中国行政诉讼：多中心主义的司法

<正>在学术界有关司法功能的讨论中,司法被赋予了下述功能中的一种或几种:纠纷的解决者、社会进步的推动者、规则的确立者、民众参与的平台。由于行政诉讼直接触及行政系     

MOBILIZING FRIENDS AND FOES IN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS

A common justification for the use of trial-type procedures in administrative agency decisionmaking is the assertion that such procedures will help legitimize decisions or increase their acceptability. Writers who take this position often assume that members of affected interest groups have fixed attitudes toward decisionmaking procedures, that such attitudes are highly salient, and that perceptions of procedural acceptability will not be greatly influenced by the social setting. This article reports on the results of a survey administered to witnesses in federal agency rulemaking proceedings which indicate that procedural attitudes have low salience, are mobilizable rather than fixed, and are strongly influenced by the activities of intermediary organizations such as trade associations and public interest groups. These findings imply particular strategies for designing and implementing regulatory procedures.     

THE IMPACT OF LEGISLATIVE CHANGE ON ADJUDICATION PROVISIONS AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR WRITTEN CONTRACTS UNDER THE NEW CONSTRUCTION ACT

The deletion of Section 107 of Part II of the Housing, Grants and Construction Act 1996 will have a profound effect on the requirements for contracts in writing under the adjudication provisions of the new Construction Act 2009. This paper presents a reflection on the legal provisions and case law concerning the requirement for contracts in writing under the provision of the 1996 Act, against the backdrop of new rules encompassing oral and partly-oral agreements between parties. While the new provisions are unlikely to have an impact in cases where there are formal contracts which incorporate adjudication clauses, the changes are more likely to have an impact where there letters of intent are involved and where contracts in writing are based on standard terms and conditions supplemented by oral agreements. While the legislative changes may not have an impact on the role of the Adjudicator, it may affect their modus operandi, requiring more efforts to ascertain the precise intentions of the parties under dispute.     

Book Review: The Conflict Paradox: Seven Dilemmas at the Core of Disputes by Bernie Mayer

Bernie Mayer's latest book is an excellent journey into seven key dilemmas in conflict. Mayer devotes a chapter to each of the following dilemmas: Competition and Cooperation, Optimism and Realism, Avoidance and Engagement, Principle and Compromise, Emotions and Logic, Impartiality and Advocacy, and Autonomy and Community. In this review, I suggest that the book is a thorough guide through seemingly diverse and opposing conflict theories. I go through each chapter and detail how Mayer sees these concepts as interwoven instead of oppositional. He walks his readers through what have been thought of as distinctive, even opposing, approaches, theories, and concepts of conflict. The review uses points and quotes from all seven dilemmas to show the depth of Mayer's analysis and the numerous benefits to theorists and practitioners of reading and rereading his book.     

40 YEARS OF THE RULE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: ENHANCEMENTS,EXPERIENCE, AND EXPECTATIONS

Based on major landmark events and the rule of law development, the administrative rule-of-law construction in China, over 40 years since the initiation of the reform and opening up policy, can be divided into four stages: the “recovery” stage; the “rapid development by focusing on administrative legislation” stage; the “implementing the basic policy of law-based governance of the country and focusing on law-based administration of government” stage; and the “simultaneous advancement and integrated construction in building the rule of law in China” stage. Over the past 40 years, China’s administrative rule-of-law construction has achieved fruitful results in terms of theoretical shaping, system construction, and concept popularization. The future construction of the administrative rule of law should promptly respond to the theoretical needs put forward by state governance, administrative changes, emerging science, and technology development, and it should continue to improve the theoretical system of administrative law with Chinese characteristics; we should strengthen legislation in key areas, solve practical problems in the construction of a government under the rule of law, and promote the effect of law enforcement and system implementation. We should also focus on improving the awareness and qualities of the rule of law at all levels of leading cadres and form a good rule of law atmosphere in the entire society.     

Book Review: Divorced From Reality: Rethinking Family Dispute Resolution by Jane C. Murphy and Jana B. Singer

This essay summarizes key points from the book and observes the very different players and processes involved when families in poverty enter the family court system.