Competitive Liberalization,Competitive Imperialism,and Intellectual Property

Aggressive pursuit of free trade agreements (FTAs) and customs unions (CUs) by major and minor trading powers alike challenges the conventional wisdom in favor of such pursuit – competitive liberalization. An equally plausible explanation for an active bilateral and regional trade agreement policy, one which effectively de-emphasizes multilateralism, may be competitive imperialism. The protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights is one area in which new provisions, going beyond multilateral rules, are being negotiated and written into FTAs and CUs. Such provisions may yield insights into which characterization of bilateralism and regionalism – competitive liberalization or competitive imperialism – is more apt. Rice Distinguished Professor, The University of Kansas, School of Law, Green Hall, 1535 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66045-7577, USA. Tel. +1-785-8649224. Fax. +1-785-8645054. www.law.ku.edu. J.D., Harvard (1989); M.Sc., Oxford (1986); M.Sc., London School of Economics (1985); A.B., Duke (1984). Marshall Scholar (1984-86). Member, Council on Foreign Relations, Royal Society for Asian Affairs, and Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. Author, Modern GATT Law (Sweet & Maxwell 2005), International Trade Law: Theory and Practice (2nd ed. 2000, 3rd ed. forthcoming 2007-08), and Trade, Development, and Social Justice (Carolina Academic Press 2003). I am thankful to my Research Assistant, Mr. David R. Jackson (B.A., George Mason University, 1992; J.D. Class of 2007, University of Kansas), for his indispensable help on this work. I also am grateful to Dr. Mohammed El Said, University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), for his consistent support and friendship, and for what he has taught and continues to teach me about international trade and intellectual property.     

拉美金融脆弱性的根源及启示

拉美国家普遍具有金融脆弱性这一特征。这一现象归因于结构缺陷、汇率制度僵化、过早金融自由化、高度财政赤字化和债务化等多个方面。它带给发展中国家的启示是应选择适宜的汇率制度、外汇与债务管理制度、宏观经济政策 ,以期保持经济长期可持续发展     

从国际法角度论多边贸易自由化与国内公共健康政策的冲突和协调

WTO成员以公共健康为口号发起的贸易限制措施与各国在WTO下的贸易自由化的义务存在着冲突。GATT/WTO的有关规则和实践显示出多边贸易体制对国内公共健康政策的态度从“忽视”到“有条件肯定”的演变过程。具体来说,GATT时期的规则和争端解决实践不利于国内公共健康政策的实施,而WTO时期出现了有利于国内公共健康政策实施的变化。在WTO现行体制下,各国在实施为公共健康目标的贸易措施时,应符合特定目标的合法性、目标与手段的一致性、目标与手段的相称性等一般要求和相关的具体要求。     

Competition and switching in public service markets: Can they reduce inequalities?

Regulatory reforms to public infrastructure services across European Union (EU) countries were aimed at increasing consumer welfare by introducing competition and choice into service markets. However, empirical evaluations have questioned whether these reforms have benefitted all consumers, suggesting that vulnerable groups of service users (especially those with lower levels of formal education), might be locked into poorly performing services. We assess the relationship between the level of competition in electricity and fixed telephony markets in EU countries and evaluate the affordability of these services for different socio‐educational layers. Our findings show that – although in countries where there is a relatively high frequency of switching, inequalities between socio‐educational groups are smaller and eventually disappear – competition as such does not play a part. These results suggest that demand‐side regulation that successfully enables consumer switching has the potential to equalize social welfare, thereby reflecting a possible convergence of regulatory instruments and the central aims of the welfare state in this context.     

转型中的俄罗斯新闻传播

自戈尔巴乔夫推行“公开性”改革以来，大众传媒就扮演着改革的心脏与脉搏的角色。在经过了传播自由的洗礼与媒体转型期的动荡之后，俄罗斯传媒开始朝着多元化、私有化、市场化的方向自由发展。     

Islamic Fundamentalism and Women's Employment in Indonesia

It is commonly observed that the economic position of women seems particularly precarious in countries where political Islam is on the ascendant. The usual interpretation is that the first condition is a result of the second. Drawing on evidence from a wide variety of countries, but particularly Indonesia, this paper demonstrates that Islamic doctrines are by no means universal, that they do not invariably discriminate against women in economic terms. A review of the recent economic and political changes leading to the rise of political Islam and changes in female labour market participation patterns suggests that establishing a causal relationship between the two is problematic and can be misleading. Evidence from Indonesia challenges ideological reductionism based on stereotypical assumptions about the impact of Islam to explain women's economic roles.²     

新经济自由主义研究中应该注意区分的若干问题

在我们学习和借鉴西方市场经济的理论和政策过程中,越来越多的人对西方新自由主义思潮给予关注,并进行了针对性的研究,但其中存在着不同程度的误解和不适当的态度,妨碍着我们正确对待新自由主义思潮.我们要区分新自由主义经济学中的合理因素和谬误成分,区分新自由主义经济学所涉及的利益和立场在不同时间、不同范围、不同对象上的差异,区分理论界与政策决策当局认识的异同、学术界认识与"华盛顿共识"的异同,区分新经济自由主义的国内政策和国外政策的异同,注意新自由主义经济政策与国家干预主义和保护主义经济政策的交替、转换和灵活运用.发展中国家学习和借鉴新自由主义经济学必须注意:要将市场化与市场自由化、全面市场化区分开,将对外开放与对外全面自由开放区分开,将市场化、产权改革与全面私有化区分开,将市场化与快速市场化和快速自由化区分开.     

农村金融体制改革中的利率市场化研究

农村利率市场化改革是金融体制改革的一部分。以制度系统演化理论为基础,系统性地考察农村金融体制改革背景下利率市场化进程可分为三个阶段,各个阶段的改革内容及其特征各有差异。研究发现,农村金融机构对利率市场化的适应能力较差。进一步推进农村利率市场化改革既需要利率市场化改革的一般性条件,还需要结合农村金融市场特征,积极创造相关内外部条件。     

论知识产权对贸易自由的非结构障碍及克服

知识产权与贸易自由共生于市场,市场主体的竞争行为一方面产生了财产制度的需求,另一方面也产生交易行为秩序的需求。知识产权的发展,始终围绕着扩大贸易自由这一直接目标。但在践行目标时,由于市场资源配置的失灵,知识产权制度自身产生了阻碍贸易自由的非结构性障碍：权利扩张进程中民主程序的缺位以致共识文化断裂、私权与公共资源对抗、市场竞争秩序削弱。对此,强调公共利益原则、完善政策性制度设计、构建对话协商的政治机制无疑是重要且可行的,而“天下”思维的导入则有利于打开所述障碍的思想困境并寻求解决路径。