The impact of plurilateral trade agreements on developing countries – to participate or not to participate?

In the wake of the impasse in the Doha Development Round of multilateral trade talks, sector-specific plurilateral trade agreements (PTAs) have been gaining traction. However, PTAs mostly appeal to developed countries, with the uptake among developing countries (including least-developed countries) being very limited. This article investigates the factors contributing to such a phenomenon, whether there is indeed merit in developing countries playing a more active role in PTAs and how they might be encouraged to do so. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted with specific attention being given to the effects, on a selection of developing countries, of participation in four PTAs: the Trade in Services Agreement, the Government Procurement Agreement, the Environmental Goods Agreement and the Information Technology Agreement II. Among the findings was that although, according to the qualitative analysis, policymakers are generally disinterested in the four PTAs because they are not aligned to the countries’ economic interests or they threaten policy space, the quantitative analysis revealed that gains could often be made from more active participation in these agreements. This clearly points to a research gap and highlights the need for more in-depth analysis of the potential of PTAs in the developing world.     

“She’s Mlungu but she looks like me!”: disrupting insider/outsider dichotomies in ethnographic fieldwork

What happens when the biologically and socially visible (and invisible) boundaries used to maintain differences between the researcher (outsider) and the researched (insiders) are broken down or denied acknowledgment? This article explores one challenge of conducting ethnographic fieldwork in regards to race and the unintentional blurring of the insider–outsider dichotomies within the field. As an English-speaking African American attempting to penetrate Langa, a black South African, predominantly isiXhosa-speaking township, it became apparent that my physical appearance automatically relegated me to an ‘insider,’ awarding me a certain and perhaps undeserved membership in the field. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork from 2011 to 2012, this article is a reflection of my experience of balancing my role as a black-American researcher – and by default an outsider – in an environment where my “outsider-ness” was visibly non-existent. This both mitigated an exacerbated my ethnographic data collection.     

我国排污收费制度存在的问题及对策

排污收费制度是我国环境法律制度中的一项基本制度,对污染的治理和环境的改善起到了重要的作用。但是,我国现行的排污收费制度无论在立法上还是在实践中都存在着一些问题,导致排污费征收情况不容乐观。因此,我们必须要不断完善排污收费制度,将经济建设和环境保护协调统一起来,在发展经济的同时更要注重污染治理。     

排污权交易制度在中国建构浅探

排污权交易是一种利用市场手段有效解决环境问题和节约环保资金的良性制度设计。当前环境问题严峻、资金紧张的中国急需该制度的合理构建。本文从排污权交易制度的价值入手,分析了排污权交易制度在我国试行存在的问题,指出我国建构排污权交易制度应特别注意的事项。     

气候变化治理技术方案之中国路径

通过从经济与财政可能性、政治伦理可行性、技术和行政操作可行性三个方面将诸多零散的碳税和碳排放交易的利弊分析进行梳理和系统化,碳排放交易的现实可行性和优势得以显现。同时,通过对欧盟和美国碳排放市场建设历史经验的纵向分析和现状的横向比较,强制性碳排放市场的重要意义和碳排放市场建设渐进主义的优势得以体现。藉此,结合我国排污交易的历史经验与最新的政策法律导向,构建渐进主义原则下碳排放市场发展的法律主线和具体制度方案值得尝试。中国应在循序渐进地扩大碳排放交易主体和范围的基础上,通过不断修正市场激励、交易和辅助机制,逐步完善碳排放市场的内在交易机理并实现与国际气候治理机制的衔接,成为未来气候治理的领导者。     

中国碳交易市场的核心问题与解决思路

中国碳交易市场已初步形成,但存在的核心问题也比较明显,主要集中在碳交易市场机制不完善、法规法律不健全、政府主管部门监管不足、缺乏碳交易的定价权与碳金融发展滞后等方面,该文围绕上述核心问题分别提出了应对思路。     

浅析多重语境下的习惯法概念界定——以民法中“交易习惯”的性质认定为例

习惯法概念的界定历来存在争议,正确界定习惯法的概念及认识习惯法与习惯之间的意义对于我们认识现存法律中的关于习惯入法及习惯在司法中的适用提供重要的意义和理论基础。本文以为习惯法应该是独立于国家强制力之外的一种法律,即区别于制定法。是一定社会中,人们在长期的生产生活和社会实践中所惯性的为一定的群体人们在心理上所接受的,能够像发一样规制人们行为的,不违背公序良俗的习惯。而我国民法中的交易习惯也应当是习惯法。至于交易习惯的适用,应当由司法机关汇编适用。     

排污权交易的公示制度研究——兼谈物权公示制度

排污权交易制度的实质是具有排放资格的单位之间就排放容量进行自由交易的制度。基于排污权交易的特殊性。则需借鉴物权理论的公示制度,构建由“公法主导”转向“公私监管”的公示制度。物权的公信力来源于公示方式的科学性和合理性。现今因为环境污染的日益严重性。排污权交易制度也需被赋予公信力。物权变动的公示和公信力涉及物权的多样性和交易的安全性。即使排污权交易不存在上述问题,但就其交易对象的数量限定性和第三人的环境利益相关性．引入物权公示制度的同时也需要增强公信力。因此本文认为,应将政府采取的“批准”方式与公示生效主义相结合来构建新型的排污权交易公示制度。这一制度的建立,既能增加交易的自由度,也能增加这一方式的公信力．     

民法视野下排污权交易合同法律关系探析

排污权交易合同制度是排污权交易制度体系中的核心问题。排污权交易合同属于民事合同,但又不同于普通民事合同,应将其定性为一种新型的民事合同即环境民事合同。排污权交易合同除在意思自治原则和合同相对性原则上有所突破外,在合同主体、合同客体、合同履行等方面也与其他民事合同有所区别。我国应在《环境保护法》创设排污权交易制度的基础上,完善我国《合同法》的规定,增加环境民事合同的相关规定。同时,改革排污许可证制度,使之与排污权交易合同制度相衔接。     

我国出口贸易屡遭技术壁垒限制的原因及对策

我国出口产品进入发达国家市场屡遭技术壁垒的限制,出口贸易遭受严重的影响,造成这一现象具有外因,又有内因,对此,我国应采取建立技术贸易保护措施的统一协调机制,建立和完善技术法规体系,完善我国反技术壁垒体系,重视发挥行业协会、进出口商会等中介组织的作用等对策。