Governance of the Amman water utility

In 1993 the World Bank assisted the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan in updating a review of the water sector, and thus began the process of Private Sector Participation (PSP) in service provision to improve the efficiency of the water sector and wastewater services. In this article, the privatisation of water and wastewater services is examined from the perspectives of stakeholders (input) and consumers (output). The goal is to assess the changes that have been taking place to date in relation to the principles of good governance. The results from interviews with stakeholders and from consumer questionnaires show that the privatisation process has to date shown only a few signs of ‘good’ governance. Despite the range of stakeholders involved, the state remains responsible for designing a good-governance approach that is responsive to the concerns and interests of all stakeholders.     

公共治理转型：整体主义复兴

自现代国家建立以来,历经了两次公共治理转型,即公共行政模式与公共管理模式.两种模式所留下的部门化、碎片化直接刺激了整体性公共治理兴起.整体性公共治理重新强调协调与整合,探索提供一体化、快捷公共服务的流程设计,主张将国内问题与国际问题合并思考和追求统一的解决方案.整体性公共治理理论是对公共管理时期的个体主义思维的反动,复兴了整体主义研究方法.     

试论当前县级执政能力建设的问题、原因及对策

县级政权在执政能力建设中存在一些亟待解决的问题 ,表现为 :执政能力建设比较薄弱 ;县级党委权力过分集中 ,等等。主要原因在于 :干部思想认识不到位 ;有关体制、机制不健全等方面。加强县级政权执政能力建设的对策包括 :提高干部的素质、健全和完善领导体制和工作机制。     

Rational Choice,Agency and Thoughtfully Reflective Decision Making: The Short and Long-Term Consequences of Making Good Choices

Notions of human agency are a prominent part of some but not all criminological theories. For example, McCarthy (Annu Rev Sociol 28:417–442, 2002) argues that rational choice theory, which allows persons great involvement in decision making, is more congenial with notions of human agency than others. It would appear from his argument that rational choice theory offers fertile ground to develop a clearly defined role for human agency in criminal behavior. In this paper we have taken up McCarthy’s view and argue that an important part of what is human agency consists of thoughtfully reflective decision making. We outline four elements of thoughtfully reflective decision making, and claim that it is a characteristic that varies both across persons and within persons over time. It is in short the process by which good decisions are made because by using this process one increases the likelihood that choices made will be consistent with preferences. We develop a clear operational definition of thoughtfully reflective decision making and link it to the concept of human agency. We also articulate testable hypotheses about the short-term and longer-term implications of thoughtfully reflective decision making. We conclude with a discussion of what we think lies ahead for future conceptual and empirical work.

浅论毒品犯罪所侵害的法益

毒品犯罪法益研究对毒品犯罪的罪与非罪、此罪与彼罪的认定以及其他诸多问题的解决具有很大的意义。现有的关于毒品犯罪法益的诸多论述是错误的,会让我们在司法实践中产生混乱,也没有办法在理论上自圆其说。文章认为,毒品犯罪的法益是社会有机体的公共健康,我们的司法解释和司法实践应当在这样一个基本的认识之上进行。同时,毒品犯罪的法益又是随时间和空间而变化的,不能进行僵化的理解。     

Global principles for sustainable biofuel production and trade

This article examines international attempts to regulate the production of and trade in biofuels by establishing criteria and indicators and certification schemes. It focuses on the norms underlying the criteria and the community constructed on the basis of them. The theoretical approach here rests on a discussion of these norms and on their constitutive role. This role creates a community and gives an institutional basis for the global public domain. Accordingly, different norms create the network on which environmental governance is based. It is assumed that commonly accepted criteria form a common norm. The article analyses eleven criteria and indicator systems and compares the criteria adopted. Eight were created for biofuels and bioenergy and three are used in forest certification. Comparison reveals that the criterion aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is used in Northern systems, whereas commonly accepted environmental criteria are biodiversity and minimization of pollution. The web of norms on which biofuel production and trade is based comprises environmental norms together with the general norm of sovereignty and the norms of the market economy.

Therapeutic jurisprudence and mental health tribunals: changing patterns of demand and its impact

For decades the mental health system has been ‘in crisis,’ with too little funding, too much demand and fragmented services. In England and Wales, decisions made concerning the care and treatment of those suffering from a mental disorder is governed by the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended) (MHA 1983). Detention under the legislation is fraught with conflict; patient and clinical views are often at odds. Mental health tribunals enable patients to seek a review of their case and the legality of their detention. This paper argues that with the increased use of formal detention under the MHA 1983, the caseloads of mental health tribunals have similarly risen. Whether it is possible to advance therapeutic benefit to psychiatric patients attending tribunals is open to question. While mental health tribunals have a role to play in generating a positive psychological impact on an applicant, there is a risk that time and resource pressures may inhibit the adoption of a therapeutic approach. This paper considers the key drivers that are currently pushing detention rates up, the impact this is having on mental health tribunal caseloads and whether it is possible to bring therapeutic jurisprudence to the patient.     

Forty-five revolutions per minute: a qualitative study of Hybrid Order use in forensic psychiatric practice

Psychiatrists who recommend a Hybrid Order (Section 45A) as a disposal option at the point of sentencing accept that the convicted individual, as well as being mentally disordered and in need of treatment, is also culpable and deserving of criminal punishment. Ethical and clinical concerns have typically limited its clinical use. However, in 2015 the Court of Appeal specified in R v Vowles and others that the Hybrid Order disposal should be considered first in terms of potential mental health disposals. This judgement sets a high threshold for the use of the hospital order which has been the bedrock of inpatient forensic psychiatric practice since 1983. This study sought to explore the attitudes of consultant forensic psychiatrists towards the use of the Hybrid Order in the wake of the Vowles judgement. We interviewed 12 consultant forensic psychiatrists with longstanding experience of psychiatric sentencing recommendations. We found that the majority of consultants considered the Hybrid Order to be a valuable disposal option when used under specific circumstances. However, significant concerns were raised about its use in those with an enduring psychotic illness. Community aftercare arrangements for Hybrid Order disposals were viewed as inferior to community aftercare arrangements for Section 37/41 patients.     

公共治理视域下自动化应用的法律规制

技术飞跃与治理提升之间的关联通常被假定,也早已被吸纳进“数字中国”“智慧社会”等政策实践,但法律的习惯性滞后带来了监管套利的空间。公共治理领域的自动化应用经历了从基于数据库编码的计算机自动化到基于机器学习的算法自动化再到基于神经网络的超级自动化的逐步跃迁,从早先自下而上专业人士的“辅助/参考”和个别部门的“部署/应用”嬗变为自上而下的社会化“嵌入/集成”,公权力、私权力及私权利的关系发生了结构性转换。相应地,国际通行、日益趋同的个人隐私保护(事前同意)、算法可解释性(事中监测)和完整履责链条(事后追责)的监管范式也应依照宏观技术共治、中观价值位阶和微观权利保障三位一体的规制路径进行体系化重构。     

新时代国家治理视野中的人民法庭及其功能塑造

人民法庭作为国家司法权在基层社会的表征,在不同时期发挥着不同功能。新时代人民法庭是乡村社会"在法治轨道上推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化"的重要参与者,承担着通过乡村法治推进国家法治秩序生成的职责,应当着眼于乡村社会结构变迁、"自治、法治、德治相结合"的乡村治理体系以及制度规范引领下的乡村治理逻辑,重新审视人民法庭的设立依据,并赋予法律适用、乡村规范型塑、价值判断和法治文化培育等功能,打造以人民法庭为中心的乡村法治权威,建立现代乡村法治秩序。