The state of public affairs in Austria

Following almost five decades of federal coalition government between Social Democrats and People's Party alongside an interest mediation system that gave exclusivity to only a few institutions, from 2000 to 2006, Austria underwent a rapid transformation in the direction of a pluralistic free-market interest mediation system. However, this short but intense interlude, which led to the development and establishment of professional public affairs in Austria, was stopped short by the return of the traditional Austrian interest mediation system. Following a series of so-called lobbying scandals, in 2013, Austria introduced a mandatory lobbying and interest representation register at the federal level. Two years earlier, the industry formed its own trade association, the Austrian Public Affairs Association. A study commissioned by this association has for the first time shed light on the young public affairs industry, its actors, and the working environment. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cohabitants, Property and the Law: A Study of Injustice

With cohabitation outside marriage becoming increasingly common, the law's response to the problems that arise on separation has become a key issue for public and family policy. This article draws upon the findings of a qualitative empirical study of how property disputes are handled when cohabitants separate. It argues that the unfairness of the current law is best understood as stemming from a failure to recognise the situation that arises as one of unjust enrichment. It shows that the complexity and unpredictability of the law make it difficult to bargain effectively in the shadow of the law. It suggests that the need for reform goes beyond the introduction of a discretionary regime, such as that proposed by the Law Commission, to reform of conveyancing and property law and practice to facilitate initial, as well as post-separation private ordering.     

The pluralization of policing and the rise of private policing in China

Policing in China has undergone tremendous change during the economic transformation of the past three decades. This paper describes the plural policing bodies that have existed during pre- and post-reform periods in China. In the pre-reform period the policing bodies were generally public in nature with the public security police playing an important role in providing professional guidance to the other policing bodies. In the post-reform period, there has been a transition from a monopoly of public policing to an integration of public/private policing, with the public security police still playing a leading role in the policing network. Apart from the emergence of private policing (the security service industry), there is also a trend towards privatizing some previously public policing bodies in line with the movement toward strengthening the rule of law and towards privatization in general.     

论我国《反垄断法》域外适用制度

我国《反垄断法》于2008年8月1日开始实施,该法确立了建立在效果原则基础上的反垄断法域外适用制度。效果原则确立了国家管辖权行使的法律前提,但容易带来法律冲突。我国应不断完善反垄断执法程序,将效果原则与合理原则配合使用,积极和其他国家与地区开展反垄断执法合作,并不断深化反垄断法域外适用制度的理论研究。     

法人本质理论及其制度构建的关联分析

法人实在说为法人的产生提供了很好的理论解说,但对法人的运作、法人的消灭等问题却无法进行解释.拟制说虽为法人侵权中的两罚制度设计提供了理论依据,但却在根本上否认了法人的侵权行为能力.无主财产说为法人破产制度,受益者主体说为法人人格否认制度,管理者主体说为法人治理结构也都提供了一种理论上的证明.所以,对于法人本质问题应当持开放的态度,以利法人制度设计的不断发展和完善.     

儿童心理表征的功能及其教育对策

心理表征是问题解决的关键,成为了近些年来心理研究领域的焦点之一。本文介绍了心理表征的基本概念,描述了心理表征的在知识理解、筛选信息、选择策略和影响认知结果方面的重要功能,并从知识经验、元认知和概念性理解等方面探讨了心理表征的培养和训练方法。     

Public expectations of health professionals when patients telephone for medical advice

This article focuses on the ethical, social and liability implications of patients obtaining unsolicited medical advice over the phone. The ethical discussion centres on the demise of paternalism and the increase in patient autonomy and individualism and the growing public expectations of health professionals. The article then discusses the advantages and disadvantages of telephone consultations from a social and policy perspective. In light of these considerations it considers what the liability implications are for phone consultations. It argues that the ethic of individualism, coupled with recent Australian tort reforms, suggests that only in limited circumstances would a doctor be found liable for negligence in relation to telephone consultations. However, the increasing expectations being placed on medical personnel, as evidenced by the increase in unsolicited telephone consultations, if left untempered, may lead to a situation with which the health care system is ill equipped to deal.     

A forensic pathological study of eighty-two cases of adrenal hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between adrenal hemorrhage and the cause of death, age and gender. METHODS: Eighty-two cases of adrenal hemorrhage were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Adrenal hemorrhage occurred mostly in cases of sudden death, infection, trauma and asphyxia. Male had more chance than female to have adrenal hemorrhage. Adrenal hemorrhage caused by sudden death, trauma and poisoning was more frequently seen in young adults, whereas adrenal hemorrhage in children as well as in fetus and newborns was often caused by infection as well as sudden death and asphyxia respectively. Adrenal hemorrhage caused by sudden death and asphyxia was mainly located in medulla, while the infection usually induced hemorrhage in cortex. Adrenal hemorrhage caused by trauma showed an equal opportunity in either the cortex or medulla. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that adrenal hemorrhage might provide some clues in searching for the cause of death.     

The use and non-use of policy appraisal tools in public policy making: an analysis of three European countries and the European Union

The increasing complexity of policy problems, coupled with the political desire to base new policies on the foundation of firm evidence, has accelerated the development of policy assessment tools. These range from complex computer models and cost benefit analysis through simple checklists and decision trees. In the last decade, many governments have established formal policy assessment systems to harness these tools in order to facilitate more evidence-based policy making. These tools are potentially widely available, but to what extent are they used by policy makers and what becomes of the evidence that they generate? This paper addresses these questions by studying the empirical patterns of tool use across 37 cases in three European countries and the European Commission. It uses a simple classification of tools into advanced, formal and simple types. It finds that even when tools are embedded in policy assessment systems, their use is differentiated and on the whole very limited, in particular when it comes to more advanced tools. It then explores these patterns from contrasting theoretical perspectives to shed light on why, when and how different policy assessment tools are used in the policy process.