‘That wicked rule,that evil doctrine … ’: Reforming the Law on Disclosure in Insurance Contracts

The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, which abolishes the consumer assured's duty to volunteer information, heralds the first successful outcome of the English and Scottish Law Commissions current insurance contract law reform project. This paper outlines the defects of the common law duty of disclosure which the Law Commissions sought to address. It goes on to consider why previous legislative attempts failed, the self‐regulatory measures introduced by the insurance industry as a means of resisting earlier pressure for statutory intervention, and how that resistance broke down. Finally, it examines the scope of the 2012 reforms and the current consultation being undertaken in respect of the duty of disclosure in relation to business insurance. It concludes by assessing the significance of the statute in providing a necessary impetus for future insurance law reforms.     

Detention under the Mental Health Act: balancing rights,risks and needs for services

Mental health law has to balance considerations of both justice, and health and welfare. In the political climate of the 1990s mental health services have become targeted on those with serious mental illness, to address the objectives of containing risks and limiting service expenditure. This paper identifies that increasing rates of detention under the Mental Health Act through the 1990s in a particular region, disproportionately involve longer-term detentions (under section 3), men, and people with serious mental illnesses. Those detained are likely to experience social difficulties. Changes in legislation are imminent, and the paper concludes that thought should be given to the amount of statutory intervention in the lives of seriously mentally ill people, and to the principle of reciprocity in relation to those coerced for lesser periods. Services should seek to address the issues of social exclusion which are reflected in the circumstances of those detained.     

Patent litigation insurance and R&D incentives

A major policy concern regarding patenting activity is related to the actual enforceability of the patents granted by Patent Offices. The risk of facing elevated legal costs to defend patent rights can affect ex-ante incentives to invest in R&D. This paper analyses whether the availability of insurance policies that cover legal expenditures for patent litigation could increase the appropriability of the innovation. We model a situation in which an incumbent innovator is endowed with a valid patent and an entrant imitator can either directly enter the market or try to apply for a patent, hoping that an error will be made by the Patent Office. The incumbent can accommodate the entrant, file a suit to a civil court or offer a settlement agreement. We model the presence of heterogeneity in the risk that the patents will face an error by both patent examiners at Patent Offices and judges at civil court. We analyse the changes in expected profits for the innovator when given the possibility of buying an insurance policy which will cover legal costs in the event of trial. We compare the cases in which (i) coverage is voluntary and the insurer can discriminate perfectly between risky patents; (ii) coverage is voluntary and the insurer cannot discriminate between patents, and (iii) coverage is compulsory. The model highlights a set of peculiar strategic characteristics of insurance for legal expenditures which contribute to singling out the reasons underlying the underdevelopment of this market. We suggest that the crucial reason for such a failure is not adverse selection; consequently, we challenge the benefits of making coverage compulsory.     

卫生行政解释的若干问题

卫生行政解释对执法人员准确理解卫生法律规范，实现卫生行政管理目的具有重要作用。在对卫生行政解释作理论分析的基础上，对执法实践中遇到的行政解释的效力问题，与立法解释、司法解释的关系及在行政法律文书中引用等几个问题作了初步探讨。     

我国破产管理人民事责任探析

破产管理人制度是新的《企业破产法》中的一项全新制度,在破产程序中有着举足轻重的地位。由于法律赋予了破产管理人管理和处分破产财产的巨大权力,为避免破产管理人滥用职权、谋取私利,应当加强对破产管理人民事责任制度的探究。在新的破产法中,虽然对破产管理人民事责任做出了相应的规定,但缺乏可操作性。因此,本文针对我国破产管理人民事责任的性质、承担基础、形式及实现等方面存在的缺失进行探讨并提出相应的立法建议。     

Staatseingriffe im Markt fuer Versicherung gegen Naturkatastrophen

Wir fassen kurz die wichtigsten Ergebnisse unserer Länderstudien im Gebäudeversicherungsmarkt zusammen. Wir versuchen aus unseren Beobachtungen Schlüsse zu ziehen, wie die Versicherung gegen Naturkatastrophen institutionell organisiert werden sollte. Wir kommen zum Ergebnis, dass aus Gründen der Effizienz (niedrigere Verwaltungs‐ und Vertriebskosten) und um Probleme der Risikoselektion zu vermeiden, öffentlichen Monopolen auf diesem Markt eine wichtige Rolle zukommen sollte. Ein weiterer gewichtiger Vorteil der Monopollösung ist die Tatsache, dass diese Institutionen starke Anreize haben, sich für eine effiziente Prävention einzusetzen.     

南通市卫生行政许可现状与思考

本文深入阐述了南通市卫生行政许可的现状，剖析了卫生行政许可存在的问题及产生的原因，并对如何适应新一轮审批制度改革，提出了创新性的举措，以及依法开展许可工作做了思考。     

保险代位权在不足额保险中的行使——对被保险人优先原则的质疑及比例原则的建立

保险代位权的目的在于维护保险人的权益。在不足额保险中，当作为保险事故责任人的第三人的财产不足以同时满足保险人的代位请求权和被保险人未得到补偿部分的损害赔偿请求权时，关于被保险人和保险人对第三人的请求权是否有先后顺序的问题，立法上大致存在三种操作模式：被保险人优先原则、保险人优先原则和比例原则。被保险人优先原则存在理论上的缺陷和操作上的不便。比例原则不仅有民商法基本理论的支撑，而且对于维护公平正义以及防止被保险人的投机行为有着重大作用。     

论政府加强医药卫生规制的现实需要和理论依据

医药卫生行业存在市场失灵现象，因此政府有加强医药卫生规制的现实需要。经济学领域的信息不对称理论、交易成本理论、逆向选择和道德风险、刚性需求、外部性理论、医疗服务产品的准公共产品性质等理论为政府加强医药卫生规制提供了充分的理论依据。     

TRIPS协定下公共健康药品专利强制许可保障措施研究

药品专利强制许可制度产生于知识产权制度下的利益平衡原则,该制度的设立是为了解决公共健康问题而对专利权进行的一种最大的限制.为了使药品专利强制许可制度达到利益平衡的最佳效果,TEIPS协定下相关法律文件规定了种种保障措施以防止滥用和引发贸易转移等问题,这对正确适用该制度以平衡公共健康和专利权人的利益从而实现公共福祉的最大化有着积极的意义.