Judges as agents of social change: Can the courts break the affordable housing deadlock in metropolitan areas?

Abstract

Nowhere is the chasm between the races more apparent than in the physical division of metropolitan areas between inner‐city poverty and suburban affluence. Thus far, public policy efforts to introduce metropolitan perspectives into local land use regulations have been unsuccessful. The series of New Jersey Mount Laurel decisions lays out a possible path for introducing comprehensive regional planning by deploying the constitutional power of state courts. Relying on the allied professions of economics and city planning, the New Jersey Supreme Court eliminated the legal barriers to affordable housing in the suburbs.

Questions have been raised over courts’ ability to reform local government powers, but many traditional objections to the effectiveness of judicial reform seem to have been overcome in the New Jersey litigations and legislations. State courts can play an indispensable role in solving regional land use problems if they secure the support of community leadership groups.     

我国集体土地征收补偿标准之重构

我国在土地征收中采用的补偿标准为统一年产值和区片综合地价的混合标准,该标准将农地转用过程中产生的级差收益收归政府及开发商,严重损害被征收人利益。因此,有必要改革现有补偿标准,将市场价格作为补偿的一般标准,并采用售价比较方式来确定被征收土地的市场价格。在这一标准下,被征收人可获取土地增值通过市场机制转化而成的货币表现,政府则通过征收土地增值税获得其应得的土地增值利益,从而实现私益与公益的平衡。     

Attribution in Company Law

In Bilta (UK) Ltd (in liquidation) v Nazir (No 2), the Court of Appeal held that the ex turpi causa defence was inapplicable by refusing to attribute the fraud of the directors and the sole shareholder to the company in connection with the company's claim against them and third party co‐conspirators. It is significant that the court has not only clarified the law in relation to attribution, but it did so by rejecting the majority's reasoning and endorsing the dissenting judgment in the House of Lords decision in Stone & Rolls (in liquidation) v Moore Stephens (a firm). This article evaluates the decision in Bilta by critically examining the fundamental principles and policies that apply to the three distinct circumstances under which corporate attribution should or should not take place.     

我国土地流转信托的若干法律问题研究

土地流转信托是我国农村土地流转方式的创新。土地流转信托是舶来品,国内尚无相关的法律法规进行规制,实践过程中存在土地确权不完整、缺乏完备的法律依据、欠缺有效的监督机制等问题。本文立足于当前国内土地流转信托的实践,从实证的角度对土地流转信托的若干法律问题进行研判,建议尽快完善土地信托配套制度和法律体系。     

农村妇女土地承包经营权之法律保障——以社会性别为视角

土地权利是农村妇女实现自我生存与发展的重要保障。虽然我国现行法律对农村妇女土地承包经营权有了较为明确的规定,但从实际操作来看,各农村地区侵害妇女土地承包经营权的情形还是时有发生。究其根源,仍在于男女两性的生理差别和由来已久的“男女平等”较量。因此,有必要在农村妇女的权益保障中引入社会性别视角,从提高法律法规的实际可操作性;强化行政司法救济途径等入手,为真正实现农村妇女土地承包经营权提供法律保障。     

论内幕交易、泄露内幕信息罪中“非法获取人员”的认定——美国法的“信息泄露理论”与“盗用理论”在中国的适用

中国法将内幕交易、泄露内幕信息罪的主体规定为知情人员与非法获取人员,而关于非法获取人员的范围与认定标准等都欠缺详细的规定。依据立法规定,并参照外国法理论,非法获取人员应是指除内幕人员外,可以凭借与发行公司或内幕人员的关系而非法获得内幕信息的人员,或者利用非法手段取得内幕信息的人员。对非法知情人员,美国判例则创制出了＂信息泄露理论＂与＂盗用理论＂以规制该类人员的内幕交易责任。对内幕人员的配偶与直系血亲,中国法应明文规定其相关责任,并利用＂信息泄露理论＂进行规制,而对其他以非法手段获知内幕信息的人员,则不妨适用＂盗用理论＂以进行惩治。