Pension Programs Around the World: New Comparative Global Policy Data

Abstract

Income protection during old age is a universally recognized human right. Are nations fulfilling their responsibility for income support for older adults? Using a new global dataset on social protection conceptualized and built by two of the authors, this paper examines whether countries have legislated for national pension systems, and the characteristics and adequacy of those systems.     

民航企业机票成本结构与价格机制分析

民航机票成本组成与价格形成机制,能直接反映我国民航运输企业面临的制度性问题与困境.作为成本国际化程度高、行政管理色彩浓、计划管制严重的行业,航空运输企业成本自主权受到多种行政力量干预和控制,在成本自主权缺失以及资产国有的前提下,必然形成以政府指令主导的价格机制.降低机票价格以及完善竞价机制依赖于以下制度供给:(1)取消民航行业行政壁垒以及计划管制,建立完全市场主体;(2)完善主管部门退出机制;(3)行政力量必须介入的时候应该明确权力界限以及安排补偿体系;(4)完善资产代理人监管制度以及企业法人治理结构.     

论劳动教养立法的几个基础性问题——建立我国轻罪处罚制度的理论创新

轻罪处罚制度的不足是我国刑事立法和刑事司法制度中的一个板块性缺损。中国刑事立法犯罪概念的特点决定了中国刑法上的犯罪实际上是严重或较为严重的犯罪 ,而不包括轻罪 ,因此 ,应当以劳动教养立法为契机建立中国的轻罪处罚体系。轻罪处罚法律制度的建立和完善 ,在理论和实践两个方面都面临一系列必须回答的基本问题。这些问题的解决除了需要立法和司法等方面的客观条件外 ,还需要具有根本性意义的理论创新。这就需要从理论上形成和提出问题 ,并给予科学的说明 ,为轻罪处罚制度提供必需的理论支撑。     

居民消费物价上涨对城市低收入人口生活的影响研究

我国居民消费价格从 2 0 0 3年 1月由负转正后 2 1个月上升 ,且主要由于粮食和副食品价格大幅度上涨所致 ,并已对城市低收入人口的生活产生十分不利的影响。本文分析了城市低收入人口的生活状况及物价上涨对其生活带来的不利影响 ,认为必须采取措施 ,对城市低收入人口实施物价补贴 ,以使其基本生活得到保障 ,并提出相应的政策建议     

实行地价年租制的法律思考

住宅产业已成为我国经济新的增长点 ,为国民经济的发展做出了巨大的贡献。然而 ,居高不下的房价让购房者望房兴叹。实行房屋所有权与土地使用权两权分离 ,推广地价年租制 ,在法律上可行 ,在实践中具有可操作性 ,对国家、开发商、购房者均有益 ,具有十分重要的现实意义     

Childhood Abusive and Supportive Experiences, Inter-Parental Violence, and Parental Alcohol Use: Prediction of Young Adult Depressive Symptoms and Aggression

Issues in both the children of alcoholics and child abuse literatures were addressed in an attempt to disentangle the effects on young adults of growing up in alcoholic homes versus abusive homes. Using multiple regression, retrospective reports of parental abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual) and parental support (love/support, independence, and fairness), witnessing violence between parents, and parental alcohol use were used as predictor variables for outcomes noted by both literatures. When the effects of all other predictors were statistically controlled, parental alcohol use was not significantly related to depressive symptoms or aggression. Different abusive and supportive behaviors, depending on sex of parent and sex of participant, were significant predictors of both depression and aggression. Results underscore the importance of including and controlling for inter-parental violence and for different types of child abuse (especially emotional abuse) and parental supportive behaviors in investigations of outcomes related to abusive and alcoholic families. Implications for treatment of individuals from these families are discussed.     

Economic incentives for the self-regulation of the release of price-sensitive information

Companies, as primary disseminators of information, and financial institutions, as major recipients, have economic incentives to self-regulate the transmission and usage of price-sensitive information. These include increased (lost) reputation costs and adverse share price penalties arising from poor management of information disclosure. The economic motivation for self-regulation is seen as conceptually linked to but distinct from legislative changes. Self-regulation has the strong support of economic efficiency arguments, whereas recent additional new legislative changes do not. This article examines a major corporate and institutional response to the new regulatory climate—to internalize part of the regulatory process during their regular relationship communications. Relationships between the case companies and institutions already exist for transaction purposes. They are used as a convenient and low-cost means to pursue self-regulation and to avoid errors of price-sensitive information release. This self-regulatory process is illustrated using case material. It is clear from the response pattern presented that the development of a self-regulatory framework by the parties has been an iterative one. The corporate and institutional systems that have been evolving seem to be significantly influenced by the regulatory trends. The regulatory changes appear to have played a role in increasing market costs incurred by those companies with poor stock market communication practices. The article ends by arguing that new proposals to change in the formal regulatory system should recognize that further legislation is unlikely to improve the poor prosecution record. Nevertheless, legislative changes can combine with and buttress the self-regulation process to create an effective regulatory system.     

Coparent Support and Conflict in African American Single Mother-Headed Families: Associations With Maternal and Child Psychosocial Functioning

This longitudinal investigation examined main and interactive effects of coparent support and conflict on mother and child adjustment in 248 low-income, African American, single mother-headed families. The findings indicated that coparent conflict was a more robust predictor of mother and child maladjustment both cross-sectionally and longitudinally than was coparent support. Moreover, findings revealed that coparent conflict and support interacted to predict one parenting behavior, monitoring, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Coparent relationships characterized by high levels of support and low levels of conflict were associated with the highest levels of parental monitoring behavior, whereas coparent relationships characterized by low levels of support and high levels of conflict were associated with the lowest levels of monitoring. The findings highlight the importance of examining both positive and negative aspects of coparent relationships in this at-risk, but understudied, group.     

A Participant Evaluation of the U.S. Navy Parent Support Program

This study reports on the results of a program evaluation of the U.S. Navy New Parent Support Program (NPSP). NPSP is comprised of two components: center-based parenting classes and home-based visits. Data are presented on: (a) satisfaction with program quality, (b) how well the program met its primary objectives (e.g., helps reduce parenting stress), (c) how well the NPSP met its Reasons for Being (RFBs; e.g., Helps service members concentrate on their job), and (d) program impact on mission-related outcomes (i.e., quality of life (QOL), readiness, and program impact on their decision to remain in the military). Results indicate that parents who take part in both the parenting classes and home-based visits report that the program exceeded their expectations, the program improved their perceptions of their parenting and coping skills, they perceived that the program demonstrated the Navy’s concern for Sailors and their families, and the program enhanced the family’s quality of life. Implications of study findings are discussed.