Banning political parties in a democratic constitutional state: the second NPD ban proceedings in a comparative perspective

ABSTRACT

Backes’s article discusses the judgement of the Second Senate of the German Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) of 17 January 2017—not to ban the right-wing extremist party Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD)—in light of recent lively international debates on the protection of democracy. It considers the logic of an examination of proportionality as established by German constitutional law, considering aspects of the legitimacy, suitability, necessity and appropriateness of the party ban. The article shows that the newly introduced criterion of ‘potentiality’ requires an examination of proportionality even if the court itself denies this. Thus the threshold for intervention has been raised, moderately, since a concrete or even immediate threat as defined in police law is not required. The Court links the definition of a free democratic basic order more closely to the established minimum definitions of comparative research and provides clarification that further refutes the (exaggerated) accusation of ‘vagueness’. In doing so it has sharpened the contours of the concept of militant democracy that is widely regarded in international comparative studies.     

Dissent in Iberia: The ideal points of justices on the Spanish and Portuguese Constitutional Tribunals

In this article, the non‐unanimous decisions of the Portuguese and Spanish Constitutional Tribunals for the periods 1989–2009 and 2000–2009 are analysed. It is shown that judicial dissent can be predicted moderately well on the basis of judicial ideal points along a single dimension. This dimension is equivalent to the left–right cleavage in both Portugal and Spain. The characteristics of the recovered dimension are demonstrated by analysing both the properties of the cases and the properties of the justices who decided them.     

法制现代化进程中法律移植的原则

本文从法律移植的概念及其价值切入,述及法制现代化进程对法律移植的要求及法律移植对法制现代化的重要作用,论述法制现代化进程中的法律移植应坚持科学性、本土化和适度循序渐进原则。     

从民法的角度看连体人的分离权

分离权是连体人特有的人格权,它是维护连体人个体独立存在的必然,是连体人个体充分享受自由的前提。连体人的分离权具有共有、依附、有限支配等法律属性,它的行使应遵循"不侵害生命原则"、"牺牲性分离须具正当性和合法性原则"、"子女最大利益原则"以及"法院最终决定原则"等。     

Governing the Economic Transition: How Taiwan Transformed its Industrial System to Attain Virtuous Cycle Development

This study explores the transitional processes of Taiwan's innovation system over the past half century, evolving from being rooted in traditional industries to attaining development in a virtuous cycle of development. Our approach is inspired by the Arena of Development theory and acknowledges the system of transformation failures, in which we highlighted the types of failures that might impede economic progress and how they were overcome in the evolutionary targeting of Taiwan's industrial development. Our findings demonstrate that the success of Taiwan's economic transition is targeted on, and evolves with, a series of macrolevel policies in the early phase of development; mesolevel institutional mechanisms to attain the industrial emergence settings; and, in pursuit of the virtuous cycle of development, the microlevel collaboration platform. We attribute the success of Taiwan's industrial system to this series of systematic government interventions. This study provides novel and salient normative principles that guide transformational policymakers in governing transitional processes of innovation system.     

Ethnic origin of the victim as an aggravating factor in sentencing sexual offenders

This article examines R v Jamal Muhammed Raheem Ul Nasir, a Court of Appeal case where leave to appeal against a seven-year custodial sentence for sexual offences against children was refused. The appellant argued that his sentence length was excessive because the judge viewed the female victims’ ethnic and religious origin as an aggravating factor. In light of a number of charities’ condemning the judgment, this article evaluates whether the Court of Appeal made the correct decision, particularly in the wider context of sentencing principles. It also considers whether causing shame to a victim and her family can be regarded as an aggravating factor when sentencing sexual offences, and discusses the circumstances where the victim’s ethnic origin should be taken into account.     

中国30年来的宪法学教学与研究

上世纪70年代以来的中国宪法学教学和研究,从根本上说是围绕着反映经济社会发展要求的82宪法的形成、解说、实施和修改进行的,当然也在很大程度上受到后者发展状况的局限.中国的宪法学教学和研究得到了快速发展,但总体水平还比较低,其主要原因在于中国的政治体制改革相对滞后,宪政实践还不能提供必要而足够的研究资源,宪法学教学和研究缺乏现实的推动力.近年来,中国宪法学教学和研究出现了一些新的发展趋势.这些新的发展趋势适应了现阶段中国经济社会发展的要求,引领着中国宪法学教学和研究的新方向.     

把迁徙自由纳入宪法的探究

本文提出,应该把迁徒自由作为全面建设小康社会的一项制度安排纳入宪法。发展社会主义市场经济需要迁徒自由,提高我国农业劳动生产率也需要迁徒自由,发展我国社会主义民主政治和加强政治文明建设更需要迁徒自由。在迁徒自由方面存在的这样那样的思想顾虑是不必要的。现在是我国经济发展最好的时期,也是恢复迁徒自由以宪法地位的最佳时机。     

国家赔偿制度中精神损害赔偿的建立和完善

精神赔偿首先出现在民事法律制度中，但国家侵权行为也会给受害人带来精神痛苦。完善国家赔偿制度中精神损害赔偿，体现了宪法的基本精神。构建赔偿制度要在遵循一定原则下，确立赔偿范围和数额。