What can deliberative mini-publics contribute to democratic systems?

Can deliberative mini-publics contribute to deepening the democratic dimensions of electoral democracies? The question is framed in this article using a problem-based approach to democratic theory–to count as democratic, political systems must accomplish three basic functions related to inclusion, communication and deliberation, and decision making. This approach is elaborated with an analysis of a real-world case: a deliberative mini-public with a citizens’ assembly design, focused on urban planning convened in Vancouver, Canada. This example was chosen because the context was one in which the city's legacy institutions of representative democracy had significant democratic deficits in all three areas, and the mini-public was a direct response to these deficits. It was found that Vancouver's deliberative mini-public helped policy makers, activists and affected residents move a stalemated planning process forward, and did do so in ways that improved the democratic performance of the political system. Depending on when and how they are sequenced into democratic processes, deliberative mini-publics can supplement existing legacy institutions and practices to deepen their democratic performance.     

维吾尔族女性早婚现象的人类学分析

维吾尔族女性的早婚现象为研究者所逐渐关注.以田野调查材料为依据,对维吾尔族女性早婚的原因、早婚带来的问题进行的研究表明,"好女不等到十六七嫁"的婚龄观,对维吾尔族女性早婚有重要的规约作用.早婚对个人和社会都有极大的负面影响,"在合适的年龄结婚,在合适的年龄生孩子",是当今维吾尔族女性共同的体验和认识.     

REEVALUATING WHERE WE STAND: A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF AMERICA'S FAMILY JUSTICE SYSTEMS

The call for court reform remains critical in the face of the growing complexity of burgeoning family law cases nationwide. Many states have restructured their court systems using the unified family court model, resolving legal, personal, emotional, and social disputes with the aim of improving the well‐being of families and children. Other states utilize the traditional approach, resulting in cases being handled in a fragmented, time‐consuming and expensive manner. In this article, Professor Barbara A. Babb presents the results of her nationwide survey regarding how each state handles family law matters. The survey is a follow‐up to her comprehensive 1998 survey and her 2002 survey update. The results of the recent analysis reveal that a total of thirty‐eight states now have either statewide family courts, family courts in selected areas of the state, or pilot or planned family courts, representing seventy‐five percent of states. The number of states without a specialized or separate system to handle family law matters has decreased from seventeen states in 1998 to thirteen in 2006. These changes are significant when one considers the complexities involved in court reform. The need for court reform remains an urgent one, as family law cases occupy a significant percentage of court dockets across the country. Families and children deserve a court system where justice is effective and efficient and where their legal, personal, emotional, and social needs are resolved in a therapeutic and holistic manner.     

论夫妻一方婚前财产于婚后所生利益的归属

夫妻一方婚前财产于婚后所生利益的归属历来较有争议。本文首先将这些利益划分为孳息、投资收益和增值三个种类;然后对国内学者的不同观点进行了总结;在此基础上提出确定其归属的一般规则和补充规则:一般规则是如果婚后利益的产生体现对方协力则作为共同财产,否则仍为个人财产;补充规则是如果一方仅以婚前财产所生利益为唯一收入来源,则将其中一部分视为共同财产;最后提出完善我国婚姻立法的条文设计方案。     

论疾病婚的法律控制

对疾病婚的控制，不能仅仅通过将已经成立并生效的含有某种疾病因素的婚姻确定为无效而予以事后的惩罚和救济，而且应该在婚姻成立前，建立起与婚姻法规定的禁止一定疾病患者结婚相适应的完善的预防措施。我国婚姻法应该明确规定某些严重的疾病患者禁止结婚。同时，我国的婚姻行政立法应该建立符合中国实际需要的保障当事人知情权的婚前健康检查制度。     

婚姻立法语言模糊性弊端规避的语义策略

婚姻立法语言模糊性弊端需要我们有意识地规避.通过语义限定如限定行为方式、限定性质和后果、限定范围等可以使婚姻立法模糊性语言趋于精确化;婚姻立法应正确把握立法语言的模糊度,避免使用过度的模糊语言;婚姻立法应区分情形使用立法模糊用语和精确化语言,恰当发挥模糊语言的功能.     

Scenario study of biometric systems at borders

This paper examines and compares the existing privacy instruments of VIS and US-VISIT systems in addressing the specific legal issues and challenging the privacy-invasive behaviour in the world of biometrics. A biometric scenario is presented to give a vision of a future society in 5 years from now when biometric technology is more widely used. The objective here is to open up the scope of considering the potential legal risks of the use of biometrics, based upon the present passport and visa application plans in the EU and USA.     

Not much happened: The impact of gender quotas in Poland

Poland maintained its open-list PR system but introduced gender quotas in the 2011 parliamentary elections in order to increase the number of women deputies. Yet this change had only a limited impact on women's representation. The 2011 election confirms that ‘favorable’ electoral laws provide opportunities for women, but they cannot guarantee that women will be elected. In particular, the use of quotas alone is not sufficient to ensure high levels of women's representation. The most important factors in explaining the Polish result were 1) the absence of a ‘zipper’, a list ordering that alternates men and women candidates, thus ensuring high list-places for women 2) the parties' favoring of men in their list placement 3) the relative size of the political parties and 4) voters' support for list leaders and incumbent deputies. Despite a disappointing outcome, quotas may be seen as beneficial in increasing women's presence and the potential for further evolution of the electoral system.     

论职工董事、监事制度与职工代表大会制度的关系

国有企业改革把职工代表大会制度与职工董事、监事制度内在地联系在一起。这两种制度相互关系的实质是职工董事、监事与职工劳动者的相互关系。在运用这两种制度时 ,可以通过政策中介和制度创新等 ,使其更好地实现职工劳动者和企业出资者的产权权益。     

协议离婚的无效和撤销

协议离婚是当事人双方的合意与法律的确认结合在一起的复合行为,故其效力应受当事人合意的效力及登记行为的效力双重影响。在当事人的离婚合意及登记行为均为合法有效的情形下,协议离婚才是合法有效的。对于无效离婚,现行法未作规定。如何处理此类纠纷,笔者认为可参照可撤销婚姻的处理方式,由当事人按民事诉讼程序申请人民法院宣告离婚无效,婚姻登记机关无须再次进行离婚无效的宣告,只须将法院的判决收入婚姻档案。