Governmental and Societal Support for Environmental Enforcement in China: An Empirical Study in Guangzhou

The enforcement behaviour of environmental officials in developing countries has not received adequate attention despite enormous challenges to regulatory enforcement in those areas. Accordingly, this article examines the relationship between perceptions of support from local governments and society and evaluations of enforcement effectiveness. A model in which organisational commitment partially mediates these relationships was tested using a sample of 202 enforcement officials in Guangzhou, China. The findings confirm a partial mediating role for organisational commitment and an interaction effect between government and societal support. A plot of this interaction reveals that when enforcement officials perceive high levels of governmental support, societal support further enhances their perceptions of enforcement effectiveness. However, when they perceive government support to be low, higher levels of societal support appear to diminish their assessments of enforcement effectiveness.     

The Politics of Policing the Anti-WTO Protests in Hong Kong

The confrontations between anti-World Trade Organisation (WTO) protestors and Hong Kong police proved that their earlier encounters brought about uncompromising attitudes and escalating activities on both sides. As a result, riots on the penultimate day of the WTO meeting were inevitable. Applying David Waddington's flashpoint model, this article shows that other factors at the structural, political/ideological, cultural, contextual and situational levels were at play, creating an environment conducive to violence. Waddington's model provides a useful framework for us to comprehend the interactional dynamics of the anti-WTO protests in Hong Kong. However, it has neglected the possibility of an interactive bond between protestors and the public. The contextual uniqueness of forging a dynamic relationship between protestors and the public can enrich Waddington's analytical framework.     

Trade mark invalidated on ground of copyright infringement

The Registrar of Trade Marks ordered invalidation of a registeredtrade mark that was a copy of the whole of the applicant's mark‘MAX BRENNER & Device’, where use of the disputedmark was liable to be prevented by the applicant's earlier copyrightunder the provisions of the Copyright Ordinance.     

随意伪装笔迹及其检验

随意伪装笔迹是故意伪装笔迹的一种，具有故意伪装笔迹的共性特征，但由于它是书写人凭自己主观意识，不借助任何特殊手段，不追求某种固定形式，任意改变自己的笔迹。随意伪装笔迹具有伪装意识的不确定性、盲目性和伪装结果的欺骗性的基本特点，决定了该笔迹伪装类型较多。检验时首先要注意区分是否为伪装，然后再进行下一步的检验。     

Modeling and testing the diffusion of expectations: An EITM approach

This paper uses the empirical implications of theoretical models (EITM) framework to examine the consequences of the asymmetric diffusion of expectations. In the spirit of the traditional two-step flow model of communication, less-informed agents learn the expectations of more-informed agents. We find that when there is misinterpretation in the information acquisition process, a boomerang effect exists. In this equilibrium the less-informed agents’ forecasts confound those of more-informed agents. We apply the EITM approach to a key economic variable known to have a relation to economic fluctuations – inflation expectations. Using surveyed inflation expectations data for the period, 1978–2000, we find the boomerang effect exists. One implication of this finding pertains to economic policy and economic volatility: because policymakers have more information than the public, the boomerang effect can lead policymakers to make inaccurate forecasts of economic conditions and conduct erroneous policies which contribute to economic instability.     

New forensic approach to age determination in children based on tooth eruption

The present study proposes equations for age determination both in living and dead children, obtained with the help of stepwise ascending multiple linear regression. The equations should be applied, based on the number of erupted teeth and tooth germs, which were detected on radiographs, during clinical examination and in infant skeletal remains. The proposed equations proved to be efficient just like Demirjian's method used as a reference today, and permit age estimation till 20 years of age.     

扩大公共政策过程中的公民参与

在现代民主社会中 ,公民拥有公共政策主体和客体的双重身份 ,但对于公共政策过程中的公民参与和管理的重视还远远不够。因此 ,本文拟从背景、功能、现状及存在问题和对策等几个方面 ,对公共政策过程中的公民参与加以论述 ,以启发对这一问题的重新思考和认识。