Conceptual History of Adaptation in the UNFCCC Process

While adaptation has, in the last 3 years, become the most fashionable item on the climate policy agenda, this was not always so. Since the early 1990s, numerous scientists and policy makers have been making the case that adaptation has been the overlooked cousin of greenhouse gas mitigation. As both are seen to be of equal importance, the lack of policy on adaptation is interpreted as a political strategy by developed countries to avoid admitting liability and the financial consequences of this admission. A tension between those in favour of mitigation over adaptation activities has strongly characterized the discourse on climate change policy. However, a closer look at the history of the concept of adaptation as applied in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process underscores the original intention that the treaty should focus on reducing the source of climate change, rather than on adapting to the changes. Adaptive capacity was considered to be an indicator of the extent to which societies could tolerate changes in climate, and was not seen as a policy objective. As a result of events that have unrolled since the inception of the UNFCCC, needs and perceptions have shifted. Today, there are strong grounds for having adaptation as a policy goal, but it must be recognized that the UNFCCC, and its Kyoto Protocol in particular, are first and foremost about abating greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, adaptation policy may find a more appropriate home beyond the existing climate change regime.     

The Representation of Two Competing Visions on the Fundamentals of Copyright: A Content Analysis of Associated Press News Coverage on Copyright, 2004–2009

The importance of the public's understanding of copyright has increased in the digital age, and mainstream media play a significant role in informing the public of copyright law and policy. This study identifies two competing visions on the fundamentals of copyright—the private property vision and the public policy vision—and examines which vision is more predominantly covered by mainstream news media via a quantitative content analysis of Associated Press wire service stories on copyright. The findings suggest that, although the number of sources favoring copyright users’ rights has somewhat increased in the most recent two years, overall the private property vision has been more dominantly covered than the public policy vision in the AP news stories. The study concludes that the mainstream media coverage on copyright needs to move toward a more balanced point where both sides of the debate have an equal chance to present their views.     

Embracing Diversity: The Institutionalization of Affirmative Action as Diversity Management at UC-Berkeley, UT-Austin, and UW-Madison

While affirmative action in universities is the subject of extensive empirical scholarship, little research has been conducted on the role of university officials in crafting, defending, and transforming race-based affirmative admissions. Through forty-five in-depth interviews with thirty-nine admissions officials and top administrators at three selective public universities between 1999 and 2004, this study uncovers how a near-consensus in favor of race-based affirmative action has emerged among these players. Whereas scholars, citizens, and activists debate the morality and legality of race-based affirmative action as an equal opportunity policy, admissions decision makers have come to view race-based affirmative action in addition as a central, diversity management technique. This article claims that interest group capture theory and judicial implementation theory are insufficient to explain the diversity consensus. I suggest that neoinstitutional organizational theory has great potential to describe and situate the thought processes leading these key actors to forge this policy transformation.     

Voices heard and unheard – A Scandinavian perspective

Children's rights to participate in legal processes concerning them have been a key policy issue for the Scandinavian legislators during recent decades. From the 1980s, there have been frequent amendments to the law to secure the position of the child. Despite numerous provisions stating the right of the child to express his or her views and for these to be considered before decisions are taken, there are continuing obstacles to full recognition of children as legal subjects. Too often children's voices are not heard or not heeded. This article explores the reasons for this and argues that the ambition to promote equal parenthood is one reason for the failure to give the child's views real impact on decision-making in matters concerning children.     

"农民工"平等权的宪法保障

农民工的权利平等是一个宪法问题,其基本权利的保障必须在宪法层面上予以解决,即农民工的权利应当得到国家政府的平等关切;农民工平等权利需通过宪法诉讼与宪法救济加以实现;国家需修正分配平等的理论与政策;废除农民工的观念歧视.     

The Swedish Legal Services Policy Remix: The Shift from Public Legal Aid to Private Legal Expense Insurance

A number of governments in the 1960s and 1970s pursued the goal of equal access to legal services by establishing publicly funded legal aid schemes. Some societies also promoted Legal Expense Insurance (LEI) to fill some of the gaps in legal aid. The recent trend to small government means many societies are keen to experiment further with legal services policy. This article examines one such experiment in Sweden where reforms included major cuts to public legal aid and requiring most people to rely on private LEI. But how well does this policy mix promote equal access to legal services? And are there lessons for other societies? In this article I describe and assess the policy remix. I argue that the reforms are a bold policy experiment but that they had mixed and some undesirable consequences, and that there are few lessons for other societies.     

保险合同问题研究

目前,立法机关正在积极准备保险法(主要为保险合同部分)的修改。最高人民法院也于2003年末公布了有关保险合同的司法解释征求意见稿。基于实践的需要,本文就保险合同的几个问题作了研究。笔者认为,保险人对承诺前发生的事故应当承担责任;财产保险合同的转让普遍要求保险人“同意”的做法,不利于交易安全和保险消费者利益的维护;投保人的解除权与关系人的维持权应予以平衡,同为保险合同利益,保单现金价值的归属应与保险金的归属相一致;超额保险无效在定值保险中的意义大于不定值保险,在定值保险中,协议超额定值与赌博无异,应为无效;保险法有关防损义务与施救费用的规定,不仅不利于防损减损,而且对保险消费者有失公平。     

The influence of fit perceptions, equal opportunity policies, and social support network on pre-entry police officer career commitment and intentions to remain

This longitudinal field study examined the influence of (1) perceived person-job and person-organization fit, (2) social support network, and, (3) equal employment opportunity (EEO) policy on pre-entry career commitment and intentions to remain in the profession. In addition, the study explored whether gender moderated the relationship between equal employment opportunity policy and pre-entry career commitment and intentions to remain in the profession. The sample consisted of 116 Australian police force applicants who completed a questionnaire prior to formal selection procedures (Time 1) and on completion of the selection procedure (Time 2). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that perceived fit perceptions and EEO policy were significant predictors of pre-entry career commitment and intentions to remain in the profession; social support network was a significant predictor of the latter, but not the former variable. Analyses showed that gender was not a moderator variable. The practical and future research implications of the results are discussed.     

改革开放30年来的中国民族法制建设

＂民族＂一词常在两种不同的含义上使用。一种用法是把＂民族＂与一个具有内部凝聚力的民族国家的人民概念等同，如中华民族等用法；另一种用法是指一个国家内部的不同族群。本文所谓的＂民族法制＂是在后一种含义上使用民族概念的，是指在中国这个多民族国家中处理内部各民族关系的法律制度及其动态的运作体制。综观改革开放30年，中国的民族法制建设取得了巨大的成就。这些成就是基于中国的实际创造的，因而符合中国的国情，具有鲜明的中国特色。这些成就为进一步构建和完善中国民族法制体系奠定了坚实的基础。     

United Kingdom Military Law: Autonomy, Civilianisation, Juridification

This paper argues that military law has undergone a long-term process of change. Previously an autonomous legal system with little civilian input at the administrative, judicial and policy-making levels, military law became subject to a consensual policy of civilianisation from the early 1960s, reflected primarily in the adoption of civilian criminal law norms by the military justice system. More recently there has emerged the juridification of significant areas of military relations in respect to discipline and certain other terms of service which hitherto have not been subject to externally imposed legal regulation. Explanations for the shifts from autonomy, through civilianisation, and then to juridification, ranging from political and social developments to new human rights and equal opportunities discourses, are offered for such changes.     

评美国反基因歧视法律实践及其启示

为防治基因技术的滥用和基因信息歧视,以《2008年禁止基因信息歧视法》为代表的美国联邦和州立法积极实施干预,以确保所有人雇佣机会平等、享有平等健康保险待遇,全面参与社会生活.美国反基因歧视法内容详尽,既禁止基因信息歧视行为,又兼顾保险公司、雇主的合理要求以及避免可能给第三人及公众带来的风险,使违法行为几乎“无缝隙可钻”,且法律对公立雇主的要求高于私立雇主.美国反基因歧视法律实践,对于我们客观认识和把握平等权,完善相关立法和公共政策,具有一定启迪.     

The role of gender in officially reported intimate partner abuse

The role of gender in intimate partner abuse (IPA) perpetration and victimization has been debated for the last several decades. Two perspectives have emerged regarding this debate. Researchers from the family violence perspective argue that men and women are violent at near equal rates and call for a reframing of the issue from one of woman battering to one of family violence. In contrast, feminist researchers maintain that men make up the majority of perpetrators and women the majority of victims in cases of intimate partner abuse. While some have put forth arguments explaining these differences, this debate is far from over. Using official reported cases of IPA, this study examines 815 IPA cases of which 13% were female perpetrated in an attempt to clarify gender differences and similarities among male and female offenders beyond prevalence rates. Special attention is paid to contextual differences and similarities and implications this research has for future research and policy.     

对弱势群体的政策支持刍议——以武汉市A区实施分散按比例安排残疾人就业政策为例

关注弱势群体,给予弱势群体必要的政策支持是构建社会主义和谐社会的必然要求。残疾人属于弱势群体,因此,政府有责任通过多方位、多角度的政策支持促进其就业,增强其平等参与社会生活的积极性和创造性。本文通过对武汉市A区分散按比例安排残疾人就业政策的实施、政策实施的成效及存在的问题进行分析,在此基础上提出政策优化建议。     

Equal Rights vs. Special Rights: Rights Discourses,Framing, and Lesbian and Gay Antidiscrimination Policy in Washington State

This study argues that rights discourse influences heterosexual public opinion in Washington State. We tested this through a survey experiment conducted in the 2011 Washington Poll. We broke interviewees into three groups, with each group exposed to a different frame: a pro–lesbian and gay equal rights frame, an anti–lesbian and gay special rights frame, and a control or no frame. Immediately following the treatment, we asked interviewees if they agreed with a pro–lesbian and gay policy: changing state antidiscrimination law to encompass those who identify as lesbian and gay. Overall, this study concludes that a special rights frame dampens support among some while an equal rights frame has no effect. Respondents who indicated that they were against same‐sex marriage even more strongly opposed altering antidiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation when confronted with an equal rights frame than when confronted with the special rights frame or no frame at all.     

论西部可持续开发战略的法治保障

本文认为 ,我国西部大开发必须坚持走可持续发展道路和建立强有力法治保障体系并举 ,为此 ,就应完善西部开发法律体系 ,营造良好的法治环境、社会环境及投资环境 ,为西部开发五大战略重点的实施提供有效可行的法律手段 ,并应在西部推行经济特区制度 ,健全行政合同法律制度以及充分利用BOT方式来促进西部建设。     

公民权视域下农民工权益保护的社会政策支持

农民工是中国城市中一个特殊的社会群体,由于目前中国社会制度与政策的因素,他们在城市中不能与城市居民享有同等的政治、经济及社会权利,是典型的弱势群体.从公民权视角提出农民工权益保护的社会政策支持,有利于从根本上实现农民工的城市融入,消除社会排斥.维护农民工的公民权,就必须建立城乡统一的户籍管理制度、城乡平等的劳动就业政策、分类分层的劳动社会保障政策、农民工子女教育政策和住房保障政策.     

Indigenous Australia and health rights

Over the last decade, there has been a significant shift in public policy in relation to indigenous Australians. The new policy frameworks have been marked by an antipathy towards a policy discourse based on a human rights framework. This has also been associated with a shift from an approach based on "self-determination" to one founded on the idea of "mutual obligation". This article describes these developments in detail and considers the implications for human rights discourse.     

The Next Frontier: Dual Nationality as a Multi-layered Concept

Scholarly debate, legal rules and policy on dual nationality suffer from a fatal flaw: the various situations of dual nationality are conflated in one single category, linked to a single policy. This article argues that the debate would win in clarity if the various situations were untangled. In order to demonstrate the need for more discrimination in situations of multiple citizenship, two cases are discussed: the first one relates to the various situations which may come under the heading of dual nationality. In particular, the argument is made that dual nationality arising out of birthright citizenship should not be confused with situations where a second nationality is voluntarily acquired. The second case where more segregation is in order relates to the treatment of the two nationalities possessed by an individual. The argument goes that the two nationalities should not be treated on equal par, as they rarely have the same value and weight.

     

WTO框架下的金融服务贸易与资本流动和金融稳定

WTO下的金融自由化与资本账户的放开并非等同。GATS允许成员方有选择地进行金融承诺的特点为成员方通过对金融自由化政策的科学管理来实现金融稳定和发展提供了条件。不同服务提供方式和不同部门的自由化对金融稳定具有不同影响 ,允许外国金融机构在国内建立商业存在 (但不过分限制其业务经营 )、覆盖范围广泛的金融自由化通常对金融稳定具有良好的效果。这一研究视角及结论为我国管理金融服务政策提供了有用的分析工具和有益的借鉴。     

平等保护请求权研究

平等保护请求权是一种公法上的请求权 ,是公民在遭受公权力的不公平对待后请求公法救济的基本权利 ,平等保护机制正是以此为基础而建立的。我国尚未承认公民广泛的平等保护请求权 ,因而受限于狭隘的行政诉讼范围 ,以致大量的公权力“歧视现象”无法通过法律途径加以解决 ,公民权利无法获得法律的平等保护。面对制度缺漏与问题叠出的困境 ,我国应以公民的平等保护请求权为基础 ,以立法机关的违宪审查与司法机关的行政诉讼制度为主要载体 ,建构符合我国法律体制的平等保护机制