Restorative justice in the aftermath of politically-motivated violence: the Basque experience

ABSTRACT

An emerging body of literature discusses how restorative justice can contribute to the response to terrorism. This paper expresses concerns about the uncritical acceptance of many orthodox assumptions about terrorism inherent in the search for a “restorative response” to terrorism. When restorative justice embraces the label “terrorism” in what appears to be a politically neutral sense, rather than opening up a critical discussion of realities of political violence and the factors that had propelled it, it may form part of the efforts designed to inculcate “truths” that help control political dissent. With its key aspiration being to restore a presumed healthy order disrupted by terrorist offences, restorative justice may be enlisted to help entrench social relations that led to the violence in the first place. The paper illustrates this danger by examining attempts to use restorative justice techniques by Spanish authorities in the aftermath of ETA or Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (“Basque Homeland and Freedom”) violence. It is argued that rather than searching for a “restorative response” to terrorism, a more adequate framework for restorative justice in the aftermath of politically motivated violence may be found within broader projects of reparation for historical injustices, remembering and political reconciliation.     

Nation,national remembrance,and education – Polish schools as factories of nationalism and prejudice

This article describes and attempts to explain the reasons for the conservative and nationalist character of Polish schools. The author uses data from surveys, analyzes political programs, postulates concerning education put forward by conservatives, and quotes poems emphasizing national identity from textbooks used at schools to teach reading skills. According to the author, it can be observed that nationalists build an atmosphere of aversion to immigrants, which affects racism in the school hallways. The article also presents the phenomenon of so-called school chambers of national remembrance, which are part of patriotic rituals practiced by Polish society. The author emphasizes that nationalism is the basis for changes in history programs of study, which are part of the educational reform implemented by the Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwo?? – PiS) government. The cultural soft power, which is used to make reality more “national,” complements the administrative and political hard power of the PiS party – both tools are used to create an authoritarian-nationalist vision of social order.     

Universities and the teaching of forensic sciences to lawyers—a note *

This article presents the findings of the survey conducted among business and accountancy students of the Nanyang Business School, Singapore, on the teaching of business law. The article is organised in three main sections. Section 1 formulates the framework for the research by outlining the three basic approaches adopted across many jurisdictions for the legal education of business students—the traditionalist ("black‐letter law"), the environmentalist and mixed approaches. Section 2 briefly describes the survey questions drawn up in the light of four principal objectives that, according to legal educators, the teaching of business law should achieve. Section 3 presents and examines the findings. The article concludes that law teaching at the Nanyang Business School conforms to the traditional approach. The author accordingly makes recommendations for the transformation of current teaching and assessment medthods: an injection of a great deal of “environmental” content and context‐based education; more use of actual and current cases, practical examples and a link to the business environment.     

英国职业资格证书制度及对我国高职院校办学的启示

二战后到20世纪90年代,英国逐步建立了独具特色的的以证书课程为本的职业资格证书制度,包括以在职人员为主兼顾16-19岁青年的非全日制授课的国家职业资格证书制度和以14-19岁青年为主的、全日制授课的、与国家职业资格证书相对应、与普通学术资格相衔接的普通国家职业资格证书制度。其“三明治”的人才培养模式,强化核心能力培养、突出课程实用性的特色,值得我国高职院校办学实践中学习和借鉴。     

论常态市场中的个体工商户制度

个体工商户是在我国改革开放实践中创造的一种经营主体制度，是我国数量最大的一类市场主体，其生命力在于契合中国社会的“家文化”特色。个体工商户虽然得到各级法律确认，但存在过渡性、非规范性疑惑，有些地方推动“个转企”。个体工商户利用天然信用纽带，组织协调成本低，针对性满足市场需要，利于吸纳就业和均衡财富，易于分散和消化经营风险，在低端市场中具有竞争优势。在常态市场中，应该尊重当事人的理性选择，适应市场的层次结构需求，维护市场主体的完整生态，慎重推行“个转企”。     

孔子“义利”观与现代法治和谐理念

孔子思想是第一次文化轴心时代人类思想的伟大创造,儒家社会理想的本原是“和谐”。孔子纳“仁”入“礼”,希望通过体现以民为本的社会正义观的“礼法”体系去整合社会,最终实现社会和谐的目标。在孔子的利、义观中,个人之“利”与个人之“义”并不相互冲突。孔子的“义利”观体现了法律的利益调控功能与正义价值的和谐统一,与和谐社会的法治理念有契合性。孔子思想中所体现的“利”与“义”的和谐统一观,对今天以社会和谐为目标的法治建设具有重要的启示作用。     

“Zones of indistinction” and visions of post-reconciliation South Africa in District 9

In this article, I explore the ways in which District 9 reflects South Africa’s current socio-political transition through the problematical representation of the film’s eponymous slum and its impoverished inhabitants as well as its protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe. Drawing on Giorgio Agamben’s influential ideas of biopolitics, I demonstrate the ways in which the film provides a compelling critique of the effects of neoliberal capitalism on post-apartheid transition and South Africa’s complex geopolitical landscape. In this regard, I analyze how the slum figures as a “zone of indistinction” where political and economic forces combine to produce the paradoxical conditions in which impoverished South Africans are included in a democratic social contract, but are simultaneously excluded from the socioeconomic benefits that it promises.     

深化“放管服”改革的重点与方向——基于机构改革的分析视角

当前的“放管服”改革取得了重大进展,形成了一些经验和共识。“放管服”改革应当以机构改革为契机,理顺两者之间的内在关联,契合机构改革的现实需要,展现新的时代使命。“放管服”改革要适应机构改革凸显五项核心职能、致力精简效能、坚持以人民为中心等特点,紧紧围绕系统化的现代政府职能体系、标准化的现代服务政府、智能化的未来发展、精准化的个性服务等方向展开,找准深化改革的最佳切入点。     

中国海外突发事件撤侨应急管理研究--以“5·13”越南打砸中资企业事件为例

近年来，随着中国国际化和全球化进程的加快，走出国门的中国公民和机构不断增多，在此过程中难免会遭遇一些突发事件。本文梳理了中国近十年的涉外撤侨突发事件，并以2014年5月越南打砸中资企业事件为典型个案总结了中国在事发过程中采取撤侨应急行动的主要做法，基于应急过程管理分析了应急撤侨中的成功和不足之处，对进一步改善撤侨应急管理提出了提高风险防范意识、改善预警信息发布渠道、增强应急响应能力、完善应急救援协同联动机制、大力培育和善用民间组织、培养应急专业人才等对策建议，以在“一路一带”重大战略下，进一步有效提高我国海外突发事件撤侨应急管理能力，切实维护我国海外公民和中资机构的生命财产安全和权益。     

“全面二孩”政策背景下生育对女性养老金的影响——以广东省为例

本文基于对广东省的问卷调查分析认为,生育孩子数量对女性养老金有显著影响,女性会因生育遭受“养老金惩罚”,且“二孩”生育女性遭受的养老金损失高于“一孩”生育女性。可见,“生育收入惩罚”效应不仅作用于女性职业生涯期间,还作用于女性年老退休以后。因此,应坚持性别平等的原则,完善退休制度和公共托育服务,合理制定缴费年限、缴费指数、账户设置等社会养老保险制度标准,以削减女性“生育养老金惩罚”,提升“全面二孩”政策的实施效果。