A comparison of data protection legislation and policies across the EU

Although the protection of personal data is harmonized within the EU by Directive 95/46/EC and will be further harmonized by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, there are significant differences in the ways in which EU member states implemented the protection of privacy and personal data in national laws, policies, and practices. This paper presents the main findings of a research project that compares the protection of privacy and personal data in eight EU member states: France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Romania, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The comparison focuses on five major themes: awareness and trust, government policies for personal data protection, the applicable laws and regulations, implementation of those laws and regulations, and supervision and enforcement.The comparison of privacy and data protection regimes across the EU shows some remarkable findings, revealing which countries are frontrunners and which countries are lagging behind on specific aspects. For instance, the roles of and interplay between governments, civil rights organizations, and data protections authorities vary from country to country. Furthermore, with regard to privacy and data protection there are differences in the intensity and scope of political debates, information campaigns, media attention, and public debate. New concepts like privacy impact assessments, privacy by design, data breach notifications and big data are on the agenda in some but not in all countries. Significant differences exist in (the levels of) enforcement by the different data protection authorities, due to different legal competencies, available budgets and personnel, policies, and cultural factors.     

Combining the Strengths of Qualitative Comparative Analysis with Cluster Analysis for Comparative Public Policy Research: With Reference to the Policy of Economic Convergence in the Euro Currency Area

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a well-established method for comparing national public policy similarities and differences. It is argued that Cluster Analysis can add additional benefits to such research when used concurrently with QCA. Cluster Analysis provides a better method for the initial exploration of multivariate data and examining how countries compare because it can work with the full range of available interval data while patterns are created and viewed. This provides the best first method for exploring patterns and likely groupings of countries. QCA then provides a more robust method for theorizing about the construction of such groupings and their relationship around similar variable scores. QCA makes such theorizing transparent. The research example used to illustrate the benefits of combining Cluster Analysis and QCA is an analysis of the evolving of macroeconomic policy for the countries sharing the Euro, comparing 2005 (precrisis) with 2010 (postcrisis).     

“金砖五国”服务贸易竞争力比较分析

本文在综合既有关于国际服务贸易的理论及实证研究成果的基础上,以贸易竞争优势指数(TC指数)和出口比较绩效指数(CEP指数)为分析工具针对1997~2011年"金砖五国"各个服务贸易部门国际竞争力进行了纵向比较分析;再分别对按照生产要素密集度划分的劳动、资本及技术密集型服务的TC指数和CEP指数进行加权综合得到五个国家的综合国际竞争力指数并进行横向比较研究。通过对巴西、俄罗斯、印度、中国和南非贸易数据的分析及比较研究,总结这五个新兴市场国家服务贸易的发展现状、竞争优势及发展趋势。     

The interconnections of political power,psychotherapy, and world community

This study of the main evening television news programs in four European countries focuses on the framing of news surrounding a major European event, the January 1, 1999, introduction of the common European currency, the euro. We investigated the visibility of political and economic news in general and of the launch of the euro in particular. We found variations across countries in the emphasis on political and economic news, with the proportion of the newscast normally devoted to these subjects ranging from 45% to 60%. Journalists in all countries were more likely to emphasize conflict (rather than economic consequences) in framing general political and economic news. In the coverage of the launch of the euro, there was a greater emphasis on framing the news in terms of economic consequences. The findings are discussed in terms of influences on framing practices internal and external to journalism and the value of the cross-national comparative approach.     

Differences in levels of deviance between Japanese and American students: the influence of peer deviance

In the current study, by drawing on the literature concerning peer deviance and criminological social learning theory, and on theory and research concerning cultural variability in uncertainty avoidance, we offer a rationale for predicting that peer deviance will be lower among Japanese than among Americans. The lower level of peer deviance among Japanese, in turn, might explain why crime and deviant behaviour are less common in Japan compared to the United States. Analyses of comparable survey data from college students in Japan and the United States (N = 1271) provide strong support for our hypothesis.     

Measuring error for adjacent policy position estimates: Dealing with uncertainty using CMP data

Careful users of CMP party position data should take the uncertainty of position estimates into account. We compare and evaluate two current approaches that provide error estimates for party positions. Researchers of the CMP group identify measurement error in quantitative content analysis as the cause of uncertainty about position estimates, whereas a second approach by Benoit et al. (2009) attributes the uncertainty of position estimates to a stochastic generation of election programs. We illustrate the commonalities and differences of these approaches and provide two empirical applications, the identification of the left–right order of parties and of policy shifts by parties, using CMP data for 25 countries. Despite conceptual differences, results in these applications are surprisingly similar.     

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), Anno 2013: Reframing The Comparative Method's Seminal Statements

This review article examines the ways in which QCA is being (re)framed by some main authors in the field, in a context of expansion and diversification of this approach and set of techniques. Charles Ragin's seminal The Comparative Method (1987) is first synthetized in the form of eight statements which are then confronted to eight recent book‐length publications: three QCA textbooks and five methodological volumes also touching upon QCA. On the whole, it appears that most statements have been considerably refined, both conceptually and technically, whereas only one statement is not taken on board anymore. In addition, QCA is being reframed and extended in different ways beyond Charles Ragin's initial statements.     

法国土地征收公益性审查机制及其对中国的启示

在法国,只有国家可以为了公共利益的需要征收私人土地,并且按照司法最终原则,由行政法官判断土地征收的公用目的性。最高行政法院在长期审判实践中形成了"损益对比分析理论"。该理论的应用加强了对土地征收公用目的宣告行为司法审查的力度。在加强对行政机关裁量权司法监督的同时,损益对比分析机制并未超越行政行为合法性审查的界限,它为行政机关在多个合法方案间自由选择保留了足够的裁量空间。     

中德(日)犯罪成立体系比较分析

我国刑法界目前正在进行"犯罪构成体系重构或者完善"的讨论。"重构说"强调应以德国及日本的犯罪成立体系为参照,对源自前苏联的我国通说性犯罪构成体系进行全面改造,而"完善说"对通说体系的态度则以调适修补为基调。因而,站在解说中国问题的立场对德日体系之利弊得失作出评析,便尽显必要。     

西方自由贸易理论与发展我国劳动密集型产业的思考

我国拥有丰富而且廉价的劳动力资源,以劳动要素和资源禀赋差异形成的比较优势参与国际分工。带动了国内劳动密集型产业的快速发展。但这种优势目前正在面临挑战。要努力实现人力资源优势由数量型向质量型的转变,将比较优势转化为竞争优势,营造核心竞争力,推动产业升级。