Does One Size Fit All? A Note on the Harmonization of National Warranty Law as a Tool of Consumer Protection

The European Union's Directive on the Harmonization of national warranty laws directed interest to this particular legal institution. From an economic point of view warranties have different functions. In this note it will be argued that the change in the law of warranties leads to a loss of informational value and to a welfare loss resulting from constricted transaction possibilities, which has not been widely recognised in the recent discussion on warranties.     

刑法中的国家工作人员之立法与司法解释评析

刑法中的国家工作人员的界定是长期困扰刑法理论界和司法部门的一个难题。国家立法机关和最高司法机关虽对其作过多次立法解释和司法解释,但却仍然存在内涵不清、外延不明,难予认定的问题。为此,本文对历次刑事立法和司法解释中关于国家工作人员的解释之得失进行了回顾、比较与评析,旨在为准确理解和把握本概念提供有益的思路。     

国际法在欧洲国家的适用问题研究

欧洲是国际法的发源地,关于国际法与国内法关系的学说最早于英国出现。国际习惯法与国际条约是国际法的主要渊源,考察欧洲国家适用国际习惯法与国际条约的法律规定与实践,国际法在欧洲国家有不同的适用问题。     

论刑法适用中道德评价因素的考量

道德评价能否在刑法适用中予以考虑,是刑事司法中的难题。一方面,道德评价在刑事司法中的体现是普遍存在的实然现象;而另一方面,法治原则一般又要求道德评价不应介入司法领域,否则,依法司法的理念将受到冲击。从理论上来看,道德评价可以在刑法适用解释中予以考虑,与其让道德评价潜在地、非理性地影响刑法的解释与适用,不如理性地承认和接受道德评价因素,并对其规范、限制和合理运用。道德评价因素在刑法解释和适用中的考量既是法理的要求,也是刑法原则所许可的,那种绝对排斥道德评价的观点,看似符合法治原则,但实际上并不能成立。从社会学的视角判断,刑法适用中考量道德评价因素是社会和谐的需求,也是社会学解释方法的题中应有之义。当然,对道德评价的考量与运用,应当在法律方法论的范围内,并在对其认真甄别、选择的基础上进行。     

司法公开的价值与配套制度

随着我国加入WTO,法律制度全球化又一次地提上了议事日程,而司法公开又是我国法律制度全球化的突破口。司法公开的价值主要体现在其与司法改革的三大目标——司法公正、司法效率和司法独立的关系上。目前完善我国司法公开还需要一定的配套制度。     

A Dialectic Study of the Structure and Basic Concepts of Traditional Chinese Law and an Analysis of the Relationship Between li (ceremony) and fa (law)

In the course of history, the meaning of fa (a Chinese character with an approximate meaning of “law”) has not been invariable, and its connotation in modern times has been enriched constantly, so as to incorporate many elements of ancient li (ceremony). If the modern concept of law, already changed and still changing, is to be used to mechanically compare and interpret traditional Chinese law, misunderstandings might arise. Actually, li and fa are indispensable components of traditional Chinese law, and the lack of necessary study of the li will prevent us from understanding and explaining the spirit of traditional Chinese law. In traditional Chinese law, “fa” usually refers to an institutional dimension, especially after Qin and Han dynasties, whereas li, especially li yi (moral basis for rites and ceremonies), is where the value and spirit of traditional Chinese law can be found. Translated from China Social Science, 5^th Issue, 2003 in Chinese     

论行政刑法的性质和概念

行政刑法在我国是一个崭新的研究领域。行政刑法在法律上兼具行政法与刑法的双重性质,行政刑法是国家为了实现行政管理的目的,维护正常的行政管理秩序,规定行政犯罪并追究其行政刑法责任的特殊法律规范的总称。     

论我国行政指导制度的完善

行政指导在政府宏观调控和社会管理中发挥着越来越重要的作用,已成为我国行政法制建设和现代行政管理方式改革的重要组成部分。但是,我国的行政指导制度还存在许多问题,迫切需要对这些问题进行深刻剖析,重新对我国行政指导制度的完善进行架构:第一,培育现代行政意识,提高行政指导观念;第二,确立行政指导的基本原则;第三,健全行政指导的基本制度;第四,建立行政指导的救济制度;第五,构建行政指导的程序约束机制。     

To Wonderland Through the Looking-glass: Conceiving a Critical Legal Argument for Contractual Justice in the South African Law of Contract †

The aim of this paper is to identify the possible substructure (looking glass/es) of a critical legal argument for contractual justice (Wonderland) in the South African law of contract. South African contract law still fails, ten years after the constitutional transformation, to reflect the constitutional ideals of freedom, equality and human dignity in an acceptable manner. I argue that this disposition places a question mark over the legitimacy of contract law and marginalizes opportunities for the social change envisaged by the Constitution. The paper explores Duncan Kennedy’s Form and Substance-argument and indicates that the reluctance to accommodate these values may be attributable to the fact that the majority of role-players position themselves on the individualism/rules side of Kennedy’s continuum – a paradigm that perceives the law of contract as a body of positivistic rules to be applied neutrally and regardless of the social or socio-economic distortions its application may generate. In an attempt to move away from this traditional approach, the privileged paradigm is criticised. A typical CLS-approach is followed which employs sociology, psychological jurisprudence and game theory to criticise the law from outside the restrictive realms of law itself. Simultaneously, I attempt to illuminate the argument for a shift (step through the looking glass) to another paradigm. I conclude that our judiciary finds itself in a position similar to that of Plato’s prisoners in the cave and will not reach the point where they apply relevant (constitutional) values directly to contractual disputes. The State is thus responsible for infusing contract law with contractual justice, by implementing legislation to this effect in order to limit the hegemonic consequences of the judiciary’s obsession with freedom of contract and utopian rules, which fail in reality to further the ideal of justice. Paper presented at the Critical Legal Conference, 4 September 2004, London, UK. This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Judge of Appeal, Mr. Justice P.J. Olivier. The paper is based on research conducted for the thesis in partial fulfilment of the degree LLD in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria under the title ‘A critical legal argument for contractual justice in the South African law of contract.’ The degree supervisor is Professor Karin van Marle in the Department of Legal History, Comparative Law and Jurisprudence. The author wishes to thank the following persons for valuable deliberations and input: Karin van Marle, Graham Bradfield and Anashri Pillay. In addition, the author wishes to acknowledge and thank the University of Cape Town for financially supporting this research. †Paper presented at the Critical Legal Conference, 4 September 2004, London, UK. This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Judge of Appeal, Mr. Justice P.J. Olivier. The paper is based on research conducted for the thesis in partial fulfilment of the degree LLD in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria under the title ‘A critical legal argument for contractual justice in the South African law of contract.’ The degree supervisor is Professor Karin van Marle in the Department of Legal History, Comparative Law and Jurisprudence. The author wishes to thank the following persons for valuable deliberations and input: Karin van Marle, Graham Bradfield and Anashri Pillay. In addition, the author wishes to acknowledge and thank the University of Cape Town for financially supporting this research. apply relevant (constitutional) values directly to contractual disputes. The State is thus responsible for infusing contract law with contractual justice, by implementing legislation to this effect in order to limit the hegemonic consequences of the judiciary’s obsession with freedom of contract and utopian rules, which fail in reality to further the ideal of justice.     

构建和谐社会对行政执法的影响

和谐社会是人类文明社会追求的一种理想社会形态,而依法治国与依法行政是实现与构建和谐社会的必备要求,本文从行政执法的角度分析构建和谐社会对行政执法的影响,以期待完善行政执法质量,提高行政执法水平,实现和谐社会。