Foreign exchange interventions in a small emerging market: the case of Croatia

This paper studies the impact of daily official foreign exchange interventions on the exchange rates in Croatia for the period from 1996 to 2004. Using the event study methodology and a variety of GARCH models reveals that the Croatian central bank was in a position to influence, to some extent, the level of the exchange rate during the period studied. This lends support to the view that foreign exchange intervention may be effective in emerging market economies.     

关于建立犯罪被害人国家补偿制度的思考

最近几年的几个典型案件体现了我国犯罪被害人及其亲属因罪犯无力赔偿致使合法权益无法得到恢复的现实问题,限于中国国情,结合相对合理主义的观点,中国应建立和刑事附带民事诉讼相接轨的犯罪被害人国家补偿制度。     

A study of the effects of a Micelle Encapsulator Fire Suppression Agent on dynamic headspace analysis of fire debris samples

The effects of a Micelle Encapsulator Fire Suppression Agent (F-500, Hazard Control Technologies Inc., Fayetteville, Georgia) on the routine analysis of fire debris samples by Gas Chromatography (GC) were studied. When mixed with water the product can be used in the suppression of Class A and Class B fires. Laboratory tests were performed to determine whether or not the product has any effect on the analysis for ignitable liquids by GC, in particular for gasoline, medium petroleum distillates. and heavy petroleum distillates. Test burns were suppressed using either the micelle encapsulator or water and samples collected from these burns were analyzed. The results of analysis show that use of the micelle encapsulator at a fire scene may affect the chromatographic data obtained from samples collected by the investigator. However, the effect does not prevent the identification of common ignitable liquids in fire debris samples.     

Crafting village democracy in China: The roles, networking, and strategies of provincial elites

There is no obvious and direct correlation between the provincial level of economic development and democratic level of village elections. There is a great disparity in the level of rural democratization and the implementation of village self-governance among and within provinces. The modernization model alone cannot explain why village elections work well in some provinces but not in others. This paper looks at the political elite’s ongoing efforts at provincial level to conduct village elections and implement village self-governance in rural China. These efforts include the strategies for crafting village democracy employed by provincial elites: elite cooperation, local legislature, political responsibility, political programming, and the art of balancing party leadership and village elections. He has published extensively on China’s village elections and local governance. He is author and coauthor of several books. His current research interests include the development of non-state, local governance, and political participation. The author gratefully acknowledges the anonymous reviewers, Professor He Baogang of Deakin University and Professor Zhong Yang of University of Tennessee for their suggestions on an earlier draft. My special thanks to Professor Joseph Fewsmith of Boston University, Professor Tan Qingshan of Cleveland State University, and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments, as well as to East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore for providing support for this research.     

Intentional and unintentional injuries across health regions in Alberta, Canada: an implication for policy

The growing practice of including intentional injuries (suicide and interpersonal violence) under the injury control umbrella has produced some controversy. The present study was designed to determine whether or not there might be an empirical basis for this initiative from an ecological point of view by examining the associations among unintentional and intentional injuries across 17 geographically defined health regions. The study was set in the Province of Alberta, Canada, where health services were delivered to a population of 2.96 million persons in 1999 through 17 regional health authorities. The results of a principal components analysis showed that nearly all causes of injury-hospitalization loaded on a single factor. It was not possible to produce separate factors for intentional and unintentional injuries. The strong intercorrelation among all measures suggests that there is an empirical basis for the view that intentional and unintentional injuries belong under the same conceptual umbrella, at least at the ecological level.     

Art. 20a GG in der Hand des Bundesverfassungsgerichts – Potential für einen Anspruch auf Gesetzgebung?

Natur und Recht - Als allein objektive Verfassungsnorm kann Art. 20a GG für sich genommen dem Einzelnen kein subjektives Recht auf Klima-Gesetzgebung verleihen. Hieran ändert auch der...