Reforming the equilibrium? Veto players and policy change in the European constitution-building process

The EU currently experiences a reform dilemma which is common to many international organizations composed of a large number of veto players who must adopt a change of the status quo. After the accession of ten countries in May 2004, the 25 governmental veto players adopted a modest reform text that proposes as many changes as it retains provisions of the Nice treaty. This ambivalent outcome raised much criticism and has been rejected by the French and Dutch voters who had to ratify the reform. This raises questions on the reasons for change and stability in organizations which attempt to reform their obsolete provisions under the constraint of many (types of) veto players. This study examines under which conditions the positions of the different types of veto players—governments, parliamentary ratification pivots, median voters and the supranational actors—are important to explain the outcome of the draft treaty. Our results suggest that the probability for reform is only determined by governmental gains when we control for parliamentary ratification pivots and median voters from status quo-prone member states. We also find that governments favoring the status quo retain their veto in case either parliaments or voters favor reform. This responsiveness is supported by the fact that median voters also matter when member states did not announce a referendum.     

Private and public voices: Does family group conferencing privilege the voice of children and families in child welfare?

This article examines the use of family group conferencing in child protection and considers its ability to privilege the voice of children and families who reach the attention of statutory child protection services. The family group conference (FGC) is a process of family decision-making in child protection, originally developed in Aotearoa New Zealand, and now practised in many countries including the UK. Examining the literature and research relating to the FGC it considers whether the approach provides a genuine context of participation and partnership, or whether it has become an instrumental professionally led practice as families are charged with greater responsibilities for children at risk.     

Irregular Warfare and Tactical Changes: The Case of Somali Piracy

The aim of this article is to analyze the tactical behavior of Somali pirates, international naval forces, and the shipping community operating in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. To what extent has tactical behavior changed over time and can this process be understood in more theoretical terms? Our theoretical framework centers around some concepts often used in naval doctrine, discussing tactical change in terms of command and control, force, mobility, protection, intelligence, and endurance. We also evaluate this change using two tactical concepts—tactical adaptation and tactical development. The empirical data is based on statistics from the International Criminal Court-International Maritime Bureau and the EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, as well as interviews. We conclude that Somali piracy has unquestionably adapted their tactics to circumstances, while naval forces have increased their capacity to capture pirates and shipping to avoid pirates.     

国际海运业反垄断豁免的法经济学分析——从“THC风波”谈起

国际航运组织自2002年起统一在我国大幅收取THC的事件,反映了我国国际海运业严重的垄断问题。是否给予国际海运业反垄断豁免,事关我国经济发展大局。从宏观经济学的角度分析,我国应当以保护货方利益为原则,不应对国际海运业适用反垄断豁免制度。运用法经济学分析方法对班轮公会、协议联盟和海运经营者集中等垄断形式进行研究,也得出我国不应当给予国际海运业反垄断豁免的结论。我国应当坚定货主大国立场,加强对国际海运业垄断结构和行为的规制。     

非法证据排除规则的框架与反思

2017年新出台的有关非法证据排除问题的司法解释从实体和程序两个方面发展了我国现有的非法证据排除规则。该解释细化了“非法取证行为”的内涵,初步确立了重复性供述的排除规则,完善了程序性辩护制度,进一步明确了检察机关、法院在审判前和审判阶段排除程序中的主导作用。但不可否认的是,受司法体制等因素的影响,我国非法证据排除规则在实体的排除对象上仍存在一定的结构性难题;而在程序上,律师在程序性辩护中仍面临的一些制度性障碍、嫌疑人及其辩护人在审判前排除程序的参与不足以及审判阶段排除程序的形式化等都是亟待解决的问题。为了保证非法证据排除规则的有效实施,应当从根本上增强法院审判的独立性、权威性和公正性。     

党委科学决策几个问题的思考

“集体领导,民主集中,个别酝酿,会议决定”是江泽民同志提出的科学决策十六字方针,本文从党委决策过程的核心内容、根本保证、必要途径和实现形式四个方面入手,论述了十六字方针是一个相互联系、相互作用的完整严密的科学决策体系。     

An evaluation of Montana's child welfare court pre-hearing conference pilot project

Pre-hearing conferences are a form of alternative dispute resolution that have been implemented into the child welfare court process. Montana recently piloted a pre-hearing conference model to occur before the first hearing on the case. The goal of the pilot was to increase discussion and resolution of contested visitation, placement, and service issues and to better engage parents in the process. Data were collected across multiple years to explore the effectiveness of the pilot in improving outcomes for children and families. Analysis of the data revealed a positive relationship between program implementation and timelier permanency. Parents who attend and have higher levels of participation in the pre-hearing conference are also more likely to reunify.     

中国海事仲裁发展初探

伦敦是名副其实的国际海事仲裁中心,其成功经验值得学习和借鉴。以中国海事仲裁委员会为代表的中国海事仲裁发展现状不容乐观。海事仲裁是国际航运中心的重要元素,中国有必要发展海事仲裁。分析内外因素,提出中国海事仲裁发展的措施建议。     

对推进事业单位民主管理的探讨

随着社会主义市场经济的发展和改革的不断深化,事业单位体制改革也在全面展开。改革引发出如何调整好各种法律关系、利益关系等一系列问题,尤其是涉及职工切身利益的问题,如何通过建立职工代表大会制度为基本形式的职工民主管理,实现职工民主参与、民主决策和民主监督,成为加强基层事业单位民主政治建设的一个重大课题。     

企业民主管理立法的难点问题研究

企业民主管理是相对于企业专业管理而言的,主要是指职工依照有关法律、法规的规定,参与企业的经营管理。企业民主管理从立法角度来看,立法宗旨应当如何定位,理论基础和法律依据有哪些,非公企业的民主管理权如何界定,非公企业民主管理的基本形式与其他形式的关系,立法对提高职代会制度的影响以及监督执法等几个难点问题都需要进行深入的研究。