Reconciling Independence and accountability at the European Central Bank: The false promise of Proceduralism

This article revisits the balancing act between independence and accountability at the European Central Bank (ECB). It contrasts procedural and substantive concepts of accountability, and challenges the mainstream idea that independence and accountability can be reconciled through narrow mandates, the indiscriminate increase of transparency, the creation of multiple channels of accountability, and the active use of judicial review. These assumptions form the pillars of a procedural type of accountability that promises to resolve the independence/accountability dilemma but fails to do so in practice. The article brings evidence to show how ECB accountability has become a complex administrative exercise that focuses on the procedural steps leading up to monetary and supervisory decisions while simultaneously limiting substantive accountability. The failure to acknowledge the trade‐off between independence and accountability (said to be ‘two sides of the same coin’) has resulted in a tendency to privilege the former over the latter.     

从理论向实践的回归——论我国犯罪构成中构成要件的排列顺序

从认识论的角度来说 ,犯罪构成理论应该具有理论和实践的双重功能 ,但我国的犯罪构成却难以发挥其实践功能。对于这个问题 ,笔者认为可以通过重新排列我国犯罪构成中构成要件的顺序来解决。新的犯罪构成应按照犯罪客观方面、犯罪客体、犯罪主观方面、犯罪主体的顺序排列。     

从理念到实践:临时仲裁制度构建初探

随着仲裁制度的国际化发展,我国《仲裁法》不承认临时仲裁的做法已经显得不合时宜,因为它限制了当事人选择纠纷解决方式的权利,压制了仲裁制度的活力。基于临时仲裁特有的灵活性、便捷性和普遍性,拟对临时仲裁制度的理论和实践进行考察,进而对临时仲裁制度在中国的发展前景提出一些设想和建议。     

From Theory to Practice: National and Regional Application of the Guiding Principles

The 1951 Refugee Convention affords protection for those whocross a border, but there is no specific legally binding instrumentfor internally displaced persons (IDPs). As of December 2007,there were an estimated 26 million IDPs in the world. The 1998Guiding Principles are, in and of themselves, soft law, andthey emphasise that the primary responsibility and duty to provideprotection and humanitarian assistance to IDPs lies with thestate in whose jurisdiction they are found. The Guiding Principlesare an excellent tool for the development of national policiesand laws on internal displacement. Nevertheless, without effectiveimplementation and an independent judiciary, as well as disseminationand awareness, these national laws remain pieces of paper thatonly give the impression that measures have been taken. If individualsare not provided with effective mechanisms to access their rights,and if governments do not develop systems to review their effectiveness,then we are little better off than before the national policieswere developed. This article will consider the cases of Colombia,Turkey and Angola to determine the scope of the laws, theirconcurrence with international principles, as well as theirpractical effectiveness for those displaced.     

From Balance to Conflict: A New Constitution for the EU

As the crisis (and the Union's response to it) further develops, one thing appears clear: the European Union post‐crisis will be a very different animal from the pre‐crisis EU. This article offers an alternative model for the EU's constitutional future. Its objective is to invert the Union's current path‐dependency: changes to the way in which the Union works should serve to question, rather than entrench, its future objectives and trajectory. The paper argues that the post‐crisis EU requires a quite different normative, institutional and juridical framework. Such a framework must focus on reproducing the social and political cleavages that underlie authority on the national level and that allow divisive political choices to be legitimised. This reform project implies reshaping the prerogatives of the European institutions. Rather than seeking to prevent or bracket political conflict, the division of institutional competences and tasks should be rethought in order to allow the EU institutions to internalise within their decision‐making process the conflicts reproduced by social and political cleavages. Finally, a reformed legal order must play an active role as a facilitator and container of conflict over the ends of the integration project.     

妨害药品管理罪:从依附到独立

妨害药品管理罪是《刑法修正案(十一)》新设的罪名,该罪名的设立弥补了《药品管理法》将"按假药论处"的情形删除以后出现的处罚漏洞,并将妨害药品管理的行为与生产、销售假药罪相分离,实现了罪名设置的合理化.妨害药品管理罪的四种行为可以归为两种类型:违反行政许可生产、进口以及销售药品的行为;骗取药品注册、编造生产、检验记录的行...     

中国人民银行独立性：条文分析与规范重构

中央银行独立性主要是指中央银行制定和执行货币政策的自主性，是中央银行法律地位的核心问题。人民银行独立性不断增强是我国中央银行法律制度建立健全的重要趋势特征。2003年修正的《人民银行法》第2、5、11、12、29、30及38条是目前人民银行独立性的主要法律规范。分析人民银行的独立性，除法律条文的文义性辨析外，还应当探求条文的历史与现实，并在人民银行实际独立性的基础上，进行有关制度重新设计。     

民初大理院审判独立的制度与实践

清末颁行之《法院编制法》首倡审判独立 ,可是成效未彰清室已亡。民国初期 ,民国北京政府所颁行之宪法文件皆明定审判独立原则 ,当时的最高法院———大理院依照宪法原则以及法院编制法 ,厉行审判独立 ,其影响横向及于其他中央机关 ,纵向影响及于地方司法机关 ,可谓最大限度地排除了其他机关对审判权的干涉。然而民国初期正值军阀混战、政局纷扰之际 ,大理院所致力的审判独立事业亦难免为时局所累。     

Norway and Emissions Trading: From Global Front-Runner to EU Follower

A striking convergence has taken place in the design of the Norwegian and EU greenhouse gas emissions trading systems from 1998 to 2004. This article argues that the Norwegian adaptation to the EU did not take place as a consequence of perceived legal obligations under the European Economic Area agreement. Nor did it take place due to Norwegian actors being persuaded about the merits of the EU design. The main explanation has to do with interests. The EU market and politics are of course generally very important for Norway. However, before the US pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001, the Norwegian outlook in climate politics was global. The US pull-out accelerated the development and hence the attractiveness of the EU trading system and resulted in EU emissions trading as the most probable and possibly only international market for Norway to link up to. Hence, this analysis provides further support to the importance of being sensitive to the global context and institutional interaction when analyzing the relationship between the EU and its neighboring countries.     

What Does Free Movement Mean in Theory and Practice in an Enlarged EU?

Abstract The purpose of this article is to review the main challenges to the principle of free movement of persons in theory and practice in an enlarged European Union. The right to move freely represents one of the fundamental freedoms of the internal market as well as an essential political element of the package of rights linked to the very status of EU citizenship. The scope ratione personae and the current state of the principle of free movement of persons is assessed by looking at the most recent case law of the Court of Justice and the recently adopted Directive on the rights of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States. But what are the hidden and visible obstacles to free movement of persons in Europe? How can these barriers be overcome to make free movement and residence rights more inclusive? This article addresses these issues along with the following questions: Who are the beneficiaries of the free movement of persons in an enlarged Europe? What is the impact of the recent legal developments in the freedom of movement dimension, such as the European Court of Justice case law and the new Directive? And to what extent are pro‐security policies such as the Schengen Information System II and an enhanced interoperability between European databases fully compatible with the freedom of movement paradigm?     

From Protecting to Promoting: Evolving EU Sex Equality Norms in an Organisational Field

This paper builds on a process–oriented approach which examines constitutionalism with respect to both legislation and social practices. Drawing on the institutionalist concept of the organisational field it provides tools for explaining the emergence of the distinct connectedness and isomorphism of European sex equality norms. The paper elucidates the shifting meaning of sex equality in the field of employment on the one hand, as it demonstrates the close ties between sex equality law and the constitutional status of gender norms on the other. Contrary to both the intergovernmentalist and neo–functionalist approaches in European integration studies, the concept of 'institutionalist field' allows for explication of shifting institutional demands that work beyond the rational interests of the nation–state. The field approach thus emphasises the interrelation between legal and political actors and their respective shared cognition which defines what bears meaning.     

论台湾的法律地位兼驳台独理论

根据国际法理论和实践 ,结合台湾问题的历史和现实 ,可以得出结论 :台湾是中国领土的一部分 ;自 1949年新中国成立以来 ,中央政府对于台湾领土享有国家主权 ;台湾当局早已不是中国的合法代表 ,而是一个类似于交战团体的中国地方叛乱政府 ,无权从中国分离而宣布独立 ,中央政府对于台湾当局的交战权是国际法所认可的 ,中央政府有权保留最终以武力手段解决台湾问题 ;任何国家对于台湾的承认只能限于对一国内战中“交战团体”的承认 ,或者根本否认其国际地位 ,并负有不支持台湾当局对抗中国政府的义务 ,严禁干涉中国内政     

Creating Entrepreneurial Universities in the UK: Applying Entrepreneurship Theory to Practice

In the modern knowledge economy higher educational institutions are being required to operate more entrepreneurially, commercialising the results of their research and spinning out new, knowledge-based enterprises. Like most large organisations, particularly those operating in the public sector, they are not traditionally suited to this role and often face the same sort of barriers to intrapreneurial activity as their counterparts in the private sector. In this note, the theories of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship development are used to identify what needs to be done and a case example is provided.     

从“管控论”到“治理论”:司法改革的一个面向

在改革开放三十多年来经济情势变迁背景下,我国法院系统已面临愈来愈多的挑战,因此必须向治理模式下的司法功能转变.司法仅是多元纠纷解决方式中的一种;法院是法官居中裁判的场所;司法应公开、法官应独立,并以此来衡量新一轮司法改革蓝图.自由贸易试验区建设是司法试验的一条现实途径,而通过司法试验,及时总结可复制可推广的司法经验,将成就司法改革的顺利进行.     

从实践到理论:我国商标俗称保护规则研究——兼评美国“公众使用”规则

在同时涉及元商标权人1、第三方主体2、社会公众多方利益的商标俗称、简称、昵称、译名等纠纷中,相关利益的归属及分配问题在司法实践中颇有争议。为协调商标法中制造商激励与消费者保护两大价值目标的冲突,我国近来由商标主动使用论转向了被动使用论,美国司法实务则创造了公众使用规则。然而,对我国而言,被动使用论实不可取,美国公众使用规则仅有些许参考价值。实际上,纷繁复杂的表象背后仍是商誉、识别性和显著性等问题。唯有拨开迷雾,探究俗称保护的本质、正当性和必要性,才能合理界定我国商标俗称的保护范围和条件,在此基础上探寻与我国传统商标法理论及现行立法和谐融洽的裁判规则。     

从法条的公司法到实践的公司法

人们对公司法规范结构的不同分类,其本质都是在讨论一个问题,即当事人的意思在适用公司法规范中有多大空间。并且,任何对公司法规范结构的讨论,都试图在解决公司法适用中的自由与强制的协调。违反公司法强制性规范并不当然使违反行为无效。是否使违反行为无效,应取决于强制性规范的具体性质与立法目的。讨论公司章程对公司法适用的影响时,应该注意公司章程到底有多大的自由空间。公司章程可以根据本公司的特点和特殊要求,规定不同于或不完全同于公司法的规则。而这些规则,可以优先适用于法律、行政法规,包括公司法的规定。     

Bahrain: Central Bank of Bahrain succeeds Bahrain Monetary Agency

The Central Bank of Bahrain came into existence on 7 Septemberand has taken over all the tasks previously conducted by theBahrain Monetary Agency (‘BMA’). The Central Bankof Bahrain and Financial Institutions Law (‘CBB Law’)issued by Decree No. 64 of 2006 gives the CBB strong operationalindependence and a wider range of enforcement powers. The CBBLaw has also replaced the Insurance Law (Legislative DecreeNo. 17     

环境税改革:经济学机理、欧盟的实践及启示

为实现可持续发展目标,各国政府更多地选择采用市场激励工具促进绿色增长。作为市场激励工具的环境税,主要通过政策安排矫正商品和服务的价格将外部效应内部化,激励经济实体进行理性选择。基于收入中性原则的双重红利理论表明,通过环境税改革将环境税收入用来降低现存税制对资本和劳动产生的扭曲,可以实现绿色增长。欧盟国家构建可持续发展绿色税制,实行绿色税收转移的环境税改革实践证实,经精心设计的环境税改革可以实现经济、社会和环境三赢,其实践的一般经验对我国环境税改革具有一定的启示和借鉴意义。     

从欧盟立法看动物福利法的独立性

价值理念、调整对象和调整规则是否具有独特性是评价法律门类是否独立的标准。欧盟动物福利法把保护动物生命与福利作为核心的价值理念,不仅调整人与人之间关于这些动物的关系,还调整人对这些动物的单向保护行为。欧盟动物福利法的调整规则,无论是其类型还是调整方法,均体现了动物福利全面和全过程保护的要求。动物福利立法的这些特点,是卫生法、农业法、环境资源法、经济法、商法、社会保障法所不具有或者不全部具有的。因此,动物福利法是一个独立的部门法。最后,本文对动物福利法的公法性质进行了阐述。