The evolution of European legal integration

This article contributes to the development of theories on European integration by testing and exploring statistical models on the long-term development of legislative activity of the European Commission. Drawing on legal information gained from the European Union’s PreLex database and analyzing it with the help of statistical analyses, we map out growth patterns of EU law between 1976 and 2003. We construct time-series models and models based on non-linear regression. While the performance of models based on the traditional theoretical approaches, intergovernmentalism and neo-functionalism, is rather poor, the analysis suggests that nonlinear dynamic models might be an interesting avenue for future conceptualizations of the EU integration process. This article is based on a paper presented at the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union Second Pan-European Conference on EU Politics, “Implications of a Wider Europe: Politics, Institutions and Diversity”, 24–26 June 2004, Bologna, Italy. We would like to thank the seminar participants for useful comments.     

Flipping burgers or flipping pages? Student employment and academic attainment in post-Soviet Latvia

Latvian higher education has undergone a dramatic transition since 1991. This study employs a survey of nearly 1000 social science students studying in 13 different institutions in Latvia to consider the impact of the increase in the number of students who are working while studying. Evidence indicates employment has a strong and significant negative impact on school performance, and the negative impact increases as weekly hours worked increase. This manifests itself through reduced class attendance and reduced time spent in independent study. Finally, we find that the probability of student employment is most significantly affected by the availability of financial aid, gender, ethnicity, and age.     

浅议入世后我国中小企业经济发展政策

加入WTO后 ,我国中小企业既面临着发展的机遇 ,也面临着严峻的挑战。中小企业的经济管理及其成长发展的优劣 ,对正在向市场经济体制转轨并已成为世贸组织成员的中国来讲 ,具有十分特殊的意义。我国应把促进中小企业经济发展作为 2 1世纪的一个重大战略决策来对待 ,并实施与之相适应的有关政策     

中国财政法治化创新的法哲学解析

以财政法治化为制度目标 ,根据政府对经济运行的控管程度 ,中国财政制度理论类型可分为“计划类型”、“管理类型”、“服务类型”三类。由于政府在财政理论中的主线作用 ,中国财政法治化创新将引发“社会公共需要的制度化满足”、“权力制衡秩序的完善”、“有限政府理念的确立”、“国家责任机制的启动”、“弱势群体利益的制度化保障”、“区域财政资源不济的公平性协调”等法哲学问题。财政法治化创新体现了“权利本位”的法律精神 ,公共财政制度内涵应是对“以人为本”价值的制度化确认。     

论欧盟法对欧盟成员国的效力

作为目前世界上最成熟和最发达的区域性国际组织,欧盟在很多方面有值得其他国际组织借鉴的地方。本文主要探讨了欧盟法对欧盟成员国的效力的问题。其中包括了欧盟法对欧盟成员国的时间效力范围和空间效力范围、欧盟法的效力优于欧盟成员国国内法、欧盟法在欧盟成员国的直接效力和间接效力以及欧盟法律与欧盟成员国法律之间的配合关系效力,以希望从中可以引出一些有益的启示。     

欧盟安全模式的体系层次分析

欧盟安全模式在冷战后日益突出,其特点在于通过有效的多边主义来维护安全。在冷战期间西欧国家地处两极对抗的前沿,两极格局的终结也对欧盟国家造成了重大冲击。因此,欧洲安全模式的形成和发展深受体系结构和体系进程的影响和制约。其中,结构因素发挥更为重要的作用,但同时体现为国际制度的进程因素对于巩固和维护欧洲安全也有重大的反作用。国际制度无法独立于体系结构影响国家行为,在欧洲安全模式形成的过程中,体系结构是独立的自变量,国际制度则是干预变量。     

Democracy,Subsidiarity, and Citizenship in the ‘European Commonwealth’

Is there a ‘constitutional moment’in contemporary Europe? What if anything is the constitution of theEuropean Union; what kind of polity is the Union? The suggestionoffered is that there is a legally constituted order, and that asuitable term to apply to it is a‘commonwealth’, comprising a commonwealthof ‘post-sovereign’ states. Is it a democraticcommonwealth, and can it be? Is there sufficiently ademos or ‘people’ for democracy to be possible?If not democratic, what is it? Monarchy, oligarchy, ordemocracy, or a ‘mixed constitution’? Argued: thereis a mixed constitution containing a reasonableelement of democratic rule. The value of democracy isthen explored in terms of individualistic versusholistic evaluation and instrumental versus intrinsicvalue. Subsidiarity can be considered in a similarlight, suggestively in terms of forms of democracyappropriate to different levels of self-government.The conclusion is that there is no absolute democraticdeficit in the European commonwealth.

     

Economics and Law of Works of Art in the Single European Market

This paper is concerned with the economic analysis of the European rules on the circulation of works of art. After reviewing the relevant literature, an economic framework of the international circulation of works of art is provided (social goals, efficiency and distributive aspects, an economic rationale for a general free trade rule integrated by selective protectionism). Using this framework the European system of circulation of works of art—resulting from the combination of the Maastricht Treaty with Regulation 3911/92 and Directive 93/7—is analysed. The main results of the analysis are: 1) the general free trade principle ruling the Single European Market is strongly limited by rules protecting national artistic heritages of member states; 2) this protectionism—working towards countries both outside and inside the European Union—is applied according to the national laws of each member state, while, contrary to what the Maastricht Treaty would call for, an artistic heritage of European significance is not defined and no autonomous role is recognized in this field to European Institutions; 3) this system shows some inconsistencies with economic theory, as strict limits to trade are not provided when they should be required by the preservation of the physical or artistic integrity of works of art, while in other cases an unduly restrained trade may derive from highly protectionist national laws and export-licencing policies of member states. Enforcement provisions are also analysed and some proposals to improve the system are advanced.     

Jurisprudential Dilemmas of European Law

Making a first sketch of philosophical issues arising fromEuropean Community law I want to present a series ofmore or less obvious, and more or less interrelated dilemmas,or even double binds.(i) Deepening the community becomes incompatible withwidening membership. (ii) National states seem bothnecessary for and obstructive in articulating transnationalproblems. (iii) The more democracy is needed as a warrantfor the public exercise of political power in Europe, themore the very concept of democracy on a European scaleevades understanding. (iv) European unity presupposes aunifying rule of law, while member states have radicallydifferent conceptions of this principle. (v) Even the verycore of European integration, the common market, is subjectto two conflicting and, indeed, incompatible doctrines ofcompetition. In explaining the nature of each dilemma I willtry to take my cue from the Maastricht Treaty wherever thisseems suitable. Then I will elaborate on the jurisprudentialproblems involved in it. Finally, each section will be closedby an attempt to state the nature of these problems inphilosophical terms.     

论《外资金融机构管理条例实施细则》的修订

随着我国银行业的进一步对外开放和监管法律框架的不断完善,为促进外资金融机构的安全、健康发展,我国对原《外资金融机构管理条例实施细则》进行修订和完善。本文从新《细则》的修订入手,通过比较我国和美国监管法的不同,论述了新《细则》修订的必要性、科学性及前瞻性。