The persisting challenge of age-for-grade non-compliance in post-free primary education in Kenya

This article examines the prevalence of non-compliance on the age-for-grade policy in the post-free primary education system in Kenya. We utilised data from the 2009 cohort of enrolled primary schoolchildren. The analysis revealed non-compliance to be a persisting concern in the school system, characterised by both under-age and over-age enrolment at the age-for-grade level of analysis in spite of the introduction of free primary education in 2003. Irrespective of the nature of non-compliance, overcrowding in the lower grades is more prevalent, with potential for adverse compromises in quality of learning and the attendant added dimension of the mismatched grade-for-age curricula.     

A Rigorous Quasi‐Experimental Design to Evaluate the Causal Effect of a Mandatory Divorce Education Program

All couples with minor children who filed for divorce within a specific 6‐week period (N = 191 couples) in one jurisdiction were ordered to attend a divorce education program. The control group included about 20 couples randomly selected from each of six 6‐week intervals before and six 6‐week intervals after the treatment interval (N = 243 couples). Archival records were searched for variables such as legal and residential custody award, visitation percentage, and relitigation. The impact of the program was assessed by evaluating, for each variable, whether the data for program interval departed from the straight (regression) line drawn through all the control group intervals. Only the visitation time award significantly differed: 27.75% for treatment couples and 22.46% for control couples. Analyses show that the father's attendance at the program primarily accounts for the difference.

Key Points for the Family Court Community
• There are considerable methodological weaknesses in most of the existing evaluations of divorcing parent education programs.
• Stronger, more scientifically rigorous—and thus persuasive—designs are possible in court settings, such as the regression discontinuity quasi‐experimental design we feature here.
• Archival records, such as various court filings, are a rich and relatively untapped source of data.
• Being mandated to attend a single 2‐hour divorcing parent education class caused an increase in the visitation time award in divorce decrees.
• There is a disconnect between being mandated by a judge to attend a program and actual attendance.

     

毒品案件主观认定中的自由心证

在并未明确和确立自由心证制度的我国,自由心证已在刑事证据审查的广大领域占有了重要的一席之地,并发挥着潜移默化的证明作用。基于毒品犯罪证据收集中的实际困难,司法人员在犯罪嫌疑人拒不认罪,并否认自己主观明知的案件中,较多地从客观证据出发,运用经验规则与逻辑规则形成自己的主观判断(心证)。然而,自由心证是否公正和理性,则取决于司法人员的学识、经验和道德操守。     

行政法律裁判中的合宪性解释与价值衡量方法——对一个行政案件法律推理过程的具体考察

行政诉讼制度运行良好的一个重要指针就是法官能够在行政诉讼案件中运用正确的法律推理思维与方法而得到“正当的个案裁判”。法律推理具有不同于形式逻辑推理的重要特征。从一个具体行政案件的判决论证过程中,可以发现合宪性解释对于“作为具体化之宪法”的行政法来说具有重要的作用,而行政争议中复杂的价值冲突也使得价值衡量的推理方法尤为值得关注。     

从绩效评估到绩效管理：地方政府管理的转向

基于概念的内涵层面和绩效管理的构造维度之学理分析表明,绩效评估包含于绩效管理之中。绩效管理体现了管理的整个过程,试图通过过程来控制结果,而绩效评估强调的则是考核,倡导更多地关注结果。然而,在实际操作中,我国一些地方政府只重视绩效评估体系的构建,严重忽视绩效管理的过程,甚至将绩效评估等同于绩效管理,致使地方政府绩效评估实践难以取得突破性进展。有鉴于此,务需立足于管理过程的视角,实现从单方面注重地方政府绩效评估向全面推行地方政府绩效管理的转变。     

行政许可条件研究

许可条件是行政许可设定制度的一个重要内容,也是行政许可制度发挥作用的关键因素。许可条件是申请人能够获得许可的“最高限制性要求”,其设定不仅要做到形式合法,而且还必须兼顾公益与私益的平衡并以必要为限。行政许可设定机关应当遵循上述原则和要求,定期对其设定的行政许可事项及其条件进行评价。     

自由心证的类型化分析

作为对法定证据制度之辩证否定的自由心证制度，其根本要求是法律对证明力不做具体规定．而交由裁判者自主裁量。在证据能力方面两大法系采取了各不相同的做法，其中英美法系采取的是证明力的自由评价与证据能力的法定主义．大陆法系国家和地区对证据能力和证明力均采取自由评价制度。两大法系在证据能力方面的不同态度。使自由心证表现为两种不同的类型。受诉讼价值目标、审判组织结构等方面的影响．我国自由心证的技术建构应当选择大陆法系的立法模式。     

Joint (ad)ventures and (in)credible journeys evaluating innovation: asset-based community development in Ethiopia

Acknowledging debates about what constitutes effective and useful evaluation practice, this paper explores the particular challenges of evaluating an innovative approach to community development for multiple stakeholders with different interests and different levels of confidence in particular evaluation methodologies. The innovation – applying an Asset Based approach to Community Development (ABCD) in an Ethiopian context – presents further challenges to evaluation because of its open-ended nature and problems of attribution. On the other hand, the culture of risk-taking encouraged by the supporters of innovation provides the space for genuine lessons to be learnt about failure as well as success.     

《欧盟研究、技术开发及示范活动第七框架计划》及其参考借鉴价值

《欧盟研究、技术开发及示范活动第七框架计划》是迄今欧盟投资最多、内容最丰富、市场目的最明确的全欧洲性中长期重大科研与技术开发计划。该计划所资助的项目几乎都是针对国际科技发展最前沿的课题或者是具有基础性、前瞻性、预竞争性的科技难点。在计划实施过程中,欧盟在项目遴选程序,研发资金的筹集、拨付,风险共担融资工具(RSFF)的引入,财务报告审计以及科技项目最终成果的双重评估机制等诸多方面进行了创新,取得了非常显著的效果。欧盟在框架计划执行中取得的经验及制度成果对于我国创新型国家建设中的制度建设,无疑具有重要的参考借鉴价值。     

交通肇事逃逸重复评价问题的法经济学分析

从表面上看,交通肇事罪中对逃逸的重复评价是对刑法原理中的禁止重复评价原则的挑战。但通过剖析禁止重复评价原则背后的经济学原理就会发现,二者本质上是相暗合的。这是因为,禁止重复评价原则背后的经济逻辑就是要保证刑罚威慑的最优化,而禁止重复评价原则的适用是有条件的,其前提便是某类犯罪的特定情节或行为没有导致该类犯罪的抓获概率在一段时期内明显下降,刑罚的威慑效果也没有因为特定情节或行为的出现而受到削弱,否则,对某类犯罪的特定情节或行为进行重复评价便是必要的。