The force of relationships: the influence of personal networks on the market for force

Since the 1990s, military support and security services in hostile environments have been increasingly traded on the market for force. Surprisingly, how exchange is organised on the market for force remains predominantly focused on the neoclassical model, which assumes anonymous exchange, and sellers compete through price and quality of product for customers. However, the model seems to be incomplete as it describes some empirical patterns, yet not others. Why are service backgrounds clustered together and why do specific nationalities dominate the market in the Iraq and Afghanistan war? Why are they not distributed evenly as price and quality competition would suggest? The argument here is that social factors need to be taken in to account, i.e. personal relationships. The logic being that sellers and customers trade through existing relationships, and familiarity is the dealmaker, rather than price. The article takes on the challenge to develop a sociological conceptualisation of the market able to integrate both logics. Finally, the approach is put to the test on the labour market for Western security operators. The results demonstrate that personal relationships play a significant role to explain exchange on the market for force, yet co-existence with the neoclassical logic.     

The effects of market concentration on costs of local public services: empirical evidence from Dutch waste collection

ABSTRACT

Different concentration indexes are calculated for the Dutch waste collection market and all show that this market was highly concentrated in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The estimation results in 2002 show that private collection is cheaper but high concentration increases costs of private collection and therefore (partly) offsets the advantage of contracting out. In 2006, the savings gained from privatisation and also the effect of concentration disappear, probably due to the introduction of a VAT-compensation fund. In 2010, for an area with a radius of 30 km, high concentration increases costs, but for larger areas, this effect mostly disappears. For 2014, in most estimations, this concentration effect disappears. If we include fixed effects for a panel, the cost advantage of inter-municipal cooperation is larger than that of private production and concentration effects also disappear. Overall, these estimation results are rather independent of the concentration indexes used, if we investigate several indexes as an alternative for the Herfindahl–Hirschman index.     

论私有财产权的人权属性及在人权体系中的地位

私有财产权是个人维持其生存和发展的最基本的物质保障,是人之为人不可或缺的一项基本权利,它不是财产作为物的权利,而是人作为人支配物的权利,是一项基本的人权.财产权与生命权和自由权一道被称为三大基本人权,是人权大厦的基石.财产权又构成生命权、自由权发挥作用的物质基础和条件,是生命权、自由权自然延伸的结果.没有财产权作为基础的生命权和自由权是不现实的,财产权越安全,生命权就越有保障,自由权就更为真实和牢靠.     

也论诚实信用原则的扩张

诚实信用原则被公认为"民法"中的一项基本原则,然而,现在私法和公法领域都出现了适用诚实信用原则的现象.面对此现象,有的学者表示赞同,有的学者则提出了质疑.鉴于此,沿着历史的脉络,在分析诚实信用原则形成与发展规律的基础上,充分论证现代诚实信用原则在法律领域中的扩张及其意义.     

转走银行客户资金型票据诈骗过程分析

转走银行客户资金型票据诈骗是指票据诈骗犯罪嫌疑人以银行客户资金为侵害对象,利用票据诈骗手段将该资金非法占有的犯罪行为。在银行与企业双方都存在漏洞时,银行内外人员勾结,伪造或盗用财务专用章,使企业的资金被转走。银行票据诈骗案之所以“成功”发生,与银行票据业务涉及环节多、监督管理过程长以及其中可能出现的漏洞较多有关。     

比较法视野下的国际私法渊源——兼论一般国际惯例不是国际私法的渊源

本文以比较法的视角探讨了国际私法的国内渊源和国际渊源。国内渊源包括国内制定法、国内判例法和国内习惯法,国际渊源主要是双边和多边的国际条约。关于国际习惯是否是国际私法的渊源,本文在对国际习惯和国际惯例加以辨析后指出：只有国际习惯法规则才具有法律约束力,才有可能成为法的渊源;一般国际惯例因不具有法律约束力而绝不可能成为法的渊源,遑论国际私法的渊源。     

网络环境下国际私法的传统管辖权规则所面临的困境与挑战

随着网络行为的普遍涌现、网络及信息服务的大量激增,给传统的国际私法造成了很大的冲击。网络空间的全球化、虚拟化、非中心化等特点动摇了传统管辖权的基础,使法院对网络案件的司法管辖面临挑战。文章在分析了网络的特征及其行为特性后,对传统管辖权基础在网络环境下面临的困境以及主权所遭遇的尴尬境地进行了全面分析,并对现有变革性理论的不足进行了探讨。     

TRUST ISSUES

正China resolves to stringently enforce its anti-monopoly law,no matter the origin ofthe offendeAs China continues to launch wave after wave of anti-trust probes in a broad range of industries covering all types of businesses—state-owned enterprises(SOEs),private businesses and foreign-funded firms,concerns that foreign businesses have been     

September Vegetarian Menu at Yipin Chinese Restaurant

正Master Chef Oscar Jiang has prepared a special autumn vegetable-based menu dedicated to vegetarian guests.This harvest season,our chef’s cre-ations create the perfect combination of healthy and tasty.Don’t miss out on this unique vegetarian menu!Price is in renminbi and subject to 15%surcharge.Yipin Chinese Restaurant A small boutique restaurant boasting four private rooms for exclusive dinners and an open dining area,Yipin blends an intimate high-end atmo-     

Farming out state revenue: the debate about the General Customs Lease Company in Sweden, 1723–65

A typical trait of the fiscal system of the ancien régime was the farming out of state revenue, most often represented by England and France. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on the articulation of political economy and discourses on private and public organization in the early modern period, using the Swedish Riksdag as the focal point. Furthermore, it adds to historical research on private organizations for the operation of public services, and to a theoretical discussion on institutional development in the early modern period. In this article the Swedish General Customs Lease Company (Generaltullarren-desocieteten) 1723–65 is used as an example, arguing that Sweden represents an alternative model for the organization of revenue collection in early modern Europe; demonstrating that the General Customs Lease Company includes characteristics found both in England and in France. The analysis focuses on the political level, using parliamentary debates about the organization of the customs service. Thus, the explanation pays close attention to arguments wielded in favour, or against, farming out state revenue to private individuals. The political debates show an increasing critique against the large profits made by the shareholders in the Customs Company, as well as condemnations against the Customs Company for promoting self-interest at the expense of the common good.