Understanding “corruption” in regulatory agencies: The case of food inspection in Saudi Arabia

Corruption is a relatively neglected topic in studies of regulatory agencies. The label is applied to a wide range of deviations from behavioral standards ultimately derived from Weber's account of the ideals of Prussian bureaucracy. This paper draws on a study of the work of Saudi Food Inspectors to argue that it is unhelpful to reduce a complex phenomenon to simple allegations of malpractice that can be managed by disciplinary sanctions. Our data show that irregular behavior by street‐level agents may be deeply embedded in the expectations that members of a society have of one another. It is less a matter of personal gain than of maintaining one's recognition as a fellow citizen. Such behavior is not easily changed through sanctions directed at individual inspectors. Our study does not exclude the possibility that irregular behavior can be motivated by personal gain, and properly managed by criminal or similar penalties. However, it does propose that research should be more sensitive to the contexts within which irregular behavior occurs rather than treating “corruption” as a uniform and homogenous phenomenon.     

Regulatory capitalism and its discontents: Bilateral interdependence and the adaptability of regulatory styles

The expansion of global trade has produced new challenges for the effective governance of product safety. We argue that many of these challenges arise at the bilateral level from the interaction of more or less adaptable national regulatory styles. When regulatory styles are unadaptable they produce gaps in risk management, slow and contested resolutions to crises, and limited regulatory cooperation. To examine these claims empirically, we study bilateral food safety regulation in four major exporter–importer dyads: China–Japan; Canada–United States (US), China–European Union (EU), and the US–Japan. The China–Japan dyad is the most adaptable, combining China's “export segmentation” regulatory style with Japan's strongly “risk‐averse, interventionist” style. The Canada–US dyad operates effectively, bringing together Canada's “global market–conforming” regulatory style with the US strategy of “sovereign regulator.” The China–EU dyad is less adaptable because the EU's “harmonization” regulatory style makes it difficult for the EU to adapt to the weaknesses of the Chinese food safety system. Finally, the US's sovereign regulator style clashes with Japan's interventionist style, making them the least adaptable of the four dyads. The paper concludes with a discussion of the broader relevance of our findings for the development of regulatory capitalism.     

浅议食品安全问题对国家安全的危害

食品安全关系国计民生。认识食品安全问题的危害,从国家安全、民族存亡的高度对食品安全重要性达成共识,堵死食品安全事件借口,共筑食品安全的思想防线,是解决食品安全问题的前提。     

食品监管渎职罪的司法适用困境及出路

食品监管渎职罪＂入刑＂后,由于监管部门混乱,监管职责的交叉和空白致使该罪发现查处难;刑法规范本身用语的模糊性,结果犯的入罪门槛高,因果关系认定难,与其他犯罪难以区分等因素导致其具体适用难;加之监管人员与不法分子相勾结等原因,使得设立该罪的预期效果难以实现。对于其在司法适用中的困境,需要厘清监管部门的职责,优化监管者队伍,通过明确刑法用语、引入危险刑法理念变结果犯为危险犯、采取条件说来判断因果关系、增加罚金刑和资格刑等来完善刑法法规,为该罪的司法适用难寻求出路。     

食品安全的刑法保障之评析:以《刑法修正案(八)》为视角

我国食品安全的刑法规制经历了一个较长的发展过程,1997年刑法规定了生产、销售不符合卫生标准的食品罪,生产、销售有毒、有害食品罪两个罪名,2011年刑法修正案(八)对上述两个罪名进行了修订,并新增了食品安全监管失职罪.整体上看,刑法修正案(八)便利了司法机关打击食品安全领域犯罪行为,但是其违背刑法谦抑性、过分关注民意、罪名的新增违背刑事立法类型化之本旨等缺陷还是显而易见的.     

食品监管渎职罪探析

食品是人类生活的基本需求之一。民以食为天,而食又以安为先。近些年来,我国食品安全事件频发,违法犯罪猖獗,《刑法》保护不力。为此,《中华人民共和国刑法修正案(八)》第49条增设食品监管渎职罪,以严厉打击食品领域的渎职行为,强化国家的监管责任。本文就食品监管渎职罪增设的必要性、法条的解读以及与相关罪名的区分进行探析,以期能对司法实践有所裨益。     

制售伪劣商品犯罪之死刑究问

制售伪劣商品犯罪毕竞属于非暴力犯罪,不应过分凸显死刑在防治这类犯罪过程中的功能与作用。可以通过司法或立法举措剥离两种制售伪劣商品犯罪的死刑,使原本符合其死刑适用条件之情形转以相关危害公共安全犯罪来论处,从而在避免造成社会震荡之前提下,架空甚至即行废止其死刑。     

涉地沟油犯罪的规定解读及相关问题研究——以“两高一部”《关于依法严惩“地沟油”犯罪活动的通知》为视角

2012年针对地沟油加工、销售愈演愈烈的形势,最高人民法院、最高人民检察院、公安部出台了《关于依法严惩"地沟油"犯罪活动的通知》。但该《通知》的规定只作为一种参考提供给公检法部门,它本身不具备刑法的强制力。因此,有必要在立法上对涉地沟油犯罪作出系统的规定,给今后办理地沟油类犯罪案件提供明确的指引。     

检察机关食品公益诉讼探讨

2011年《民事诉讼法(修改稿)》草案审议时,许多学者提出了食品公益诉讼的概念,使公益诉讼再次成为热议的焦点。就司法实务而言,重要的不是讨论食品公益诉讼的必要性和可行性,而是探究食品安全公共利益在法律上的具体诉求,以及如何满足其诉求。本文以检察机关提起食品公益诉讼为例,借用经济学上外部性理论,从公益诉讼的保护对象入手,分析食品公益诉讼的客体及其请求权基础,并结合诉讼法的基本命题,论证食品公益诉讼的诉讼请求、损失的计算以及举证责任等问题,进而划分公益诉讼与行政权、私权在诉讼法上的衔接界线。     

有毒有害食品犯罪实践问题探究

在食品安全令人忧心忡忡的社会现实下,量刑反制的思路悄然而生,具体表现为在区分生产、销售有毒有害食品罪与生产、销售伪劣产品罪区分的过程中对明知的主观内容进行曲解。在与生产、销售不符合卫生标准的食品罪的区分过程中,由于添加物质的标准不够明晰,也导致了罪刑关系的确定性被损害,甚至有毒有害食品犯罪的关联行为被适当地确定为以危险方法危害公共安全罪。目前我国司法实践中对生产、销售有毒、有害食品罪的基本犯罪的处罚较轻是符合实际的,但对于结果和情节加重犯应当慎用死刑。