循环经济立法:实现人与自然和谐的路径选择

循环经济是以可持续发展为导向而建立的,最大限度地利用废弃物,最小限度地利用天然资源,从而最大限度地减少地球环境负荷的一种社会经济发展模式,其核心价值是实现人与自然和谐。而循环经济法所确立的基本原则及相关法律制度,能够进行合理的资源配置,持续有效地解决循环经济运行中的冲突,保障循环经济的有效推行。     

Real Denial Rates: A New Tool to Look at Who Is Receiving Mortgage Credit

ABSTRACT

The observed mortgage denial rate (ODR), calculated from Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, is often used to measure mortgage credit availability, but it does not account for shifts in applicants’ credit profiles. In this article, we develop an additional tool, which we call the real denial rate (RDR), as a way to account for credit differences and hence more consistently measure denial rates and mortgage credit accessibility. We match HMDA data with CoreLogic proprietary data to obtain both borrower demographic information (e.g., income and race and ethnicity) and mortgage credit characteristics (e.g., loan-to-value ratios, debt-to-income ratios, and credit scores). We account for shifts in applicants’ credit profiles by considering only the denial rate of low-credit-profile applicants. Our RDR results show that conventional mortgages have higher denial rates than government mortgages do, racial and ethnic differences are smaller than the ODR indicates but are not eliminated, and small-dollar mortgages have higher RDRs, particularly in the government loan channel.     

Impact of plastic wrapping on carcass decomposition and arthropod colonisation in northern Africa during spring

The effect of plastic wrapping on decomposition rate and carrion fauna of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) was examined in spring in a semi-urban area in North Algeria. All decomposition stages were observed in all carcasses, with the same durations in the control but different durations in the wrapped carcasses. Decomposition of the carcasses in the plastic wrapping was significantly slower than that of the exposed ones. A total of 12,516 specimens, belonging to 36 families and 69 species, were morphologically identified. Thirteen species of forensic relevance were also identified at the molecular level using the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcode region, and the sequences were submitted to online databases. Wrapping had a significant effect on species composition (χ² = 569.269, df = 55, p < 0.001). Higher species richness, abundance, and diversity were found in the control group. No significant difference in species abundance was observed between the treatments. The plastic wrap did not influence the accessibility of carcasses to insects, nor did it delay the arrival of necrophagous flies. This study provides basic information on the decomposition and arthropod colonisation of wrapped remains and contributes to the literature on North African carrion fauna.     

女性解放视野下的离婚动因考察——以19～20世纪的英国为例

自20世纪以来,在英国急剧社会变迁中,广大女性为改变传统男权主导下的屈从地位,进行了持久不懈的努力,最终在婚姻家庭和社会领域获得了男女平等的话语权.女性的解放不仅颠覆了传统男权社会对女性的束缚,意味着男女平等地位时代的到来,更重要的是引发了人们对传统男权主导下婚姻理念的重塑.由此使得在男权社会构架下的传统婚姻在20世纪后半叶遭遇严峻挑战,离婚率急剧增长,两性不平等下的婚姻和家庭大量解体.探讨英国女性解放引发的离婚革命悖论,或许对当代同样离婚率居高不下的中国来说,具有重要借鉴意义.     

经济活动规律的模型研究

经济活动的规律性体现于制度完善的经济社会中,并表现出从资源经济到资本经济再到制度经济的规律性。该文通过数学模型的演绎指出：所谓的制度完善,表现为制度的数值大于1,先在此之前的经济活动则受到制度的＂主动干预＂而不呈现客观性;所谓的规律性,体现为经济活动的资源模式、资本模式和制度模式对经济活动的贡献率,随着劳动数值增加的时序,呈现出依次最大的变化规律。     

Tooth hop variability in human and nonhuman bone: Effect on the estimation of saw blade TPI

Forensic research has demonstrated that tooth hop (TH) is a valuable measurement from saw-cut bones as it can be used to estimate teeth-per-inch (TPI) of a saw used in postmortem dismemberment cases. However, error rates for TPI estimation are still under development and knowledge of how bone tissue affects TH measurements remains unclear. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of tissue variability through the use of different taxa on the accuracy and precision of TH measurements in the bone to estimate TPI of the blade. A total of 1766 TH measurements were analyzed from human, pig, and deer long bones cut by two 7 TPI saw blades of different tooth type. Fifty distance-between-teeth measurements before and after sawing were collected directly from each blade for comparison to bone-measured TH to assess potential effects of tooth wear on TH variability. ANOVA and F tests were used to compare mean TH and variance, respectively, by saw-species (i.e., crosscut-deer, rip-deer) and species groups (i.e., all deer, all pig), with significance determined at the p < 0.05 level. TH measurements were converted to usable TPI ranges, which would typically be presented in a forensic report. It is concluded that significant differences in TH (mm) do not necessarily reflect significant differences in associated TPI ranges of suspect blades. Forensic reports should report mean TPI ± 1.5–2.5 TPI while providing a sample size indicating number of TH measured rather than just number of cuts or cut surfaces examined.     

‘We Looked after People Better when We Were Informal’: The ‘Quasi-Formalisation’ of Montevideo's Waste-Pickers

Drawing on participatory research, this article explores the state formalisation of Uruguayan clasificadores (waste-pickers). It goes beyond the informal/formal binary, instead proposing the concepts of ‘para-formality’ to describe economic activity that exists in parallel to regulated and taxed spheres, and ‘quasi-formality’ to describe processes of formalisation that are supported by underlying informal practices. When unregulated, clasificadores enjoyed parallel services in health, finance and social security, implying that benefits of ‘formalisation’ must be explored ethnographically rather than assumed. The persistence of ‘quasi-formal’ activity within formalised recycling plants complicates simple narratives of informal to formal transitions and suggests that the concept can be useful for the study of labour policies in Latin America and beyond.     

Fiji Economy: Muddling Through

Abstract

Twenty-five years since the first military coup in 1987, Fiji continues to muddle through both politically and economically. The promise of a general election under a race-free constitution remains the fervent hope of all citizens. Economically the country continues to slide downwards, reflected in poor economic growth in 2010 and 2011. A poor level of private sector investment remains a feature of the macroeconomic picture, and it is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. This article provides an overview of the Fiji economy and reflections on future prospects.     

Speeding While Black? Assessing the Generalizability of Lange et al.’s (2001, 2005) New Jersey Turnpike Speeding Survey Findings

Across three months during 2001, Lange, Blackman, Johnson and Voas collected data from the New Jersey Turnpike to determine whether there were differences in speeding behavior grounded in race and ethnicity, while controlling for age and gender. They reported that Black drivers were more likely to speed at high rates (15 mph or more over the speed limit) in 65 mph speed zones, as were young drivers and male drivers. In the scholarly report of their research, Lange and colleagues concluded: “our research offer[s] a plausible explanation for the findings that Black drivers are represented among traffic stops at a higher rate than they are represented in the population.” The present research assesses the generalizability of the findings reported by Lange and colleagues using data reported by Massachusetts State Police officers during April and May of 2001. We also find that Black drivers, young drivers, and male drivers are more likely to speed at high rates in 65 mph speed zones. We therefore remind scholars that Lange and colleagues’ findings and our own are entirely consistent with theory and research on the correlates of law violative actions. Our fundamental conclusion, however, is that more research is needed to determine whether traffic stops for Driving While Black are in small part the result of Speeding While Black.     

孕产妇健康目标及全球进程差异分析

自从2000年《联合国千年宣言》把孕产妇健康作为八项千年发展目标之一以来,增进孕产妇健康和减少孕产妇死亡率成为全社会共同的重点内容。本文通过对全球孕产妇健康状况、自1990年以来的变化趋势及区域之间变化差异的分析,指出减少孕产妇死亡比率和实现普遍享有生殖保健服务的全球发展目标依然艰巨,需要发达国家和发展中国家共同为之努力。