Trust in Democratic Institutions in Germany: Theory and Evidence Ten Years After Unification

The German welfare state is in crisis. Alarming long-term demographic trends, the still not fully digested consequences of German unification and the current economic downturn in much of the Eurozone have combined to create an urgent need for welfare reform. Yet the constitutional arrangements which govern the German political system, and well-entrenched political practice, mean that any such reform process is a daunting challenge. Thus, the welfare crisis is also a crisis of German-style co-operative federalism. Current empirical evidence makes for uncomfortable reading, and triggers debate on the nature of the German federation: have the two constitutional principles of federalism and establishing equal living conditions throughout the federation become mutually exclusive? However, as much of the welfare state is centred on the best utilisation of scarce financial resources, it is debatable to what extent alterations in the functional distribution of welfare responsibilities among the territorial levels of government can be regarded as a solution for the current problems. The article concludes that in the search for long-term sustainability of the welfare state the territorial dimension is likely to remain a secondary issue.     

日本FTA战略论析

战后以来,日本曾长期奉行以"贸易立国"战略为指导、以多边贸易体制为框架的对外贸易政策,因为这一制度安排给日本带来了巨大的经济利益。但自20世纪90年代末起,日本对FTA和EPA的关注日渐升温,并逐步发展起一套系统、明确的FTA战略。从背景来看,其对外贸易政策的转向是国内外政治经济形势变化的产物。就性质而言,FTA战略是日本在新时代的"贸易立国"战略。处理好开放和保护的关系、克服多元官僚制的困境、重视日中FTA,是日本FTA战略不容回避的问题。     

Macroeconomic Implications of China Urban Housing Privatization, 1998–1999

This paper presents evidence on the context, magnitude, and probable macroeconomic impacts of the privatization of Chinese urban housing in the 1998–1999 period. Various sources suggest that approximately one half of urban housing stocks were sold by work units to their residents at prices likely between one-fifth and four-fifths of their fair value during the period in question. This transaction significantly increased the wealth of urban Chinese households and improved the cash flows of state-owned enterprises. The case demonstrates the reaction of Chinese economic policymaking to economic stresses, and the capacity of the Chinese state to manage the business cycle.     

THE MODERN CREATION OF CHINA’S ‘HISTORIC RIGHTS’ CLAIM IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

The overlapping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea threaten to spark conflict in East Asia. On several occasions in recent years, disputes over the right to extract oil and gas have caused clashes between Chinese and Southeast Asian vessels. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was agreed by almost all countries in 1982 to try to resolve such disagreements. However, the People's Republic of China is currently trying to claim rights that go beyond UNCLOS and infringe on the UNCLOS-based rights of the other claimants. It deploys two arguments in particular: that the archipelagos in the South China Sea collectively generate rights to maritime resources and that China enjoys ‘historic rights’ in the sea. Neither of these arguments is found within UNCLOS, however. This article explores the origin of these Chinese arguments and finds that the ‘historic rights’ claim can be traced to a single Taiwanese academic writing in the 1990s during a period of intense debate in Taiwan over its relationship with the PRC.     

对我国市场经济条件下人力资本理论及实践的思考

在社会主义现代化建设中,充分发挥广大劳动者的积极性是至关重要的,我们应认识到劳动力生产要素在社会生产活动中的主导作用,并承认其与物力资本对等的权力,才能发挥劳动者的主人翁作用,为企业摆脱生产经营困境、改善经营管理和实现国民经济的可持续发展发挥其根本性作用.     

Tool mark striations in pig skin produced by stabs from a serrated blade

Stab wounds produced by serrated blades are generally indistinguishable from stab wounds produced by non-serrated blades, except when visible tool mark striations are left on severed cartilage. Using a pig-skin experimental model, we explored the possibility that similar striations may be left in skin. Stabs into pig skin were made using a straight spine coarsely serrated blade (121), a drop point finely serrated blade (20), a clip point irregular coarsely serrated blade (20), a drop point coarsely serrated blade (15), and as controls 2 non-serrated blades (40). Tool mark striations could be seen on the skin wall of the stab canal in all stabs made using serrated blades but in none with non-serrated blades.The striation pattern, reflecting the class characteristics of the serrated blade, was the same as that described in cartilage but less well defined. Fixation of the specimen with Carnoy's solution best preserved visible striations, and fixation with formaldehyde after staining with 5% Neutral Red was also satisfactory. Casting with vinyl polysiloxane dental impression material greatly facilitated photo-documentation. Applying the technique to homicidal stabbings may help identify stab wounds produced with serrated blades.     

日本医师会医师赔偿责任保险制度介评

始建于1973年的日本医师会医师赔偿责任保险制度,经过近40年的发展,已成为日本医疗事故纠纷解决体系中的不可或缺的机制。该制度的实施不仅为医师供给了价格低廉的保险产品,还为医疗事故纠纷的解决提供便捷渠道。尽管这一制度还不尽完善,但这并不妨碍我们从中汲取经验和启示。