Smokescreen Politics? Ratcheting Up EU Emissions Trading in 2017

The reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) adopted in November 2017 was surprisingly strong, given the previous opposition from central member‐states like Poland and key stakeholders like the energy‐intensive industries. The carbon price has also increased substantially since then. To explain why such major reform was possible, we present several findings with wider relevance. Importantly, all the actors pushing for a more ambitious reform benefitted from having a central, “second‐best” mechanism in place—the Market Stability Reserve (MSR)—which could be further tightened. By focusing cancelation on allowances in the MSR and taking place only after 2023, policy entrepreneurs managed to make the distribution of costs obscure and diffuse, whereas the benefits (a probable higher carbon price and related greater auctioning revenues for member‐states) were more specific and closer in time. That is what we call “smokescreen politics.”     

Restraining Gulliver: Institutional reform and the strengthening of state capacity and compliance

Governance in the developing world is fraught with problems of corruption, weak institutions, and inadequate expertise among bureaucrats. Failing to enforce laws and regulations is one way in which these problems manifest themselves. In this paper, we evaluate changes across three institutions charged with oversight or administration of labor justice in Mexico. We find that both autonomy from the executive and professionalization are necessary to improve compliance with labor law over time. Our study shows that professionalization can occur in several ways, including through training, merit hiring, and introducing experienced external administrators. The implications of the study are that reforms that increase the independence and legal authority of oversight institutions should be complemented by efforts to strengthen the professionalism of bureaucrats.     

Political interference and regulatory resilience in Brazil

Governments face a fundamental tradeoff between regulatory independence and control. Attempts of interference have the effect of reducing the system's level of commitment and credibility. On the other hand, an administration runs the risk that the autonomy delegated to regulators might be used to pursue outcomes that may harm their interests. This tradeoff is particularly relevant when there is an alternation of power with the arrival of a new political elite with different preferences. This paper uses data from a 2016 survey on regulatory governance applied to Brazilian regulatory agencies. This data is compared to a similar survey performed in 2005. The new survey results turn out to be surprisingly similar to those of a decade earlier, suggesting strong resilience of regulatory agencies despite significant attempts at political interference by powerful presidents. The factors explaining the resilience of regulatory governance in Brazil lie in its broader institutional endowment, which moderates the effects of executive interference.     

Multiple Streams in Hawaii: How the Aloha State Adopted a 100% Renewable Portfolio Standard

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are an important policy tool for reducing carbon emissions and advancing the global shift toward renewable energy. As the U.S. federal government backs away from commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, subnational governments play an increasingly important role in mitigating climate change. In June 2015, Hawaii became the first state in the United States to adopt a 100% RPS. Through understanding the conditions that gave rise to Hawaii’s RPS, policy actors will be better informed as they navigate policy processes in other states and jurisdictions. This study uses Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to explore the policy process that led to Hawaii’s 100% RPS. Data were collected during the summer of 2016 via interviews with 25 key policy actors and informants in Hawaii. Expectations based on the MSF are confirmed, and the results suggest factors that might be included or explored in future studies of RPS adoption.     

旅游影响下滇西北民族社区传统生态文化变迁机制研究

旅游对目的地文化变迁的影响已有较多研究,但由于案例地的特殊性,缺乏比较研究的基础。以滇西北三个民族社区为案例,对当地在旅游发展过程中呈现出的不同的生态文化变迁形态进行了比较性解读。研究发现,位处旅游地生命周期的不同阶段、面对不同的客源市场,以及不同的文化借用方式,是导致各社区生态文化变迁形态迥异的主要原因。研究将有助于在民族社区旅游发展与传统生态文化保护之间探索一条良性互动的发展路径。     

趋同还是存异——世界经济一体化下各国劳动关系的比较研究

在1945 -1975年期间的所谓资本主义的黄金时代,典型资本主义社会的劳动关系各具特色,而且总体是协调的,劳资双方在妥协基础上达到了平衡,形成了劳资两利的双赢格局.随着世界经济一体化的不断深入,各个国家的劳动关系产生了柔性化的趋同倾向.趋同确实发生,但模式多样性持续存在并且在现代全球经济中依然重要.对于中国而言,在尊重市场原则的基础上,不迷信市场,充分重视制度作用和历史传承才是解决中国劳动关系问题的关键.     

八二宪法的人权逻辑——以三十年社会变迁为背景

以现实的社会条件为基础,1982年宪法形成了以发展性、时代性、中国性为核心的人权逻辑主线。随着三十年来我国社会的发展与变迁,1982年宪法的人权体系也在不断地扩充与演进,由对我国经济、社会发展最直接需要与成果的经济权利的凸显,到具有普适性人权价值的确认,再到经济、社会、文化权利即广义社会权体系的完善。在当下,公平享受发展成果,权利的平等保障是1982年宪法人权逻辑的最核心命题与最终极价值。     

会计准则变更对企业盈余管理的影响:对国有与非国有公司的考察

基于2003-2010年上市公司的数据,采用应计利润法计量盈余管理水平,比较国有公司和非国有公司盈余管理水平上的差异,同时对新会计准则实施前后上市公司的盈余管理水平进行比较,并对2007年之后的数据进行逐年回归,对其变化趋势做出分析.研究表明:国有公司的盈余管理水平相对于非国有公司更弱；新会计准则对于企业盈余管理水平具有明显的抑制作用,国有公司和非国有公司的盈余管理水平差异先减小后增加.     

我国民族区域自治制度架构的理路辨析

民族问题求"解",是一个带有普遍意义的世界性课题。中国实行民族区域自治的现代抉择,是把统一与自治、民族与区域、历史与现实、政治与经济、制度与法律、民主与集中、自然权利与国家权利因素有机结合,成功开拓出一条被实践证实、广泛为世界关注的经验之路。这是一则浩大的社会"方程",惟国家性质、历史背景、政策导向、及至厚重的文化根植推定这种制度安排。