‘Playing the Judicial Card’: Litigation Strategies during the Process of Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty

During the process of ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, a number of constitutional jurisdictions were activated by political actors. In playing ‘the judicial card’, opponents of ratification decided to seek political goals through judicial means, and thus they were obliged to develop litigation strategies. This article explores such strategies and the responses that courts gave them. It shows that constitutional proceedings with regards to the Lisbon Treaty became a political battleground governed by legal logics, in which the interpretation of European clauses, the democratic deficit of the Union and the tensions underlying the European judicial dialogue were privileged objects of discussion between claimants and courts in which law and politics intertwined.     

Childhood abuse and neurocognitive performance in adulthood: a preliminary study of executive functioning in offenders

Childhood abuse has an important negative influence on long-term executive functioning performance. Although this has been studied in non-offenders (controls), few investigations have examined offender samples. The aims of this study were: to study the influence of childhood abuse history on adulthood executive functioning in offenders, and to examine whether executive performance is affected differentially by different abusive events. It was found that in comparison with controls (n?=?17) and with non-abused offenders (n?=?22), the abused offenders (n?=?18) have poorer performance on psychomotor-cognitive processing speed and cognitive flexibility. In abused offenders, it was also found that physical abuse events primarily and significantly affected adulthood performance in these cognitive abilities. In conclusion, this study helps us to know, preliminarily, the neurocognitive profile of abused offenders and how different abusive events suffered in childhood (e.g. physical and emotional abuse) differentially affect executive functioning of this sample.     

Fat embolism syndrome associated with atraumatic compartment syndrome of the bilateral upper extremities: An unreported etiology

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a potentially life-threatening condition that develops when fat embolism leads to clinical symptoms and multisystem dysfunction. The classic triad of respiratory distress, neurologic symptoms, and petechial rash are non-specific, and the lack of specific laboratory tests makes the diagnosis of FES difficult. Although FES is most common after long bone fractures, multiple conditions some of which are atraumatic have been associated with the development of FES. We report a case of FES that occurred in the setting of a non-traumatic compartment syndrome of the upper extremities. The pathologic and clinical findings, pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and pathologic methods to properly diagnose FES are discussed with a review of the relevant literature. This case highlights the importance of the autopsy in making a diagnosis of FES in cases where death could otherwise be incorrectly attributed to multi-organ system failure, shock, or sepsis.     

我国个人信息法律保护路径研究

我国现行法律体系中对于个人信息方面的法律规制仍显苍白,并未给予充分保护。为了充分保护个人信息权,规范信息流转制度,维护数字社会的信息安全,亟需深刻研究我国个人信息法律保护路径,构建健全的公民权利制度保障体系,推进实现信息化社会可持续发展。     

The impact of consumer advocates on regulatory policy in the electric utility sector

We examine the effect of consumer advocate participation in administrative procedures on regulatory policy. We use a unique panel database of rate reviews conducted for US electric utilities from 1980 to 2007 to assess how state consumer advocates affect Public Utility Commission decisions on utilities’ allowed financial returns and rate structures. We find first that utilities experience fewer rate reviews in states with consumer advocates, consistent with utilities strategically postponing requests for rate increases. Second, after controlling for observed and unobserved state characteristics, we find that PUCs in states with consumer advocates permit returns on equity that are on average 0.45 percentage points lower than states without advocates—equivalent to a $7.9 million (3.7 %) reduction in average utility operating income, all else equal. Third, consumer advocates are associated with lower residential rates relative to other customer classes. Our findings provide statistical support for the thesis that institutionalizing interest group representation in administrative procedures is one way for legislatures indirectly to influence agency-determined policies.     

Are Voters More Likely to Contribute to Other Public Goods? Evidence from a Large‐Scale Randomized Policy Experiment

Voting has been described as a contribution to a public good. Are people who vote frequently therefore more likely to contribute to other public goods? Does partisanship affect how likely a person is to engage in these cooperative behaviors? Although surveys suggest that the answer to these questions is “Yes,” few empirical studies examine these questions using observed behaviors. We examine them in the context of a large‐scale, randomized controlled trial to induce voluntary action in a common‐pool resource dilemma. During a drought in the southeastern United States, pro‐social messages that encouraged water conservation were randomly assigned to 35,000 out of 106,000 households. Frequent voters in primary and general elections (1990–2008) were substantially more responsive to the messages, but there was no detectable difference in the responses of Republican and Democrat households. Our results suggest that internalized pro‐social preferences promote action for the public good across behavioral contexts.     

略论公安院校知识产权法课程的设置与教学

公安院校作为未来社会管理人的培育基地,对于未来警察的培养离不开知识产权意识的培育与养成。从提高公民知识产权意识和公安队伍执法能力看,公安院校具有开设知识产权法课程的必要性。针对目前公安院校存在的教学问题,应改革教学思路与方法,根据教学层次与专业方向设置知识产权法的教学课时,在教学中依据内容不同采取讲授法、图表法、练习法、比较法和案例分析法的教学方式,以提高学生分析和解决问题的能力。     

公安院校刑事侦查课程的教学改革探析

刑事侦查课程是公安院校的核心课程,虽然经过多年的改革,但在教学内容、教学模式和教学手段上还存在种种不足。为了适应新时期公安院校培养体制改革的需要,教学应贴近公安实战,注重核心能力的培养;真正发挥案例教学的优势;注重传统教学与现代教学手段的深度结合,以期培养适合公安工作需求的高端技术性人才。     

国际禁毒公约对我国禁毒刑事政策的启示

二十一世纪,毒品已成为一个国际性问题,对于全球政治、经济、文化构成了严重的威胁,我国毒品滥用及毒品犯罪的形势也日趋严峻。因此,有必要借鉴国际禁毒公约的理念和方法,结合我国具体国情,进一步完善我国禁毒刑事政策,以便更有效地遏制毒品滥用和毒品犯罪。     

跨世纪的求索:男女平等事业面临新的机遇与挑战

为求男女平等,中国妇女前赴后继,在阶级解放和民族解放的过程中,走出了一条中国特色的发展道路,男女平等也已从思想的幽灵,经由社会运动而被制度化并日益凝结为人们的行为准则.但是,我们对男女平等事业的艰难性、复杂性还缺乏足够的认识.在学习落实科学发展观的进程中,依然有人认为经济发展了男女平等就会自然而然地实现.妇女运动百年求索的进程反复说明,这种认识论上的惯性,不仅阻碍男女平等的进程,也影响社会公平正义与和谐发展的实现.我们应需要进一步变革传统,以期男女平等事业在经济社会发展的进程中与其同步发展.