Anti-corruption or accountability? International efforts in post-conflict Liberia

This paper analyses anti-corruption efforts in post-conflict Liberia. It highlights citizens’ views on the definition of corruption and argues that, in the past, anti-corruption efforts have often focused on institution building and formal justice mechanisms without sufficient understanding of accountability dynamics on the ground. Anti-corruption approaches in Liberia have only nominally examined whether there is a shared understanding of what ‘corruption’ is and why it is regarded as a problem. The paper examines the social norms and perceptions that underlie understandings of the term corruption. It argues that the international community may have overlooked the fact that ‘corruption’ has become an all-encompassing term that masks a myriad of differing priorities and concerns. The authors posit that ‘accountability’ may be a more useful lens for those actors hoping to improve governance in these contexts.     

A humanitarian mission in line with human rights? Assessing Sophia,the EU’s naval response to the migration crisis

This article adds to our understanding of the role of norms in the European Union’s (EU) response to the migration crisis by conducting a critical assessment of the EU’s anti-smuggling naval mission “Sophia”. Is Sophia in line with the normative standards the EU has set for itself in its foreign policies? Conducting the analysis in two steps in line with the main criteria of a humanitarian foreign policy model – first exploring Sophia’s launch and then assessing Sophia’s in theatre behaviour – findings suggest that although concerns for migrants at sea mobilised the initial launch of the mission, the mission is not conducted in line with key human rights principles. As the operation mandate is amended and updated with new tasks, and as the EU-NATO in theatre cooperation increases, the EU is moving further away from what one would expect of a humanitarian foreign policy actor.     

论廉政文化的内涵及其在新时期的作用

廉政文化的提出为廉政建设提供了新视角。廉政文化在传统文化中主要强调的是不贪、不妄取等廉洁思想。在新时期,廉政文化有导向、批判、规范和舆论监督等作用,我们建设廉政文化可以弘扬民族精神和党的优良传统,促进党内文化建设。     

Young adults’ conceptions of ‘good’ citizenship behaviours: a latent class analysis

Democracies need an active civic society, and early adulthood is a significant period in life for becoming an engaged citizen. The research reported on here categorized young Australians according to their conceptions of good citizenship using latent class analysis. Half of the sample were characterized as either ‘engaged’ or ‘duty-based,’ suggesting that there is more to consider when talking about citizenship norms and value changes, as the other half comprised ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘subject’ citizens. Prior participation was almost unrelated to those citizenship norms. The findings provide implications for an active citizenry, and the discussion addresses limitations and directions for future research.     

刑民界说的价值分析

刑法与民法之间的界说为研究边缘法学理论提供了可能,其关系的价值论部分则是该理论的重要内容。这一研究不只是在刑事法学与民商法学之间来回穿梭,还涉足多学科领域。作为一项基础性课题,首先要从重视对它的理论架构及其材料佐证开始。对它的研究虽然主要是集中在法律分类与行为性质划分等两个方面,而其研究成果却超越了历史与现实的选择：＂诸法合一＂体系的崩溃、公法与私法理论的提出、法律价值内涵的多元现象的产生及司法救济的多样化,等等,无不与其有关。如果研究者仅仅满足于区分刑民之间的界限,却忽视了对其基础理论的研究,无疑是一种理论短视,甚至让后续的研究工作变得无意义。     

国际体系与中国的外交选择

"国际体系"是国际关系研究中的一个重要概念,主要指国际行为体的互动所构成的整体。由于国际行为体的现实互动行为具有不同的属性,所构成的体系具有不同的属性,因此从概念上讲国际体系具有多重属性而非一种属性。现实主义、自由制度主义和建构主义分别阐述的权力、制度和观念所指涉的就是体系的不同内涵。在传统的国际体系观念中,权力政治居于主导地位。在当代,由于体系中制度与规范的因素凸显,因此研究者已不能再以权力政治的简单逻辑来判断国家间的互动了。认识这一点对于国际关系理论研究和进行战略评估都有重要意义。联系中国的对外战略选择,进行这个视角的思考尤为重要。面对具有多重属性的体系挑战,中国只有处理好自己的战略排序,对涉及规范、制度、权力的互动作恰当安排,才能顺利地实现自己的国家发展目标。     

习惯法司法化的困境与出路

当前学界将习惯法作为反对精英主义路线的学术话语,立足于描述性的研究立场对习惯法概念进行定义,不能彰显习惯法作为实证法的规范属性而具有内在的悖论性特征,这使习惯法的司法化陷入了理论困境,习惯法司法化的困境体现为习惯法作为法源的效力依据问题和司法立场下习惯法的性质定位问题。走出习惯法的司法化困境需要我们摆脱非此即彼的二元思维,通过法律适用的类型思维,实现习惯法和国家法的契通,发挥习惯法的规范功能。     

PICKING CHERRIES WITH BLINDERS ON: A COMMENT ON ERICKSON ET AL. (2007) REGARDING THE USE OF TESTS IN FAMILY COURT*

Erickson, Lilienfeld, and Vitacco's (2007/this issue ) review of the suitability and limitations of psychological tests invites legal and mental health professionals to rely on it as an objective guide for selecting, using, and admitting psychological tests in family court matters. Unfortunately, their discussion is marred by a pronounced bias in favor of multiscale, objective personality inventories and against performance‐based or projective instruments. This bias is evident not only in their unbalanced emphasis on the strengths of the former and weaknesses of the latter, but also in their use of selective citations and loaded language in launching what amounts to a polemical argument in support of tests that they favor. Their discussion of the Rorschach inkblot test is particularly misleading. This article refutes their unwarranted criticisms of the theoretical underpinnings of the Rorschach test, its research base, its norms, its interscorer reliability, the validity of its scores, and its admissibility in the courtroom. The value of multimethod assessments that include the use of direct clinical observation of performance under standardized conditions in custody evaluations is highlighted.     

西盟佤族原始法文化的原创性

西盟佤族法文化堪称原始法的典范,被国内外人类学家称为"人类原始社会的活化石",受到广泛关注。解读西盟佤族原始法文化的原创性将帮助我们反思现代法治进路的多元性和发展方向。文章试图从社会文化中研究原始法。一方面,通过对采访笔录、传说和历史叙事诗的考察,探寻原始的法意识和原始制度文化,试图从文化持有者的角度去理解西盟佤族法文化。另一方面,笔者又站在佤族文化圈以外,从"观察者"的角度,运用法人类学体系下的概念、范畴和术语,对西盟佤族社会的权威、规范和秩序进行分析、考察,进而理解原始法文化与现代法治的关系。在行文中,除了对相关资料进行整合、分析、评价外,还运用法人类学的"案例方法",借助一些典型性案例,真实展现西盟佤族法文化的原始特征和智慧因素。     

刑事违法性浅谈

违法的根据是什么,这是一个为法学家们所争论不休的问题。在刑事法学领域,无论是法益侵害说,还是规范违反说,若是论及违法的根据,似乎都不能给出令人信服的解答。相比较之下,法益侵害说由于采客观违法论为其视角,更适合诠释一般违法性之本质;而规范违反说由于采主观违法论为其视角,更易于对刑事违法性进行解读。因此,就刑事违法性来说,在首先认定行为构成一般违法的基础上,借助规范违反说考察行为人对于刑法规范之态度,进而对行为之刑事违法性做出判断,无疑是一个最佳的选择。