Women's law: methods,problems, values

Conclusion The five areas of women's law that I have chosen to focus — money law, housewives' law, paid-work law, criminal law and birth law — represent different coordinating perspectives on women's legal position. These perspectives could certainly have been supplemented by others, for example, discrimination law. The feminist perspective can also be used in several traditional areas of legal science e.g., social insurance law, tax law, family law etc. I, however, have chosen a problematic other than the traditional one: first, to underline the importance of theory through the development ofconcepts anddiscussions of values in women's studies in general; and second, to indicate the especial fields in focus within the Institute of Women's Law at the University of Oslo. Through the perspective discussed in this article we think that we are on our way to describe, explain and understand women's legal status. The fundamental aim is to improve women's position both in law and society.     

Parliament,public engagement and legislation in Bangladesh: a case study of Domestic Violence Act of 2010

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the process of enactment of the domestic violence bill in Bangladesh. One of the distinctive features of the bill, passed in 2010, was that it originated in civil society and widespread public engagement characterised its enactment process. The paper explores the factors that encouraged different actors to agree to enact the law. There are, however, not many examples of parliament–CSO interaction in the legislative process. The paper identifies reasons that discourage engagement in other areas of public concern. Prominent among the reasons underlying weak public engagement in the legislative process are: monopoly of the government in the legislative process and its eagerness to pass laws in haste, dominance of part-timers in parliament, legal restriction on ‘independent’ voting in parliament, over-centralization of power in political parties and politicisation of CSOs.     

RR v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: Empowering Tribunals to Enforce the Human Rights Act 1998

In RR v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – follow-on litigation from the high-profile bedroom tax cases – the Supreme Court handed down a judgment which has significant implications for social security law, the interpretation of the Human Rights Act, the tribunals system, the judicial control of delegated legislation, and access to justice. Central, however, was the issue of the enforceability of human rights. We argue that the Supreme Court was not only justified in its interpretation of the Human Rights Act but that it has made the protections of the Act more easily enforceable.     

刑法立法模式的刑事政策考察

刑法立法模式是指国家立法机关在进行刑法立法时所采用的标准样式。纵观现代世界各国的立法现状,刑法立法模式主要有单一法典型立法模式、特别刑法立法模式、判例型刑法立法模式和修正型刑法立法模式。每种刑法立法模式都有其各自的刑事政策功能。从中国刑法立法的现状看,主要存在以下问题:(1)没有形成固定、成熟的刑法立法模式;(2)刑法立法模式单一、呆板,缺乏活力;(3)刑法修正案模式不能适应刑法立法的全部需要;(4)附属刑法立法模式没有发挥应有的作用。为了适应国家打击和控制犯罪的需要,我国的刑法立法模式应当做如下调整:(1)建立刑法典、特别刑法和刑法修正案相结合的刑法立法模式;(2)根据刑事政策的需要选择不同的刑法立法模式;(3)调整附属刑法立法模式的结构。     

论税法的惩罚性规则

传统税法理论认为,经济性和规制性是税法的本质特征,惩罚性就其本身而言并非税收的主旨。但作为现代税法理论发展过程中逐渐显现出来的新要素,税法的惩罚性越来越受到社会各界的重视。本文旨在对税法惩罚性规则之内涵和产生机理进行分析,以期从税收和税法理论的高度探讨新时代的税法问题。     

Introduction: contact and domestic abuse

ABSTRACT

This article introduces the special issue of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law on contact disputes and allegations of domestic abuse. It first describes the aims and findings of the International Symposium on Contact Disputes and Allegations of Domestic Violence – Identifying Best Practices at which the papers in the special issue were originally presented. It then outlines the position in England and Wales regarding allegations of domestic abuse in child arrangements cases, highlighting the difference between the ‘law in the books’ and the ‘law in action’. Thirdly, it discusses the research evidence on another prominent international approach to domestic abuse allegations – legislative presumptions against custody or unsupervised visitation/contact for abusive parents. The experience of presumptions in the USA and New Zealand suggests that a similar gap between ‘law in the books’ and ‘law in action’ exists, together with potential problems of legislative drafting. Finally, the article outlines the contributions of the other papers in the special issue to our understanding of international approaches to ensuring safety for children and resident parents in family proceedings where allegations of domestic abuse are raised.     

我国财税法治建设的破局之路——困境与路径之审思

环顾经济、政治现代化的时代背景,财税法治建设是新时期改革进路中的重要环节,也是开创新局面的有效关口。面对着此群体利益与彼群体利益、稳定性与变革性、代议制民主与行政高效率等多重矛盾,难免使我们对前路进行再度审思。要突破僵局,亟需从摆正财税法的性质定位、调整立法主体的结构、加快立法或修法的进度、理顺立法与改革的关系等角度切入,通过整体、全面的路径构建,强化全国人大的税收同意权和预算审批权,进而达致财税法律体系完善、法治观念融贯、法权配置协调的"良法善治"目标。     

商事主体入典的法例考察与模式选择

商事主体立法史表明,完全融入民法典或分立嵌入商法典的立法方案都不足以适应商事主体的多样性、复杂性和易变性,商事主体单行法模式几乎成为当今两大法系不同国家或地区的共同选择。我国编纂《民法典》在定位商事主体时,应打破传统民商分立或民商合一的立法思维与理论禁锢,选择民法典总则一般性规定与商事特别法相结合的商事主体立法范式。     

Legislative Intentions and Counterfactu-als: Or,What One Can Still Learn from Dworkin's Critique of Legal Positivism

Riggs v. Palmer has become famous since Dworkin used it to show that legal positivism is defective. The debate over the merits of Dworkin's claims is still very lively. Yet not enough attention has been paid to the fact that the content of the statute at issue in Riggs was given by the counterfactual intention of the legislature. According to arguments from legislative intent, a judicial decision is justified if it is based on the lawmaker's intention. But can legislative intentions be determined counterfactually? More generally, what are the discursive commitments undertaken by a lawyer or a judge, in an exchange of legal reasons, when using this interpretive methodology? This paper addresses these issues considering, in particular, David Lewis's “resemblance” condition and “relevant similarity” between possible worlds in the evaluation of counterfactual statements. The analysis sheds some new light on the debate on theoretical disagreements and shows that Dworkin's conception of law as an argumentative practice is not necessarily at odds with legal positivism. It rather allows us to look at it under a better light.     

中国金融税制的问题分析与立法完善

健全的金融税制是促进中国金融业稳健发展的重要条件。从中国金融税制的现状与现行金融税制存在的问题来看,在我国金融市场进一步开放和经济全球化的新形势下,应当将金融税制的构建放在更加突出的地位,按照税收法定原则的要求,进一步完善立法程序,努力建立公平、科学和健全的现代金融税制。     

Arkansas Legislative Reforms Provide Framework for Change While Supporting Parens Patriae Philosophy of Juvenile Court

Changes in Arkansas's juvenile laws resulting from the school shootings in Jonesboro impacted two separate issues of the juvenile court process. The first law changed aspects of transfer provisions for processing juveniles as adults. Secondly, the law created new provisions allowing blended sentencing for juveniles who commit certain enumerated offenses. Both provisions are examined in this article. The authors examine the impact those changes had on the types and numbers of cases handled by the court and argue that the framework provided by Arkansas's Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction law illustrates a legislative response to juvenile violence that supports the concept of parens patriae and promotes the original purpose for which juvenile courts were created while balancing concerns for public safety.     

Research on Gender and the Law: Where Are We Going,Where Have We Been?

This article provides an overview of issues related to research on gender and the law. Following a discussion of the ways in which gender and the law interact, we assess the extent to which Law and Human Behavior (LHB) has addressed the issue of gender. Specifically, we present the results of our analysis of the role of gender in articles published in LHB from 1990 through 1996. We discuss the relatively few gender-relevant studies that appeared, as well as comment upon the attention given to gender by research with other primary foci. We then discuss various strategies for conducting gender research and their implications for research on gender and the law. We conclude by introducing the articles in this special issue on gender and the law, commenting on how they add to our accumulated knowledge in this area.     

Congressional Arts Caucus Legislative Summary 99th Congress

Abstract

The following legislative summary is an unusual choice for the journal to print, but we feel it summarizes a number of disparate and important facts that our readers might value in a single source. Like a previous report of the Institute of Museum Services some issues ago, this summary is more an internal document than an article in the traditional sense. We feel it could use a broader dissemination.

Of particular interest are the changes in legislation for the Arts and Humanities Reauthorization FY 1986–1990 since they reflect policy-related decisions that are perhaps a microcosm of some of the major issues emerging during the twenty-year history of our National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. These changes also reflect problems that practitioners—in particular, arts managers—will be dealing with on a daily basis and in very specific terms over the next half decade. These include access to the arts and humanities for those people in rural areas and in underrepresented groups, greater restrictions for those who sit in judgment on their peers, either on the National Council or as panelists, and a mandate for stronger reporting procedures both before and after grant awards.

The summary of the 1986 Tax Reform Act Provides a quick review of a Subject that is already emotionally chrged, especially since, in the name of “tax simplification,” confusion seems to have increased in the minds of all but a few seers and interpreters. The public laws section and the list of pending legislation will give the reader a broad view of the kinds of advocacy concerns the arts community can rally around. From the National Anthem to copyright to issue of violence on television, the Congressional Arts Caucus has provided us with an important overview of legislation in the field.     

论我国刑法立法解释的目标——兼论我国刑法解释的目标

西方法学界所指称的刑法解释目标，实质上是指法官的刑法适用解释的目标，而我国刑法解释体制仅包括刑法立法解释和带有普适性的刑法司法解释两类，并不承认法官的刑法适用解释。长期以来，我国理论界在探讨我国刑法解释目标的选择时，大多是针对刑法司法解释而言，忽视了刑法立法解释自身的特殊性。依照各自的性质、特点及法治现状，我国刑法司法解释应采取以主观解释为主、客观解释为辅的折衷说，而刑法立法解释目标应当采取客观说，以最大限度地满足现实对法律的期盼的目标。     

《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》的实施机制

《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》实施机制的基础是条约义务。从国际层面上讲 ,实施机制的目的是监督《公约》在缔约国的执行 ;从国内层面上讲 ,缔约国应采取立法、司法等措施履行《公约》。这就要求缔约国在“条约必须信守”的原则之下 ,解决条约与国内法的关系问题 ,即在宪法中给条约以适当地位 ,以便于条约 (包括《公约》)在国内的适用 ,而不论是直接或是间接适用。这样才能达到国际社会制定《公约》而国家批准或加入《公约》的目的 ,也才可能改变《公约》实施机制软弱乏力的局面。     

中国企业所得税法的改革趋向

中国企业所得税法的根本性改革是税法改革的重点。它直接关系到中央与地方,政府与企业,企业与企业之间权益的合理调整。构建公司所得税法是改革的目标。围绕这个目标,改革应通过合理配置税权增强中央的宏观调控权和地方对公共产品的供给能力,通过降低税率提高税收的效率,通过合理配置优惠政策,实现企业公平竞争和经济社会协调发展。同时,选择科学的税法理论、正确的税收政策与社会发展背景作为分析框架,是达到企业所得税法改革的目标的较好路径。     

The thin red line: Refocusing data protection law on ADM,a global perspective with lessons from case-law

This article explores existing data protection law provisions in the EU and in six other jurisdictions from around the world - with a focus on Latin America - that apply to at least some forms of the processing of data typically part of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system. In particular, the article analyzes how data protection law applies to “automated decision-making” (ADM), starting from the relevant provisions of EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Rather than being a conceptual exploration of what constitutes ADM and how “AI systems” are defined by current legislative initiatives, the article proposes a targeted approach that focuses strictly on ADM and how data protection law already applies to it in real life cases. First, the article will show how GDPR provisions have been enforced in Courts and by Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) in the EU, in numerous cases where ADM is at the core of the facts of the case considered. After showing that the safeguards in the GDPR already apply to ADM in real life cases, even where ADM does not meet the high threshold in its specialized provision in Article 22 (“solely” ADM which results in “legal or similarly significant effects” on individuals), the article includes a brief comparative law analysis of six jurisdictions that have adopted general data protection laws (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, China and South Africa) and that are visibly inspired by GDPR provisions or its predecessor, Directive 95/46/EC, including those that are relevant for ADM. The ultimate goal of this study is to support researchers, policymakers and lawmakers to understand how existing data protection law applies to ADM and profiling.¹     

Legislative Transparency and Credit Risk

Open governance requirements are designed to improve accountability, which implies that transparent governments are more trustworthy stewards of their publicly invested power. However, transparency may also reduce institutional effectiveness and inhibit political compromise, diminishing the capacity to manage resources responsibly. We assess empirical support for these competing perspectives in the context of American state legislatures, many of which have become exempt from state sunshine laws in recent decades. We leverage variation in the timing of these legislative exemptions to identify the effect of removing transparency in a crucial governing institution on investors’ risk perceptions of states’ general obligation bonds. Our analysis of these data during the period 1995–2010 suggests that removing legislative transparency reduces state credit risk. We conclude that while openness in government may be normatively desirable, shielding legislative proceedings from public view may actually be better for states’ debt repayment capacity, improving their overall fiscal health.     

《行政许可法》对地方立法的影响

行政许可法颁布和施行的意义不仅仅局限于行政法治这一领域,而且以独特的视角为地方立法今后的发展提供了难得的参考。在地方立法理念上的变化体现为:平衡公益和私益,追求效益,立法应务实创新;对地方立法体制及立法技术的影响表现为:地方对行政许可设定具有很强的局限性,地方立法主体需重新认识和定位,注重以立法事项的性质确定立法主体,在权限上既赋予地方一定的专有立法权,同时对地方立法权进行一些具体的禁止作为补充,健全地方立法的具体内容,完善地方立法技术。即便如此,行政许可法仍对地方立法可能造成以下负面影响:首先是借行政许可法留下的可观的立法空间,扩大地方立法权;其次是由于行政审批改革与立法同步,立法中部门利益将会反弹。