Performance of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) in China: Achievements and Challenges as Seen by the Chinese

This paper discusses the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and its achievements and challenges in China, the country obtaining most GEF support. This paper relies on Chinese perceptions, and less on views from the implementing agencies (IAs), the World Bank, UNDP and UNEP. Most attention is given to climate change and biodiversity. The paper asks what has been achieved; how effective has the GEF been? The study concludes that GEF funding has been important for China’s environmental problems. GEF and its IAs have contributed to raised awareness and technology development and have boosted institutional capacity through participation in project activities and training. The main emphasis has been placed on climate change projects and less on biodiversity. Much has been achieved by the GEF in China, but challenges exist. At the international level, the interests and roles of the GEF system, its IAs and recipient countries are not always compatible. GEF projects may suffer as a consequence. Another challenge relates to the seeming difference in effectiveness between World Bank projects and projects of the other IAs. Domestic challenges concern turf battles, problems related to information sharing, and different priorities among actors. The various government institutions’ reluctance to co-operate impacts significantly on the performance of GEF projects in China. The IAs should insist on smoother collaboration, and force the institutions to work together. Moreover, severe problems are apparent regarding financing as well as application procedures. Improvements are under way regarding the GEF application procedures. This will have a limited impact unless the Chinese side simplifies and improves procedures.     

Examining Police Effectiveness as a Precursor to Legitimacy and Cooperation with Police

Numerous studies by Tyler and colleagues, as well as other scholars, support a normative, process model to account for variation in the public’s cooperation with police in the USA and other developed nations. However, a recent study in Ghana suggests that in developing countries fraught with high levels of violent crime and corruption, cooperation may instead be accounted for by a utilitarian, rational-choice model. Our study examines whether public cooperation with police in the developing nation of Trinidad and Tobago is associated with the process model or rational-choice model. Using in-person structured interviews with residents, we examined whether victims’ decisions to report to police were related to individuals’ perceptions about police effectiveness or police legitimacy. We found support for the process model. We discuss possible explanations for the divergence with Tankebe’s research in Ghana and suggest avenues for future research.     

论国际法的正当性

国际法的正当性关注国际法本身的正义问题。现代国际法正日益面临正当性危机。危机主要表现在国际组织的结构和国家权限、国际法规则的实施与适用、国际民主的程度的减弱等方面。评估正当性不仅涉及到价值的判断、解构,而且更需要论证价值的重新建立。正当性理论实际上是正义理论在国际法中的应用,但对正当性的论证不能将其用作违法行为的正当化辩解。     

民事诉讼证据的合法性——从最高法院关于录音证据的司法解释谈起

证据的合法性问题 ,无论在诉讼法理论或者在司法实务中都是极具争议的话题。最高法院曾经批复私自录音形成的证据材料不具有合法性、不能作为证据使用 ,新近颁布的《民事诉讼证据的若干规定》对此又语焉不详 ,在理论和实践中引起诸多歧见。为此 ,笔者从最高法院关于私自录音的司法解释入手 ,借鉴民事实体法研究的一些理论和方法 ,深入分析了诉讼理论与司法实务中与证据合法性相关的几个问题 ,并就如何构建我国民事诉讼非法证据排除规则提出了初步设想     

司法的真相——在法律解释的合法性与妥当性之间

对规范和事实的不同安置,以及由此折射出的对合法性与正义性的不同态度,构成了西方法学史的全部。但至少到目前为止,纠缠于规范与事实、合法与正义之间的争论似乎并未取得令人满意的成果。而从现代西方哲学的商谈理论中我们发现,只有放弃学术立场上的任何一种“独断”,实现规范与事实、法律共同体与相应“听众”之间的合意,并对合法性与正义性进行适合法学语境的重新解读,才能最终缓解甚至消除合法性与正义性(妥当性)之间的冲突。     

从观念合法性到规则合法性——论近代中学训育部的出现与变革

近代中学训育部在1920年代初较为普遍地出现,至1930年代初,教导部又取代训育部成为一些中学新的训育组织。组织规模扩大和加强训育工作的实际需要,都不是中学普遍设置相应训育组织的根本原因。它只能从合法性影响的角度加以说明。与不同时期的政治结构密切关联,训育部最初出现主要是受观念合法性的影响,教导部的设置则主要受规则合法性影响。虽然,训育组织形式及其影响因素不同,但不同阶段中学的训育组织都存在趋同的现象。这也提醒我们以一种更为审慎的态度,思考当前有关学校特色发展、多样化发展的讨论和探索。     

Financial Institutions between Effectiveness and Legitimacy – A Legal Analysis of the World Bank,Global Environment Facility and Prototype Carbon Fund

Environmental financing is one of the crucial issues of international environmental law and its implementation. From an environmental perspective a prerequisite for success is that financial resources are used in an environmentally effective way. Whether the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) can be perceived as effective environmental actors has to be measured by their objectives, their potential to promote accepted environmental standards and their relevant funding practices. After significant improvements of their environmental policies, the World Bank must be considered the most important institution for environmental financing due to its involvement in environmental trust funds but also in regard to its regular lending practices. The GEF remains exceptional due to its institutional structure and scope, whereas the PCF is an example of public–private partnerships that might be a model for future financing via trust funds. Since acceptance of institutions can only be created if they are considered to be legitimate, legitimacy is closely tied to effectiveness. The main criteria for legitimacy are state consent and the equality of states as well as supplementary considerations such as transparency and public participation. From this perspective the World Bank, GEF and PCF structures of voting and participation have come a long way, and despite their particularities and deficiencies they reflect to a varying degree elements of legitimate decision making.     

政策合法性的困境及其改善：协商民主的视角

无论是经验主义,还是规范主义,政策合法性理论在现实的政治生活中均面临着重大困境,其解决的基本方向是发展协商民主笔者在研究中发现．通过公共协商,正视和整合多元社套中的多元利益,可以使公共政策获得更为坚实的合法性基础。     

转型期地方政府合法性危机与重塑

政府合法性探讨的是政治系统如何赢得公众广泛信仰、支持和认同的问题。在社会变迁过程中,任何一种政治体系都不同程度地面临着合法性危机的问题。弘扬公共精神,坚守公共性,推进公共行政,是人类社会治理模式历史演进视野下解决地方政府合法性危机的根本之道。     

宪法至上与权威合法化

权威是保证国家政治忠诚、维持稳定的重要元素,它需要合法化支撑。合法化与合法性不同。合法性涉及规范和评价,合法化是一个过程。法治国家权威是形式宪法与实质宪法的结合体,其合法化条件包括社会力量和利益冲突、力量对比、工具意义上的宪法。宪法权威合法化的生成除修改宪法之外,尚需积累进化理性形成宪法惯例及发展宪法解释,以促进政治忠诚与自主性的结合,保持社会发展的活力。     

去道德化视角下的法正当性问题

德国学者哈贝马斯曾将实践理性的运用途径划分为道德、伦理和实用三种途径。法的正当性与道德的独特联系正源于,与伦理和实用角度的运用相比,实践理性道德角度的运用所产生的规范性资源具有某种特殊的说理性优势。在西方法律思想史中,历史主义与功利主义法哲学分别代表着从伦理与实用的角度看待法正当性问题的最典型学派,而其所面临的问题则从反面说明了,从实践理性的深层结构来看,法与道德的关系问题仍是现代社会法正当性问题的要害,道德话语是建构法正当性无法置换的规范性资源。     

抽象危险犯的概念及正当性基础

从形式上,抽象危险犯既可表现为行为犯,也可为结果犯.抽象危险是一种拟制的危险,一般不需要进行具体的危险判断.抽象危险犯的构成要件设置是一种保护法益前置的措施,在风险社会下,具有合理性.但是,抽象危险犯的处罚与罪责原则间存在紧张关系,有必要限缩处罚范围.     

刑罚的正当性探究——从权利出发

刑罚权配置和运作的正当性,应从个体性权利出发进行分析和论证。刑罚的适用即意味着自然人或者单位重大权利的剥夺或者限制,而这类权利应否被剥夺或者限制以及在何种程度上被剥夺或者限制,应通过这类权利的性质来认识和分析。在犯罪设置、刑罚制度方面,都应从个体性权利视角来检验制度、规范和解释结论的正当性。     

哈贝马斯法律合法性思想与西方马克思主义传统之关联

哈贝马斯《在事实与规范之间》一书的核心论题是要解决现代社会法律的合法性问题。哈贝马斯法律合法性思想继承并发展了西方马克思主义传统,主要表现在：发展了西方马克思主义“强制与同意”论题;扬弃了法兰克福学派实证主义批判传统;重构了西方马克思主义理性观。     

民事诉讼模式正当性反思——一个实践哲学的视角

诉讼模式转换和变迁的研究提供了对诉讼结构分析的框架,成为民事诉讼理论发展的一个重要基础和前提。但模式应是对诉讼经验和诉讼过程的分类与比较考察,不应前置为可以建构的理论目标和对司法发展的预期,从而架构性的按照单一司法理念来对诉讼模式进行设计。当下民事诉讼的理论发展应超越模式分析的类型学划分,避免诉讼模式的刻意的选择和设计,着重关注司法过程中的主要矛盾、矛盾的主要方面及其现实转化,超越在模式框架下的狭隘的理论建构,从实践合理性的角度完善诉讼结构,形成以实践理性为主导而不是权力话语主导的司法运作格局。     

推进行政执法改革,提升地方政府合法性

在社会转型期,任何一种政治体系都不同程度地面临着合法性危机问题.传统的行政执法方式严重地制约着地方政府合法性的提升、与社会主义和谐社会建设目标相背离.因此,推进行政执法改革,是解决地方政府合法性危机的关键.     

“三个代表”与政治文明：构筑起政治合法性的双翼

政治合法性是政治学研究的一个基本命题，是各个政权更是执政党应该首先解决好的重大问题。在我国，解决这一问题，关系到执政党执政地位的持久性、稳固性，关系到社会主义制度优越性的发挥和合理性认证。针对我国政治合法性的特殊性，我们党与时俱进，开拓创新，提出了“三个代表”的重要思想和建设社会主义政治明这一全新执政课题，构筑起了我国政治合法性的双翼，为实现执政党执政合法性和社会主义政治制度合法性的良性互动指明了前进方向和现实路径。     

全球治理的法律渊源及其合法律性问题

全球治理的重要特征是多元规制,这一特点对全球化时代的法律的概念和法律渊源问题提出了挑战,针对这种挑战的三种解决途径即由约束力的区别来确定硬法和软法、按照法律制度化的程度来区分各种法律渊源、依据世界民主公法来界定各层次的法律渊源都要求对全球治理的法律渊源提出某种规范性要求。相对于这种规范性要求的实质性方面,通过合法律性这个概念来表述这种规范性要求是更适当的,并且在此意义上,合法律性也呈现了全球治理法治化这种规范性主张的必要条件和相应的局限性。     

Institutions and the Growth of Knowledge: Evidence from International Environmental Regimes

This article argues that institutions not only reflect ideas prevalent at the time of their creation, but also play vital roles in driving the growth and dissemination of knowledge. Because institutions are not actors in their own right, however, it is essential to identify the mechanisms through which they influence the behavior of those who are producers and consumers of knowledge. The central section of the article explores three distinct mechanisms or families of mechanisms that come into play in this context:(1) framing the research agenda, (2) privileging certain types of knowledge claims, and (3) guiding the application of knowledge to specific policy concerns. The article's concluding section examines the policy implications flowing from the proposition that institutions play significant roles in creating knowledge regarding the issues they address. Throughout, observations relating to international environmental or resources regimes provide a source of illustrations.     

Managing North Sea Pollution Effectively:Linking International and Domestic Institutions

Most pollution problems arise as by-products of domestic activity. The effectiveness of international environmental regimes thus depends on the operations of domestic political and administrative institutions. However, the study of regime effectiveness tends to overlook the operation of domestic institutions as well as the interests and preferences of sub-national non-state actors. In this article, a framework for combining the study of regime effectiveness with domestic institutions and actors is initially presented. The merits of this framework within the context of the North Sea regime is then explored. The article concludes that the effectiveness of this regime depends on the operation of both international and domestic institutions. Of particular importance are those sub-national actors actually causing the problem in the first place as well as domestic institutions influencing the behaviour of target groups.