After Waterhouse: vicarious liability and the tort of institutional abuse

As evidence of the extent of the abuse of children in residential care increases, our understanding of this terrible wrong has altered. These assaults are an institutional syndrome, at the same time that they are individual crimes; certain systems of institutional care are conducive to/foster abuse behaviour (acting as 'crucibles' rather than 'honeypots'for rogue paedophiles). A theory of vicarious (institutional) liability is appropriate if we understand a syndrome of institutional abuse in this way, as involving institutional responsibility in addition to individual fault. The recent decision of the Canadian Supreme Court in Bazley v Curry found a children's home vicariously liable for sexual assaults of an employee on the basis of responsibility through the creation of risk, an analysis of and apportionment of liability which is appropriate to the special syndrome of institutional abuse, while encouraging deterrence and providing fair and practical compensation to victims. This analysis/liability is supported by an economic analysis of institutional child abuse and decision making in child protection.     

儒家义利观及其当代价值

中国儒家关于义利之辨的话题已探讨了多年,在不同的时代,人们赋予它不同的内涵。随着我国市场经济的逐步深入发展,人们的义利观也出现了很大的变化。本着对儒家传统义利思想批判和继承的态度,结合当今的具体国情,本文试分析市场经济下义利的新关系及正确对待的措施。     

No sorting,no advantage: Regression discontinuity estimates of incumbency advantage in Japan

While the existing literature has identified a sizable incumbency advantage in single-member district (SMD) races in developed democracies, we argue that some political and institutional contexts of Japan's Lower House elections would undermine the incumbency advantage. Our regression discontinuity (RD) analysis indeed shows little advantage, and further examination suggests this as largely due to the “best-loser” provision in Japan's mixed-member system, which gives a loser of SMD competition a chance to be a “resurrected” incumbent. We also show no evidence of sorting – i.e., systematic difference between bare winners and bare losers – in close SMD races and thus add further evidence to support the methodological argument that the election RD analysis is a viable and promising research design.     

Political actors,preferences and election rule re-design in Russia and Ukraine

Institutional designers, international organizations and post-Soviet political actors have directed considerable attention to the design and conduct of elections in postcommunist states. This article explores the nature of electoral system re-design by investigating the motives and interactions of legislators, parties and presidents. Following the veto players literature, the analysis focuses on the determinants of policy stability and change. The process of institutional re-design is evaluated in two cases: the successful introduction of the Law on Political Parties in Russia and unsuccessful attempts at major election reform in Ukraine. The article shows that the outcomes of policy reform processes in these 'superpresidential' systems were not solely determined by presidential preferences. Rather, to fully understand election system re-design, it is critical to evaluate the preferences of all relevant veto players.     

浙江建设“重要窗口”的制度基础

浙江在以往跨越式发展中形成的诸多制度经验,不仅是浙江忠实践行“八八战略”、奋力打造“重要窗口”,争创社会主义现代化先行省的制度基础,而且对于全国乃至形成更具普遍价值的中国方案,推动全球治理,亦有着重要的借鉴意义。它们包括但不限于：率先启动并深化拓展“最多跑一次”改革,形成坚持以人民为中心发展思想的制度体系;鼓励基层有序创新民主治理体制机制,深化“法治浙江”建设,建立完善与浙江高水平发展相适应的法治体系;主动适应现代治理新场景,全面转变治理理念,积极引入数字技术,构建整体智治的现代政府新形态;联动推进行政审批制度改革和要素市场化配置改革,加快构建开放型经济新体制,巩固完善社会主义市场经济体系;完善创新驱动的发展机制,强化经济社会发展引领机制,率先形成绿色、集约的高质量经济发展新体系;高标准建设社会保障和公共服务制度,形成公平有效可持续的民生保障体系;高水平推进“平安浙江”建设,“枫桥经验”推陈出新,“三治融合”全面开展,形成既稳定有序又充满活力的社会治理体系;践行“绿水青山就是金山银山”理念,建设美丽浙江,形成人与自然和谐共生的绿色发展体制机制;探索建立中心城市辐射带动的治理机制,建立完善城乡融合发展的体制机制与政策体系,实施“山海协作”机制,形成城乡、区域协调发展新体系;着力提升文化软实力,推进“文化浙江”建设,形成坚持和完善繁荣发展社会主义先进文化的制度。     

制度环境、技术效率与区域经济增长差异

将影响技术效率的制度因素纳入效率评价模型,运用构造的DEA三阶段模型测算了1995-2007年中国29个省级行政单位(文中简称省市区或省份)经制度环境变量调整前后的技术效率水平,并对制度环境与地区间技术效率水平及相应的增长差异进行了分析。研究结果表明:第一,中国技术效率整体上呈波动型增长趋势,但与经济周期的波动趋势并不吻合,效率改善并非经济高速增长的主要原因;第二,制度环境影响各地区技术效率水平,技术效率的不同又是造成区域经济增长差异的重要原因。所有制改革、对外开放、财税体制改革等制度变迁均有利于技术效率的改善,而城镇化、科技体制改革对技术效率的影响并不显著;第三,东、中、西部地区纯技术效率呈收敛增长趋势,且西部地区技术效率低下的主要原因在于规模非效率;第四,制度环境变量调整后各地区技术效率差异逐步增加,制度因素在区域经济平衡发展方面具有重要作用。     

转型时期的农民工住房问题——一种政策过程的视角

从政策过程的视角论述农民工住房问题纳入国家政策层面的可行性,可为解决农民工住房问题提供政策方向。本文从杜布林冲突的系统分析模型出发,建构“黑匣子”公共政策过程分析模型,并运用成本-收益分析、政府分权理论等,从政策执行的角度来检验政策方案。通过政策输入过程分析,识别形成农民工住房问题的实质因素,并分析农民工住房问题转变为政策问题的实践约束条件。通过对政策执行约束条件的分析得出：农民工住房政策的逻辑起点不是农民工住房质量,而是附加在户籍制上的城乡二元体制结构。研究认为农民工住房问题本身无法作为良好的政策问题纳入中央政府决策范围。建立农民工住房保障体系并允许农民工有条件地享受城市住房保障政策,或直接取消城乡二元结构,都不是解决农民工住房问题的最优政策,但前者作为渐进的决策途径,还是有助于缓解社会转型矛盾的;政府应当制定改革户籍制的长远目标,并在此框架下坚持改革和创新,逐步实现住房保障的城乡一体化。     

农村城镇化与制度创新

我国农村城镇化进程中不可避免地出现了一些问题。从理论和实践的结合上弄清农村城镇化推进与制度的关系,从制度创新入手解决问题,是走中国特色城镇化道路的现实选择。     

中、俄、蒙三国的油气合作

中国处于石油资源相对贫乏的东亚西太平洋区域,总体石油资源不足;俄罗斯东西伯利亚和远东地区的石油和天然气储量丰富,蒙古石油矿藏集中在中蒙两国边界地区,这为中、俄、蒙的油气合作提供了可能,并且从蒙古直接穿过进入中国的中俄石油管道是最近、最安全的线路。从未来发展的趋势看,中国可积极利用俄蒙的资源投资与合作,参与输气、输油管道的建设,拓宽和夯实中俄油气合作的经济基础。     

女性制度主义的发生路径、焦点议题与意义评析

女性制度主义作为女性主义政治学与新制度主义政治学相互融合的产物,在跻身新制度主义前沿领域的同时,还为制度分析增添了性别维度。发端于女性主义第二波浪潮与社会性别理论的女性制度主义研究动向,在新制度主义异军突起的理论背景和性别平等举措全面开展的现实背景下确立为重要的分析途径,日益得到众多具有制度分析取向的女性主义学者的积极推动,并在多领域与多学科的交织脉络中不断发展演进。女性制度主义将浸染社会性别特征的政治制度作为研究起点,致力于协调现实政治生活的结构性要素与能动性要素,通过阐释性别体制、制度变迁以及制度性抵制的复杂关系,对性别化的权力体系及其动力机制予以深入探讨。基于女性制度主义所涉及的学术身份认同、学理资源汲取、学派交流融汇、学科议题嬗变,可以对该分析途径的贡献、不足以及前景进行系统审视。