“Here we give advice for free”: the functioning of plant clinics in Rwanda

Although plant clinics are considered an important mechanism in the service delivery to farmers, not much is known about their functioning in the daily reality of plant doctors and farmer-clients. This article reports on an exploratory study describing the functioning of eight plant clinics in Rwanda. Personal and organisational commitment, publicity, and proactive communication with farmers and local leaders are key factors explaining higher attendance of some clinics. Farmer attendance is under-reported by 40–50%. Data management needs improvement to make clinic records reliable tools for decision-makers. This type of assessment can help improve operations and realise the plant clinics’ potential.     

试论旅游资源羡余现象

羡余现象是2004年金颖若从信息科学引入到旅游研究中的。在此之前和之后都有学者对处于劣势地位的旅游资源进行过理论探讨及实证研究,某些理论观点同对旅游资源羡余的认识有殊途同归的效果。文章结合目前相关研究进展,对旅游资源羡余概念的界定、特性、类型及转变为非羡余旅游资源的途径做了进一步分析,以便更深入的阐释羡余现象,并以期指导地区羡余旅游资源的蜕变。     

公安机关办理拒不支付劳动报酬案件应注意的问题

《中华人民共和国刑法修正案（八）》增设了拒不支付劳动报酬罪,为保护劳动者的合法薪酬权益和打击拒不支付劳动者报酬的行为提供了明确的刑事法律依据。作为新设罪名,公安机关应重点关注其中的新内容。在审查拒不支付劳动报酬案件的立案材料时,应当重点审查是否具有劳动行政部门要求用人单位支付劳动报酬的《劳动保障监察行政处理决定书》或者行政复议机关要求用人单位支付劳动报酬的《行政复议决定书》。对＂经政府有关部门责令支付仍不支付＂不能仅按字面意思简单理解,而是应当参照劳动保障行政部门或行政复议机关申请人民法院强制执行的条件对其作出认定;应以我国劳动法律法规为基础理解＂劳动者＂的范围。     

Shared Services and Cost Reduction Motive in the Public Sector

The intention of this article is to understand whether and how shared service centers can help reduce costs in the public sector context. We identify the sources of cost reduction for shared service centers and discuss the obstacles to making use of them. In order to illustrate and complement the theoretical discussion and the literature review, empirical insights from two Estonian cases are provided. The case studies indicate that when the context is enabling, shared service centers can help reduce back-office headcount. However, the total costs and benefits of the public-sector shared service centers are not calculated and remain unknown.     

Supporting farmer participation in formal seed systems: lessons from Tharaka,Kenya

This article examines contemporary challenges of formal seed sector participation for resource-poor farmers in Tharaka and engages in a wider discussion of national seed policy and formal seed sector development in Kenya. While many farmers reported utilising modern seed varieties developed by the formal seed sector, the majority of these were introduced through seed aid and maintained through seed saving, supporting seed system integration strategies. Building on these findings, the article discusses ways in which national seed policy in Kenya might be refined to better meet national and regional development goals focused on decreasing the incidence of hunger and poverty.     

THE IRAN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS: ONE YEAR ON

This article, written by the former British Ambassador to Iran, starts with an overview from an insider's perspective of the 15 years of diplomacy leading up to the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding Iran's Nuclear capabilities. It discusses the merits of the plan and its prospects for the future. It examines the development of international economic engagement, and in particular argues that the western powers need to do far more to deliver an economic quid pro quo for Iran's nuclear concessions: if the situation is not appreciably better soon, it will be impossible for the US and its partners to argue credibly that they are not in breach of the JCPOA. The article concludes with a discussion of Iran's economic and political prospects in the light of the nuclear deal.     

民国时期宁波警察制度的一个断面——以《宁波市公安局季刊》的记载为分析对象

宁波警察制度肇始于清末,随着经济、社会的发展,民国时期的警察制度出现了现代化的发展,主要表现在制度建设和办理案件这两个方面。其颁行的《浙江宁波公安局组织规程》等规则为职权行使、职能配置、办事程序的规范化提供了制度基础。在办理案件上使用了统计、数据分析等手段。以《宁波公安局季刊》的记载来分析,民国时期宁波警察制度在法制现代化方面取得了一定的进展。     

An evolutionary step in intellectual property rights – Artificial intelligence and intellectual property

This article addresses and analyses the issues concerning the ownership of computer generated works within patents and copyright, and concludes that the current regime is woefully inadequate to deal with the growing use of more and more intuitive artificial intelligence systems in the production of such works. It considers the respective claims of interested parties to such rights before moving on to a consideration of the creation of a new legal personality to which such rights could be granted to resolve the difficulties inherent in the current system.     

One-stop border posts and informal livelihoods in Busia,Kenya

‘One-stop border posts’ (OSBP) are being developed on East African trade corridors to support growth in cross-border trade in the region. This article presents a household survey examining the impact of the OSBP at Busia on the Kenya–Uganda border on the livelihoods of informal traders and workers. It finds positive effects through enhanced access to cross-border trade. However, it also finds negative effects, including reduced work opportunities for unskilled manual workers. Further research is needed into the long-term effects on the price and foreign exchange differentials which currently incentivise the informal trade, before the effects can be fully assessed.     

Partisan bias and redistricting in France

Decided by the executive, redistrictings in France have been claimed to have substantial partisan bias in favor of the right. We examine the evidence for this claim in terms of France's left bloc versus right bloc politics, combining information from both the first and the second round of France's two round electoral system. We also examine data at the constituency level to look at factors, such as malapportionment, that can affect bias. As France is characterized by a pattern of a limited number of redistrictings, population inequalities have grown in legislative constituencies between plans. Although the procedures used to draw constituency boundaries for the French Assembly are rather opaque, and under the control of political authorities, partisan bias appears as minuscule.