Cost–benefit analysis: New foundations on shifting sand

New Foundations of Cost–Benefit Analysis, by Matthew Adler and Eric Posner, represents the most ambitious and credible effort to date to build a solid theoretical defense of the use of cost–benefit analysis (CBA) in evaluating government regulation. In this review, three cost–benefit “skeptics” offer their reactions to this ambitious and important book. We note its virtues – its humility, its scrupulousness, its open‐mindedness. We also explore its vices. If preferences are to be “laundered,” is it intellectually defensible to remove the bad but not consider adding the good? Does Adler's and Posner's welfarism really play the limited role they suppose, or does it risk “crowding out” other important deontological and distributional values? If CBA is merely a decision procedure that provides an imperfect proxy of welfare – the moral criterion we really care about – how do we know that the proxy it provides in practice will actually be accurate enough to be useful? Isn't this at bottom an empirical question that cannot be answered by this thoroughly theoretical book? If CBA is no more than an imperfect proxy for welfare, then alternative imperfect decision procedures may perform better in the real world.     

The Political Viability of Carbon Pricing: Policy Design and Framing in British Columbia and California

The adoption of climate policies with visible, substantial costs for households is uncommon because of expected political backlash, but British Columbia's carbon tax and California's cap‐and‐trade program imposed such costs and still survived vigorous opposition. To explain these outcomes, this article tests hypotheses concerning policy design, framing, energy prices, and elections. It conducts universalizing and variation‐finding comparisons across three subcases in the two jurisdictions and uses primary sources to carry out process tracing involving mechanisms of public opinion and elite position‐taking. The article finds strong support for the timing of independent energy price changes, exogenous causes of election results, reducing the visibility of carbon pricing, and using public‐benefit justifications, as well as some support for making concessions to voters. By contrast, the effects of the use of revenue, industry exemptions/compensations, and making polluters pay are not uniform, because the effects of revenue use depend on how it is embedded in coalition building efforts and a middle path between exempting or compensating industry and burdening it appears to be more effective than pursuing just one or the other approach.     

The Contribution of Open Government to Prosperity of Society

The study finds that open government does not only have effect on economic prosperity, but on social capital and environment through the mechanisms of Rule of Law and Control of Corruption. The role of Rule of Law and Control of Corruption are emphasized in this study, because of their significance in mediating open government and prosperity. Unless mechanisms like regulation formulation, law enforcement and control of corruption are not put into practice; open government itself will not be a driving force to a prosperous society.     

论实现环境公平的观念障碍及其对策

环境公平的实现存在着很多障碍,人类利益中心的价值观及其相关的观念,是影响环境公平实现的重要因素。从环境公平的基本要求出发,分析环境法律公平实现的观念障碍,并提出相应的对策。     

我国环境污染现状与解决建议

随着工业化和城市化的大规模迅速发展,由环境污染和生态破坏所造成的环境侵权现象及其救济将成为今后我国的一大社会问题.而环境污染造成的环境侵权作为侵权行为的一种特殊类型,是国内尚未展开深入、系统研究的领域,有关立法也很不完善.因此,在借鉴西方发达国家的实践经验的基础上,探讨和研究有效解决环境污染损害纠纷的解决途径和完善机制,既是保护人们的合法权益的现实需要,也对环境法制的发展具有极其重要的意义.     

Disputes over the 15-point agreement on normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia

This paper examines the 15-point agreement on normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Two mainstream discourses have prevailed since the agreement was ratified by both countries: on one hand, the Government of Kosovo has branded this agreement as historic, given the fact that in the last century no agreement has ever been reached between Kosovo and Serbia. On the other hand, Kosovo's political opposition has critiqued this agreement stressing that the 15-point agreement devastates Kosovo's statehood. Beyond both extreme stances, we argue that an enhanced autonomy for four northern Serb municipalities ought to be seen as a tool for integration, rather than disintegration of Kosovo statehood. This paper concludes that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia as a top-down arrangement lacks transparency, and this might jeopardize the achievements reached through this process. Moreover, the EU position should be clearly articulated that redrawing and rearranging the borders of Kosovo and Serbia might overturn the EU's and USA's immense investments in stability, peace, and prosperity in the Western Balkans.     

东北亚地区各国的旅游认知和旅游意向调查——中国天津市调查的结果和分析

区域旅游合作是新兴而又被关注的领域,近几年东北亚各国的旅游合作取得很大的进展。但是学术界对该区域旅游合作的研究相对而言比较滞后,为了获取第一手资料,为了掌握该地区的旅游环境,尤其是旅游软环境的现状,东洋大学"环日本海地区各国旅游软环境研究"课题组在东北亚地区的5个国家开展了实证研究。通过对中国天津市的调查样本汇总,部分调查结果的分析表明,天津市民出国游去向的选择大多以东北亚国家为目的地;被调查者最想出游的国家依次为日本、韩国、俄罗斯、蒙古和其他国家。同时调查结果还表明了出游与个人条件的关联性。     

生态旅游与云南旅游业可持续发展论

旅游业是云南省的支柱产业,在国民经济发展中的地位日益突出.然而,随着旅游业的不断发展,旅游区的开发与当地环境保护之间的矛盾也越来越明显.如何才能在大力发展旅游业的同时,保护好开发区的生态环境,使旅游业走上可持续发展的良性循环轨道,是一个值得研究的课题.重视环境保护是全球的共识,生态旅游是未来旅游业的发展趋势,在发展云南旅游业的大规划中,注重生态旅游才是长远之计.针对云南特有的旅游资源,开发民族生态旅游接待村,是云南开展生态旅游的重要组成部分,也是为生态旅游的发展提供一种有效的模式和途径.     

兰州市大气污染及其调控

分析了兰州市的大气污染特征,从自然和人为２方面探讨了大气污染的成因,指出兰州市大气污染治理面临的一系列矛盾和问题,并从产业发展、工程治理、环境管理等角度提出了相应的调控措施。     

贫困地区创新发展环境的战略思考

贫困地区经济要发展,关键在于创新环境.基础环境是经济发展的前提;思想环境是经济发展的动力;组织环境是经济发展的杠杆;政策环境是经济发展的导向;服务环境是经济发展的保障.贫困地区必须在优化环境上练内功、作文章,这既是市场经济发展的现实需求,也是贫困地区加速发展,脱贫致富的迫切要求.