Incumbency advantage and candidate characteristics in open-list proportional representation systems: Evidence from Indonesia

We use evidence from Indonesia's April 2014 legislative elections to study the relationship between incumbency, list position, candidate characteristics, and electoral success in open-list PR systems. Contrary to a recent literature identifying an incumbency disadvantage in other large developing democracies, we identify a consistent personal incumbency advantage in Indonesia. However, we argue that this advantage is mediated by party choices over how incumbents and newcomers are ranked on party lists, a key heuristic for voters in low-information electoral environments such as Indonesia.     

知情权的制度依托

权利的实现都依托于一定的具体的法律制度背景。知情权也镶嵌于一系列的相关制度中,我国知情权制度的建构,必须建立在这一系列制度的完善的基础之上。其中主要的包括:完善我国的人大公开制度;实现政府信息公开的法制化;发挥新闻媒体的重要作用,加速制定新闻自由法。     

金融开放与我国金融监管

加入世贸组织后,金融业开放的步伐进一步加快,金融开放将使我国金融监管面临严峻挑战。我国必须借鉴国际社会金融监管的经验,按照世贸组织的要求,完善金融监管措施,加大金融监管力度,提高金融监管效率,以保证金融业安全、稳健、高效、有序地发展。     

Incumbency advantage in multi-member districts: Evidence from congressional elections in Chile

Do parties enjoy an advantage to incumbency in multi-member districts? In this paper we answer this question by adapting a regression-discontinuity design to multi-member districts in congressional elections in Chile. The electoral system in place generates discontinuities in the number of elected representatives from each coalition at the 1/3 and 2/3 thresholds of the two-party vote share. Regression-discontinuity estimates indicate that, by holding two seats as opposed to holding only one, the left-leaning coalition obtains an extra 4.5% vote share in the next election and increases by 28 percentage points the probability of electing two candidates again. These results are in line with those obtained in previous studies in the U.S. but contrast with results obtained in developing countries which find a negative advantage to incumbency.     

Open versus closed primaries and the ideological composition of presidential primary electorates

Many journalists, political reformers and social scientists assume that electorates in open versus closed primaries are distinctive, especially in terms of their ideological orientations. Because voting in closed primaries is restricted to registered partisans, voters in this setting are assumed to be more ideologically extreme. Independents voting in open primaries are seen as moderating the ideological orientation of these primary electorates. However, our research demonstrates that the ideological orientations of voters in these two primary settings are quite similar. Prior research demonstrates the influence of primary laws on voters’ self-identifications as partisans or independents. We expand upon this research to show how this influences the number and ideological positions of partisans and independents as they vote in presidential primaries held under differing participation rules.     

警察开枪射击的适法情形与最小武力原则——德国的制度逻辑与借鉴意义

何时开枪、开枪限度如何是警察枪支使用制度中的核心议题。对此,德国法不仅通过“开枪目的”和“行为罪质”(重罪或轻罪)来限定准许开枪的适法情形,还根据射击动作的各个环节动态地分解最小武力原则。德国制度设计的内在机理为解决我国警察实践中不敢用枪、过度用枪问题提供了有力的理论支撑。其一,《人民警察使用警械和武器条例》第9条列举的14种开枪适法情形应在与刑法关联的意义上理解,即应将相对应的犯罪构成要件导入到枪械使用的要件判断中去。其二,可以开枪的适法情形包括但不限于上述《人民警察使用警械和武器条例》第9条明文例举的14种情形。根据立法者本意,该条兜底条款“法律、行政法规规定可以使用武器的其他情形”,是指所有为《刑法》所规定,最低刑在3年以上的犯罪。其三,中德制度之比较为全面理解我国落实最小武力原则的相关制度以及多个关键的不确定法律概念提供了广阔视角与智识资源。     

Civil Society,the Economy,and Educational Assistance in Former Soviet Republics

Abstract

Liberal democracies throughout the world are committed to civil society in support of market economics and democratic politics. Through educational assistance programs, the U.S. government demonstrates this commitment by attempting to reinvigorate civil society in former Soviet republics and Eastern European countries in support of their economic and political reform efforts. Of particular interest are the Community Connections and Partners in Education programs conducted by the U.S. Department of State for interns from the former Soviet republics or now Eurasia, who participate in business and other professional internships in various locations in the U.S., including Northern Alabama.     

Opening up government data for Big Data analysis and public benefit

Governments around the world are posting many thousands of their datasets on online portals. A major purpose of releasing this data is to drive innovation through Big Data analysis, as well as to promote government transparency and accountability. This article considers the benefits and risks of releasing government data as open data, and identifies the challenges the Australian government faces in releasing its data into the public domain. The Australian government has ambitious aims to release greater amounts of its data to the public. However, it is likely this task will prove difficult due to uncertainties surrounding the reliability of de-identification and the requirements of privacy law, as well as a public service culture which is yet to fully embrace the open data movement.     

改革开放三十年上海外国人证件管理的变化

改革开放三十年,上海外国人证件管理工作发生了巨大变化。从机构设置、人员编制、签证和居留证等出入境证件的种类与样式,到工作职能与业务等,都有了飞速发展和变化。通过健全和完善执法体系,理顺办理外国人证件工作,优化出入境口岸签证窗口功能,来沪外国人累计人数是改革开放前的100多倍,为吸引外国籍高层次人才和资金、促进国家经济建设发挥了积极作用。