Why Human Rights Should Matter to Conservatives

In a speech given to the University of London's Constitution Unit and Judicial Institute on 3 December 2014, the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP challenged Conservatives to think carefully about the party's proposal to break the link between British courts and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Grieve recalled why the United Kingdom signed the Convention in the first place and, although recognising that the Court's approach has been on occasion properly criticised and may present difficulties, argued that the reforms embodied in the Brighton Declaration 2012 are bearing fruit. He provided a critical exposition of the Conservative paper ‘Protecting Human Rights in the UK: the Conservatives’ Proposals for changing Britain's Human Rights Laws’ (October 2014) and concluded that Conservatives should want to remain within the jurisdiction of the ECHR to maintain and ensure the Court's effectiveness and continued viability.     

The Image of the Loyal African During World War II and its Postwar Use by the French Communist Party

In 1926, the United States (US) company Firestone Rubber in Akron, Ohio initiated a second practice of segregation in Liberia. The first practice began with the minority regime of the Afro-American settlers over 17 ethnic groups in the Republic of Liberia in 1847. Civil rights were unheard of in Liberia during either of these two periods. This changed when Liberian students travelled to the US on government scholarships, primarily to study in historical black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the 1940s and 1950s. When the Liberian students were exposed to the Civil Rights Movement, they fully understood the injustice of the situation in Liberia. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and others travelled to the Gold Coast for its transition into becoming the nation of Ghana on 6 March 1957. Meetings between King and Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah led to collaborative efforts towards ending colonial racism in Africa and segregation in the US. During the Cold War, segregation in the US and Liberia was a source of shame for both nations. Liberian students returning from the US began “sit-ins” in protest against segregated Firestone facilities. The Liberian government responded by enacting its first Civil Rights Act against Firestone in 1958 and ending discrimination, except in segregated schools. This article shows, however, that it took more than another 30 years for the first decolonisation process to end the minority regime after the Civil Rights Acts of 1958, and to end the original form of ethnic segregation, which began in 1847 and ended as a result of the violent civil wars of the 1980s and 1990s.     

Indigenous Peoples in Commonwealth Countries: The Legacy of the Past and Present-day Struggles for Self-determination

Abstract

Although the UK has no indigenous peoples as understood by the UN, its earlier colonial policies in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Caribbean have had consequences for today’s first peoples Colonial policies that deprived the native populations of their lands, resources and self-determination were generally pursued by the independent states that came in their wake. Today the world’s indigenous peoples are looking to bring to an end their colonial-type situations and re-establish control over their lands and futures. After more than 20 years, the United Nations adopted a Declaration setting out the rights of indigenous peoples, but several Commonwealth countries were unrelenting opponents. This article looks at the colonial heritage as it affects indigenous peoples in the Commonwealth countries, some of the contemporary struggles and situations that have marked the last years, and tries to understand why countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand were the last to accept that indigenous peoples had a right to self-determination.     

Local risk perceptions to identify institutional and development planning needs

The article studies how local risk perceptions are influenced by state support for provision of public goods and overall institutional arrangements for the management of common pool resources (CPRs). Purposively selected communities from tribal and settled areas with variations in access to irrigation flows (perennial and non-perennial) set up a matrix for analysis. The composite risk index was constructed by calculating an incidence and severity index based on the local perceptions. The research findings have policy implications for development planning through the identification of livelihood risks, and risks associated with the management of CPRs.

Perceptions locales du risque afin d'identifier les besoins de planification institutionnels et sur le plan du développement

Cet article étudie la manière dont les perceptions locales du risque sont influencées par le soutien apporté par l’État à la fourniture de biens publics et de dispositions institutionnelles globales en vue de la gestion des ressources mises en commun (RMC). Des communautés sélectionnées sur la base d'objectifs définis dans des zones tribales et sédentaires avec un accès variable aux flux d'irrigation (pérennes et non pérennes) forment une matrice pour l'analyse. L'indice composite de risque a été élaboré en calculant un indice de fréquence et de gravité basé sur les perceptions locales. Les conclusions des recherches ont des implications sur le plan des politiques générales pour la planification du développement à travers l'identification des risques pour les moyens de subsistance, et des risques associés à la gestion des RMC.

Percepciones de riesgo locales para identificar las necesidades de planeación institucional y de desarrollo

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo examinar cómo las percepciones de riesgo locales son determinadas por el apoyo estatal para la provisión de bienes públicos y por las normas institucionales generales para la gestión de recursos utilizados en común (common pool resources o cpr). Para el efecto, se seleccionaron comunidades de áreas tribales y urbanizadas que presentaban variaciones de acceso a los flujos de irrigación (perennes y no perennes). Dichas comunidades establecieron una matriz para su análisis. Basándose en las percepciones locales se construyó el índice de riesgo compuesto, calculando un índice de incidencia y de severidad. Los hallazgos de la investigación tienen implicaciones a nivel de políticas públicas para la planeación de desarrollo mediante la identificación de riesgos para los medios de vida y de riesgos asociados al manejo de los cpr.

Percepções de risco locais para identificar as necessidades de planejamento institucional e de desenvolvimento

O artigo estuda como as percepções de risco locais são influenciadas pelo apoio do estado para provisão de bens públicos e arranjos institucionais em geral para a gestão de recursos de uso comum (Common Pool Resources - CPRs). Comunidades selecionadas propositadamente de áreas tribais e de assentamento, com variações no acesso a fontes de irrigação (perenes e não-perenes), estabeleceram uma matriz para análise. O índice de risco composto foi construído calculando-se um índice de incidência e de gravidade com base nas percepções locais. Os resultados da pesquisa possuem implicações de políticas para o planejamento de desenvolvimento através da identificação dos riscos dos meios de subsistência e os riscos associados à gestão dos CPRs.     

A Review Of: “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism”

The growth and dispersion of America’s immigrant population exposes increasing numbers of non-Hispanic Whites to Spanish. Yet the political impacts of that exposure depend on whether Democrats and Republicans respond in similar ways. To address that question, this article first presents survey experiments showing that exposure to Spanish increases restrictive immigration attitudes only among Republicans. To confirm the external validity of that result, the article then presents an analysis of California’s Proposition 227 indicating that support for ending bilingual education was higher in heavily White, Republican block groups with Spanish-language ballots. No such pattern appears in Democratic block groups. Together, these findings demonstrate that Spanish is a politicized symbol, provoking different responses among Whites depending on their partisanship. To the extent that other immigration-related cues produce similar effects, the salience of immigration seems likely to reinforce existing partisan divisions rather than undermining them.     

EU Accession to the ECHR: Between Autonomy and Adaptation

After the European Union's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights the EU will become subject to legally binding judicial decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and participate in statutory bodies of the Council of Europe (Parliamentary Assembly; Committee of Ministers) when they act under the Convention. Convention rights and their interpretation by the ECtHR will be directly enforceable against the EU institutions and against Member States when acting within the scope of EU law. This will vest the ECHR with additional force in a number of Member States, including Germany and the UK. All Member States will further be subject to additional constraints when acting under the Convention system. The article considers the reasons for, and consequences of the EU's primus inter pares position under the Convention and within the Council of Europe, and the likely practical effect of the EU's accession for its Member States.     

论著作权法的范式转换 从“权利”到“行为规制”

现行著作权法条文的构造具有浓厚的自然权理论色彩,重视对著作人身权的保护,且在处理著作财产权时拘泥于物权构造。静态思维的权利范式缺乏体系化思维,将著作权误解为对作品这一无体"物"享有的权利。然而,著作权的本质是行为规制,其对私人行动自由的限制程度较高。因此,著作权法的思维方式也需要从静态思维的权利范式转向动态思维的行为规制范式。动态思维的行为规制范式,既可以纠正政策形成过程中的利益倾斜问题,也可以弥补著作权法条文与使用者普遍认知之间的偏差。     

Building civil society in Lao PDR: the Decree on Associations

Since 2006, international organisations in Lao PDR have worked closely with local actors in order to foster the creation of an enabling environment for civil society. By conceiving of civil society development as a system involving a number of closely-connected actors and levels, international actors have been able to contribute to both the adoption of a Decree on Associations, which for the first time in Lao history regulates the civil society sector, and to the organisational strengthening of the few existing domestic organisations. This paper evaluates the impact of international actors' initiatives and assesses civil society's prospects for engaging in human rights work.