Campaign‐Style Enforcement and Regulatory Compliance

This article examines the recoupling mechanism of campaign‐style enforcement and its effects on environmental regulatory compliance. Drawing on the policy implementation literature and institutional theory, the authors develop a conceptual model of campaign‐style enforcement in which both resource mobilization and power redistribution are theorized to address decoupling problems in regulatory compliance. The two‐pathway recoupling mechanism is evidenced by an empirical investigation of the implementation of China's energy conservation and emission reduction policy as part of that country's 11th Five‐Year Plan. Findings suggest that campaign‐style enforcement can effectively improve regulatory compliance when it addresses the efficiency/legitimacy conflict by providing policy incentives and reorganizing a clear hierarchy of political authority. The article concludes with a discussion of the strengths and limitations of campaign‐style enforcement.     

A very slow BF variant (S085) detected in a Japanese population

Using high-voltage agarose gel electrophoresis and immunofixation a very slow BF variant was detected in a Japanese person living in Yamanashi district. The family analysis suggested the hereditary occurrence of a new allele, BF*S085.     

Immunologic characterization of human seminal leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and its medicolegal use

A new method for identification of seminal stains is described, based on the immunologic demonstration of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), which is extremely abundant in human semen and specific for the prostate as well as semen. An antiserum against human seminal plasma was obtained by repeated immunization of rabbits with seminal plasma and Freund's adjuvant. Ouchterlony's double immunodiffusion test and Culliford's precipitin electrophoresis were performed to demonstrate specific proteins of seminal plasma. LAP activity was visualized with L-leucyl-beta-naphthylamide as substrate and with Fast Garnet GBC as coupler. The immunologic analysis of LAP produced two precipitin lines with enzyme activity. One was observed in kidney, jejunum, pancreas, prostate, as well as in semen, and was completely absorbed with kidney homogenates. The other was found only in semen and the prostate and was not absorbed with kidney homogenates. When the anti-seminal plasma serum absorbed with the kidney was used, the semen-specific LAP could be demonstrated by precipitin electrophoresis only in seminal stains stored for up to 2 months, whereas it was not demonstrated in stains from other human body fluids. By means of precipitin electrophoresis the detection of the semen-specific LAP was possible at semen dilutions of up to 1:32. The method described here greatly enhances the value of semen identification and is quite recommendable for the examination of stains in medico-legal practice.     

A turning point in Argentine politics: demands for change and territorial cleavages in the 2015 presidential election

The 2015 national, subnational, executive and legislative elections marked a turning point for Argentina's democratic history. For the first time, a non-Peronist centre-right coalition won the presidency. These elections also inaugurated the first non-Peronist governor of the Province of Buenos Aires in almost 30 years. This article tries to make sense of these elections, which represent a significant shift in the country's political direction. We argue that the incumbent left-party (Peronist Frente para la Victoria) faced a combination of electoral fatigue and mounting economic challenges. Sluggish economic growth and unabated inflation created an anti-incumbent demand for change, alienated the middle class and deepened territorial cleavages between the agricultural central region and the peripheral provinces. Against this backdrop, the combination of a unified opposition and a fragmented Peronism led to Mauricio Macri's victory. We also explore the challenges that the newly elected president faces, including minority in Congress and among governors.     

Congressional Institutionalization: A Cross‐National Comparison

This article explains variations in levels of institutionalization across legislatures of the world. It construes institutionalization as an equilibrium outcome that emerges from beliefs and investments made by political actors. Drawing insights from work on US congressional institutionalization and congressional organization, and on comparative party system institutionalization, it provides an index to measure congressional institutionalization. Using this index, it explores the constitutional factors that affect levels of congressional institutionalization. The empirical results raise a warning with respect to building comparative implications from an excessive focus on one particular case.     

Environmental management by law in China: The Guangzhou experience∗

Taking enviornmental management in Guangzhou as an example, this article explores the theory and practice of Communist China's idea of “environmental management by law.” Based on the Guangzhou experience, it argues that environmental management by law in China is mainly an administrative system of environmental management which takes law strictly as a tool for efficient and effective environmental protection. This system is operated on the principle of ‘rule by law’, and is the antithesis of the Maoist practice of “rule by person.” Contrary to its Western counterpart, China's environmental management system is built on a state‐centered conception of administrative law instead of a ‘right‐centered’ one which is the core of the ‘rule of law’ tradition.