The Balkan experience: Explanations of public affairs and interest group activity

This final article is a synthesis of findings from the seven country studies in this special issue. Although there are characteristics common to all group systems, particularly those transitioning to democracy, there are also significant differences. Analysis of these differences reveals a direct relationship between both the level of socioeconomic and political development and the characteristics of the group systems in all Balkan countries. In addition, we provide new insights into group system development and operation. These are particularly related to the impact of war, inter‐ethnic cleavages, constitutional arrangements (majoritarian and consociational), economic crises, geopolitics, and the major presence of external interests.     

Does green finance improve energy efficiency? New evidence from developing and developed economies

Economic Change and Restructuring - The ground-breaking research on the electricity sector and its effects on energy efficiency (EE) in advanced and emerging economies are crucial in developing a...     

论政府信息公开诉讼中的证明责任

政府信息公开诉讼与普通行政诉讼在证明责任上存在重要差别,现有的行政诉讼证明责任分配规则不足以完全解决其中的问题。其中,认定政府信息属于国家秘密的证明责任,依申请公开中关于申请条件的证明责任,信息不存在的证明责任,以数据电文形式提出申请的证明责任,都需要在现有证明规则的基础上进一步明确。     

中国古代书证的演进及司法实践

自从中国上古时期发明文字以来,就出现了最早的书证形式。我国先秦以前的书证非常简略,大多书写在木简、竹简、金石器物和布帛之上,非常不便。随着造纸技术的发明和纸张的广泛使用,书证适用于各种民事、刑事和行政诉讼领域。纸张的普及推动了中国古代书证制度的发展,同时也带来了容易伪造的弊端。为了防止伪造和变造书证,历代法典都设有相关的法律条文,对伪造书证的行为给予严惩。针对书证容易伪造和变造的特点,采取了许多预防性措施,如让双方当事人、保人、见证人在各类书证上签字画押,在公、私文书上加盖印章,以保障书证的真实性。书证制度的出现,使中国古代的审判制度从西周以后迅速摆脱了夏商以来野蛮落后的神明裁判方式,向着更加文明化的方向发展。中国古代书证制度的发达,对于减少诉讼成本、降低原被告双方的举证难度也具有重要的作用。书证制度的发展也推动了中国古代法律制度层面的建设,有助于提高民众的法律意识。     

Milestone in the Protection of Human Rights on the Part of the Accused ——From the Supreme People’s Court recovery of death sentence approval authority

The protection of human rights on the part of the accused is the core of modern human rights protection, known as the barometer of human rights condi-     

Lingering environmental pessimism and the role of government in Hong Kong

Based on data from two opinion surveys conducted in 2000 and 2008, this study shows that Hong Kong people have been consistently highly aware of the seriousness of different environmental problems and relatively pessimistic about the future resolution of these problems. Such pessimism is arguably related to their lack of confidence in the government's enforcement of environmental protection. Through an analysis of the environmental policy‐making and enforcement agency and three selected enforcement cases, the study further finds that the people's lack of confidence can be traced to the government's failure to bring about a comprehensive, integrated, far‐sighted environmental strategy with sophisticated institutional support and detailed enforcement mechanisms. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.