Interpretation of Unilateral Acts in International Law

The article explores the question of interpretation of unilateral acts in international law both from the perspective of ascertaining their binding force (law determination) and from the perspective of ascertaining their content (content determination). It argues that the objective intention of the author to be bound is what distinguishes binding commitments of unilateral origin from non-binding ones. In turn, this involves the interpretation of a unilateral act in accordance with its content and the circumstances surrounding its making. In practice, the use of clear and specific wording in conjunction with a set of contextual indicators are indicia of the intention to create a binding unilateral commitment. Against this backdrop, the article continues by addressing the question of interpretation of unilateral acts from the standpoint of ascertaining their content. It shows that the text of the act is the primary consideration in determining its content—and that its context as well as the circumstances surrounding its making are also interpretative elements that need to be taken into account. Due to the unilateral origin of these acts the interpretative rule applicable to international agreements can only be used as a point of reference when it comes to interpreting the content of these acts. In this light, the article concludes that more practice is needed in order to elucidate the exact role and weight that should be ascribed to non-textual elements in the context of interpreting unilateral acts. At the same time, the article argues in favour of adopting a broader approach to the concept of ‘interpretation’ in international law. Viewing interpretation not merely as content determination but also as law ascertainment allows us to better assess the persuasive value of arguments in favour or against certain interpretative rules when practice is scant—as is the case with unilateral acts.

     

民族地区少数民族就业促进制度建设研究

各自治区及其他民族地区自成立后,特别是改革开放以来,全面贯彻党的民族政策,坚持民族区域自治制度,采取多种措施促进少数民族就业,不断完善就业服务机制,积极制定和实施相应的民族政策法规,少数民族就业数量质量明显提高。受到诸多因素综合影响,民族地区经济总体发展水平与发达地区有较大差距,影响着民族地区经济的发展和少数民族就业的实现。提升少数民族就业竞争能力,离不开就业促进制度建设和路径规划,这涉及我国作为多民族国家劳动就业制度设计的重大问题,更离不开民族地区有效转化国家立法政策,不断创新民族地区就业促进制度和实践。     

论利用经济合同诈骗与经济合同纠纷的界限

<正> 一、经济合同纠纷 “经济合同是法人之间为实现一定经济目的,明确相互之间权利义务关系的协议,”这是我国经济合同法的规定。我们在理论上给经济合同一个比较切合实际的定义:经济合同是具有生产经营能力的民事主体之间,在生产流通领域内为实现一定经济目的而明确相互之间权利义务关系的协议。 经济合同规定的权利义务如同无形的锁链,把合同双方当事人联系在一起。除非经过当事人之间协议解除合同,或经合同管理机关或人民法院宣告合同无效,经济合同对双方都具有法律约束力,双方当事人     

At work in the temple of science: theory-building in the university

This paper develops a metaphor that shows academia as a temple of science where acolytes and priests devote themselves to building and developing an arcane lore that supports their faith. Though a somewhat strained metaphor, its heuristic value will become clearer when illustrated by lessons drawn from the sociology of knowledge. Through these lessons, I will attempt to demonstrate that the university setting has inexorably influenced the theories that have developed there, particularly in contributing to the perception of a gap between theory and practice that an applied, problem-solving field such as public administration can ill afford.     

Battling for the regions: Local government policy networks and the reform of the european structural funds

The recent reform of the European Structural Funds led to a wide‐ranging set of lobbying activities on the part of UK regions which felt their previous allocations were likely to be threatened. Much of this activity took place through existing networks or alliances of networks at a national and transnational level. This paper examines the issues at stake in the reforms, the attitudes of the networks to those issues and the need for networks to have a common focus, adequate resources and effective internal communication structures to be effective.     

非传统安全理论:概念、流派与特征

安全理论可分为传统安全理论、半传统安全理论和非传统安全理论。非传统安全理论的主要特征是其安全的指涉对象、主导价值方面与传统安全理论分道扬镳,反对现实主义的国家安全观和军事/政治安全观。同时,非传统安全理论在核心概念与理论逻辑等方面又各不相同,组成了一个多元化、松散性的理论聚合体。但其开放的边界、活跃的思想也正是其力量的源泉,这为今后的非传统安全研究提供了丰富的养料。