Five Challenges to Legalizing Economic and Social Rights

In recent years, dozens of human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the globe have begun to advocate for economic and social rights, which represents a significant expansion of the human rights movement. This article investigates a central strategy that NGOs have pursued to realize these rights: legalization. Legalization involves specifying rights as valid legal rules and enforcing them through judicial or quasi-judicial processes. After documenting some of the progress made toward legalization, the article analyzes five unique challenges involved in legalizing economic and social rights. It is important to identify these challenges because they must be overcome if the human rights movement wishes to refute the notion that economic and social rights are inherently non-justiciable (and therefore, to some, invalid as rights). These challenges also point to the possibility that legalization is not the only, or even the best, strategic pathway to realize economic and social rights effectively.

Asylum,welfare and civil society: a case study in civil repair

This paper examines a civil society challenge to UK government legislation withdrawing welfare support from asylum seekers who do not claim on entry to the country. Drawing on the work of Habermas and Alexander, it considers the role of the courts as a deliberative space and elaborates the scope for civil repair in the case of a group rendered marginal by the law. In so doing, it also suggests how links could be made with the broadened conception of citizenship proposed by Isin and Turner.     

试论我国体育冠名权及其法律规制

2008年北京奥运成功举办,国内体育热潮空前高涨;赛后“鸟巢”推出PPP融资模式（Private-Public Partnership）转让冠名权,学界再度关注体育冠名权之法律规制。在体育法学中,冠名权、体育冠名权是一个层级清晰的属种概念链条。而从整个法律体系或权利体系的维度来看,体育冠名权仍是一个较新型的权利。在实践中,权利定性的模糊亦成为体育产业开发和应用的瓶颈,并导致近年来我国体育市场大量冠名纠纷因缺乏充分的法律依据而无法得到有效调整。     

沉默权：一个无法沉默的话题——从我国刑诉法“应当如实回答”谈起

我国刑诉法规定了犯罪嫌疑人面对审讯人员的审讯：“应当如实回答”的义务,使其在刑事诉讼中处于不利的地位。是否赋予犯罪嫌疑人沉默权,由“口供本位”转向“物证本位”,彻底改变目前的侦查模式,是我国刑事诉讼法修改的一个不容忽视的重要问题。     

探索征地制度改革 确保农民合法权益

征地工作事关国家经济建设和农民切身利益。随着工业化和城市化进程的加快,大量土地被征用。目前土地还是农民生存保障之本,征地过程中如何确保农民合法权益已成为迫在眉睫的问题题。该文通过分析中国征地制度存住的问题,从保护失地农民权益的角度,提出了要严格规范土地征用、完善补偿机制及规范土地交易市场等建议。     

洪泽湖水污染现状与水源地保护

洪泽湖是江苏省淮安等城市主要的水源地,由于受到淮河等人湖客水和流域内工业、农业与城乡生活污水影响,湖水水质已经下降为劣V类,远远低于国家规定的水源地水质要求。加强洪泽湖水源地保护刻不容缓。该文在对洪泽湖水污染现状调查分析的基础上,从法规、机制、管理等多方面提出了加强洪泽湖水源地保护的措施。     

On the Rights of Undocumented Children

Changes in immigration laws over the last three to four decades have given rise to unprecedented numbers of undocumented children. However, as others have argued, policies regarding the control of undocumented migration have had deleterious effects on undocumented children and their basic access to social rights. Undocumented youth in the United States can legally attend K-12 education, but cannot legally work, vote, receive financial aid, or drive in most states. Their situation calls for a reexamination of immigration laws and a recasting of the frame that has been used to promote their inclusion.

城市积水考问政府公共服务能力

城市积水处理是城市基础设施建设的一部分,也是政府公共服务的一部分,更是对政府提供公共服务的能力和水平的考问和检验,面对严竣的积水现状,我国政府唯有强化公共服务能力,完善公共服务体系,才是治理之道。     

坚持和巩固马克思主义指导思想的一元化——兼论西方“普世价值”观的本质

近年来,国内外某些人鼓吹和宣扬的以民主、自由、人权等为主要内容的“普世价值”观,实际上是资产阶级在当今世界实行西化、和平演变和“颜色革命”的工具。社会主义社会是高度重视和发展民主、自由、人权的社会;坚持和完善社会主义民主、自由、人权,是中国特色社会主义发展的重要任务。在社会意识形态领域中,必须毫不动摇地坚持马克思主义指导思想的一元化。     

加强城市房屋拆迁中被拆迁人权利保障

我国城市化浪潮中大规模的城市房屋拆迁,在一定程度上改善了居民整体生活环境和卫生条件的同时,也引发大量的拆迁纠纷和拆迁冲突。由于缺乏有力的权利保障和救济机制,被拆迁人的合法权利难于保障。我们应从立法、行政、司法等领域加强和疏通对处于弱势地位的被拆迁人的权利保障和救济,还公民私权以应有的尊严。