On the Nature of Tolerance: Dichotomous or Continuous?*

The purpose of this article is to reconsider the claim made recently by Mondak and Sanders that political tolerance ought to be thought to be a dichotomous rather than continuous variable. Using data from both Russia and the United States, I demonstrate that those Mondak and Sanders regard as uniquely tolerant are most likely no more than people who were given insufficient opportunity to express their intolerance. Even if such a phenomenon of “absolute tolerance” exists (all ideas expressed in all ways are to be tolerated), it is sufficiently rare that few practical implications are indicated for those doing empirical work on political tolerance and intolerance. * I appreciate the valuable comments of Jeffcry Mondak on an earlier version of this paper.     

Caribbean electricity restructuring: an assessment

This article assesses the privatisation of the electricity sector in two Caribbean countries, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, to determine if they have been successful and whether they have contributed benefits to the respective societies. Two general methods are applied in assessing the success of the divestments; attainment of governments' stated objectives and commonly used utility performance metrics together with social and customer focus indicators. The results indicate that the stated objectives were broadly achieved, and the privatisation and its attempts brought benefits to the consumers and the society in general. The short to medium term benefits were accrued through lower labour costs per unit of electricity, higher performance of plant and operations and business led decision‐making. Long‐term benefits are accrued through the reduction or elimination of electricity supply deficits. However, although the basic privatisations were successful, the absence of an adequate regulatory framework in one case may have reduced the quantum of benefits through failure to enforce continuous improvement in the privatised generation company, and reductions in worker rents in the public distribution company. Further, benefits were reduced by long divestment processes, accompanying strategic drift, opportunity costs from delayed sale proceeds and efficiency enhancement, and the costs to sustain interim operations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

"小产权"房法律分析

"小产权"房交易违反了国家的强制性法规,却成为社会上通行的做法。处理此类纠纷既要兼顾国家法规的立法旨趣与保护私人利益二者的要求,又要兼顾各方当事人之间的利益衡平。根据法令违反行为效力理论发展了传统的解决方案,提出最大限度尊重民事主体选择的办法。     

利益分配的国家调节——论经济法的再分配功能

国家调节是对市场缺陷和市场失灵导致的利益分配失衡现象的救济与矫正,是国家介入利益分配领域后,对市场初次分配格局中存在的缺陷的补救,是在市场分配基础上的再分配。经济法作为国家调节社会经济之法,其本质属性在于国家调节,是对利益进行的再分配。以利益分配与国家调节之间关系的探究为基础,对经济法再分配功能的内涵与意义加以分析,有利于我们更好地了解经济法的功能,并运用经济法的再分配功能为建设和谐社会服务。     

刑事和解的成本收益分析——以"经济人"预设为理论前提

刑事纠纷中的双方和国家都可以被视为经济人,根据经济学的成本收益理论,对于重视获得补偿的被害人和有支付能力的加害人,从和解中获得的利益要大于从正规诉讼程序中获得的利益。从立法、司法和刑事法目的实现的角度,国家扩大刑事和解范围,对其进行法律规制也是实现收益最大化的明智的选择。     

论行贿犯罪惩治不力的原因和对策

我国目前惩治行贿犯罪的力度远远低于惩治受贿犯罪,造成这种状况的主要原因是人们对行贿犯罪危害性认识不够、对行贿犯罪采取从宽处理的刑事政策、"谋取不正当利益"构成要件造成行贿犯罪认定难、检察机关侦查措施和手段不足等。对此,应当提高对行贿犯罪社会危害严重性和惩治行贿犯罪重要性的认识、完善刑法的有关规定、赋予检察机关必要的侦查手段、形成防治行贿犯罪的合力,以加大惩治行贿犯罪的力度。     

肝豆状核变性肝纤维化程度与中医证型相关性研究

目的 基于二维超声剪切波测量联合血清肝纤维化和肝功能指标,探讨肝豆状核变性（hepatolenticular degeneration,HLD）患者中医证型与肝纤维化程度的相关性。方法 将89例HLD患者根据中医临床辨证分型分为痰瘀互结组（44例）、湿热内蕴组（33例）、肝肾阴虚组（12例）。比较二维超声剪切波测量指标和血清肝纤维化指标\[透明质酸酶（hyaluronidase,HA）、层黏连蛋白、Ⅳ型胶原、Ⅲ型前胶原N端肽\]、肝功能指标（血清天冬氨酸氨基转移酶、丙氨酸氨基转移酶、总胆红素）水平,并进行相关性分析。结果 3组患者门静脉内径比较,差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。与痰瘀互结组比较,湿热内蕴和肝肾阴虚组剪切波速度均显著降低（P＜0.05）;与湿热内蕴组比较,肝肾阴虚组剪切波速度显著降低（P＜0.05）,脂肪衰减系数显著减小（P＜0.05）。与痰瘀互结组比较,肝肾阴虚组HA水平显著降低（P＜0.05）,其他生化指标各证型组之间比较,差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。3种证型患者剪切波速度与HA存在正相关（P＜0.05）。鉴别痰瘀互结证与湿热内蕴证、痰瘀互结证与肝肾阴虚证时,以剪切波速度的诊断价值最高;鉴别湿热内蕴证与肝肾阴虚证时,以脂肪衰减系数的诊断价值最高。结论 HLD的肝肾阴虚、湿热内蕴、痰瘀互结证型中的肝纤维化程度存在显著差异,以痰瘀互结证的肝纤维化程度更明显,与剪切波速度、脂肪衰减系数、HA密切相关。     

论刑事政策的演进与和谐社会刑事政策构建

刑事政策是在不断发展变化之中的。社会主义和谐社会刑事政策的价值取向是追求社会和谐和科学发展,指导思想是以人为本,关注人性,重视个性。主要内容包括宽严相济、保护人权、恢复性司法,实施主体包括国家及其司法机关、社会组织。和谐社会刑事政策需要在刑事立法、刑事司法、刑事预防各个层面加以深入贯彻。     

侵权补充责任之理性审思与解释适用

《侵权责任法》仅列举了侵权补充责任的数类适用情形,缺乏统一的客观适用标准,亦未明确具体的适用规则.责任分担是责任成立的后续命题,不应再以责任构成原理为立论基点,而应以外部被侵权人受偿及内部各侵权人终局责任分担为考量因素.按份、连带责任的终局责任分担困境及不真正连带责任全额赔偿的僵化,使得补充责任不可或缺.由该正当性可推知,侵权补充责任应适用于“具有全部原因力的直接作为侵权＋过失不作为侵权”之一般情形.补充责任人应承担与过错、原因力相当的补充责任,并可向直接责任人全额追偿.     

论缓刑的法律性质--兼评缓刑考验期满后再犯罪成立累犯的合理性

缓刑在不同的刑事诉讼阶段所表现的主要特性是不同的,因而对其性质进行分阶段的界定也就有了现实的依据和合理性。从决定是否对犯罪分子宣告缓刑的意义上来说,缓刑有刑罚裁量的性质;从对犯罪分子具体适用缓刑的各项规定的意义上来说,缓刑又具有刑罚执行的性质。缓刑,兼具刑罚裁量和刑罚执行两重性质。在明确缓刑具有刑罚执行的法律性质的前提下,认定缓刑考验期满后再犯相应之罪的犯罪分子为累犯,就有了理论以及法律上的合理性。此种处置,从一般预防和特殊预防的角度来看,既符合中国社会重视行为人主观意志的现实,又能更好发挥刑罚预防犯罪的功能,也是符合我国现行刑事政策和法律规定的。