Unemployment and Crime Rate Fluctuations: A Comment on Greenberg

Several ways in which the specification of the Cantor and Land (1985) conceptual model of transient relationships between aggregate unemployment and crime rate fluctuations differs from that of Greenberg (2001) are noted. It follows that we do not accept Greenberg's Eq. (1) as a valid theoretical representation of the processes of interest. We briefly review the substantive context from which our investigation began in the mid-1980s. We also review the time series properties of our model and of the aggregate unemployment and crime rates used in its estimation. We note how the time series behavior of various crime rates determines which parts of the Cantor and Land model are and are not likely to be estimated as statistically significant for those series. We conclude with some comments on the limitations of aggregate time series research designs for testing the behavioral hypotheses used to generate expected relationships between aggregate unemployment and crime rates and suggest some alternative research designs.     

Unemployment, Economic Theory, and Property Crime: A Note on Measurement

Drawing on rational choice theory, this study considers how best to measureunemployment within the context of the unemployment–property crimerelationship. Specifically, we use ARIMA techniques to examine the relativeefficacy of using the conventional Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)unemployment rate and two alternative measures of the demand for labor aspredictors of monthly counts of U.S. property offenses for the years 1982through 1996. The bivariate time series analyses indicate that while theBLS unemployment rate exhibits null effects, the number of individualsunemployed for 15 weeks or more and the capacity utilization ratesignificantly affect the level of property crime. The implications ofthese results are discussed.     

Unemployment and Crime: Toward Resolving the Paradox

While official crime statistics from many countries show that unemployed people have high crime rates and that communities with a lot of unemployment experience a lot of crime, this cross-sectional relationship is very often not found in time-series studies of unemployment and crime. In Australia there have been no individual-level or cross-sectional studies of unemployment and adult crime which have failed to find a positive relationship and no time-series which have supported a positive relationship. Consistent with this pattern, a time series of homicide from 1921 to 1987 in Australia reveals no significant unemployment effect. A theoretical resolution of this apparent paradox is advanced in terms of the effect of female employment on crime in a partriarchal society. Crime is posited as a function of both total unemployment and female employment. When female employment is added to the model, it has a strong positive effect on homicide, and unemployment also assumes a strong positive effect.     

我国公用事业改革的路径选择——民营化相关问题探析

我国的公用事业长期以来处在政府的管制之下,效率低下。因而,如何改变现状的问题便彰显出来。本文主要探讨我国公用事业改革的路径问题,通过界定公用事业的涵义、公用事业的现实困境及其原因探析,进而指出民营化是解决问题的现实途径。     

社会法的几个基本理论问题研究

社会法是人类文明发展的必然产物,在化解社会冲突、解决社会矛盾的过程中孕育和发展起来。它是与公、私法相并列的法律领域,日益显示出在促进实质公平和正义、平衡平等与效率、保护弱势群体利益等方面的作用和价值。在和谐社会的构建过程中,社会法正在并将继续发挥较之于公、私法更大的优势和后劲。社会法与社会主义在本质上是根本一致的,是后者的题中应有之义,我们应该主动而非被动地关注和发展社会法。     

公共产品分享权利及其法律保障

基于国家提供公共产品的目的,公共产品的分享最终可归结为满足公民的生存需要和发展需要,并以此界分出生存性权利与发展性权利。由于需求主体与供给主体的特殊结构,公共产品分享权利与传统意义上的法律权利相比,体现为一种非对称的权利义务关系,其可诉性较弱,司法诉讼并非其权利保障的唯一路径,议案、听证、信访等制度对于公共产品分享权利的保障同样具有现实意义。     

Beyond the property debate: animal welfare as a public good

Abstract

Animal protection is socially constructed through laws specifying which animals should be protected and how. Most jurisdictions codify animal abuse by specifying the legal protections granted to animals. While these vary between jurisdictions, western legal systems generally provide for better levels of animal protection by incorporating animal welfare and wildlife crime laws into criminal justice systems. UK legislation has long held that animal welfare is a public good, thus animals should be protected in the public interest. However, despite the protective provisions of animal protection laws they generally fall short of giving animals actual rights, protection exists only to the extent that animal and human interests coincide. Animals’ legal status as property dictates that much anti-animal abuse and wildlife crime legislation is about allowing animal exploitation commensurate with human interests. However, UK legislation in the form of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 subtly shifts this position in respect of domestic animals by imposing a duty of care towards companion animals. This paper argues that by requiring owners and responsible persons to give active consideration to the needs of individual companion animals, the Animal Welfare Act provides animals with a level of protection that amounts to a form of legal rights.     

Sexual offending as a public health problem: A north american perspective

Abstract

This paper argues that we should cease treating sexual offending as a problem best dealt with by psychology, medicine, or law. Sexual offending, like mental illness, alcoholism, or drug addiction, is a public health problem, one that is everyone's business. The paper first considers the traditional levels of prevention in public health: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The argument is made that most of our efforts have been directed to the tertiary level where they are least likely to be effective. Applications of the general public health model to sexual violence are considered. These include epidemiology, risk factor research, program evaluation, and dissemination of information on what works. Various methods for informing and educating the public about sexual violence are proposed. The paper concludes with suggestions on how harm can be minimised through the use of a public health approach.     

公共惩罚与私人惩罚的互动——一个解读法律制度的新视角

公共惩罚与私人惩罚既相互排斥又相互补充,公共惩罚与私人惩罚的互动可以作为一个解读法律制度的视角。国家为维持法律实施的垄断,通常会对私人惩罚手段(尤其是私人暴力)进行限制,但为节省公共惩罚资源的支出,法律又必须在某些场合容忍甚至利用私人之间的监控与惩罚,公共惩罚资源的有限性迫使国家把私人之间的监控和惩罚视为一项重要的社会控制资源。法律制度的设计应当充分发挥公共惩罚和私人惩罚的比较优势,合理划分公共控制区域和私人控制区域,并努力追求社会控制总成本(即公共控制成本和私人控制成本之和)的最小化。西方近代政治的古典自由主义、中国古代政治的消极无为主义以及公法与私法的区分都在一定程度上体现了这一原则。     

Teaching public law in a comparative paradigm: virtues and vices

Comparison in legal education matters. In its mission statement, the International Society of Public Law suggests that, “a full explication and understanding of today’s ‘constitutional’ [law] cannot take place in isolation from other branches of public law or in a context that is exclusively national”. Not only is comparative content of itself enlightening, but this paper argues comparison as a teaching method has at least four virtues. First, teaching in a comparative paradigm better prepares graduates for an interconnected and global legal marketplace. Second, it helps illuminate curriculum content. Third, it makes for good citizenry. And, fourth, it enhances the research/teaching nexus. In so doing, this paper explores the use of comparative law as a teaching methodology in core public law subjects rather than by way of additional curriculum content. As with all things, however, where there are virtues, there are also vices. In this context, such vices include questions of relevance and threats to space, time and coherence in legal education. To that end, the disadvantages of comparative approaches in teaching public law are also considered.     

Concussions and youth football: using a public health law framework to head off a potential public health crisis

Concussion from sport is increasingly recognized as a public health priority. In response, all states and the District of Columbia have enacted youth concussion legislation. This paper first examines key developments in concussion-related policy and legislation and then uses the findings from recent scientific studies to highlight the need to incorporate evolving scientific evidence into concussion legislation in order to better protect youth and adolescent athletes. Next, the paper discusses the framework of empirical health law research and why it should be applied in the case of concussion legislation. Finally, this paper argues that empirical health law research should be considered in any decision about whether legislation can help improve the health and safety of young players, a particularly vulnerable population whose unique needs have not yet been adequately addressed.     

论公共利益之界定——一个公法学基石性范畴的法理学分析

“公共利益”这一概念在法学、政治学以及社会学中都有使用 ,在法学领域 ,它与公共权力或私人权利有着密切联系 ,是个重要的概念范畴。公共利益构成了公共权力行使的道德基础和伦理基础 ,但究竟什么是公共利益似乎至今仍没有一个明确的、权威的解释 ,因此其往往成为政府滥用权力的一个借口 ,对私人权利造成极大伤害。基于此 ,对公共利益从法理上作出相对明确的界定就显得尤为必要。从“公共利益”的语义分析入手 ,将“公共利益”与相关概念进行了对比分析 ,对可以得出公共利益的描述性的非概念式的理解。     

The challenge of public law law reform: reflections on a failed Law Commission project

This article reviews the history of the Law Commission project on administrative law and the citizen from 2003, a project which the Law Commission essentially substantively ended in 2010. The project provides lessons both about the initiation and design of law reform projects and on the prospect of law reform being institutionally capable of contributing to the development of core areas of public law.     

Imprisonment and unemployment: A comment

The current state of research dealing with the relationship between the unemployment rate and the imprisonment rate is assessed, and directions for further research are suggested.     

自然资源国家所有权公权说再论

从宪法与民法之别、权利与权力之别以及宪法第9条的完整表述来看,资源国家所有权的公权性确定无疑.作为国家对于公共资源的一种“公权性支配”,资源国家所有权的实质是对资源利用的“积极干预”权,内容在于保障自然资源的合理利用,通过立法、行政和司法加以行使,并为这三种权力施加规范与限制.在实践层面,资源国家所有权只有衍生出以资源实际利用者为主体、以对资源物的合理利用为内容的私权性的“资源利用权”,才能真正形成资源利用秩序.日常生活中在民法层面使用的“国家所有权”的本质是“公共法人所有权”,其并非严谨的法律概念,其成立须一系列条件支撑,范围较窄,其与“宪法国家所有权”的区别是划分“国有私物”与“国有公物”的前提.资源国家所有权来源于主权但不等于主权,其为资源主权的积极行使创设权力载体和概念装置,具有重要意义.     

从社会价值角度看药品专利保护与公共健康利益的冲突

TRIPS协议将医药产品纳入专利保护范围以后，引发了国际社会对药品专利和公共健康二者利益如何平衡的争执。本文在浅述药品专利保护与公共健康双方争端由来的基础上，浅谈了争执双方的利益所在，然后从社会价值、知识产权制度的利益衡平目标等方面分析后，笔者认为，在当前公共健康不断受到AIDS、SARS、禽流感等高发传染性疾病的挑战的情况下，应在保护药品知识产权的同时，不断加强对公共健康的保护。     

中国法治：从静态到动态，从抽象到具体

法治，在中国已不再抽象、静态，更多地走向了动态、具体。法治已经成为中国现代化不可或缺的条件。其中，有效限制公权力滥用是建设法治中国之要务，而加强私权利保障将是构建法治中国之要旨。当代中国，法治建设正在渐进地向纵深行进。     

单位提供证据的种类与定位

单位在民事诉讼中提供证据不应当定位为“证人作证”的行为,但单位有提供证据的资格,其所提供的证明文书是书证的证据来源之一。如此定位,有助于解决单位提供证据与证人概念的冲突问题,同时能够发挥单位作为提供证据者扩大证据来源的现实作用。对待单位提供的证明文书证据,应当区别情况分为公文书与私文书,并在认证规则上予以区别对待。     

公用事业公私合作合同的法律属性与规制路径——基于经济法视野的考察

公用事业公私合作合同是国家规范公用事业公私合作活动的重要法律工具,具有经济法的属性,应接受公法与私法的双重规制。就公法规制来说,政府应保留一定的公权力,并承担相应的义务,同时,私人部门也应承担一定的公法义务,其部分私权利要接受公法的限制。就私法规制来看,主要体现在基于契约精神对政府公权力进行限制,并要求政府承担相应的合作风险,以及在违反合同义务的时候,承担相应的民事法律责任。