Elections in Western European parliaments

Parliaments often elect holders of important extra‐parliamentary offices such as heads of state, constitutional judges, heads of audit institutions and ombudsmen. What drives the behaviour of parliamentary actors and the outcome of such elections? This article explains actor behaviour theoretically, drawing on spatial factors, principal‐agent arguments about the importance of nonspatial candidate characteristics and signaling arguments about competitive considerations beyond the specific election. Empirically, it provides the first comparative analysis of such elections outside the United States Senate using original data on 100 elections for four external offices in 14 Western European parliaments. The findings show that spatial variables, nonspatial candidate characteristics and features of the competitive context systematically affect the election outcome. The article contributes to comparative parliamentary research in general by demonstrating how parliamentary activities, other than lawmaking, can be analysed using established theories and by showing that consensual aggregate outcomes can be explained within a competition‐based rational choice model.     

社会主义市场经济应当确立什么样的产权基础

市场经济的微观基础不是某种既定的私有制,而是以权利可分割、可交换的个人所有权为基础的产权制度。市场经济是集中的封闭的所有制向分散的开放的所有制发展的必然结果。传统意义上的国有制是一个封闭性的所有制,是与市场经济不相适应的;国有企业作为一个经济组织应当退出竞争领域,但不等于国有经济也应当退出竞争领域,而是要改变国有经济的竞争方式。在社会主义市场经济条件下,建立起财产权利相互分离的、相互独立的个人产权,是国有企业改革的根本任务。     

刍议反倾销规则并入竞争法体系的几个问题

反倾销长期以来受到来自实务界和学术圈的广泛批评,针对反倾销规则的弊病存在改良说、废除说和取代说三种主要变革方案。取代说有一定的必要性和可行性,但可能面临一些障碍,应在认识将反倾销纳入竞争规则体系的必要性和可行性(即取代说)的基础上,设立在我国现行法律框架下统一进口产品和本国产品低价倾销规则的一些具体方法和途径。     

中国零售业应对WTO的对策分析

加入WTO之后,中国的零售业将面临前所未有的竞争。中国的零售业如何利用各种资源和优势条件,制定有效的应对策略,将成为竞争成败的关键。     

Electoral Risk and Redistributive Politics in Mexico and the United States

What strategy does a rational party follow in allocating discretionary expenditure? This article conceives redistributive politics as an investment strategy where expenditure allocations respond to electoral risk. To show the effects of risk, it provides evidence from Pronasol in Mexico and an analysis of New Deal spending in the United States. The analysis finds that the federal administrations in both countries responded to systematic electoral risk. Spending diversification into risky voters was a rational response to chances of losing elections. The analysis hence connects electoral volatility with redistributive spending.     

Eu merger control and the compatibility test:a review of recent developments

The compatibility test contained in Article 2 of the Merger Control Regulation (MCR) is at the very heart of EU merger control, for it determines whether a concentration with a community dimension is deemed compatible or incompatible with the common market. Incompatibility can lead to prohibition of a concentration, although this is rare. The paper reviews the recent developments to the conditions of the test itself as well as the analytical methods employed to determine compatibility. Concerning the former, the new foreseeable dominance interpretation, put forward by the European Commission and made law by the Court of First Instance (CFI), is explored. This new variant of the dominance condition is important on its own right but it is also of major interest because of the explicit legal requirement placed on the Commission to assess the future likelihood of abusive behaviour by the merging parties in its prospective analysis. This is not the case with the original dominance compatibility condition. The unexpected but important clarification by the CFI of the notion of substantial part of the common market, as contained in the express wording of the compatibility test, is also commented upon. Concerning the determination of compatibility, the Commission's controversial employment in certain conglomerate concentrations of the range effects of competitive harm theory is examined, as is the need to take cognisance of merger specific efficiencies when determining if a merger increases societal welfare. The EU is making progress toward such an efficiencies assessment as part of the compatibility determination. EU merger control – and hence the compatibility test – do not exist in a vacuum. The EU has played a major role in shaping the new multilateral architecture and its goal of increasing international convergence in competition matters. This in turn has led the EU to rethink the nature of the compatibility test. For example, it has sought to evaluate the dominance condition of the compatibility test with the substantial lessening of competition (SLC) approach used by some other regulators, like the US. The paper concludes by looking at a fundamental issue that has arisen from recent CFI judgements and the GE/Honeywell merger: the competence of the Commission, or more accurately the Merger Task Force (MTF), to carry out the compatibility determination. Proposals are outlined so as to ensure that the Commission's prospective analysis in a concentration case meets the requisite legal standard. It is essential for this standard to be met if EU merger control is to remain credible. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

垄断力的认定——兼评《反垄断法》第十九条

垄断力的认定直接关系到目标企业的切身利益与反垄断法的实施，准确与否至关重要。我国刚通过的《反垄断法》第19条的规定，过于强调了规模在垄断力认定中的地位，容易给人以误导。在垄断力的认定过程中，首要的考虑因素是目标企业的市场份额，其核心是确保相关市场界定的准确性；同时，我们还必须考虑该相关市场进入的难易程度、技术与技术创新的可行性以及国家的国际竞争力等诸多其他因素。     

当前制约中小企业发展的若干问题探析

加入WTO后 ,我国中小企业将面临更加激烈的市场竞争。中小企业发展需要双管齐下 ,一方面 ,无论是家族中小企业还是私营中小企业均应调整自身观念和体制 ,进行制度创新 ;另一方面 ,政府应对中小企业采取切实的扶持政策 ,为中小企业发展创造有利的外部环境。     

道德教育如何应对入世挑战

道德教育如何面对入世后世界文化的冲击 ,文章认为首先要正视这种冲击 ;其次要重视伦理道德建设 ,大力培养德智结合的高科技人才 ;再次要树立国家民族意识、竞争意识、国货意识、信誉、质量意识、权利、义务意识、艰苦奋斗、勤俭节约意识     

俄罗斯与东北亚地区的能源合作

当今世界,能源问题已成为各国关注的焦点问题之一。目前,围绕能源的国际合作与竞争正不断加强。东北亚这个最具发展潜力的地区,随着经济的发展,能源消费与需求不断增加,能源的进口也随之加大,尤其是中、日、韩三国。俄罗斯是世界上能源生产与出口大国,因而与东北亚地区其他国家之间存在着较强的互补性。俄罗斯同东北亚国家的能源合作,不仅可加快其融入东北亚及亚太市场的步伐,而且有利于东北亚地区的能源安全。