上访潮背后的深层原因解读

上访制度是一个根植于东方传统文化中的具有中国特色的政治参与、行政监督和全路救济的机制。在中国古代政治文化中虽然这一制度在各个时期不同，但一直延续下来。改革开放以来，一系列矛盾凸显，上访出现了高峰，尚有加剧的趋势。需要解读的深层原因主要有四点：第一，传统政治文化和民众法律意识的影响；第二，移植的西方司法制度与中国传统法律观念的不契合；第三，现行制度的功能没有充分发挥；第四，社会转型期各阶层的利益分配失衡。     

论中国反垄断执法机构的设置

本文分析国外反垄断执法机关的设置及其职能作为我国反垄断法执法机关的设计参考。我国反垄断执法机关的设置,要遵循权威独立、依法设置、精干效能等原则。据此,不宜在现有机构中指定反垄断执法机构,而应该单独创设专门的执法机构,其可以称为“国家反垄断委员会”或“国家公平交易委员会”,并只在中央和省两级设立。这样的机构应拥有调查检查权、审核批准权、行政处罚权、行政强制措施权和行政裁决权,并应拥有对地方各级政府及其部门和国务院各部门的限制竞争行为(行政垄断行为)直接进行处理的权力。     

越级上访产生的原因及其治理

《信访条例》第4条明确规定,信访工作应当坚持分级负责等原则。分级负责原则说明,上访必须按程序进行,遵循“逐级上访”的原则,而不能“越级上访”,越级上访不利于解决问题。之所以会产生越级上访的现象,原因很复杂,但主要原因在于一些地方政府对访民不重视、信访机制运行不畅等。因此,治理越级上访,需要推进信访体制改革,破解越级上访的症结;坚决贯彻落实信访责任追究制度;树立法治权威,建设法治社会;提升信访等政府部门治理与善治的能力与水平。     

SOCIETY

正Green Coverage China’s forests such as that pictured to the right covered21.63 percent of the country’s land at the end of 2013,a rise of1.27 percentage points compared to five years ago,a State Forestry Administration survey showed.Total forest areas grew to208 million hectares at the end of2013,up from 195 million hectares five years ago.Growing stock per hectare increased by 3.91 cubic meters to 89.79 cubic meters over the past half a decade,according to a report of the five-year survey released on February 25.     

THIS WEEK

正OFFERING A HElPING HAND Chinese medical workers take a boy suspected to have contracted Ebola to the ward for observation in a hospital in Freetown,capital of Sierra Leone,on October 11.A group of 30 doctors and nurses from the Beijing-based 302 Military Hospital,which specializes in treating     

Catches to the right to be forgotten,looking from an administrative law perspective to data processing by public authorities

Public authorities process personal data. In most cases these data are processed because there is a legal obligation to do so, or because processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. The right to be forgotten or to erasure will, in this situation, play a limited role in the protection of the rights of the individual. There is even a public interest in maintaining archives, thus in not forgetting. At the same time, the possibility exists that not forgetting might be more valuable for the protection of rights of data subjects then forgetting. In the case of data processing by public authorities, it is important that the processing is based on a law. A close watch should be held on the grounds that public authorities use to justify the processing. As the right to be forgotten will play a limited role in the protection of the rights of data subjects in the case of data processed by public authorities, it is important to emphasize the right of access and rectification of data. It is therefore essential that the controller is transparent to the public with regard to the processing of data.     

The legal and administrative processes in adoption: views and experiences of newly formed adoptive families

The early stages of adoptive placements are important in achieving successful long-term outcomes for adopted children and their families. This paper reports on findings from the Wales Adoption Study, in which adoptive parents shared their views and experiences of the legal and administrative processes in obtaining an adoption order. Parents described a range of difficulties that added to anxieties and delays. These arose mainly through poor communication about the steps in the legal process and avoidable administrative errors or oversights. Some parents also experienced lack of information and support regarding agreed contact arrangements and work with their child to help them make sense of their adoptive status.     

A comparison of data protection legislation and policies across the EU

Although the protection of personal data is harmonized within the EU by Directive 95/46/EC and will be further harmonized by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, there are significant differences in the ways in which EU member states implemented the protection of privacy and personal data in national laws, policies, and practices. This paper presents the main findings of a research project that compares the protection of privacy and personal data in eight EU member states: France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Romania, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The comparison focuses on five major themes: awareness and trust, government policies for personal data protection, the applicable laws and regulations, implementation of those laws and regulations, and supervision and enforcement.The comparison of privacy and data protection regimes across the EU shows some remarkable findings, revealing which countries are frontrunners and which countries are lagging behind on specific aspects. For instance, the roles of and interplay between governments, civil rights organizations, and data protections authorities vary from country to country. Furthermore, with regard to privacy and data protection there are differences in the intensity and scope of political debates, information campaigns, media attention, and public debate. New concepts like privacy impact assessments, privacy by design, data breach notifications and big data are on the agenda in some but not in all countries. Significant differences exist in (the levels of) enforcement by the different data protection authorities, due to different legal competencies, available budgets and personnel, policies, and cultural factors.     

Knowledge Management and Open Innovation in United Kingdom Local Authorities

The article examines the performance of UK local authorities in relation to knowledge management and open innovation. Data were acquired using a mail survey of non-metropolitan local authorities in England and Wales. The results indicate that certain factors influence the effectiveness of the knowledge management process. Authorities engaged in open innovation have developed more effective knowledge management processes. Hence, of instead of implementing a strategy solely based upon cutting services and reducing staffing levels, local authorities seeking to survive in the face of government spending cuts might also consider the benefit from optimizing the effectiveness of their knowledge management processes and participation in open innovation.     

Performance Reporting: Assessing the Annual Reports of Malaysian Local Authorities

There have been calls for Malaysian local authorities to be more transparent and accountable in the discharge of their functional responsibilities. This study empirically evaluates the extent and quality of current performance reporting by local authorities. The disclosure of relevant information for discharging accountability obligations, as defined by a broad range of stakeholders, falls short of best practice. Therefore, the performance of Malaysian local authorities lacks transparency. The findings could assist in the development of more comprehensive guidelines for local authority reporting and raise awareness of information stakeholders expect to be reported in the context of accountability.