Regulation of assisted conception services in Europe: Implications of the new reproductive technologies for 'the family'

In this paper we attempt to draw attention to the widespread variation in legislation and regulation of assisted conception services throughout Europe and the implications that this may have for what is understood as 'a family'. At present, access to assisted conception services appears to rely on a 'traditional' notion of the family with the consequence that large numbers of potential service users are excluded. We believe that the existing state of assisted conception legislation already demonstrates a turn to the postmodern. This paper aims to make this turn to the postmodern more explicit and take it further towards what we argue is its inevitable conclusion. It is argued that a postmodern approach should benefit both assisted conception service providers and, perhaps more importantly, service users through an emphasis on localized knowledge, acceptance of difference and 'otherness', and a recognition of the complexity and ambiguity of human behaviour.     

上海服务业的发展轨迹与新态势——以城市功能变迁为视角

城市功能的变迁与城市产业的发展相辅相成。上个世纪二三十年代,上海服务业高度繁荣,成就了上海"多功能经济中心"的地位。建国后很长一段时期,片面强调工业生产的城市功能定位,决定了城市产业发展的方向,上海服务业处于不断萎缩之中。改革开放后随着产业发展和城市发展的内在规律越来越受到尊重,上海城市功能再次向多元化方向变迁,服务业发展迎来新的契机,再度兴起。近年来,世界经济面临深度调整,国内经济在发展到一定阶段后增长方式面临转变,提高全球资源配置能力成为对上海城市功能在能级上的新要求,对应这种形势,上海的服务业发展也出现了一些新的态势。     

Detention under the Mental Health Act: balancing rights,risks and needs for services

Mental health law has to balance considerations of both justice, and health and welfare. In the political climate of the 1990s mental health services have become targeted on those with serious mental illness, to address the objectives of containing risks and limiting service expenditure. This paper identifies that increasing rates of detention under the Mental Health Act through the 1990s in a particular region, disproportionately involve longer-term detentions (under section 3), men, and people with serious mental illnesses. Those detained are likely to experience social difficulties. Changes in legislation are imminent, and the paper concludes that thought should be given to the amount of statutory intervention in the lives of seriously mentally ill people, and to the principle of reciprocity in relation to those coerced for lesser periods. Services should seek to address the issues of social exclusion which are reflected in the circumstances of those detained.     

养老金结构与金融结构的相关性研究——来自典型OECD国家的经验证明

为了更好地剖析新一轮养老金制度改革的条件和深层次原因,了解金融结构性因素在一国养老金制度改革中所发挥的作用,从金融结构的视角出发,研究养老金结构与金融结构之间的相关关系,探讨金融组织(金融中介机构和金融市场)在养老金系统中的功能及其演化.从宏观和微观两个层面,分别对养老金整体结构、私人养老金结构与金融结构的相关性进行了分析,并在宏观层面运用部分OECD国家面板(Panel)数据模型对金融市场发展与自治养老基金规模的相互关系进行了实证检验.通过研究发现:无论是养老金整体结构还是私人养老金结构,在很大程度上都取决于金融结构的发展状况,私人养老金结构同时还与养老金整体安排密切相关,而养老金制度改革将进一步促进金融结构以及金融机构之间竞争格局的演化.     

基于制造业基础的现代生产者服务业发展

现代生产者服务业的发展不能脱离现有的制造业发展的基础。只有以制造业为基础并与制造业联动来推进现代生产者服务业发展的经济政策才是切实可行的。这是因为,现代生产者服务业脱胎于制造业母体;现代生产者服务业是制造业的心脏、脑袋和起飞的翅膀;制造业与现代生产者服务业在空间上具有协同定位的效应。     

Reversed Solidarity in Pension Plans

There is a unexpected phenomenon in the majority of complementary pension plans in the Netherlands. Unlike other arrangements that are the result of collective bargaining and decision making, these pension plans increase the inequality in the distribution of (lifetime) income. In those plans, persons without a career contribute to the payment of pension provisions of those with a career. Generally speaking, this implies that blue-collar workers and women pay for the pensions of white-collar workers, who are mostly men. For some of the contracting parties, the terms of the pension contract seem to be disadvantageous and suboptimal. The question arises as to why these contracts are being concluded and how they can survive in a competitive environment. Moreover, since the pension plans are the result of collective bargaining between the organisation of employers and the labour unions, the question arises as to how reversed solidarity fits the alleged redistributive goal of the labour unions. The analysis leads to the following conclusions. Firstly, that information and transaction cost, collective agreements, legal barriers and market failures on substitute arrangements prevent the conclusion of optimal contracts. Secondly, employers would find the pension plan attractive because it discourages shirking, enhances productivity and the process of job matching and reduces labour turnover. Thirdly, a pension plan based on final salary is in the interest of the median voter in the labour union, who is older and earns a higher seniority wage than junior workers. Furthermore, in the given circumstances the pension plan enlarges union membership and the dues income of the union and endows the union leadership with more prestige and influence. Individual union members would not oppose such a pension plan for reasons of informational asymmetry, transaction cost and the inability to capture the full benefits of their actions.A comparison of the pension schemes of Belgium, Germany, France and the UK shows that there are large differences in the structure and content of retirement provisions. Reversed solidarity may also be part of the pension plans in Belgium and the UK.     

浅议“违宪”的慎用

违宪，一般指违反宪法的行为。四川两位律师认为《娱乐场所管理条例》禁止四类人从业于娱乐场所属违宪之结论经不起推敲，有使“违宪”泛化之嫌疑，同时又曲解了宪法与部门法及行政法规的关系，误解了我国以宪法为主导地位的法律体系所蕴含的“一般情况下，法无明文禁止均可行”的内在精神。在任何情况下，对违宪都应当慎重使用。     

公务员参加养老保险统一改革的思路——“混合型”统账结合制度下的测算

中国当前的机关事业单位基本养老保险制度对保障退休人员待遇、稳定机关事业单位职工队伍、促进经济社会文化各项事业全面发展发挥了重要作用,但还存在很多问题,如单位保险的性质未变、碎片化倾向严重、政企待遇差过大、财政负担沉重等.提出了中国机关事业单位养老保险制度改革的基本思路和原则,即从新入职的人员开始,逐步把机关事业单位工作人员纳入全国统一的基本养老保险制度,在此基础上建立职业年金,以避免其待遇下降.最后,测算了改革和不改革情况下机关事业单位养老金支出对财政负担的不同影响.测算结果发现,虽然改革初期会增加财政负担,但是到2061年开始将会大大降低财政负担.     

中国和东盟五国服务贸易竞争力比较分析

随着<中国-东盟自由贸易区服务贸易协议>的实施,中国和东盟各国将逐步减少服务业准入限制,扩大服务部门的对外开放.因各成员国国服务贸易竞争力存在差异,该进程对各国影响必利弊互现.因此,各成员国应根据本国服务贸易竞争力现状,确定服务业自由化进程,以顺利实施<协议>.鉴于此,本文通过比较分析中国和东盟五国服务贸易国际竞争力及其影响因素,为中国具体实施该<协议>和进行后续谈判提供政策建议.