Engaging the reluctant taxpayer

Abstract

A commitment to political neutrality means that citizens have a legitimate complaint when the coercive power of the state is used to advance some particular conception of how it is good to live. In this paper I investigate how to address this complaint in the case of public funding for the arts. There are two promising ways to justify public arts spending. First, as Thomas Nagel argues, the arts are a source of intrinsic values and so command our respect. I reject this argument because intrinsic values are not automatically political values. Second, Ronald Dworkin argues that access to the arts is required to fully participate in social life. This argument draws a connection between the arts and citizenship and so fares better in establishing a political justification for the arts. However, Dworkin relies on the special value of high art relative to popular art, which undermines the neutrality of his argument. I show that a justification can be given that does not depend on the high value of the arts. I develop an account that shows how the arts can support just relations between citizens. This account is in keeping with a liberal commitment to neutrality.     

公共物品供给与国内冲突的复发

根据新制度经济学理论,不同类型的公共物品供给是国家对国民接受现存政治秩序和纳税的回报。长期的政治和社会经济物品供给不妥或不足会导致国民的“怨恨”,破坏统治合法性,从而为反政府武装组织的动员和招募打开机会窗口,激发国内冲突。怨恨不会随着战争的结束而自动消失。对于普通士兵而言,怨恨是否会平息或化解取决于公共物品供给的变化。无论是原统治集团继续掌权,还是反叛集团取而代之,改善公共物品供给都是无法回避的问题,也是决定内战是否死灰复燃的关键因素。基于1947-2008年“武装冲突数据库”的“生存分析”支持了本文的基本假设,那就是公共物品供给显著地降低国内冲突复发的风险。经验研究还发现,战后和平建设主要是一个国内政治过程。国际战争、经济相互依存等国际因素会产生局部的显著影响,但作用并不大。国内政治物品的供给,尤其是政治参与和政治竞争对于冲突复发的遏制作用远比其他类型物品强。相对于经济物品,社会福利物品能够产生及时的作用,和平效果明显。此外,族群冲突的复发受制于更多类型的国内公共物品供给,因此较之非族群冲突,实现持久和平的机会更多,相对更容易化解。     

Institutional design for credence goods: Can the existence of financial incentive be problematic? Evidences from childbirth system of Bangladesh

The introduction of an incentive system in order to increase the provision of credence goods such as health services can be problematic. This article identifies the possible magnitude of overtreatment by physicians in private clinics compared with the situation in government and nongovernment health facilities in Bangladesh. The five to ten times higher volume of cesarean childbirths in private clinics (higher incentive institutions) compared with the volume in government/NGOs health facilities (lower incentive institutions) is indicative of the problem of overtreatment. This problem may become acute where there is only one private clinic in an area; however, the mere increase in the number of private clinics may not solve the problem.     

农村公共品供给效率与基层民主政治建设——基于W村的个案分析

在新的发展阶段,建设社会主义新农村,无疑对农村公共品的供给提出了更新、更高的要求,而基层民主机制的缺乏和不完善。以及行政系统本身的弱点,引发了供给效率低下的问题。文章从一个村庄实证探讨了农村民主政治建设和供给效率的关联,并提出了合理化供给的政策以及制度改革的建议和设想。以促使政府提供农村公共品符合效率目标的要求。     

论居民身份证收费的存与废——兼评我国行政收费制度

政府以提供公共服务为职能，并且在其所提供的公共产品中唯有其提供准公共产品时才允许向消费该类公共产品的居民适当收取费用。而身份证属于政府部门根据自身的行政管理需要而向全体社会成员提供的纯公共产品，因此政府首次发放和更换身份证应该实行免费制度。随着政府服务职能的提高和公民权利意识的增强，类似的证件收费以及其他不合理的行政收费也应该得到清理和废止，从而最终实现行政收费领域法治化目标。     

政府治理模式的变迁与启示

西方国家的新公共管理运动通过引入市场机制、塑造企业化的政府,对提高公共品供给效率产生了巨大影响。这启示我们对政府的性质、政府与市场的关系以及公共品的供给方式进行反思。     

新农村建设中公共物品供给问题及对策

农村公共物品供给问题是目前我国建设社会主义新农村必须着力解决的主要问题之一。我国农村公共物品供给在取得许多成就的同时,还存在着供给主体单一、资金短缺、供求失衡以及地区差异明显等问题。针对这些问题找出相应的对策,对破解"三农"问题乃至对整个新农村的建设都具有重要意义。     

公共物品提供主体的多元化--兼谈政府职能的让渡与拓展

目前,对于政府职能的让渡和拓展侧重于政府职能转变的必要性、转变的方法、目标、途径等研究.宏观研究多,微观研究少.尤其是在政府职能让渡之后,这些职能应该由什么载体来承担,如何承担,对于这些问题研究较少.本文以政府在提供公共物品领域的失灵为切入点,以政府职能转移为理论分析基础,具体探讨了政府职能让渡之后的公共物品提供问题.     

THE GOODS AND SERVICES DIRECTIVE: LIMITATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The Goods and Services Directive adopted in December 2004 is the very first European Community instrument to implement the principle of gender equality outside the workplace. As such it has the potential to close an important gap in European Union law. This note, however, contends that the limited scope of application of the Directive, together with doubts surrounding its legal base and position within the overall gender equality framework of the Union, have significantly undermined its potential. Nevertheless, it is suggested that for the future, should these criticisms be adequately addressed, then the Directive may provide an important platform for the wider diffusion of the gender equality principle beyond the sphere of European employment law. Council Directive 2004/113/EC of 13 December 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services OJ L373 (2004) 37     

集装箱运输中若干法律问题的探讨

近年来集装箱运输实务中频繁出现电放单、船期表、滞箱费等法律纠纷 ,对建立在以调整传统散杂货的《海牙规则》、《维斯比规则》基础上的我国《海商法》提出了新的挑战 ,本文结合我国最新司法实践 ,就我国海事法律如何适应运输实务的新发展提出了若干思考。