Fixed‐Term Parliaments and the Challenges for Governments and the Civil Service: A Comparative Perspective

The Fixed‐term Parliaments Act significantly reduces the powers of the Prime Minister to manage the risk of government termination and to time elections to his or her party's advantage. In this paper we ask how the Act is likely to change the way in which governments terminate, their durability and opportunities for planning in government and departments. In answering these questions we draw on quantitative comparative evidence from other European countries that operate with fixed‐term parliaments. Our analysis suggests that fixing the parliamentary term can be expected to convert some opportunistically called elections into regular elections and to stabilise governments toward the end of the parliamentary term. But the Act is also likely to have unanticipated consequences in increasing governments’ vulnerability to failure before they reach the final sessions of Parliament. We explore these unanticipated consequences and outline their implications for governing style and Civil Service planning.     

THE VICTIMIZATION–TERMINATION LINK*

The life histories of drug dealers suggest that victimizations sometimes mark turning points toward the end of criminal careers, which is a criminologically important but neglected empirical connection that we label the “victimization–termination link.” We theorize this link thusly: When serious victimizations occur in the context of crime, a break from the customary provides an opportune situation for adaptation, and when victims have social bonds and agency, when they define the event as the result of their own criminal involvement, and when they find other adaptations unattractive, criminal‐victims are likely to adapt by terminating crime. We illustrate this desistance process with qualitative data obtained through interviews with young, middle‐class drug dealers. We conclude by exploring promising avenues for future work. It takes only a minute to change one's whole life course.     

我国《信托法》第五章若干缺陷新窥

我国《信托法》第五章为“信托的变更和终止”。该章尽管条文不多,但却存在诸多问题:受益人或受益权变更的规定混淆了不同的法律关系,并导致不公平的结果;信托终止某些法定情形的设定在法理逻辑上难以贯通,混淆了信托终止与信托无效的区别;信托财产归属的规定与信托终止的某些法定情形不能契合;受托人权利救济的规定不利于保护权利人利益,并存在用语上的不当。上述问题的存在减损了《信托法》的立法水平,应加以重视。     

关于国企职工实行有偿解除劳动关系的思考

国企实行有偿解除劳动关系,必须慎重,否则将会引发新的社会矛盾。首先,应当坚持民主与自愿的原则,要切实防止只顾减员而不顾职工切身利益的片面做法。同时,还要做好有偿解除劳动关系人员管理的接续工作。     

劳动者单方预告辞职权研究

劳动者单方预告辞职权,是劳动者享有的无条件单方解除权。其设定,有利于劳动力资源的合理配置,但相关立法存在着某些缺陷。在当今市场经济条件下,一方面须保证劳动者自由流动,另方面也应减少劳动力流动给企业造成的不必要损失。今后的劳动立法,应在这方面起好平衡作用。     

略论中共“七·一三”宣言的重要意义

中共＂七·一三＂宣言发表于大革命失败、中国革命处于严重危机的1927年7月13日。＂七·一三＂宣言的发表,代表了中国共产党新政策的开始,将中国革命推向了土地革命的新阶段,标志着陈独秀右倾错误政策的终结,宣告了革命力量在土地革命旗帜下的重新集结。     

德法行政合同制度之比较

行政合同作为一种有效的行政活动方式 ,在世界上的许多国家得到了越来越广泛的应用。通过对德、法两国在行政合同上识别标准、适用范围、权利义务配置、情势变更中的变更和解除、强制执行等一些重要问题进行对比分析 ,揭示了以上两个大陆法系国家在行政合同制度和理论中存在的一些共性和差异 ,并希望以此对行政合同理论研究提供一些国外法上的借鉴     

论撤回公诉

撤回公诉符合诉审分离原则和起诉便宜主义的要求,体现了对公正和效率价值的追求;撤回公诉的时间应当限定在法庭调查终结以前;撤回公诉的理由是发现具备不起诉的情形。为保障当事人的诉讼利益,法院应当对检察机关的撤诉请求进行司法审查,听取被告人、被害人的意见。撤回公诉在法律效力上与不起诉既有相同的方面,也有不同之处。     

Who needs Daddy Warbucks: The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program should apply to children of those who surrender their parental rights

Families who find themselves in the middle of child protective proceedings have three possible outcomes: (1) the family can reunify; (2) parents voluntarily surrender their parental rights; or (3) the parents have their rights terminated. While it seems we should support children in the second and third scenarios equally, having funding sources such as the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP) only available to children of parents whose rights are terminated, does the opposite. This Note proposes amending the eligibility requirements of KinGAP to include children of parents who surrender their parental rights which would encourage positive safe placements for children.