New families,new governance and old habits

In December 2011, the UK Government formally launched its ‘troubled families’ initiative. This is a focused programme of interventions, coordinated at local level and paid for by results. It has been described by the Prime Minister as a part of the ‘social recovery’ that has to be set alongside the economic recovery that is his government's priority. It is illustrative of a decisive shift in the nature of the welfare state as it reflects the neo-liberal political project. It also reflects a purposed shift in social attitudes towards troubled and troublesome families, driven to a considerable degree by a vicious popular press. It is indicative of a marked shift in the pendulum from ‘rehabilitation’ to ‘rescue’ as the focus of welfare practice with children and families. Recent developments in the promotion of adoption of children in the UK should be viewed in this light. This paper considers how those families with tense or divergent relationships with the state are to be governed in the context of a state and a set of social attitudes that represents a decisive break with the post-war welfare consensus.     

Child-related leave and women’s labour market outcomes: towards a new paradigm in the European Union?

The current European Union (EU) legislative framework on child-related leave is facilitating an imbalance in the take-up of leave by women over men. There is a consolidated EU right to maternity leave for mothers but there is no parallel EU right to paternity leave for fathers. The EU right to parental leave is for both working mothers and fathers, but its design does not encourage an equal take-up by women and men. The aim of this article is to gain insight into the effects of child-related leave on women’s labour market outcomes. On the one hand, it reviews and analyses economic literature which points to the adverse consequences of leave on women’s earnings, and even on women’s labour market participation when the absences from work are very prolonged. On the other hand, it underlines the new direction followed by the European Commission towards greater equality between men and women at home and at work.     

A Review of: “Alison Pargeter. The New Frontiers of Jihad: Radical Islam in Europe.”

Recent years have witnessed a significant increase in the amount of counterterrorism legislation worldwide. The commonly held assumption behind the adoption of counterterrorism legislation links it to the terrorist threat in a state. However, little research has focused on empirically testing reasons driving states to legislate. This article addresses this void by analyzing the puzzle of why states choose to adopt new terrorism-specific legislation. The article presents empirical analysis of the probability of states to legislate before and after September 11, 2001, and is based on a new database of counterterrorism legislation. The findings reveal that before September 11, state decisions to adopt new legislation correlated with the number of terrorist organizations operating in their territory. Since September 11, however, the most significant predictors for the adoption of new legislation have become the existence of previous counterterrorism legislation and the participation of a state in the War on Terror.     

Vocal and verbal indicators of deception as a function of lie complexity

Abstract

A brief response is made to Eysenck's review of the status of personality factors in relation to criminality. It is respectfully suggested that some aspects of his review be viewed with caution.     

Comparison and adoption： Food recall system in China

Since the official implementation of Food Safety Law of PRC on June 1, 2009, it has played a crucial role in solving problems regarding food safety currently, eliminating food safety damages, elevating food quality, maintaining consumers＇ health. Based on analyzing and encapsulating the status quo of food recall system in some developed countries, integrated with Chinese realities, this paper discusses the existing shortcomings and disadvantages of China＇s present food recall system, and provides suggestions.     

SURROGACY IN JAPAN: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS FOR PARENTAGE AND CITIZENSHIP

Japan has not yet regulated assisted reproductive technology by law. This lack of rules and regulations leaves to the courts the solution of numerous controversies, and puts patients in a situation of considerable uncertainty about their rights. First, the article uses a Supreme Court case on foreign surrogacy to discuss how courts should decide when there is a conflict between existing laws and the best interest of the child. Then, after describing the current situation and trends of surrogacy in Japan, the article examines a potential problem of coherence in prohibiting surrogacy and at the same time allowing adoption by the intended parents.     

罗马法与近现代中国民法——历史与未来

近现代中国民法系统移植和继受了大陆法系民法的原则、概念、制度和体系,并借此逐步抛弃其落后的封建成分,在先进的罗马法自然法精神、私权观念和私法精神的指引下不断实现自身的现代化。从某种程度上说,近现代中国民法的形成与发展是建立在对罗马法精神的传承和对罗马私法内容和体系的继受与发展的基础之上的,罗马法是近现代中国民法之源。未来中国民法应在把握与罗马法的源与流关系的基础上有选择的继受,实现对罗马法的理性发展。     

Willingness to Pay for Solar Lanterns: Does the Trial Period Play a Role?

Where electricity access is limited, solar lanterns are a viable and relatively inexpensive source of basic lighting for households. However, the creation of commercially viable business models for solar lanterns is difficult because the customers are poor and make decisions under tight liquidity constraints. To understand the economics of technology adoption in the case of solar lanterns, we conduct a field experiment on willingness to pay (WTP) for solar lanterns in rural Uttar Pradesh. Applying the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak method of eliciting WTP, we evaluate the ability of a trial period and postponed payment to increase sales. We find no evidence for the effectiveness of the trial period and only weak evidence for the positive effect of postponed payment. Overall, WTP for the product among the customers is low. There is no clear evidence for concerns about the uncertain quality of the product, liquidity constraints, or present‐bias. In this context, policies to subsidize very small solar lanterns would not correct a market failure, as people appear to have only a limited interest in the product.