民间对日索赔与中国实施外交保护的可行性

基于人权的推动,传统外交保护的国家自由裁量特征开始发生转变。这既是义务限定,也是权利工具。至于民间对日索赔,中国政府无论是在法理基础上,还是在政治基础上,都具备了实施外交保护的可行性。     

故意杀人罪的死刑裁量基准——“丁汉忠案”的文本梳理和法理审视

目前我国有关故意杀人罪中死刑裁量因素的审查难有真切、统一的基准,而在司法实践中对相关刑法条文含义的理解和阐释较为草率;最高人民法院的指导性案例体现的裁判趣旨未得到充分领会;各量刑因素的作用莫衷一是、标准不一,“估堆”量刑的困境萦绕其间,因而须探索故意杀人罪中相对合理的死刑裁量基准。具体而言,须区分各量刑因素的轻重、位阶,建构以责任刑为主、预防刑为辅的死刑裁量基准。至于是否入围死刑圈主要是仰仗责任刑阶段的判断。若责任刑阶段均是从严因素,基本会入围死刑圈的审查。死刑圈内的三种准刑种如何抉择,取决于对行为人的人身危险性判断。在预防刑阶段若均是从宽因素,一般死缓的判决即可满足要求;若从宽因素和从严因素交错,死缓限制减刑的判决基本可满足要求;若只有从严因素,则有判决死刑立即执行的可能。     

应急状态下行政许可的实施

《行政许可法》和《突发事件应对法》未涉及行政许可的效力基于应急状态的变动问题。行政许可的实施在应急状态下面临合法性困境,其纾解应从形式与实质两个层面着手。应急状态下,行政机关原则上具有概括的许可实施职权,在缺乏可预见性的规范时,可在满足基本的形式合法性前提下,通过情事变更原则满足实质合法性。此时,行政许可的条件、审查标准与程序等应与常态有所差异。许可中止制度在应急状态下具有适用空间,其核心在于有效期的中止,适用于被许可人无过错的情况,有必要在《行政许可法》中加以规定。应急状态作为不可抗力,可能但不一定完全导致行政许可废止的结果。此时,行政许可的废止仍需以许可目标完全不可实现或者许可的继续实施极可能导致个人或公共利益的严重损害为前提。现行行政许可有效期延续制度在审查强度和程序等方面规则不明。应急状态下,应当放宽许可延续的申请期,对延续申请可以采用形式和书面审查,并建立依职权延续和临时延续制度。为更好应对应急状态,应当根据应急状态各处置阶段的需要,创设新的许可类型。     

万历四十七年投书日本德川幕府的“浙直总兵”考

明天启元年（1621）,明朝使者单凤翔一行渡海到达日本.单凤翔带来了两年前明朝“浙直总兵”申致日本德川幕府二代将军德川秀忠的外交文书,试图就海盗问题与日本德川幕府进行直接交涉.关于这一“浙直总兵”投书德川幕府事件,明朝方面的史料难以考见,日本方面却留有颇多相关记录.但是,关于投书日本德川幕府的王姓“浙直总兵”,日本方面的史料不明其人,迄今为止的先行研究也均未对之做过相关阐释.文章试对该“浙直总兵”做考述,并因以管见当时中日交涉之一端.     

中国古代工匠精神特点及其价值追求

中国古代工匠尽管在不同的历史时期,其群体含义不同,但他们所具有的精神特点却是共同的。这种精神特点包含三个方面,其一是理性实用下的开拓创新精神,其二是艺术审美下的精益求精精神,其三是经验主义下的科学探索精神。这些精神特点的背后其实蕴涵着古代工匠们对和谐、平等、敬业、法治等价值的追求。这种价值追求与当今弘扬的社会主义核心价值观以及工匠精神的内质是相通的。     

Points for Place: Can State Governments Shape Siting Patterns of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Developments?

There is considerable controversy about the allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Some charge that credits are disproportionately allocated to developments in poor, minority neighborhoods without additional investments and thereby reinforcing patterns of poverty concentration and racial segregation. We examine whether Qualified Allocation Plans, which outline the selection criteria states use when awarding credits, can serve as an effective tool for directing credits to higher opportunity neighborhoods (or neighborhoods that offer a rich set of resources, such as high-performing schools and access to jobs) for states wishing to do so. To answer this question, we study changes in the location criteria outlined in allocation plans for 20 different states across the country between 2002 and 2010, and observe the degree to which those modifications are associated with changes in the poverty rates and racial composition of the neighborhoods where developments awarded tax credits are located. We find evidence that changes to allocation plans that prioritize higher opportunity neighborhoods are associated with increases in the share of credits allocated to housing units in lower poverty neighborhoods and reductions in the share allocated to those in predominantly minority neighborhoods. This analysis provides the first source of empirical evidence that state allocation plans can shape LIHTC siting patterns.     

Gateway to Opportunity? Disparities in Neighborhood Conditions Among Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Residents

A key goal of housing assistance programs is to help lower income households reach neighborhoods of opportunity. Studies have described the degree to which Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments are located in high-opportunity neighborhoods, but our focus is on how neighborhood outcomes vary across different subsets of LIHTC residents. We also examine whether LIHTC households are better able to reach certain types of neighborhood opportunities. Specifically, we use new data on LIHTC tenants in 12 states along with eight measures of neighborhood opportunity. We find that compared with other rental units, LIHTC units are located in neighborhoods with higher poverty rates, weaker labor markets, more polluted environments, and lower performing schools, but better transit access. We also find that compared with other LIHTC tenants, poor and minority tenants live in neighborhoods that are significantly more disadvantaged.     

从“争福利”到“谋福利”：中国工会福利工作的演变及创新

工会与福利之间具有先天的、主动的联系,工会与福利联系的结果就是工会福利,就是工会的福利工作。我国工会福利工作的演变历程呈现为争取福利、包揽福利、发放福利、谋取福利四个阶段。工会传统福利工作具有历史的和现实的意义,但也存在着以偏盖全、以点代面、越俎代庖等诸多问题,产生了不同层面的危害。今后工会福利工作的重点在于"谋福利",工会要更好地为职工谋福利,需要在思想上实现从发福利到谋福利的观念转变,在实践上搞清楚谋什么福利、为谁谋福利、怎样谋福利等关键问题。     

Does China’s middle class prefer (liberal) democracy?

Many surveys show that China’s political regime, under the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian rules, enjoys a high level of public support. However, it is still uncertain whether China’s emerging middle class will become the “agent of democratization” as suggested by modernization theory. Using the data of Asian Barometer Survey conducted in China in 2011, this article demonstrates that the relationship between class identity and preference for liberal democracy in China may be inverted U-shaped. The Chinese middle class shows a higher preference to features of liberal democratic regimes than its counterparts of the lower- and upper-class. Members of the Chinese middle class also tend to regard democracy as the best form of government. Thus, the middle class has the potential to initiate democratization in China if the Chinese government fails to keep satisfying the middle class’ quest for economic well-being and protection of property rights.     

Administrative Styles in the OECD: Bureaucratic Policy-Making beyond Formal Rules

As we know from comparative public policy, bureaucracies contribute to a considerable degree to the contents and the ways of policy-making. One important driver of administrative policy-making are their specific “styles” or “cultures”. “Administrative styles” are understood here as the standard operating procedures and routines that characterize the behavior and activities of administrative bodies in initiating, drafting and implementing policy. In this article, we convey the concept of Administrative Styles to the level of International Organizations (IOs) and apply it to the Organization for Economic Development and Co-Operation (OECD). The article proceeds in three steps: First, the concept of administrative styles is introduced and refined. Drawing on expert interviews with OECD staff, we secondly show that consideration of OECD administrative styles significantly advances the literature’s understanding of the organization. Finally, we give an outlook on new research avenues and the relevance of our findings for the study of International Public Administrations (IPAs) more generally.