Access to party positions and preference formation: a field experiment

Abstract: Surveys are sometimes used to assess preferences towards policy issues that are remote from experience and that have never been publicly discussed. How do these preferences of isolated survey respondents compare with preferences expressed by voters who have access to advice from competing political parties? I address this question by conducting a field experiment with a sample of the general public in which I experimentally control the subjects’ access to the actual positions of competing parties and interest groups on specific novel policy propositions. Access to party positions decreased approval of the proposed environmental policy among right‐wing voters by over fifty percent, and this effect was similar for different educational groups. When voters had access to party positions, their policy preferences were more consistent with their general political orientation. I conclude by discussing implications of these results for the debate about voter competence and for preference elicitation using surveys.     

中国宪法学方法论反思

政治宪法学过度强调不成文宪法、政策及利益的重要性,而规范宪法学存在对规范性一词的误解。宪法学作为理解的科学,既非纯粹的、逻辑严密的价值学,也非纯粹的实证主义科学或纯粹描述事实的社会学。宪法中的价值源自宪法规范与社会现实的结合。必须面向时代精神价值,通过具有整合性的宪法解释将宪法的规范含义与不断变化的现实结合起来,既保持变通性又不失安定性,这是中国宪法学面临的迫切任务之一。     

事实与规范之间:当代中国刑法立法方法论批判

在我国刑法立法中,事实中心主义立法方法论长期以来以潜在的方式发挥作用。然而以此为方法论指导提出的立法议案、设定的特定刑法制度却现实地存在诸多困境,这说明此种立法方法存在缺陷。从根本上讲,事实中心主义立法方法论忽视了作为刑事立法选择的有效规范指引。鉴于此,事实与规范二元平衡刑法立法方法应该得到提倡。     

邓小平民族理论的发展思路与思维特色

邓小平民族理论是在民族工作实践中逐步形成和发展起来的,经历了始创、形成和不断完善的发展阶段,特别是在改革开放新时期,确立了中国特色民族理论的主体文化精神,使党的民族政策落实获得了良性发展的结构,形成了具有鲜明特色的民族理论方法。     

“90后”青少年民族团结教育问题元探析

部分“90后”青少年在民族团结方面存在着认知闲置、责任消极、理念错位、行为易变等问题,加强“90后”青少年民族团结教育的基本策略在于：注重实践体验、突出时代特征、注重阶段时效、注重合力整合。     

论行政滥用职权司法审查的界限

《中华人民共和国行政诉讼法》将滥用职权作为法院撤销被诉具体行政行为的法定理由,在行政权不断扩张的今天．该规定的内容使得司法权可以对行政主体的栽量活动进行审查,为防止行政权行使的肆意提供了司法保障。但是在我国当下的现实中,行政法学界对“滥用职权”的内涵与表现形式等基础理论研究存在较大争议,形成多种不同的观点,相对一致的学说理论没有形成;法律规定和司法解释也没有对“滥用职权”进行准确定位,进而导致在司法审判中,法官对“滥用职权”的标准难于把握,不能、不愿也不敢适用“滥用职权”而撤销具体行政行为。笔者试从“滥用职权”的不同认识出发,梳理之间存在的核心争议点,进而根据行政权与司法权之间的分权制衡,界定滥用职权司法审查的界限与深度．以期明晰在司法审查中法官需要把握的适用标准。     

贵州实施工业强省战略的制度约束及对策

贵州制度创新滞后,成为实施工业强省战略的制度约束,因而亟待在行政管理体制方面进行创新,其主要目标是建立公共服务体制。为保证地方政府制度创新顺利推进和整体效能,还应在制度规划和创新方式上注意三个问题：正式制度创新与非正式制度创新并重;核心制度创新与配套制度创新相结合;自创式制度创新与借鉴式制度创新兼顾。     

论犯罪心理与“留守儿童”违法犯罪

“留守儿童”违法犯罪问题已经引起了理论界与实务界的高度关注。我国目前对“留守儿童犯”进行的心理调研仅局限于对“留守儿童犯”的普遍性考察,缺乏有针对性的犯罪心理调查。实证分析法是犯罪学调研的基本方法。通过对“留守儿童犯”的认知心理和社会化环境两部分展开深入调研,在需求、自信与自我认同、行为模式、自控能力、违法犯罪认识性以及父母家庭关系、学校关系、同辈关系和其他人际关系等方面进行了全面系统分析,可以透视“留守儿童‘’’犯”的犯罪心理现状,同时为提出有针对性的预防措施提供事实依据。     

从《说文解字·叙》看许慎的汉字学理论及其方法论意义

《说文解字》是汉字学的奠基之作,而《说文解字·叙》则是汉字学的纲领,它集中体现了许慎先进的汉字学理论和科学的语言学观点:首先,他对汉字的起源、内部结构的发展和形体演变的看法具有发展的观点;其次,许慎对汉字构造的分析及编排体例具有系统的观点;再次,许慎能够从社会实践的需要来看待语言文字的问题,具有联系的观点.总之,《说文解字》是语言文字学理论和实践相结合的典范作品.     

A Statistical Validation of the Individuality and Repeatability of Striated Tool Marks: Screwdrivers and Tongue and Groove Pliers*

Abstract: Tool mark identification relies on the premise that microscopic imperfections on a tool’s working surface are sufficiently unique and faithfully transferred to enable a one‐to‐one association between a tool and the tool marks it creates. This paper presents a study undertaken to assess the validity of this premise. As part of this study sets of striated tool marks were created under different conditions and on different media. The topography of these tool marks was acquired and the degree of similarity between them was quantified using well‐defined metrics. An analysis of the resulting matching and nonmatching similarity distributions shows nearly error‐free identification under most conditions. These results provide substantial support for the validity of the premise of tool mark identification. Because the approach taken in this study relies on a quantifiable similarity metric, the results have greater repeatability and objectivity than those obtained using less precise measures of similarity.