CSR and social conflict in the Brazilian extractive sector

ABSTRACT

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important means to address conflicts, support local development and build trust between businesses and civil society. Yet CSR often fails to live up to its ambitions and can even exacerbate conflicts between companies and communities. In this article we consider how changing CSR strategies over the past four decades between Brazilian company Vale to Norwegian company Hydro have fomented or mitigated company–community conflicts in Northern Brazil. We find that paternalistic and philanthropic approaches of Vale over time led to deep resentment and mistrust due to underdevelopment and environmental damages. Moreover, while Hydro’s more modern CSR strategies sought to deepen community engagement and build legitimacy, the company has struggled in addressing the legacies inherited from Vale and past and current civil society grievances. The case suggests that even forward-thinking CSR approaches are vulnerable to failure where they prioritise business risk over community engagement, neglect to account for past legacies in areas of operation, and fail to create a shared vision of future development. It suggests that EI companies should both understand and engage with their social and environmental impacts in the past, present, and future and create shared economic benefits in the short and long term in order to address social conflicts.     

Forensic Application of Analytical Mechanics in Fatal Fall From a Height

Fatal fall from a height initiated with a swinging motion on the sagittal plane of the victim's body is examined. Method of analytical mechanics is adopted to establish the functional relations between the swinging angle of the body and the force needed to sustain the body until release, and the amount of the horizontal displacement that would occur after release. The analysis is applied to support an expert opinion presented in a criminal court in which two accused were convicted of murder for dropping a female victim from a bridge. The results indicate that it is unlikely for the body to locate as recorded by the police investigation report in the case. This study demonstrates that a straightforward mechanical analysis can be utilized to examine uncommon falling scenarios.     

Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Women: Case Series and Review of the Literature

The literature on child sexual abuse (CSA) perpetrated by female sexual offenders (FSOs) is exiguous, and many studies have focused on judicial databases. The present retrospective study, instead, analyzed clinical and judicial data of a group of both victims and alleged FSOs, to additionally include women who have not been convicted by the criminal justice system, but who hold strong clinical suspicions of being perpetrators of CSA. The medical records and the Court files of 11 children and their eight suspected FSOs have been collected and critically reviewed in light of the literature to date. This approach allowed for a deeper understanding of the relationship between child and FSO. The authors hypothesize that the victims’ severe psychopathological outcomes were a result of a failure to develop appropriate attachments with their prospective caregivers, which could have been damaged by the pathological relationship with FSOs, who were the victims’ caregivers.     

略论刑法微课的设计与应用

在“互联网+”时代,线上与线下相结合的混合式教学的优势日益凸显。微课以微型教学视频为主要载体,作为一种情景化、支持多种学习方式的微型在线视频网络课程已成为混合式教学模式的“标配”。目前,刑法教学仍然停留在传统的讲授式教学阶段,教学方式单一,教与学的效率都不尽人意。微课具有学习方便、知识点集中、短时长、可视化等特点,对于克服当下刑法教学中存在的诸多不足具有很强的针对性。刑法微课实效的充分发挥源于对微课的正确认识、科学设计及合理应用。     

商标侵权惩罚性赔偿的制度构建

我国《商标法》2013年第三次修改时首次在知识产权领域引入惩罚性赔偿责任。实证分析表明,惩罚性赔偿在商标侵权诉讼中适用甚少且适用不规范的问题突出,未能充分发挥其遏制侵权行为的预期作用。究其原因,主要存在适用条件不明确、赔偿基数难确定、程序保障不充分等问题。为规范适用,充分发挥惩罚性赔偿的作用,需要从以下四个方面完善其制度构建:一是强化程序保障;二是明确适用条件;三是完善赔偿数额的计算;四是厘清惩罚性赔偿与法定赔偿的关系。     

法律全球化中的刑法现代化——刑法现代化的一个问题

本文探讨了法律全球化下刑法的现代化及其功能的转变问题 ,认为对刑法乃至整个法律体系的本质都须作整体性的反思 ,起码要做重新的定位 ,这应该是刑法现代化的基本前提。只有那些具有同一化、实体化、可操作性的法律才能成为全球化的法律。作为公法、历来与国家主权联系甚密的刑法 ,其全球化的现实就更为渺茫。但是 ,刑法的全球化是否有必要是问题的核心 ,而不是是否可能。我们认为 ,以人权为核心展开的刑法的功能的转变应该是必要的。     

论国际投资中的国家责任问题

国际投资中的国家责任问题主要涉及国际投资的法律保护问题 ,如对外国投资和投资者的待遇标准、国有化或征收及其补偿问题。另外 ,还涉及特许权协议、拒绝司法、外交保护等问题。就外资待遇而言 ,发展中国家应根据其经济发展的实际情况在双边投资保护条约中慎重承诺。笔者通过对国有化问题的分析 ,认为国家在这个问题上所承担的国家责任不是传统国际法上的国家责任 ,而是一种“合法行为引起的国家责任”。关于特许协议 ,笔者认为它是国内契约。此外 ,在国际投资中 ,还涉及因污染转嫁而产生的国家责任。     

论罪犯改造中的情感及教育

罪犯在改造中的一般情感特点有:不良的心境;消极的激情;缺乏社会性情感。罪犯情绪发生的心理机制有以境生情和以情生情两种模式。实施情感教育是对罪犯进行人格改造的一种有效方式,但必须注意情感教育的艺术化。     

同种数罪处罚原则新说

数罪并罚问题无论是在刑法学理论上还是在司法实务中都是一个非常重要的问题 ,而同种数罪该不该实行并罚更是刑法学领域争论的焦点之一。目前 ,在司法实务中 ,大多是把其作为一罪从重处罚的。笔者认为 :同种数罪也是数罪 ,将其实行并罚制更有利于打击犯罪、体现罪刑相适应的原则 ,从立法技术的角度来看也更具科学性。     

贷款诈骗罪构成要件疑难问题研究

贷款诈骗罪构成要件的疑难问题集中地体现于二点:单位骗贷问题与非法占有目的。在疏理了对单位骗贷问题的无罪论、等同论和变通论等观点之后,重点阐释了变通论的不足与等同论的合理根据。对非法占有目的问题,应在应然上坚持客观主义立场的不要说,同时应注意认定此目的时的复杂情形。同时,对本罪客观方面的疑难之处,本文也予以简要分析。