Proportional Representation and Female Parliamentarians

This article asks, “What effect does the choice of a nation's electoral system have on the gender composition of its parliament over time?” I find that the electoral system has an important part to play, but previous work has overstated, by factors of between two and three, how much of a difference an electoral system can make. This article contributes an updated nonlinear theory of female representation, an improved dataset on women's representation across space and time, and more modern statistical techniques than previously used in research on this question.     

Protesters,Parliamentarians, Policymakers: The Experiences of Australian Green MPs

This article details the distinctive style and political commitments that Green members of parliament (MPs) bring to representative democracy in Australia. Based on in-depth interviews with 16 sitting federal and state Green MPs, it examines the extent to which the political culture, grassroots organisation and values of this left-libertarian party influence the parliamentary role orientations and legislative behaviour of its MPs, and how this fits with existing research on parliamentary representatives. The analysis reveals mixed results: while the legislative priorities and representative focus of MPs appear to be influenced more by previous social movement and parliamentary experience rather than overarching party orientations, the party's culture has had a strong impact on MPs' views regarding issues of conscience and their style of representation. Drawing on the comparative experience of Green parties throughout Western Europe, this article utilises the prism of role orientations to assess the conflicting imperatives Australian Green MPs face in staying true to their movement origins while their party becomes increasingly professional and influential in the parliamentary arena.     

Parliamentarians take the initiative on HIV/AIDS

In 1999 UNAIDS and the Inter-Parliamentary Union jointly published the Handbook for Legislators on HIV/AIDS, Law and Human Rights. This section describes initiatives taken by parliamentarians to promote legal and policy responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic which respect human rights.     

公用征收中的公共利益标准--美国判例的发展演变

符合公共利益是公用征收的前提,而公共利益又是个不确定的法律概念。在美国的判例中,关于如何判断公共利益大致可以分为严格解释阶段、宽严标准并存阶段以及宽泛解释的阶段。现在法院的主流判决基本上对公共利益还是采取宽泛的标准来理解。本文主要介绍了美国公用征收判例中公共利益判断标准的历史演变。     

The Logic of Legislative Leadership: Preferences,Challenges, and the Speaker's Powers

Principal agent theory implies that legislators will delegate power to a leader only when they need the leader's help and the leader can be expected to provide satisfactory help if granted power. This study is the first to evaluate the implied interaction between legislators' need for help and the degree to which legislators and leaders have similar preferences. By analyzing the Speaker's powers in the U.S. states, I arrived at three key conclusions. First, institutional leadership power responds to the interaction between preference alignment and policymaking challenges. Traditionally expected effects only appear when both alignment and challenges are relatively high. Second, professionalization causes weaker leadership powers. Finally, electoral competition correlates with stronger appointment, committee, and resource powers, but weaker procedural powers.     

Capacity Building for New Parliamentarians: Survey of Orientation and Induction Programmes

This article reports original research which built on conceptual issues previously identified by the authors. A survey of national parliaments sought information on orientation and induction programmes offered to first term members and on members' perceptions of those programmes. An overview of findings is presented and significant issues identified. Most programmes provided passive development through information and a handbook rather than active skill development. Few used training processes and techniques that were based on contemporary adult learning principles. There were sharp divisions over training and development in dealing with ethical issues. The findings suggest considerable potential for the further development of programmes and for sharing information about programmes in order to assist capacity building for parliamentarians and thereby enhance the performance of parliaments and individual members.     

土地征收征用中的程序失范与重构

规范征地权的关键是进行程序性制约。程序具有组织功能与校准功能,征地程序的设置实质上是一个促成征地关系主体讨价还价的过程,而价格目标则是趋于某一客观估价。财产权所具有的排他性受到征地权超越性的影响,无法从一般市场中的产权交易角度来评价征地补偿的正当性与效用。而程序性失权是当前征地权滥用的关键。中国征地程序规则失范突出表现在规范模糊与程序性权利无保障。应提高征地程序的公开性、引入程序违法的归责原则、将司法审查的时间提前,以实现征地秩序的合法、效用与安全目标。     

国家征收权的异化及其限制

国家征收权在当下的中国已经背离了保障公民财产权利、实现社会公共利益的设置目的,异化为侵犯农民土地权利的工具。异化的根源在于发展理念出现了偏差,过分追求城市化与现代化的速度和效率,而忽视了公平正义的价值理念;制度设计不合理,政府成为了利益当事人;土地集体所有权的制度缺陷使"公地的悲剧"在土地征收环节遭到放大。必须对国家征收权进行限制,限制的有效途径是:公共利益的目的性限制、正当程序限制和公正补偿限制。     

城市化进程中的国家征收权异化及克服

现代意义上的城市化进程是以国家征收为基础展开的,国家权力具有自利性,没有限制的国家征收权必然异化。为处理经济发展与权利保障之间的矛盾,对宪法意义上的公共利益需要进行客观解释,并使这种解释在担保国家理论的指导下展开。土地、房屋征收行为的确属于行政行为,但房屋、土地征收行为与其他简单地体现为命令与服从关系的行政行为是存在差别的。由于房屋征收的对象为私主体所有的房屋所有权及合法享有的土地使用权,故而房屋征收行为的命令与服从关系便应受到私权保护的制约,从而体现出一定的平等协商性质。这就需要从理论上把征收补偿作为民事法律关系看待,在立法上建构合理补偿与违法赔偿制度,并以正当程序与比例原则,把国家征收权纳入司法审查的范畴。     

美国土地征收法的新发展及其对我国的启示

2005年6月23日,美国联邦最高法院对凯洛诉新伦敦市案作出最终判决,支持新伦敦市为了发展当地经济而征收并非处于衰败状态的财产,该案判决引发了民众的强烈不满。迫于压力,大多数州通过了土地征收法的修正案,缩小了征收目的范围、调整了征收审批机关、增加了征收补偿额和完善了征收程序。由于各州的条件不同,改革的内容并不完全相同。基于不同的立场,不同的学者对改革作出了不同的评价。美国许多州的土地征收法改革给我们的启示是:未来完善我国土地征收法时,可以考虑恰当地规定征收目的范围、有效地发挥权力机关的作用、按照市场价值给予征收补偿和赋予被征地农民更多的程序性权利。     

"公共利益"的界定是一个宪法分权问题--从Eminent Domain的主权属性谈起

宪法规定私人财产的征用须服从“公共利益” ,其目的是为了抵制个人财产由于政府的专断或不公正行为而丧失。与具有主权属性的征用权相关联的“公共利益”的界定是一个宪法分权问题 ,是由立法机关、行政机关和司法机关共同行使的 ,相互之间有一定制约。立法机关只能就“公共利益”确定概括标准 ,具体的判断标准由行政机关行使 ,只有出现争议时 ,司法机关才会介入     

Turning the Witness Stand into a Speaker's Platform: Victim Participation in the Norwegian Legal System as Exemplified by the Trial Against Anders Behring Breivik

In this article, we investigate how victims pursue legal participation when they are confronted by legal barriers and dilemmas that arise from tensions between legal formality and lay expectations and contributions of legal proceedings. We use the trial against Anders Behring Breivik as a case. Breivik placed a bomb in Norway's Government District before he shot and killed 69 people on a small island. We analyze interviews with 31 victims who testified against Breivik in court. We argue that the circumstances of the trial against Breivik can be characterized as “ideal” in terms of victims’ rights. The exceptionality of this case facilitates a focus on unquestioned obstacles to victim participation concerning the professionalization of the legal system. We question the presumption prevalent among some theorists that the professionalization of the legal system excludes lay participation, by arguing that legal formality both alienate and empower lay participation.     

The general toxicology unknown. I. The systematic approach

The general toxicology unknown often presents challenges and interests to toxicologists. A systematic analytical approach to search for drugs or poisons is presented here. The preliminary screening analyses were as follows: alcohol by gas chromatography (GC), ethchlorvynol colorimetric analysis, enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT), basic drug screening by GC, and neutral and weakly acidic drug screening by GC. Other additional analyses were performed depending on the special circumstance of each individual case and the results of these preliminary analyses. Positive findings were confirmed by computerized gas chromatography/mass spectrometry when practical. Quantitation was performed by GC whenever possible.