In Times of Crisis: The Conditions of Pocketbook Effects

When and how will personal financial (aka “pocketbook”) concerns drive citizens’ political decisions? Scholars remain puzzled by the mismatch between the expectation that pocketbook voting should occur and the reality that, according to most findings, it usually does not. Using original survey data collected immediately after Iceland’s second “Icesave” referendum (2011), I first report the results of an embedded experiment that successfully evokes greater pocketbook concern. Next, I analyze the determinants of retrospective pocketbook evaluations, showing that priming effects are conditioned by political sophistication such that high sophisticates are among the most likely to report negative economic assessments. I then turn to the consequences of these egocentric views for government approval. Mediation analysis confirms a significant indirect effect, suggesting that subjective pocketbook evaluations exert a strong influence on political attitudes that has been hidden in prior work. Results illuminate the contextual, cognitive, and causal circumstances under which pocketbook effects transpire and suggest new ways in which self-interest might matter for attitudes toward international political economy issues.     

Craze for Civil Servant Posts Cools Down

正The civil servant examination is seen as the most popular examination among job hunters in China.However,statistics show that in Beijing,Shanghai and provinces like Zhejiang and Guangdong,the number of applicants for the examination has been on the decline.In east China’s Zhejiang Province,which enjoys the most developed private economy in the country,227,000 sat the exam this year,a significant drop compared to last year’s360,000.     

Reforming the Role of Magistrates: Implications for Summary Justice in England and Wales

The role of lay magistrates in England and Wales has been progressively undermined by protracted processes of reform over the last two decades. Current government proposals aim to reorient and ‘strengthen’ their function through the creation of new magisterial responsibilities such as oversight of out of court disposals and greater involvement with local justice initiatives. This article argues that while these proposals embody necessary and important areas for reform, taken in isolation they will fail to consolidate the role of magistrates in summary justice unless they are enacted alongside other measures which aim to reaffirm the status of lay justices, and which seek to reverse the trend which has prioritised administrative efficiency at the expense of lay justice. Rapidly declining magistrate numbers together with continuous (and continuing) programs of court closures are irreconcilable with the future viability of a lay magistracy.     

社会主义民主政治视角下网络监督的非理性隐忧及其化解——一项对系列“微博反腐”案件进行的语言与心理分析

“微博反腐”是网络监督的一种形式.本文从语言和心理的角度对近年来一系列“微博反腐”案件中转发与评论的内容进行分析后认为:“微博反腐”在成为一种新兴的外部监督方式的同时还存在一些非理性的隐患.其原因在于:微博自身及使用人群的特点,中国长期制度化监督的不足与民意的积存,集群行为的特点以及公众政治知识与民主能力和意识的欠缺.因此,通过建立和实施体制内外有效对接的制度化监督机制,规范民主程序,保障公众民主权利,推进社会主义民主的发展,重建社会价值体系等措施,可以消解网络监督非理性隐忧,使其成为一种有效的体制外监督方式.     

检察机关内设机构设置改革问题研究

检察机关内设机构,近十多年来一直是检察改革的研究热点。研究内设机构改革,应从归纳设置现状,分析其存在的问题入手,评析当下各种改革方案之优劣,通过探讨检察职权在检察机关内部的二次分解,研究设置应当遵循的六个原则。借鉴域外法治经验,按照内设机构设置三分模式改革,对于领导决策机构,重点是完善检察委员会的决策机制;对于综合管理机构,建议参考国家行政机关大部制改革模式,大幅压缩机构数量;对于业务办理机构,根据检察权分解,科学界定部门权限,按照诉讼规律适度整合职能,精简机构。     

国家法律监督机关职能论——兼与陈卫东教授商榷

检察机关是我国《宪法》明确规定的国家法律监督机关,其主要职能是监督制约公权力,确保公权力在宪法、法律范围内活动,防止其滥用和异化。《宪法》对我国检察机关的职能定位是科学的,检察机关既不是行政机关,也不是司法机关,更不是行政兼司法机关,而是独立的法律监督机关。法律监督职能与职务犯罪侦查职能、公诉职能、批捕职能均是目的与手段,不存在分离的空间。如将法律监督职能与职务犯罪侦查职能、公诉职能分离,只能导致检察机关被彻底边缘化甚至被取消。检察机关的职权配置应紧紧围绕法律监督职能,以对等式监督为模型,重点强化职务犯罪侦查职能。     

场外交易市场民事纠纷解决机制研究

场外交易市场的特殊主体、特殊交易制度、特殊融资产品和特殊监管制度导致场外交易市场纠纷呈现出了与交易所市场不同的类型和特点。现有证券市场纠纷解决诉讼机制天然不足,非诉机制严重缺失。完善场外交易市场纠纷解决应从诉与非诉两种路径展开,扩大证券民事诉讼受案范围,废除起诉条件的前置程序,完善代表人诉讼制度,实行因果关系推定和举证责任倒置,同时建立相互衔接的内、外部纠纷调解机制和完善的证券仲裁裁决机制。     

民用航空器留置权法律问题探悉

民用航空器是否适用以及怎样适用留置权法律制度,我国在立法及司法实践上均接近空白,而这种空白状态可能导致民用航空器权利的不稳定,不利于其价值的充分发挥。探讨了商事留置权、留置权的善意取得等法律理论问题。在对国际法及国外相关规定进行阐述分析后,为填补我国相关立法空缺,规范民用航空器留置权的行使,根据民航发展的特点及现实国情,提出在对民用航空法进行修改时,增加民用航空器留置权相关规定的立法建议。     

Procedural justice in mental health court: an investigation of the relation of perception of procedural justice to non-adherence and termination

Mental health courts (MHCs) operate on the principles of procedural justice (PJ). PJ highlights the importance of process over outcomes in encounters with authority. Subjective perceptions of having voice, being heard by decision-makers, and being treated with respect and concern by figures of authority are influential in assessment of fairness and in cooperation with decisions, regardless of favorability of the outcome. In this paper, we investigate MHC participant perception of PJ in interactions with MHC staff and the association between perceptions and recidivism (i.e. time in jail, new arrests, and probation violations), treatment adherence, and MHC termination. Participants from two MHC programs (n?=?80) took part in this study. Results suggest that perception of PJ during interactions with the entire MHC team is significantly associated with program termination, but not with participant behaviors during MHC. Implications for MHC practitioners and researchers are discussed.     

The role of intelligence on performance on the Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK)

Previous research has shown that individuals with intellectual disabilities perform in the feigning range on malingering measures even when other data suggest that they are performing optimally. However, few studies to date have gone beyond intellectual disabilities and studied the full range of intelligence. Additionally, there are no data available examining the relationship between intelligence and performance on the Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK). The relationship between intelligence and performance on malingering tests is important because individuals with intellectual deficits may be incorrectly identified as malingering on these tests. The current study used a sample of state psychiatric hospital residents, adjudicated incompetent to proceed, and a sample of undergraduate university students to examine the relationship between intelligence and performance on the ILK. Results indicated three items on the ILK are correlated with intelligence and total scores were moderately correlated. Participants were further broken into groups using categorical ranges of Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Results were mixed regarding the relationship between ranges of IQ and performance on the ILK. Future directions and implications of this study are discussed.