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.     

地面三维激光扫描在交通事故勘查及重建中的应用进展

本文回顾了地面三维激光扫描技术的发展历程和应用场景,简要阐述了地面三维激光扫描系统的技术原理和作业流程,对地面三维激光扫描技术在交通事故领域的应用进行分类,并详细梳理了各类别下的最新研究成果与实例,结合交通事故勘查和重建发展需求,探讨了目前存在的问题和未来发展方向。     

Criminal Justice Statistics—An Evolution

The origins of the Bureau of Justice Statistics and criminal justice statistics in general go back 150 years, but the U.S. President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice in 1967, along with subsequent panels and commissions, added urgency and specificity to the work to be done to improve our understanding of the operation of the criminal justice system and of crime. Criminal justice statistics have the potential to be used to shape and evaluate specific policies and programs when the statistics are timely, accurate, and relevant to the decisions being made for policy formulation or evaluation. The full development of effective criminal justice statistics on crime and the administration of the justice system can provide for informed decision making and more insightful resource allocation. In this article, I summarize the historical progressions and evolution of criminal justice statistics in light of the changes affecting the justice environment and propose future work.     

新冠肺炎对我国公共危机管理现存问题的揭示与对策研究

新冠肺炎疫情以湖北武汉为中心,迅速向全国蔓延,造成了严重的社会影响。在党的领导下,疫情防控阻击战目前已获得一定成果。新冠肺炎疫情的爆发不仅再次揭露了公共危机的特点,还揭示了我国公共危机管理中存在的问题:危机意识较薄弱、法制体系不完备、信息管理不完善和社会参与管理不足等。对此,应及时采取措施:政府层面做好大局建设,媒体层面提供信息支持,社会层面贡献优势力量。