An Empty Shell? Rethinking the Usury Laws in Medieval Europe

Abstract

Many historians have argued that the usury laws were a dead letter and that usurious practices were widespread during the Middle Ages. This review of canonical rule formation in Europe shows that many contracts were outside the prohibition and that the laws were highly effective. The popularity of financial instruments depended on obtaining the Church's approval, and ecclesiastical tribunals pursued usurers relentlessly. Although it is not possible to measure with any precision the incidence of usury or the effectiveness of the prohibition, arguments of a high incidence of usury do not stand up in the light of evidence from the contemporary legal context.     

Where the Action Is: Macro and Micro Justice in Contract Law

In contemporary private law theory the relationship between ‘macro’ theories of distributive justice and the ‘micro’ site of interpersonal transactions remains under-explored. In this paper, I draw on the ‘macro’ theory of justice articulated by John Rawls and offer an account of ‘micro contractual justice’ that helps us understand how the micro domains of contracting introduce particular relational constraints on the infusion of distributive considerations into contract law, resulting in constrained conception of ‘relational Rawlsianism’ operating in contractual domains. My framework provides a bridge between the macro and micro, helping us understand how they are in various senses separate yet interlocking, and also provides a ‘third way’ between all or nothing positions on the place of distributive justice in contract.     

村规民约:国家法与民族习惯法调适的路径选择——以融水苗族村规民约对财产权的规定为视角

广西融水苗族村规民约在财产权保护上十分重视,以较大篇幅对财产权的保护以及财产权纠纷的规制进行规定,在承继和发展苗族习惯法有益部分的基础上有力地维护了村民利益,同时明确地将自己定位在国家法的框架内,逐步向国家法治靠拢.因此,对广西融水苗族村规民约的阐述更明确了村规民约作为国家法与少数民族习惯法不断调适的首要选择和最佳途径.     

深化非公企业厂务公开民主管理的探索与实践

在推进非公企业厂务公开民主管理工作中,目前尚存在企业劳资双方认识不高、劳资双方地位不平等、缺乏有效工作载体、职工代表参与能力亟待提高、工作应进一步深化等问题。对此,天津市河西区总工会在领导力度、覆盖广度、质量深度上下功夫,明确职责,狠抓落实,积极贯彻主动、依法、科学相结合的维权观,在推动区域构建和谐稳定的劳动关系上做出了有益实践。     

“十二五”桂林加快转变农业发展方式探析

桂林作为农业大市,加快推进农业发展方式转变具有重大的战略影响和深刻的现实意义。＂十二五＂期间,桂林必须立足本地实际,尊重经济、社会发展规律,按照农业现代化的要求,努力探索一条符合桂林市实际的现代农业发展道路,实现由农业大市向农业强市转变。     

通过辨别、对比和检验材料中的变化测定文件日期

对一份文件最早制成时间的检验一直以来都是全世界文检界的难题之一。核实可疑文件的制成时间没有统一的方法,目前主要通过对纸张、墨迹、打字机、复印机、打印机、传真机、印刷品,以及笔迹和签名等因素的检验来确定一份文件的制成时间。文件检验人员需要充分利用他们手中的文件的内容及文件周边信息所反映出来的条件和材料,进而得出结论。     

中西方经济法产生发展差异的文化解释

中西方经济法在经济背景及启动因素、法律体系形成的路径、生成的民商法秩序基础、社会本位和发展起点方面存在明显的差异。中西方经济法赖以生成的经济、政治、文化等因素的差异,从而决定了中西经济法生成道路的差异。其中,中西方文化的差异是两者差异存在的重要原因,从文化的视角可以从更深的层面审视和解释中西方经济法产生发展道路差异的原因所在。     

民事诉讼中的电子证据

随着Internet的迅猛发展和网络社会的到来,人们已经感受到网络带来的方便与快捷。与此同时,网络侵权、计算机犯罪、电子商务纠纷案件也大量涌现出来,而目前我国电子证据方面的立法还相对滞后,司法实践中运用电子证据的规则不一.因此,加快电子证据立法、正确界定电子证据的法律地位已迫在眉睫。