EU accession and the hardening of soft budget constraints: some macro evidence

The hardening of soft budget constraints (SBCs) is a central element in transforming the economies of Central and Eastern Europe into market economies. This paper presents macro evidence on budget hardening of transition economies comparing the performance of EU accession countries relative to non-accession countries. We estimate SBC hardening for 21 transition economies in a partial adjustment model by measuring the reaction of employment to output changes over a 10-year period. The paper finds that accession candidates have reduced excess labour demand substantially relative to non-accession countries.

自然保护区资源保护管理社会性收费问题法律探究

资金紧缺是我国自然保护区发展所面临的最大制约因素与现实困难;依靠财政主投入的渠道单一且不规范、欠稳定的现实矛盾亟待克服,社会性收费作为一种新的市场化的、有效的资金筹集机制应运而生。文章基于相关理论分析与实践探索,通过对我国实行自然保护区社会性收费的重要性、必要性、可行性及其途径方式、法律规制等相关问题的论证,提出相应的立法建议与管理制度创新思路,以期推动自然保护区资金筹措新机制的创设。     

Inside versus outside lobbying: How the institutional framework shapes the lobbying behaviour of interest groups

Different types of interest groups use different lobbying strategies. This article presents an investigation of this already well‐established hypothesis once more, but additionally proposes that the institutional framework of the country in which interest groups operate also influences their lobbying behaviour. More specifically, it is shown that groups working in the interest of the public are better integrated into the policy‐making process when direct democratic instruments, such as referendums, occur regularly (as in Switzerland) than when referendums are the exception (Germany). The article demonstrates that Swiss cause groups – often also referred to as ‘public interest groups’ in the literature – use a more balanced mixture of insider and outsider strategies than their German peers, but also that this moderating effect cannot be found for specific interest groups, such as industry groups or unions.     

Matching tire tracks on the head using forensic photogrammetry

In the field of the documentation of forensics-relevant injuries, from the reconstructive point of view, the forensic, CAD-supported photogrammetry plays an important role; particularly so when a detailed 3-D reconstruction is vital. This is demonstrated with a soft-tissue injury to the face caused by being run over by a car tire. Since the objects (injury and surface of the tire) to be investigated will be evaluated in virtual space, they must be series photographed. These photo sequences are then evaluated with the RolleiMetric multi-image evaluation system. This system measures and calculates the spatial location of points shown in the photo sequences, and creates 3-D data models of the objects.In a 3-D CAD program, the model of the injury is then compared against the model of the possible injury-causing instrument.The validation of the forensic, CAD-supported photogrammetry, as shown by the perfect 3-D match between the tire tread and the facial injury, demonstrates how greatly this 3-D method surpasses the classic 2-D overlay method (one-to-one photography).     

Sachpolitik oder Parteipolitik?

The article analyzes the roll call voting behavior of German Länder governments in the Bundesrat from 1990 to 2005. We examine if, when, and to what extent the German Bundesrat is dominated by federal party politics rather than by an appropriate conflict of policy interest between states and state governments. We develop and apply a method to separate the effect of policy preferences and of parties’ politics on the voting behavior of Länder governments.     

FAMILY DISPUTE RESOLUTION: CHARTING A COURSE FOR THE FUTURE

This article summarizes ideas for future directions in the field of family dispute resolution, as discussed by legal experts, social scientists, and other participants at the Indiana University–Bloomington conference on family dispute resolution. Five major categories of future directions were discussed: (1) clarifying differing goals for work in this field; (2) recognizing, understanding, and assessing for heterogeneity among couples and families facing divorces, break ups in adult relationships, and reconfigurations of adult relationships with the children ("relationship dissolution"); (3) testing our assumptions and commonly held beliefs about relationship dissolution; (4) empirically testing the efficacy of interventions for families experiencing relationship dissolution; and (5) disseminating research findings to those on the frontline.