The Unscientific Determinants of Voting on a Controversial Scientific Issue: An Evaluation of Biofuels Policy in the U.S. Congress

Whether allegiance to party or the preferences of constituents are most important in an elected representative's voting decision has been a long‐running question in political science. This study contributes to this debate through an evaluation of biofuels policy in the U.S. Congress. Results indicate that in this policy area the House and Senate balance these influences differently, with partisanship playing a significant role in the House but not in the Senate. Analysis of voting on this issue indicates that there are important distinctions between how a legislator views the overall partisan preferences of constituents in their district or state versus how they view the interests of particular groups of constituents; when the concentration of agricultural interests in a legislator's district or state is great enough, it can override the effects of party for this issue, which suggests that legislators are especially concerned with specific constituency groups in their district or state that would stand to gain or lose from a policy. The proposition that a legislator is most likely to do that which benefits him or her most regardless of the available science relevant to a policy is a useful starting point for understanding what has been found in this research project.     

对魏伊丝代际公平说的全面反思

为保护地球环境资源而创设的代际公平理论是建立在两个错误认识的基础上的,即把集合概念的人类视为类概念的人类和把地球环境资源财产化。假如没有后代人,人们也同样应该承担保护地球环境的义务。魏伊丝舍今世而求助于后代人及其权利,其原因在于权利时代所型塑出来的权利思维模式和路径依赖。虽然代际公平理论能够给我们提供观察和解决环境问题的时间视角,但它本身并不是什么新的法律理念,无法担负起指导现代环境法制建设和环境保护实践的重任。     

东北地区价值损伤型上市公司的宏观环境分析

东北地区上市公司参差不齐的发展状况现已成为东北老工业基地整体经济协调发展的巨大障碍。通过采用2010年国资委推出的EVA绩效评价方法,对东北地区上市公司2007~2009年间的业绩进行重新排序,可以发现这些上市公司价值损伤情况越发严重。环境分析结果表明,产业结构不合理、民营经济先天不足以及区域经济发展失衡是导致企业价值损伤的宏观因素。     

Macroscopic observations of the effects of varying fresh water pH on bone

Little is known about the decomposition of remains in aquatic environments of varying pH, and even less is known about the specific effects of these environments on bone. Bovine bones were placed in solutions of pH 1, 4, 7, 10, and 14 and observed over a period of 1 year. All solutions eventually removed or dissolved the soft tissues from the external surface of the bone. The pH 7 and pH 10 solutions had little effect on the bone, but the other solutions affected the bone to varying degrees. Extreme pH levels were the most destructive, while more moderate pH levels had lesser but significant and interesting effects. Empirical data on postmortem aquatic changes may be extremely useful in forensic contexts for both improving time since death estimates and also for providing better information to underwater recovery experts thereby potentially increasing the quantity and quality of remains recovery.     

以环境公共利益为保护目标的环境权利理论——从“环境损害”到“对环境本身的损害”

环境损害既包括对环境本身的损害,也包括经由环境污染造成的人身和财产损害。以环境损害为救济对象的各种公民环境权利理论,不能为环境权利的独立存在提供正当理由,因而也遭到公益权论者和人类权论者的怀疑和批评。理论上,环境权利仅仅旨在维护和增进环境公共利益,预防和减少对环境本身的损害。以环境公共利益为保护目标的环境权利理论,可以为环境权利的独立存在提供正当理由,因而也可以回应公益权论者和人类权论者的质疑和批评。这种理论既可以区分公法上的环境权利和现有的各种人权,也可以区分私法上的环境权利和现有的环境人格权、环境相邻权、环境侵权。     

转型时期大学生弱势群体成因研究

该文指出,大学生弱势群体是随着中国社会转型和高等教育环境变化而出现的一个特殊群体,近年来大学生弱势群体问题日益凸显,成为影响社会稳定和高等教育事业健康发展的一个潜在的不利因素,引起了社会的广泛关注。从理论上研究其形成原因,有利于提出具有操作性的解决方案,对促进新时期大学生的全面发展具有十分重要的现实意义。     

浅析新农村建设中生态环境保护法制问题

目前,我国新农村环境保护法制建设中存在干群环境法律意识淡薄,环境管理体制不完善等严重问题。完善新农村生态环境法律体系的途径有：一要树立环境法治理念,推动公民环境权入法规;二要构建农村环境法律体系;三要加强农村环境执法工作。     

Greening Constitutions with Environmental Rights: Testing the Isomorphism Thesis

Why do some countries have constitutional environmental rights while others do not? In this paper, I conduct statistical analyses to respond to this inquiry. Through studying the impact of intraregional constitutional design, I aim to understand why states adopt environmental rights. I argue that regional isomorphism—i.e., the tendency among states within a region to converge on certain policies—may explain the trend toward constitutionalization of environmental rights. In this paper I (1) define and provide historical background on environmental rights, (2) describe theories which support regional isomorphism as a means of explaining the adoption of constitutional environmental rights, and (3) conduct statistical tests to determine the validity of the regional isomorphism thesis. I find that the enactment of constitutional environmental rights within a region does not increase the likelihood that another state within the same region will include environmental rights within its constitution.     

理性应对复杂的信息环境

当代新信息技术的发展创造了一个全新的复杂信息环境。在信息环境中,人既是信息主体,又是信息客体,人与信息环境之间的关系是互动的,人创造、改造信息环境的同时也被改变、被塑造,因而产生一些心理、思维和行为新问题。如何应对复杂信息环境对我们心理、思维和行为的影响,这是一个值得深入研究的问题。