Lingua franca fever: sceptical remarks

The policy push in favour of fostering a global lingua franca has shed overtly imperialistic underpinnings and been recast, but many of the same objections can be levelled at new attempts to justify an old policy. Efforts to explain the impetus towards linguistic uniformity through rational choice theory obscure the power dynamics behind choice of language in multilingual contexts. Invoking democratic engagement as a benefit of uniformity overestimates the role of linguistic diversity as a drag on participation and ignores more important forces. A focus on equality of opportunity and social mobility through lingua franca competence as justification for the policy reveals a shallow conception of equality and underplays the long-term consequences for non-lingua franca communities were equality of opportunity for individuals to be taken seriously. Finally, seeing the justice issues that arise out of competition between languages as one of ensuring adequate compensation to the losers underscores how thin is the conception of equality animating the approach; it purchases an inadequate level of equal opportunity for individuals at the expense of inequality amongst language communities.     

Recognition as if sovereigns? A procedural understanding of indigenous self-determination

In the last two decades we have witnessed a growing global acknowledgement of indigenous rights – manifested in the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – challenging the traditional nation-state-centred understanding of political rights and democracy. In this paper, the author argues that indigenous self-determination is to be understood as a way to level the balance of power between indigenous peoples and the nation-states in which they live. Without a solid legal foundation for indigenous peoples to define self-determination in their own languages and to negotiate the conditions of their relation with the nation-states on their own terms, the colonial past (and present) of violent conquest and domination might continue. Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination ought in this perspective to imply recognition of indigenous peoples as having a standing equal to nation-states, i.e. as if they were sovereigns. What self-determination means in political practice would thus be the outcome of negotiations between two (or more) equal political entities. In this way, the right to self-determination has to be interpreted procedurally rather than substantially.     

论土耳其的司法演进对于法律信仰研究的启示

土耳其是法制现代化比较成功的非西方国家,其成功的要素之一便是它妥善地处理了世俗法律和宗教信仰之间的问题。土耳其没有实现全民族对法律的信仰,但这并未妨碍法治文明和民主政治在其国土上的有效确立。这对当前我国法学界将"法律必须被信仰"作为普适性的结论,将建立法律信仰视为实现法治的必备要素的观点无疑是一大冲击。以土耳其为例证,对"法律信仰"命题的提出了质疑。希望通过中西文明以外的伊斯兰文明秩序中的成功经验能够给予我国当前的法律信仰问题的研究,特别是面对重大刑事案件时社会的法律信仰问题,带来一些多元的视角和不同的启示。     

Under construction: Brain formation, culpability, and the criminal justice system

Should adolescents be held as culpable for their behavior as adults? Adolescence is a tumultuous time, full of change and transformation. This paper examines the development of brain functions and cognitive capabilities of teenagers. It explores the effect of alcohol use on brain development and the fundamental cognitive differences between adolescents and adults. This knowledge, coupled with the assessment of developmental perspective, suggests that the adultification of youth (or waiver to adult court) is unduly harsh for youth whose brains have not fully formed.     

我国劳动合同立法现状及其完善

以《劳动合同法》的颁行为标志,我国劳动合同立法攀上巅峰。然而,现有立法不能实现其预期,根本原因在于劳动契约自由规制不适度,突出表现在无固定期限劳动合同、订立书面劳动合同等制度中。而要改变这一现状,就需要从外在与内在两个视角加以努力,以体系化的方法设计劳动合同制度,补足劳动合同制度的强制性。     

审判管理：功效、局限及界限把握

审判管理是对审判活动的组织、协调和监督。当前加强审判管理的特点,包括审判管理组织与管理措施的强化,管理的严格性与精细化程度的提高,信息平台的构建与技术手段的充分利用,管理活动中行政元素的强化以及对审判的渗入。这种状况既有国家管理的宏观背景支持,又有法院自身的原因。其现实意义是有利于保障审判的公正、效率、廉洁和司法统一性。但也有不符审判规律及不规范的问题,还可能扭曲审判行为。应当从“法院逻辑”即“裁判逻辑”中寻求司法建设的常识,重视审判资源配置,强化基础意识防止轻重倒置,同时继续按照司法规律推动法院改革;注意审判管理重在审判权外部展开,实现“以外促内”;限制和规范审判管理权干预案件的实体处理;正确把握评查与考绩的方法与限度。     

法律规避下的契约私人治理研究——以建筑工程违法分包现象为切入点

建筑工程违法分包现象一直是社会关注的焦点问题。面对这些现象频繁引发的安全事故和社会纠纷,理论界和实务界在考虑法律对策的时候,不仅需要从外部视角研究如何强化法律实施机制,如进一步细化立法、增强法律监督、提高当事人责任标准等;而且也需要从内部视角研究违法分包契约当事人如何在规避法律情形下完成契约私人治理,因为正是这些契约私人治理机制促使违法分包当事人得以逃避法律监督进而实现不法目的。简言之,对于违法现象的治理,我们首先应当主动深入敌后,了解违法者的内部堡垒,之后才能对现有法律机制的缺陷进行反思,最终有针对性的制定解决问题的对策。     

由偏激到中肯:公司法定资本制价值之重估

通说对公司法定资本制的定义停留在了资本形成阶段,事实上,法定资本制贯穿于整个公司设立和运行全程.法定资本制并非如某些学者所描述的那样完全昂贵且无实益,其具有多方面的重要功能.以合同法或其他手段作为法定资本制的替代性措施,根本无法独立承担债权人保护的重任.     

论吸食新型毒品的管制

近年来,我国新型毒品有取代传统毒品的趋势。政府对吸食新型毒品的管制可分为出现法律真空、以地方管制为主、调整和统一戒毒模式三个阶段,具有受管制的新型毒品种类不断扩大、吸食新型毒品的管制日趋严厉、寻求司法与社会、医疗体系间的紧密合作三个特点。当前吸食新型毒品管制存在的问题是：强制隔离戒毒放大了惩处威慑功能、社区戒毒与社区康复管理措施不配套、自愿戒毒增加了复吸重罚的可能性。应转变理念,坚持人文关怀精神;明确社区戒毒定位,制定配套措施;鼓励自愿戒毒,减少管制成本。     

Justice for survivors of sexual violence in Kitgum,Uganda

Based on fieldwork in the Kitgum district of northern Uganda, this paper investigates the experience of justice for the large number of survivors, female and male, of sexual violence as a result of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency and its aftermath. It asks: what justice do survivors of sexual violence want; what access to justice do survivors of LRA sexual violence have; what access to justice do the survivors of current sexual violence have; and what are the problems faced with delivering justice. It finds that the response has been minimal, ineffective and inappropriate. It concludes that the neglect of justice has serious implications for the attitudes on Acholi people towards the current Uganda government, for it perpetuates the perceived sense of marginalisation felt by many Acholi and which was a contributor to the LRA rebellion.