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.     

Coordinating intermediaries: The prospects and limitations of professional associations in decentralized regulation

A key question in understanding regulation through independent intermediaries is the extent to which intermediary actions are either coordinated, thereby supporting consistency in regulatory application, or uncoordinated, leading to monitoring and enforcement disparities. This paper examines professional associations as one mechanism by which policy action may be coordinated in decentralized arrangements. Professional associations provide means and venues for members to interact, offer training and education that develops shared understanding of policy directives, are collective representation bodies for professional members, and may play an important role in establishing and enforcing collective standards for appropriate behavior. We examine these functions in the decentralized administration of United States organic food certification, focusing on two relevant professional associations – the Accredited Certifiers Association and the International Organic Inspectors Association. Drawing on multiple methods, including interviews and survey data, our findings indicate that professional organic certification associations provide valuable education and training, disseminate information, and facilitate knowledge sharing among administrative entities and with regulatory authorities. We conclude with a discussion of the prospects and limitations of professional associations for third‐party regulation, and how accounting for professional association functions can improve our understanding of regulatory intermediary coordination and conduct.     

Opaque transparency: How material affordances shape intermediary work

How do the material aspects of intermediary work affect regulators, targets, and beneficiaries? To shed light on this question, we studied an information intermediary in the form of a website and the organizations who founded it. Specifically, we analyzed FracFocus, a self‐regulatory initiative with strong industry ties, charged with disclosing data pertaining to the chemicals used in oil and gas wells completed using hydraulic fracturing technology (fracking) in the United States and Canada. We found that between 2010 and mid‐2017, the vast majority of legislation in states and provinces where fracking actively occurred was updated to mandate or encourage disclosure via FracFocus, meaning that it had a considerable effect on the trajectory of official regulation on fracking disclosure. We also found that FracFocus disclosed important data but did so in a manner that limited accessibility and reduced the comprehensibility of environmental and public health risks to beneficiaries. Our analysis suggests that the public's experience of such a device is one of opaque transparency, in which the line between official and non‐official regulation is blurred. We traced these outcomes to the material affordances created by FracFocus.     

信访困境的形成机制与应对策略

以"行为—过程范式"为分析视角,有利于更清晰地理解信访困境的形成机制。以"法治是地方性知识"与"相对合理主义"为应对信访困境的理论基础,可以发现关注信访制度的定纷止争功能,依靠权威力量进行纠纷化解,加强对于公权力的规制,注重成功经验的法治化是突破信访困境的可行出路。     

政府数字化转型影响因素分析

我国正处于推进国家治理现代化和新一代信息技术革命的交汇期,推动政府数字化转型是实现国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的必然要求.本文借鉴既有研究,借助TOE框架,运用层次分析法和模糊综合评价法,从技术、组织以及环境层面对我国政府数字化转型的影响因素进行了分析和评价.结果 显示,政府数字化转型战略规划是推动政府数字化转型进程最...     

市场型金融创新法律监管路径的反思与超越

市场型金融创新凸显了规范与现实之间的冲突。无论是选择性监管路径,还是规则扩张式监管路径,抑或是以监管沙箱为代表的实验式监管路径,都不能很好地解决该冲突。以上三种路径,都是在“术”的层面上展开。为了超越以上三种路径,我国应在“道”的层面上进行理念与制度完善,即我国需要完善金融法治基础,建构金融法治哲学,制定《金融法典》或《金融法总则》,创新金融法的更新机制,创建市场型金融创新合法性裁定制度,完善市场型金融创新的法律责任,以便进一步提升我国对市场型金融创新监管的法治化水平。     

裁量基准的制度定位:理由的规范化

《行政处罚法》的新规并未直接揭示裁量基准的制度定位,学界目前依然存在着“依据论”与“理由论”两种观点。实际上,依据裁量基准的形式外观与现行立法的规范用语并不能证明裁量基准属于裁量行为的“依据”,相反,根据权源性标准和拘束性标准,可以得知裁量基准并非“依据”。同时,通过对裁量基准与裁量理由的实质分析,可以发现二者之间不仅有着理论上的同质性,而且存在着内容上的同构性。不仅如此,裁量基准的运行机制也进一步验证了裁量基准属于“理由”的判断。不过,裁量基准绝不是“理由”的等同概念,而是“理由”的一种规范化表达,“规范”的形式赋予了裁量基准独立的制度定位。     

政策类型理论的批判及其中国经验研究

洛伊提出的政策类型理论以＂政策特征决定政治过程＂的假设为基础,从公共权力运用的两个维度构建出四分的政策分类框架。这一政策类型理论一经提出即引起学术界广泛关注,同时也激发了诸多学者的质疑和批判,以及针对质疑和批判进行的辩护和发展。一些开拓性研究表明,该理论对于透视和分析中国背景下的公共政策过程同样具有深邃的理论洞察力。循着＂政策类型视角下政策过程＂的思路,可以发展出关于中国公共政策规划与决策、执行与评估等不同阶段的经验性假设,以逐渐积累关于中国政策过程的知识和认知,并发展出本土化的政策过程理论。     

Institutional Arrangements and State and Local Financial Forecasting

Abstract

The articles in this symposium present various consequences that effectively result in changes from adopted budgets during the implementation phase, which derive from institutional structure. The institutional structures referred to include such attributes as internal policy, procedural methodology, longevity in office, and reward and incentive systems related to performance outcomes

For local governments, structural influences studied include changes in leadership in the executive and legislative branches, longevity in office of budget administrators, and differences related to mayor-council vs. council-manager forms of government. Internal policies reported on cover methodology used to forecast revenues such as quantitative methods versus informed judgment, budgetary controls and spending policy related to mandated spending beyond local government control, and procedures for benchmarking within the agency as well as with peer groups and professional standards.

Consortia of governments are referenced regarding performance evaluation as is the process for gaining consensus between the executive and legislative branches, including expert outside opinion. Other influences on performance outcomes reported on are those tied to the risk-reward system built in to the institutional structure, which includes risk tolerance of the individuals who make pension fund investments.     

行政程序中的卷宗阅览权及其构成要件

在我国,卷宗阅览权的法律保障力度存在的明显不足,究其原因在于行政程序法制的不完善,特别是《行政程序法》的立法缺位。与政府信息公开制度研究形成鲜明对比的是,学界对卷宗阅览权的研究并未予以重视。卷宗阅览权基础性研究框架之构建,重心在于其构成要件的具体分析。权利主体、客体和内容等三个方面的确定,为行政机关更好地保护卷宗阅览权、当事人更规范地行使卷宗阅览权提供了指引。