Selecting Constitutional Judges Randomly

This article discusses from the perspective of democratic theory an innovative proposal for the selection of constitutional, supreme court, or federal judges that aims at combining the values of expertise and political independence. It consists in combining a certification process – selecting a pool of properly qualified candidates – with a random selection among this pool. We argue that such selection procedure would better respect the separation of powers and the specific legitimacy of courts, and we champion this two‐stage mechanism vis‐à‐vis other, more traditionally employed, selection procedures. We then deal with a diversity of objections to our proposal and conclude by taking stock of both its virtues and limitations.     

大陆学界台湾史研究的宏观检讨

台湾史是一门兼具学术与政治意义的新兴特色学科。中国大陆的台湾史研究,从学科建设的角度来说,属于中国历史学的分支学科。从研究史的角度,对于60多年来大陆学界台湾史研究成果做一宏观性的检讨,具体分析各个不同时期台湾史研究的特点,剖析唯物史观与“台独”史观论争的典型事例,提出新的研究问题,展现新的研究趋向,将有助于推动台湾史研究的深入拓展。     

陈水扁“五·二○”讲话的主要内容及实质

陈水扁在台湾选举获胜后,于５月 ２０日发表了“就职演说”。在这篇５０００字的讲话中,陈水扁以所谓民主的胜利来总结台湾选举的经验,并再次承诺“全民政府,清流共治”的施政理念。但在两岸关系的定位问题上,却颠倒次序、刻意模糊。陈水扁“五·二○”讲话费尽心机、用心良苦,但他仍不承认一个中国原则,搞隐性“台独”,以拖待变,抗拒和拖延两岸统一进程,企图以“人权牌”使台湾问题国际化,对此我们要进行坚决的斗争。     

浅析注册会计师审计独立性弱化的成因及对策

目前，我国注册会计师审计工作中存在诸多问题，这些问题严重影响了会计师事务所与审计人员的独立性。降低了审计结论的公信性。培育成熟的投资者，完善公司治理结构，拆分审计业务和非审计业务，建立行业约束惩罚机制，是增强独立性的基本对策。     

论美国独立战争时期的权利政治——权利方法、观念与实践

政治演进的基本历程可以归结为：由“权力本位”向“权利本位”的范式转换。先验的权利论证方法站在权利政治的基本立场上，通过追思“人应该享有什么权利”，形而上地来论证权利的存在。独立战争的胜利是一个继往开来的权利事件，它不仅圆满了一个“权利政治化”过程，而且开启了一场更为持久的“政治权利化”历程。自然法学说在北美的兴起并非偶然，而是历史与逻辑的必然统一。自然权利观，作为北美人们对于“权利”的基本认识与体悟，构成了权利政治的逻辑前提。权利政治肇始于自然法和自然权利的政治实践。     

王宠惠与朝鲜独立

王宠惠是国民党元老、著名法学家和外交家,抗战时期任外交部部长和国防最高委员会秘书长,是蒋介石的首席外交顾问,陪同蒋介石出席了开罗会议,拟订了朝鲜独立和中国在朝鲜独立问题上的各种行动方案,殚精竭虑促使国际社会承认朝鲜独立,为战后朝鲜独立做出了重要贡献。     

地方人大常委会的设立及其变迁

地方人大常委会并不是和人大制度同时诞生,它是改革开放后加强民主与法制建设的产物,它的设立使地方人大成为更有权威的人民权力机关。对"一府两院"的监督是宪法赋予地方人大常委会的重要职能,但应对监督的范围和方式予以明确规定。对"一府两院"的监督应包括"违宪监督",对"两院"行使监督权时以不干涉司法独立为限。     

民初大理院审判独立的制度与实践

清末颁行之《法院编制法》首倡审判独立 ,可是成效未彰清室已亡。民国初期 ,民国北京政府所颁行之宪法文件皆明定审判独立原则 ,当时的最高法院———大理院依照宪法原则以及法院编制法 ,厉行审判独立 ,其影响横向及于其他中央机关 ,纵向影响及于地方司法机关 ,可谓最大限度地排除了其他机关对审判权的干涉。然而民国初期正值军阀混战、政局纷扰之际 ,大理院所致力的审判独立事业亦难免为时局所累。     

The Cycle of Terror in Estonia, 1917–1919: On its Preconditions and Major Stages

World War I changed more than just the political map of Europe. One noteworthy consequence of the revolutions and war in East and Central Europe was the brutalization of human relations. Estonia saw three major “paroxysms” of violence in 1918–1919, which, although relatively limited in scale, are examples of the brutalization of human relations that occurred in the postwar period. The years 1918 and 1919 marked the first explosion of mass terror in Estonia, which led to the death of almost 2000 civilians. This article explores the preconditions and the stages of this terror focusing on the relationship between occupation, revolution, and land distribution. The author argues that the cycle of violence was unleashed by the radical transformation of landownership at the end of 1917. The previous owners often took advantage of the arrival of the German forces in February 1918 to exact revenge on those who had seized their property. The temporary return of the Bolsheviks at the beginning of the Estonian War of Independence was often seen as a pretext to avenge the injustices suffered under German occupation. The liberation of Estonia from the Red Army at the beginning of 1919 resulted in yet another wave of violence. The terror abated with the strengthening of state authority and the coming to power of a democratically elected government in April 1919.     

Zambia: The First Fifty Years

As Zambia completes 50 years of independence from British rule, an assessment of the present state of the country is topical. This article argues that, for all the setbacks that Zambia has suffered over the past half century, substantial progress has been made in a number of areas and that the Zambian people have maximised the opportunities that this progress has generated.