韩国的选举制度与政治体制

本文旨在分析韩国的选举制度如何加大了社会的不平等现象。1997年金融危机之后,韩国社会迅速走上两极化道路。本文分三个层次进行论述。一是简要介绍韩国的选举制度。这将作为支撑本文核心见解的框架。二是考察韩国选举制度导致的＂民心歪曲＂现象。三是探讨政治制度的党派特征。即使同为民主主义,但选择比例代表制还是多数制将决定其政策方向。最后,在结论部分中强调,若要使韩国的选举制度取得更加均衡的政治结果,就一定要取消现行多数制,采用比例代表制度。比例代表制将有助于实现得票和议席之间的均衡,并进一步创造平等的民主主义。     

U.S Federal Trade Commission hosts public forum on facial recognition technology

On December 8, 2011, the United States Federal Trade Commission hosted “Face Facts, A Forum on Facial Recognition Technology,” a one-day public forum exploring emerging issues in the field of facial recognition in Washington, D.C. Consisting of thought leaders from academics, government and industry, four panels analyzed and discussed the technology behind facial recognition, current and potential uses of that technology, and the privacy and security concerns raised by this newly-emerging technology. The event was open to the public and was made available on the Internet via webcast.     

Made in the USA? Immigrants' imported ideology and political engagement

This study explores both the extent to which immigrants' pre-migration ideological predispositions might serve as a heuristic, by which these individuals anchor and adjust their ideological predispositions in the new polity, and the extent to which imported ideology enhances the likelihood of immigrants' political engagement once in their new home. Empirical tests take advantage of two unique survey datasets of Mexican immigrants residing in the United States; one of which incorporates a survey embedded experiment. Results show that immigrants' ideological predispositions in the country of origin do anchor these individuals' ideological predispositions in the new host country in terms of intensity and directionality. Most importantly, imported ideology does heighten the prospects of immigrants' electoral participation in the United States.     

Electoral entry and success of ethnic minority parties in central and eastern Europe: A hierarchical selection model

The paper examines determinants of electoral entry and success of ethnic minority parties in central and eastern Europe. The application of a hierarchical selection model shows that the strategic entry of minority parties depends on their expected electoral success due both to observed and unobserved factors. Drawing on formal models of electoral entry, the electoral success of new (or niche) parties is expected to be influenced by the costs of entry (determined by electoral thresholds) and the potential for electoral support. The latter depends on the reactions of political competitors and electoral demand, measured here as the size of ethnic groups and the saliency of ethnic issues. In line with these expectations, parties only run if they can expect electoral support sufficient to pass the electoral threshold. This finding would have been overlooked by a naïve model of electoral success which does not take self-selection into account.     

传统司法文化对现代法治的冲击及反思——以司法改革为视角

我国传统的司法文化结合了儒家、法家、道家等各派的法律思想,在历史的传承中形成了自身的特点。某种程度上,我国现代法治进程也是对我国传统司法文化批判地继承的过程。我们应深刻认识到,传统司法文化中有着众多阻碍法治进程的内容,对传统司法文化去其糟粕,取其精华,无疑是当前我国司法改革的题中之义。     

Disproportionality and voter turnout in new and old democracies

A long-standing puzzle in electoral research is why the disproportionality of electoral systems has a negative effect on voter participation in established democracies, but not in new democracies. We propose a learning theory of electoral system’s effects, and test it in a cross-national analysis and by using Spain as a case study. Electoral disproportionality is unrelated to voter participation in early elections after democratization, but the relationship is increasingly visible as democracies grow older. The case study uncovers two mechanisms: small parties optimize their mobilization strategy only after the first democratic elections, and the difference in the turnout rates of small party supporters and large party supporters grows over time. Time is needed before the consequences of electoral systems are fully revealed. Importantly, the findings suggest that studies carried out just after an electoral system is created or reformed may provide downward biased estimates of their long-term consequences.     

Not always second order: Subnational elections,national-level vote intentions,and volatility spillovers in a multi-level electoral system

The widespread second-order view on subnational elections leaves little room for the idea that subnational election campaigns matter for national-level electoral preferences. I challenge this perspective and explore the context-conditional role of subnational election campaigns for national-level vote intentions in multi-level systems. Campaigns direct citizens’ attention to the political and economic “fundamentals” that determine their electoral preferences. Subnational election campaigns and the major campaign issues receive nation-wide media coverage. This induces all citizens in a country to evaluate parties at the national level even if they themselves are not eligible to vote in the upcoming subnational election. Thereby, subnational election campaigns may lead to a reduction in the uncertainty of voters’ national-level electoral preferences throughout the country, which is reflected by a decrease in the volatility of national-level vote intentions. I explore weekly vote intention data from Germany (1992–2007) within a conditional volatility model. Subnational elections reduce uncertainty in nation-wide federal-level vote intentions for major parties. However, patterns of incumbency and coalitional shifts moderate this volatility-reducing effect.     

SS: Germany’s federal election in september 2009 – Elections in times of duress – Introduction

This paper introduces the special symposium. It provides (1) an overview of the broad campaign themes; (2) introduces several questions pertinent to German electoral politics; (3) highlights the broader theoretical implications of this symposium for the research literature.     

英国有关海上保险法的最新修改议案及对中国的借鉴

为通过法律平衡被保险人和保险人之间的利益,反映现代保险实务的需要以及保证保险合同双方明确各自的权利和义务,英国法律委员会与苏格兰法律委员会自2006年起将保险合同法的审查和修改提上日程。法律委员会通过发布咨询文件的形式提出修改涉及英国《1906年海上保险法》多个重要条款的保险合同法的方案。整个法律修改项目预计于2012年完成,届时英国海上保险法会有很大程度的改变。通过介绍英国海上保险法的修改,为中国海商法相关问题的修改提供参考和借鉴。     

联合国人权理事会法律制度探析

2006年3月15日,第60届联合国大会通过决议,设立联合国人权理事会,取代已运行60年的联合国人权委员会。作为联大权力之下的指导和协调联合国人权活动的机关,新的人权理事会在其职权范围、法律机制和执行能力等方面都体现了对其前身——人权委员会的扬弃。特别是“普遍定期审查”机制的创建和建议权的行使等,可以使人权理事会更好地发挥作用。我国应继续参与联合国人权理事会各项规则的制定,与发展中国家和发达国家一道,推动世界人权事业的发展。