Institutional foundations for a just society

The author distinguishes between fundamental justice and incremental justice and argues that the Harsanyian/Rawlsian, ex ante, concept of justice is the only concept of justice relevant to the design and evaluation of institutions. Unlike incremental justice for which a concensus as to what constitutes justice is generally not possible the conditions that satisfy the Harsanyian/Rawlsian concept of justice are derived from the assumptions of rationality and aversion to large risks, and the postulate of fairness. A concensus occurs not fortuitously but inevitably. The paper develops eight principles of institutional design that contribute towards a just society and that follow logically from these assumptions and postulates. The paper argues that these principles are by and large needed for social welfare maximization, so that justice is generally consistent with efficiency. The paper applies the theory to the concept of exploitation, crime and punishment, as well as labour market and social security, to illustrate the working of the principles developed.     

Divorce in Hong Kong SAR, 1999–2011: A Review of 1,208 Family Court Cases

Divorce has increased dramatically in Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia since the 2000s, whereas the West has seen a decline, suggesting there are factors specific to Hong Kong relating to divorce. This study examined a random sample of 1,208 divorce cases from the Hong Kong Family Court between 1999 and 2011. These marriages lasted 11 to 12 years on average, and most divorces occurred between the 5th and 7th years of marriage. Couples with a divorce history had a higher divorce risk, regardless of whether they had children, and predivorce marriage duration was positively associated with the number of children. The grounds cited for divorce indicate a shift toward no-fault divorce. Most petitioners were women, and mothers were generally granted child custody. Cross-border marriages and remarriages accounted for about one third of divorces, reflecting the impacts of differing sociocultural backgrounds and divorce history. The study’s implications for policymaking and service provision are discussed.     

商业广告传媒的反垄断分析

在文章中,我们提出对商业广告传媒(意即我国传媒整体中走市场化的部分)进行反垄断规制的观点,除了认为媒体的垄断会对社会民主的惭进产生不良影响外,更是跳出以往学者认为国内集团化垄断可以抵御国际竞争的思维。笔者认为:中国现在的集团化垄断是行政命令的结果而非自由市场经济的产物。带来的后果会使媒介行业坐享市场供不应求的良机,且以广告等的高价为特征,从而缺失媒介发展的动力——有效竞争。在这种情况下让它们去面对国外大型媒介集团的竞争,其实质仍然属于不同类型对手之间的竞争,孰强孰弱一目了然。因此。为避免国外传媒巨头在进入国内媒体市场后形成寡头垄断,笔者认为利用反垄断法手段,在促进国内媒体的有效竞争的同时,并限制国外媒介集团在中国的市场份额,这才是保扩本国媒介产业的最佳法律途径。     

CASE-DDB的设计和不确定性问题的解决

分布式程序执行行为的不确定性导致其调试工作复杂化，以至于无法用传统的调试工具进行调试。ＣＡＳＥ－ＤＤＢ是一种基于事件的调试工具，用于调试用分布式Ｃ＋＋语言编写的分布式应用程序。文中介绍了ＣＡＳＥ－ＤＤＢ的设计思想和基本结构，提出了一种调试执行行为不确定的分布式应用程序的方法     

法官当庭认证问题浅议

法官当庭认证是法官当庭认证案件事实的一种诉讼活动。法官当庭认证的前提是当事人当庭举证和质证。举证和质证应按照法律规定的程序进行 ,并由法官运用证据规则对证据作出正确认证。要做好这一工作 ,就要全面提高法官的综合素质 ,规范出示证据的行为 ,以保证认证的正确性     

论《能源宪章条约》投资规则的可持续发展

<能源宪章条约>是一个在加强国际社会能源领域合作方面具有重要意义的多边协议.可持续发展是该条约的目标之一.该条约的投资规则着重保护投资者的利益,对可持续发展这一目标有着潜在积极和消极两方面的影响.为了确保可持续发展目标的实现并吸引更多国家的加人,该条约应该进一步增进其透明度并给予发展中国家差别待遇.     

作为救济法的侵权法,也是自由保障法——对《中华人民共和国侵权责任法(草案)》的几点意见

单独制定的侵权责任法仍然是未来民法典债篇的组成部分,这是债法结构原则的要求,也是侵权法和债法的历史联系;民法通则中的民事责任具有多元意义,侵权法的制定应该锁定损害赔偿责任,同时还应当完善补充性的请求权,尤其要关注停止侵害请求权,其本质上是不作为请求权;民法通则中对于侵权法保护法益的列举虽不尽完美,但仍有其价值,不尽之处,需要通过一般侵权行为的类型化,分工合作以为弥补.唯有如此,侵权法才能在救济受害人的同时,切实保障加害人的自由.     

莱布尼茨的保守主义政治哲学及其对中国文化的推崇

莱布尼茨继承了西方传统的政治哲学思想,反对近代政治哲学将政治与道德和宗教相割裂的倾向,认为人的正义源于神的正义,为神的理性本质所决定.莱布尼茨将正义定义为智慧者的博爱,认为只有有德者统治的社会才是正义的.由此出发,他高度评价了中国社会的道德与政治,认为中国的天理就是西方的自然法,并希望中国和西方能联合起来,取长补短,共同促进人类的福祉.     

苏浙边界的水利纠纷与政府运作——以20世纪50-60年代吴江县联圩引起的省际纠纷为例

20世纪50-60年代,江苏省吴江县在农田水利建设过程中进行的联圩并圩,虽取得一定的成效,但因当地水系结构的改变致使浙江来水下泄不畅,洪涝威胁加重,同时杭嘉湖地区的农业生产也遭受严重影响,从而引起苏浙边界的水利矛盾和纠纷。为解决纠纷,苏浙两省行政部门进行了积极的努力,展开充分的调研与协商,最终使纠纷得以化解,这从一个侧面体现了政府运作在解决水利纠纷中的重要作用。然而水利纠纷的产生及解决过程也给我们留下深刻的经验与教训。     

“Mostly we are White and Alone”: Identity,Anxiety and the Past in Some White Zimbabwean Memoirs

Using the space created by the land invasions, over the last ten years or so there has been a proliferation of exile memoirs written by white Zimbabweans living in the diaspora, which foreground colonial nostalgia and postcolonial anxiety. This article profiles elements of this latest wave of “white (female) writing”, arguing that writers such as Alexandra Fuller construct their own personal narratives based on an extremely teleological and narrow interpretation of the history of Zimbabwe. It is argued that memoirs are used as a mechanism to uphold an idealised (i.e. powerful) white identity, because whites' current “destabilised” identity has resulted in them clinging to a seemingly utopian version of both what it meant to be white and the past. The article also examines some aspects of whiteness studies, utilising Peter McLaren's framework to argue that these memoirs are beset by a whiteness of social amnesia.