利益分配的国家调节——论经济法的再分配功能

国家调节是对市场缺陷和市场失灵导致的利益分配失衡现象的救济与矫正,是国家介入利益分配领域后,对市场初次分配格局中存在的缺陷的补救,是在市场分配基础上的再分配。经济法作为国家调节社会经济之法,其本质属性在于国家调节,是对利益进行的再分配。以利益分配与国家调节之间关系的探究为基础,对经济法再分配功能的内涵与意义加以分析,有利于我们更好地了解经济法的功能,并运用经济法的再分配功能为建设和谐社会服务。     

城镇化进程中的政治与经济问题对城市犯罪的影响

城镇化是人类社会现代化的必然趋势。但是,城镇化进程中产生的各种城市问题却对城市的生存与发展造成了诸多困扰。城市问题是城市犯罪孕育、发生和发展的温床,从整体层面上研究城市问题对犯罪的影响具有重要的现实意义。在所有的城市问题中,城市政治问题和经济问题是两种主要的"城市病",而且二者之间联系密切、关系复杂,其互动效应与联动效应对城市社会治安大环境的形成,对城市犯罪问题的衍变,对犯罪行为的主体与受体的塑造等,都有十分深刻的影响。建国后我国城市犯罪在政治与经济问题的综合影响下,曾形成了4个犯罪高峰期,目前仍居高不下。     

新形势下涉众型经济犯罪的特征及侦查对策

涉众型经济犯罪涉及面广,涉案金额巨大,严重危害我国的社会经济秩序。近段时间,海口特大招生诈骗案、深圳中天置业总裁卷款数亿元潜逃案、中国人寿“营销精英”骗保1500万案、江苏常州“带头大哥”非法经营证券业务案等相继发生,涉众型经济犯罪呈高发态势。经侦部门只有深刻分析涉众型经济犯罪产生的原因,掌握其规律和特征,才能有针对性地采取侦查措施,遏制涉众型经济犯罪的高发势头,保护广大人民群众的合法权益,维护社会主义市场经济秩序和社会和谐稳定。     

浅论经济犯罪的立体思维法

立体思维又称空间思维,是一种反映对象整体及其与周围事物所构成立体联系的创造性思维方法。经济犯罪是刑事犯罪的重要组成部分,它会随着商品经济的发展而日益多样化、复杂化。在办理各类经济案件的过程中,可以发现经济犯罪往往随着时间与空间的因素、政治体制、经济形态、社会结构、伦理道德、价值判断标准的发展,而在认定上发生变化。所以,有必要在此基础上提出“立体思维法”的新型的侦查方法。     

论区域协调中政府合作协议的法律规制

政府合作协议是行政权的运行方式之一,它的运用和发展需要以相应的法律加以规制。政府所能缔结的合作协议内容应当符合依法行政原则要求,缔结程序要考虑到公众参与的要求和批准备案的问题。协议效力需要通过赋予协议方的自力救济权以及上级政府的监督制约来加以保障。     

Institutions and Caribbean Economic Performance: Insights from Jamaica

We explore the impact of social institutions on economic performance in Jamaica through a reinterpretation of the plantation economic model. In its original form, the plantation model fails to develop a causal link between the plantation legacy and persistent underdevelopment. Despite its marginalization, the model remains useful for discussions on growth and development. Consequently, we offer a reappraisal using the causal insights from Kenneth Sokoloff and Stanley Engerman. We use two examples to demonstrate how inequality encourages the formation of institutions that are inconsistent with growth, and an empirical analysis to confirm the hypothesized relationship between inequality, institutions, and economic development. Since inequality is expected to influence growth indirectly, we use a structural specification, which follows William Easterly’s recent test of Sokoloff and Engerman’s argument. Our reliance on a time-series specification is unique. We demonstrate that the expectation that, on average, inequality and growth is negatively related and that institutions may compromise growth are accurate for Jamaica, the most cited Caribbean nation in the current discourse. Our results carry several policy implications, including support for the recent calls in Jamaica for political restructuring. However, both the paucity of similar studies and the importance of the implications for sustainable growth and development demand further analyses.

Old and New Labour Narratives of Whitehall: Radicals,Reactionaries and Defenders of the Westminster Model

This article argues that throughout its history, the leadership of the Labour Party has chosen to embrace a benign view of the Civil Service, as part of a wider acceptance of the constitutional status quo reflected in the Westminster model. There has nevertheless been a long tradition in the wider Labour movement that has questioned whether Whitehall is capable of working for a government with radical aspirations. This article examines Labour's historical approach towards Whitehall, before reflecting on the extent to which the present Administration, while appealing to radical and reforming rhetoric has, like its predecessors, continued to embrace the status quo. It concludes by arguing that a contemporary and credible narrative capable of challenging the Westminster model has yet to emerge from the broader movement.     

Eyes wide shut? Reforming and defusing checks and balances in Argentina

How effective are autonomous audit agencies (AAAs) in curbing corruption and improving fiscal governance in emerging economies? AAAs are autonomous oversight agencies tasked with scrutinising government finances. However, they are not as effective as they could or should be, partly because of the political constraints they face and the political economy context in which they are embedded. This article assesses the performance and trajectory of the Argentine AAA. It suggests that AAAs can have only a limited impact when formal fiscal institutions are undermined by informal practices and undercut by adverse political incentives. It further highlights the limits of radical reform strategies based on the import of exogenous institutional models. This research has important research and policy implications for the reform and strengthening of AAAs in developing countries. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Political accountability,fiscal conditions and local government performance—cross‐sectional evidence from Indonesia

Why are some local governments more successful than others in managing resources and delivering services? And even more vitally, how can malfunctioning governments be reformed so that they perform their responsibilities more effectively? This article contributes to our understanding of theses overarching questions by exploring the interactions between political institutions and public sector performance in the context of decentralisation and local governance. It shows–both theoretically and empirically–that performance outcomes are determined by the extent to which people can hold their governments accountable through political institutions. The basic hypothesis underlying this research is that political accountability, either by encouraging sanctions upon non‐compliant public agents or simply by reducing the informational gap regarding government activities, will create forceful incentives for elected officials and civil servants to reduce opportunistic behaviour and improve performance. Using a cross‐sectional regression the hypothesis is empirically tested against evidence from newly empowered local governments in Indonesia. The empirical findings broadly support our hypotheses. Improved public services on the ground, both in terms of quantity and quality, require informed and well functioning decision‐making processes that allocate resources to priority areas that meet the demand of the broader community. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Values Shaping Australian Asylum Policy: The Views of Policy Insiders

Drawing on interviews with former political leaders and senior public servants, this article maps the values that have guided asylum policy decisions over the past three decades. The findings support the view that a culture of control permeates policy decisions, but pushing deeper, that policy‐maker perceptions of asylum issues are shaped by two primary values: nation building and good governance. Values that tend to preoccupy policy critics, for example human rights, compassion, international legal obligations and national character, are by no means absent, but are subsumed within and harnessed to the desire to be a good engineer and responsible governor. The study adds to the insights required for constructive dialogue between governments and refugee advocates, and affords a comprehensive framework within which asylum policy can be understood and analysed.