The EU’s Emissions Trading System,Part 1: Taking Stock

This is part 1 of a paper that revisits the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) in an attempt to take stock of how the system has worked and evaluate it from the standpoint of radical political economy. The paper briefly discusses the basics of the scheme, including its design as a financial instrument and its performance during the first trading period (2005–2007). It then moves to elaborating on the workings of the scheme during phase 2 (2008–2012) and on the initiation of phase 3 (2013–2014). This analysis discusses the adjustments and the extensions of the scheme, compliance results and allowance trades and prices with a critical eye. The paper reveals the unsatisfactory results of the scheme (even in its own proclaimed aims), which include allowances surplus, allowance trades for pure financial purposes, low and volatile price of allowances, windfall profits, extensive use of Kyoto project-based credits, and several malfunctions and instances of fraud. These findings set the ground for part 2 of the paper which offers a critical assessment of ETS from the standpoint of radical political economy, putting emphasis on the needs and interests of the unprivileged working people.     

Is the party system affected by booms and busts? Not very much

The literature on party system fragmentation emphasizes how political institutions and social cleavages shape the long-term development of the party system, but short-term swings in economic performance could change the level of electoral fragmentation by affecting the concentration of the vote in the executive. Time series data from presidential elections in 59 countries and from district-level legislative election contests in 22 countries show that a growing economy is negatively associated with the effective number of parties winning votes: a strong economy leads to a slight reduction in fragmentation as the ruling party consolidates its rule while a weak economy tends to disperse votes among alternatives to it. But the effect of economic performance relative to political institutions and the incumbency advantage is at the margins. The modest size of this effect should remind scholars of the limits of the economy as an overall driver of voter choice. Keywords: Economic Voting, Party System Fragmentation, Duverger’s Hypothesis.     

对大学生志愿者服务的几点思考

随着大学生志愿者服务体系的不断完善,科学规范管理已经成为志愿者服务队伍发展进程中的关键因素。志愿者服务是提高大学生公益意识的有效途径,是社会弘扬精神文明风尚,树立社会主义荣辱观的有效载体。     

土地革命时期我军政治工作与物质利益原则

重视实现和维护官兵的物质利益是我军政治工作的优良传统.在土地革命战时期,我军通过无产阶级物质利益观教育、建立民主制度和奖助主功制度,制定优抚政策、开展土地革命以赢得群众拥护等措施,千方百计地改善官兵的待遇物质生活和较好地解除了官兵的后顾之忧,从根本上激发了他们为人民的利益而作战工作的积极性.这对于新势下增强我军政治工作的针对性、系统性、创造性也是有益的借鉴.     

浅谈公安机关错案责任追究制度

公安机关错案是指在侦查活动中,公安民警由于故意或过失违反法律规定而办理的依法应予纠正,并应追究违法责任的案件。它具有主体特定性、主观过错性、行为违法性、后果危害性和应受惩罚性等特征。公安机关建立错案追究制是提高民警素质,加强公安队伍建设的需要,是公安工作适应国家法律建设总体需求的需要,是解决公安执法与法律要求不相适应的需要,是提高工作透明度,加强内部监督的需要。建立错案追究制应遵循科学、合法的原则;实事求是,有错必究的原则;区别划分,责任自负的原则;人人平等原则;教育与处罚相结合的原则;处罚公开原则。     

NOVELL服务器2000年时钟问题的分析及解决

奔腾一型的PC服务器,装有NETWARE4.12、NETWARE5.0版本以外NOVELL网络操作系统,在2000年后使用,会发生时钟错误。而用升级服务器的BIOS版本,修补NOVELL操作系统,能解决今后奔腾一型的PC服务器NOVELL操作系统正常使用的时钟问题。     

社会主义个人收入分配理论和制度的历史性突破

我国的社会主义个人收入分配理论和制度,在邓小平理论指导下,不断革故鼎新,获得了历史性突破：把按劳分配从“资产阶级法权”的桎梏下解放出来,确认它的社会主义性质;提出通过允许和鼓励一部分人先富起来的途径实现共同富裕的理论和政策;以“主体补充论”取代“唯一论”,承认非劳动收入的合法性;提出多种分配方式是社会主义分配制度的重要组成部分的“制度论”;提出社会主义分配必须坚持“效率优先,兼顾公平”的原则;提出把按劳分配和按生产要素分配结合起来的“结合论”。具有中国特色的社会主义个人收入分配理论和制度已经基本形成     

具体行政行为说明理由制度

西方法治国家对行政主体的行政行为说明理由制度有较明确的规定。其功能主要是为了制约行政权力 ,防止权力的滥用 ,尊重相对人的权益 ,提高行政效率。而我国的行政腐败现象与行政程序不规范不发达有很大关系。理论界对此应有紧迫感。     

我国开征环境保护税的基本构思

生态环境的日益恶化已严重制约我国经济的发展,运用税收手段保护环境、治理污染在我国已有20余年的历史,但现行税制中有关保护环境的税种不够完善,缺乏针对性。应借鉴发达国家环保税制的成功经验,设计我国环保税的基本框架,完善税制,充分发挥税收的宏观调控作用。     

推行年薪制的关键:建立有效的利益制衡机制

年薪制是国际上通行的职业经理人薪酬制度。在我国,实行年薪制是市场经济发展的必然要 求。实行年薪制的关键是建立激励和约束相结合的利益制衡机制,为此,必须与干部制度改革相配 套,设置合理的考核内容和指标以及加强规范管理等。