Methodological aspects of the Dutch National Threat Assessment

This paper discusses issues related to measuring organized crime as they have become manifest in the Dutch contribution to the EU Organised Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA). It intends to convey to a wider academic community certain issues of definition, methodology and accountability, understanding the NTA process in terms of the communication of risks in a context of competitive defining institutions.

Performance Management in Australia's Public Mental Health Service: A State Based Perspective

This article investigates the implementation of key performance indicators (KPIs) in Western Australia's public mental health system. A nationally agreed performance measurement framework forms part of the much needed reform now taking place within Australia. However, progress in the effective monitoring and reporting of KPIs is slow in most states, including Western Australia. The authors report on the results of a selective case study involving semi‐structured interviews with mental health administrators and offer a more nuanced insight into the intricacies and difficulties involved in performance measurement reform. The principal finding is that effective performance measurement and reporting can be internally problematic, particularly within a fragmented and networked system. This tends to give rise to a conformance‐only approach to performance measurement.     

Mismeasuring Militias: Limitations of Advocacy Group Data and of State‐Level Studies of Paramilitary Groups

The errors associated with measuring the number of militia and patriot groups may cast doubt on conclusions drawn from prior studies of the spatial variation of these movements. Most studies of militias have been qualitative investigations of a single group, state, or region. A growing number of studies, however, have used quantitative techniques to assess the hypothesis that the number of militia groups by state covaries with structural and cultural forces. We outline a number of concerns with the validity of the counts, conducted by the Anti‐Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, used by these studies. We re‐estimate models from previous studies using the four alternative measures of these groups employed in prior studies. We find that many inferences drawn for identical theoretical models differ based upon the measure used. These discrepancies apply not simply to tangential control variables but to indicators of key theoretical constructs. In other words, the decision as to whether or not a particular theoretical framework receives empirical support often depends upon which measure of the dependent variable is used. This suggests that the inconsistent findings in prior research may be due to measurement error and makes it difficult to assess the validity of the conclusions drawn from these studies. It is important to be aware of these weaknesses since scholars studying political crimes and related phenomena often use information from similar sources, making this specific example relevant to a more general area of research.     

论经济法的理论基础

任何法部门都要有理论基础。经济法理论基础应当以讲求法意理论、突出经济法特征和承认其他部门法理论基础为立论之本,并从经济法价值层面推衍出来。以往学界关于经济法理论基础的研究还没能够符合这些条件,故诸说成立的根据不充分;而民商法、行政法、社会法等理论基础对于从经济法价值层面推衍的"整体经济效益"的价值取向及覆盖的法内容,又无力支撑。于是,寻找经济法自身的根本理论支撑就十分关键了。笔者研究发现,经济法为了实现"整体经济效益"的价值取向,必须不断解决个体性经营无序带来的"整体"损害问题,于是,经济法配置的整体性经济权应当是限定个体性经营权的职权。笔者将这一理论称为"限权论"并定位为经济法理论基础。这一理论也是在与民商法的"保权论"、行政法的"控权论"、社会法的"扶权论"等理论基础的界分和协调中形成的。     

新《刑事诉讼法》特别程序对诉讼效率价值的坚持与完善

诉讼效率是《刑事诉讼法》应始终追求的重要价值,诉讼效率应当包括"效益"和"速率"两层含义。其中的效益是指通过诉讼程序办理的案件质量较高、结果合理,强调效益有利于司法工作、法律效果和社会效果的良好统一;而速率是指遵循诉讼程序使得刑事案件处理较快、过程迅速,强调速率有利于对司法资源的合理调配和充分利用。但效益和速率并不能完全地同步实现,任何诉讼程序都可能向其中一者倾斜而忽略另一者,尤其是忽略对效益的追求。同样地,新《刑事诉讼法》特别程序也应当尽力保持这两者间的平衡,通过一定制度设定弥补因速率带来的效益损失。     

论法治社会理想的重构--从自由资本主义困境的突破说开去

对法治社会理想的分析是置于资本主义社会发展的重大转型期即 19世纪中叶至两次世界大战前后 ,资本主义主流社会发展进路中面临的困境及对困境的突破的大背景下展开的 ,认为西方资本主义主流社会的法治社会理想的出现和实践进路是社会矛盾的历史冲突中现实的选择。中国法治社会理想的建构和实践同样不能背离中国的国情和历史 ,而亟需解决的问题则是国家和法价值观念的重构。     

The development and pilot testing of a family treatment court best practices assessment: The model standards implementation scale

In 2019, the family treatment court (FTC) best practice standards (the Standards) were published to clarify attributes of FTC programs associated with superior child, parent, and family outcomes. The Standards cover the breadth of FTC operations including program structure and leadership, substance use treatment and complementary services, and behavioral responses to participants. This study aimed to develop an instrument (the Model Standards Implementation Scale; “MSIS”) that stakeholders can use to assess implementation of the Standards by individual FTCs. The MSIS balances usability with scientific validity. Interrater reliability (IRR), internal consistency, and several types of validity were assessed. Results indicated moderate to strong IRR, high internal consistency, mixed known groups validity depending on Standard, and high convergent and divergent validity. Initial findings suggest good validity and usability of the MSIS for evaluating FTC Standards' implementation. Notably, the process of using the tool functioned to educate FTC team members on the Standards. Although implementation of the MSIS is a resource-intensive process, the opportunity to receive constructive feedback proved to be an effective incentive for initial and subsequent participation in the evaluation among FTCs. Future research is needed to examine predictive validity, including association between Standards' implementation and family outcomes in FTCs.     

精神利益对人的活力的影响初探

马克思主义理论认为人的活力是人在实践活动过程中表现出来的人的本质力量,它由自主性、积极性和创造性三部分构成。情感、尊重、荣誉、求知、社会交往、实现自身价值及理想信念等精神需要对人的活力的发挥具有重要影响。所以,在实践中重视人们的精神利益要求,更加关注现实中精神利益对人和社会活力的积极和消极影响,是构建充满活力的社会主义和谐社会一个重要因素。     

信赖与信赖利益考

信赖是当事人相信要约或合同而为签订合同所导致的财产减少和与他人订约机会的丧失,信赖利益是对合同或要约赋予了信赖一方当事人所故有的,因信赖可能或已经受到损失的利益,对信赖利益的救济包括期待利益损害赔偿和信赖损害赔偿两种手段,且对信赖利益的损害赔偿不应以期待利益为限。     

毛泽东对外经济交往思想探析

有人认为毛泽东自觉不自觉地实行了一套闭关锁国政策。本通过对毛泽东在三个历史时期对外经济交往思想的考察,得出了倡导对外开放,积极开展对外经济交往是毛泽东的一贯思想的结论。同时也扼要地指出了毛泽东对外开放和对外经济交往思想的某些局限性以及造成这些局限性的原因。邓小平突破了这些局限性,把我国的对外开放推向了一个新的阶段。