Renewable energy and East Asia's new developmentalism: towards a low carbon future?

Abstract

East Asia's renewable energy (RE) sector has grown faster than any other region's since the mid-2000s. It is argued that renewables formed an integral part of the region's new industrial policies and new developmentalism, which are founded on new configured forms of state capacity shaped in response to various challenges, primarily climate change, energy security, globalisation and global neo-liberalism. By studying the recent progress of East Asia's RE sector, we gain useful insights into these key developments in East Asia's political economy and the region's prospects for transition towards low carbon development. This analysis considers how and why different approaches to RE policy emerged in East Asia, to what extent the promotion and expansion of East Asia's RE sector is part of a new industrial policy paradigm and new developmentalism, and what the study of East Asian policies on promoting renewable energy can tell us about the region's broader approach to low carbon development. Although the promotion of renewable energy has been a fundamental part of East Asia's recent macro-development plans and new developmentalism generally, these same plans suggest that East Asian states will simultaneously continue to significantly promote high carbon and ecologically damaging industrial activities, thus undermining the low carbon credentials of East Asia's new developmentalism. The path to meaningful low carbon development will be very long and will take many decades to achieve. However, it is contended that by maintaining and improving their various forms of state capacity over time, the East Asian states will be well positioned to sustain the significant growth of their renewable energy sectors and thereby further strengthen the low carbon development orientation of their new industrial policies, macro-development plans and strategic economic thinking.     

Regulation‐by‐information in areas of limited statehood: Lessons from the Philippines' environmental regulation

This research examines conditions under which environmental regulatory disclosure is more versus less likely to work, with focus on the case of the Philippines. Two major findings arise out of a case study. First, we observe a mismatch between the nature of information and the main addressees of the disclosed information, which led the operation of the subject disclosure program to deviate from its targets. Second, this institutional deficiency has to do with the organizational culture and routine practice of the implementing agency. The second finding challenges a major justification of information‐based environmental regulation (IBER) administered in weak states and underscores the role that administrative capacity plays in making novel regulations come into effect. Contrary to the popular belief that IBER creates non‐governmental forces that offset a limited statehood, it may be less likely to work where state administrative capacity is weak.     

Capacity Development for Good Governance in Developing Countries: Some Lessons from the Field

Good governance is essential for sustaining economic transformation in developing countries. However, many developing countries currently lack the capacity, as opposed to the will, to both achieve and sustain a climate of good governance. This article addresses, from a practitioner's field perspective, the fundamental objectives, principles, and key areas that need to be addressed for developing capacity for good governance. These frameworks are now beginning to be recognized as both governments and donor institutions attempt to take advantage of the current demand and opportunities for addressing governance deficits. In pursuing capacity development for good governance, developing countries must ensure that such initiatives are comprehensively designed to be simultaneously related to change and transformation at the individual, institutional, and societal levels and be owned and controlled locally.     

Institutional Similarity and Interstate Conflict

This paper makes two arguments. First, the political and economic institutions of a state affect that state's foreign policy preferences. Second, dyads with similar political and economic institutions are less likely to experience conflict than other types of dyads. After developing the logic of these arguments, I create measures of political and economic institutional similarity and test the hypotheses against the empirical record. The empirical analysis supports the argument that dyadic institutional similarity reduces the likelihood of conflict. The most noteworthy finding is that economic institutional similarity, even when the political institutions in a dyad are dissimilar, reduces the likelihood of militarized conflict.     

建立健全农村应急管理体系思考

促进社会和谐,必须抓住农村稳定这个大局,完善农村社会管理,促进社会公平正义,保证农民安居乐业,为实现国家长治久安打下坚实基础。而农村应急管理作为农村社会管理的一部分,它能够及时、有效地处置应付农村各种突发公共事件,从而使农村社会安全得到有效维护,社会秩序得到有序运行。安徽是农业大省,由于所处的特殊地理位置,旱、涝等气象灾害严重,生物、地质、环境和人为事故等灾害频发,损失严重。非典危机以来,安徽省全面加强了应急管理体系建设,农村应急管理体制、机制初步建立,应急能力得到较大提升,但仍存在许多问题亟待改进和完善。今后安徽省农村应急管理体系要特别强化七个方面的建设。     

论成年非完全行为能力人的类型及其法律行为之效力

我国民法对成年非完全民事行为能力人的类型划分不具备妥当性,对其法律行为之效力的规定不具备可适用性。因而应取消成年无行为能力人,仅保留限制行为能力人一级。对限制行为能力人,宜以意思能力的残余程度为标准,将其进行划分。在法律效力制度中,对于限制行为能力人实施的法律行为,如果属于不受限制的法律行为,本人可以单独有效实施;对于受限制范围内的法律行为,则需经法定代理人（监护人）的同意,否则为可撤销。同时,宜将撤销权赋予限制行为能力人本人和法定代理人。     

讯问犯罪嫌疑人同步录音录像的证据学分析

讯问犯罪嫌疑人录音录像的证据类型是动态的,根据证明目的的改变而改变。在审查其证据能力的时候应当以“没有异议可采,有异议有限可采”为标准。面对证据立法上的滞后,应该加快立法完善的步伐。     

伦理、理性与自由——论自然人的民事能力在商业经营中的基础地位

由于自然人固有的权利能力以其伦理属性为基础,自然人的行为能力则以其心智水平为基础,所以自然人的民事能力本身便蕴涵着成为商事主体、从事商业经营括动的能力.自然人的"商事能力"无需商业登记来确认或者拟制,将商业登记作为自然人从事经营活动的正当性的基础,其理由不能成立.自然人的商业自由源自于其固有的民事能力以及私法上的意思自治原则,并且贯穿了独资企业、合伙企业与法人企业,构成了现代商法中商事主体制度与商业登记制度的基础.以"未经登记,不得从事经营活动"为指导思想的商业登记制度,必将在湮没商业自由的同时,导向由准则主义向核准主义的异化.     

人身损害赔偿中精神障碍者民事行为能力评定

目的寻求并确证人身损害赔偿中精神障碍者民事行为能力评定的考量指标。方法回顾性收集司法部司法鉴定科学技术研究所2003--2005年的关于人身损害赔偿中精神障碍者民事行为能力评定案例中被鉴定人的相关材料,提炼出6个考量指标：处境认识、争端理解、结果认识、信息利用、环境功能和决定交流进行评定,并用SPSS11．5软件进行统计分析。结果考量指标与专家鉴定结论间的相关系数在0．632～0．876,考量指标间的相关系数在0．575～0．911。结论提炼的6个考量指标在人身损害赔偿中精神障碍者民事行为能力评定具有代表性,可以此为基础深入开展民事行为能力标准化评定及量化研究。