草放羊都是她的。“看你们那…     

农转非(小说)

那一年，铁轨铺到了山旮旯，20出头的小马被招工当上了车站值班员，一下子成了“拿薪吃米”的“国家人”。如今35年过去，小马埋头苦干变成了马老汉，可依然是一个值班员。16岁的女儿初中毕业在家待业已两年，老伴整天唠叨不停，抱怨马老汉“没本事”。好在吉人自有天相，马老汉不争不钻，下属有十几个车站的车务段却把今年唯一的一名“农转非”指标给了马老汉。据说这还是段长亲自批示点名的呢！天大的喜事，可把马老汉一家乐坏了。接到通知的第二天早上，马老汉吃过老伴特意为他烹煮的鸡蛋面，兴冲冲地赶往市里办手续。心想：自己当了一辈…