Civic Engagement in the Era of Big Stories

Most scholars agree that news coverage of politics is the product of complicated interaction between journalists and politicians. Yet, we know little about how the interaction affects the coverage. Our analysis examines U.S. senators' press events and subsequent national network coverage from 1980–1996. Our evidence suggests that all senators can increase journalists' interest in their press events by carefully choosing the type of event and which politicians attend. In turn, such interest often translates into actual news stories, although that coverage is not guaranteed. Thus, senators can structure press events in order to increase the likelihood of coverage, but reporters understandably resist their attempts to do so. As a result, the most newsworthy press events require senators to give up control over content, creating more potential for revealing unexpected information.     

论专家辅助人意见——以刑事辩护为视角的分析

我国2012年新《刑事诉讼法》首次设立了专家辅助人制度，对鉴定意见的质证提供了技术上的支持，对于刑事辩护来说意义重大。从证据法的角度看来，专家辅助人意见具有言词证据、意见证据、弹劾证据的多重属性，因此意见的内容应围绕鉴定意见中的专门性问题，并结合《刑事诉讼法》及相关司法解释对鉴定意见的审查判断规则来提出；而法庭对于鉴定意见的审查也应从准入资格与可靠性两方面进行，以免专家辅助人意见替代鉴定意见来主导审判。     

Education and training in public administration: transference of segmenting organizational behavior

Organizations can survive, let alone progress, only if they carry out meaningful transactions with society at large. This process requires they differentiate their “organizational being” to respond to clientele needs and/or user demands. The inherent problem is that these differentiated structures may become segmented into tightly closed systems, being in effect organizations within organization characterized by self-serving vested interests. Expediency becomes the operating rule. Segmentation is common to all societies, but it is especially prevalent in situations of decline.

Advanced in this discussion is that the segmentation process may be accelerated and consolidated by in-house training and education, and especially by those of a public management character. A plea is made for universities to become more actively engaged in (a) the preparation and placement of “quality” educated persons and (b) the search/development of new public organization.     

论我国行政问责制的法律缺失及其重构

目前我国行政问责制的法律缺失表现为:在全国范围内,问责制仅是中央政策而非法律;已有的专门问责制只是地方政府规章而非全国性法律;问责规定中,问责事由不具体、责任不全面、程序不规范,等等。问责法制不健全导致了问责面前不平等、问责客体不清、主体缺位、范围太窄、力度不强等消极后果。应当从以下方面来完善问责制:规范问责主体及其权力、问责的客体及其职责,明确问责事由、情形以及责任的种类、内容,完善问责程序。     

论美国国会的弹劾权

弹劾权是美国国会拥有的最少使用却最令人生畏的防止政府行政和司法部门滥用职权的重要制约手段。美国国会的弹劾权是美国宪法制定者对英国弹劾制度和北美殖民地弹劾实践予以继承和发展的产物。美国二百多年来的弹劾实践赋予了弹劾权丰富的内涵 ,显示了其重要的历史作用 ,同时也暴露了其弊端和局限性。