The problem of human trafficking in the U.S.: Public frames and policy responses

Nine years after the passage of federal anti-trafficking legislation in the United States, fewer incidents of trafficking have been identified than original estimates of the problem predicted. Some scholars and commentators suggest that changes in the public framing of the trafficking problem aimed at advancing particular agendas are to blame. Yet no studies to date had measured such a reframing process and its attendant consequences. Using a natural history of social problems model (Spector & Kitsuse, 1973) as the theoretical framework to examine the framing of trafficking, this study analyzed text from U.S. newspaper articles about human trafficking from 1990 to 2006. Findings suggest the public framing of human trafficking has changed over time corresponding with the adoption of policies focused on national security and the identification, apprehension, and criminal prosecution of trafficking perpetrators. Challenges following such definitional shifts are discussed.     

Quantitative indices for anti-human trafficking policies: based on reports of the U.S. State Department and the Council of Europe

Quantitative ratings of policies of national governments are an important tool for the monitoring of compliance with international standards in many domains. In this article we present a global index of anti-human trafficking policies developed by a research consortium using the TIP country reports of the U.S. State Department (the 3P index) and an index based on the reports of the monitoring body of the Council of Europe Convention against Human Trafficking (GRETA). Although the global 3P index gives more favorable ratings to most European countries than the GRETA-based index, a moderately strong correlation was found between the two indices. This is an encouraging result lending support to the validity of the assessments of both monitoring mechanisms as well as to their transformation into quantitative scores. We also demonstrate that the detailed GRETA-based index can be used to identify best practices in anti-trafficking policies and specific areas where these policies are most in need of improvement, e.g. legal aid and compensation for victims. Our analyses of the relationships between the various items of the index revealed positive correlations between the existence of units of specialized prosecutors and the numbers of convictions of traffickers. Our paper, then, demonstrates the potential of quantitative indices of counter human trafficking policies as tools for both effective monitoring of the implementation of international standards and for analytical purposes.     

U.S. policy on health inequities: the interplay of politics and research

What is the relationship between scientific research and government action in addressing health inequalities in the United States? What factors increase the impact of scientific research on public policy? To answer these questions, we focus on racial and ethnic disparities in health status and health care in the United States. We first review the history of the disparities issue to elucidate how the continual and persistent interplay between political action and scientific research drives government policy. We then analyze two recent government-sponsored reports about racial and ethnic disparities to understand the strategic consequences of issue framing. We draw lessons about how disparities research can have a greater impact on public policy.     

U.S. International Broadcasting: The Case of Iran

This article is an examination of the current state of U.S. broadcasting to Iran. It also gives an overview of the structure of U.S. international broadcasting. The author illustrates how under the Bush administration, Radio Farda and Voice of America Persian TV were held accountable for helping to destabilize the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, critics, including those in the Pentagon and a number of congressional members, doubted the capacity of Radio Farda, in particular, to carry out such a purpose because of its entertainment focus. Contrary to self-professed declarations of independence and free and objective journalism, the author argues that the U.S. government uses strict editorial control to restrict its broadcasting entities within the boundaries of its foreign policy objectives.     

美国对外国国家的送达制度

美国《外国主权豁免法》明确规定了对外国国家的送达程序,以区别于《联邦民事诉讼法》中的送达程序。这些特殊的送达规则以及送达实践强调被送达的外国国家实际接收和接受送达的效果,更加注重程序公正,在某种程度上给予外国国家更多的正当程序保障,增强审判程序和判决的可接受性,减少或避免国家豁免诉讼可能带来的政治风险。中国应对在美国法院被诉时,应当充分利用美国《外国主权豁免法》中的送达规则和实践,更好地维护我国的尊严和主权。     

Human trafficking: Better data, strategy, and reporting needed to enhance U.S. antitrafficking efforts abroad

The U.S. government estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders annually; however such estimates of global human trafficking are questionable. The accuracy of the estimates is in doubt because of methodological weaknesses, gaps in data, and numerical discrepancies. For example, the U.S. government's estimate was developed by one person who did not document all of his work, so the estimate may not be replicable, casting doubt on its reliability. Moreover, the quality of existing country level data varies due to limited availability, reliability, and comparability. There is also a considerable discrepancy between the numbers of observed and estimated victims of human trafficking. The U.S. government has not yet established an effective mechanism for estimating the number of victims or for conducting ongoing analysis of trafficking related data that resides within various government agencies.     

神经生化标志物S100β蛋白研究进展

S100β是一类钙离子结合蛋白,是轴突的生长因子,由神经系统胶质细胞分泌,广泛分布于神经组织中,在正常情况下发挥重要的生理作用,但分泌过高具有神经毒性。脑损伤后血清中S100β水平有时间的规律性,并与脑损伤程度有密切关系,可以作为脑损伤后神经生化新标识物。本文综述了近年来的S100β蛋白的分子生物学基础、神经生理作用及其在神经组织损伤、疾病中的作用机制。     

Hidden convergence: toward a historical comparison of U.S. and U.K. health policy

The social science literature on the comparative history of the welfare state offers conflicting accounts of the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. At first blush, the comparative history of health care policy in the United States and the United Kingdom seems to affirm the dominant view that the U.S. and U.K. welfare states have diverged substantially during the twentieth century. A comparison of U.S. and U.K. health policy, however, suggests that there are more parallels and points of tangency between the two systems than are readily apparent. The comparative history of health policy over the past century reveals common political and policy challenges and frequent interchanges of policy ideas, and helps uncover the political dynamics behind the development of health policy in the two countries, which can, in turn, help illuminate the contemporary politics of reform in both countries.     

美国陪审团制度及其对我国的启示

美国的陪审团由一组普通公民组成,他们宣誓根据在他们面前提出的证据对案件的事实作出裁决。陪审团审理是美国法院制度的基石,研究它对改革和完善我国的陪审制度具有重要的借鉴意义。     

美国法院专利权利要求解释的新规则：字典解释规则

2002年10月,美国联邦巡回上诉法院(CAFC)在TexasDigitalSystems,Inc.v.Telegenix,Inc.1案的判决中,澄清了专利权利要求解释规则,确立了完整的字典解释规则,包括字典等资料是协助法院解释权利要求最佳适用资源的原则及字典解释的通常含义规则、全部通常含义规则和字典优先规则,对于我国专利权利要求的解释具有重要的借鉴意义。一、案情及背景原告TexasDigitalSystems(简称TDS)公司是编号为845481(简称481号)、4965561(简称561号)、4734619(简称619号)、4804890(简称890号)四项专利的专利权人,这些专利是控制发光二极管像素色彩的方法…     

Cross-border cooperation as a development factor for borderline territories of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to review, study and summarize theoretical aspects of cross-border cooperation and its influence on the development of borderline territories of Western Ukraine. Growth of social and economic role of the borderline territories of Ukraine is promoted by geographical and geopolitical location of the country. It creates a high potential for cross-border cooperation which enhances economic development of these areas and influences the economy of the country.     

从美国法例看专利联营的反垄断法规制

本文系统介绍了专利联营的概念、类型及形成原因,从反垄断法的角度分析了专利联营所带来的促进竞争和反竞争的结果,考察了美国专利联营规制的历史发展过程及几个典型案例,分析了专利联营的理论和实践,以期对我国的理论和实践提供借鉴。     

The english juvenile detention centre: A lesson for the U.S.A.?

It is important when contemplating change in the criminal justice system to survey and build upon experience both at home and overseas. In this age of increasing concern with the criminal activity of our youth it has become fashionable in some quarters to adopt a tougher attitude toward delinquent youth. This is manifested by a desire to hold juveniles directly responsible for criminal behavior and to subject them to more punitive sentencing dispositions. In this political climate it might be wise to examine the history of the English juvenile Detention Centre, with its emphasis upon providing a “short, sharp shock” for juveniles who are sent there.This article examines the philosophical rationale behind the Detention Centre regime and traces its development from establishment in 1948 to the present day. The evidence available suggests that the Detention Centre program, established to provide a strict deterrent regime for the relatively unsophisticated and not seriously delinquent offender, has not met with resounding success. Additionally, the program is shown to have departed considerably from its original standards of rigor. Indeed, it is now uncertain whether the Detention Centre differs appreciably from other English juvenile correctional institutions, and the governmental trend of thought has been toward abolition of the centres altogether. The article concludes that it may be preferable to make greater use of non-institutional dispositions than to sentence delinquent youth to short periods of incarceration.