INNOVATION, ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING AND THE MANAGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: What of digital piracy?

This article aims to analyse the effects of piracy on the management of intellectual property (IP) and innovation. The first section discusses the problems associated with digital technologies that are confronting rightholders, and highlights the view that the versatility of these technologies constitutes a major asset for the growth of both electronic publishing and piracy. The effect of piracy on the management of IP and innovation will be discussed in terms of (1) how IP is created; (2) the resources required to stay in the business and the difficulties in maintaining market presence; (3) the means of protection of IP, and (4) the entry barriers to the electronic publishing sector. The analysis is based on an interview sample of thirty-one small- and medium-sized UK-based electronic publishers. The article concludes that while it is right for legislators and those within the industry to seek enhanced copyright protection, it is less clear whether piracy is a material threat to investment in electronic publishing, as it is widely posited to be by the industry.     

Long-Term Care Policy: Singapore’s Experience

Singapore, like many developed countries, is facing the challenge of a rapidly aging population and the increasing need to provide long-term care (LTC) services for elderly in the community. The Singapore government’s philosophy on care for the elderly is that the family should be the first line of support, and it has relied on voluntary welfare organizations (VWOs) or charities for the bulk of LTC service provision. For LTC financing, it has emphasized the principles of co-payment and targeting of state support to the low-income population through means-tested government subsidies. It has also instituted ElderShield, a national severe disability insurance scheme. This paper discusses some of the challenges facing LTC policy in Singapore, particularly the presence of perverse financial incentives for hospitalization, the pitfalls of over-reliance on VWOs, and the challenges facing informal family caregivers. It discusses the role of private LTC insurance in LTC financing, bearing in mind demand- and supply-side failures that have plagued the private LTC insurance market. It suggests the need for more standardized needs assessment and portable LTC benefits, with reference to the Japanese Long-Term Care Insurance program, and also discusses the need to provide more support to informal family caregivers.     

《芒果街上的小屋》中多元意象映射下的族裔女性成长

《芒果街上的小屋》的作者桑德拉·希斯内罗丝,为小女孩埃斯佩朗莎的成长创造了芒果街这样一个独特的移民社区环境。小说中的一些意象,如房子、高跟鞋和四棵细树等,体现女主人公既想保存自身族裔文化的独立性,又试图融入主流文化的成长困惑,以及她最终决定通过离开来达到最终拯救芒果街,实现成长蜕变的心路历程。     

Kin Financial Support: Receipt and Provision Among Unmarried Mothers

ABSTRACT

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2,039), we investigate how social resources influence unmarried mothers' provision and receipt of financial support within their social networks and whether patterns of financial support vary by race and ethnicity. Multinomial regression results indicate that relative to neither giving nor receiving, more advantaged mothers have higher odds of providing others with financial help, yet less advantaged mothers do not have consistently higher odds of receiving help. Tests for interactions indicate that financial support may be less available for Blacks in need than for other groups. Our findings provide evidence that because of its unpredictable nature and unequal availability among disadvantaged groups, informal financial support cannot be expected to fill gaps in the public safety net.     

Protecting the Right to Life of Children with Disabilities in China

ABSTRACT

Chinese social policy to support parents in caring for their children is vital to address the urgent social problem of abandoning the life of children with disabilities by not seeking medical treatment. The child rights approach was used to analyze the effectiveness of Chinese social policy to protect the right to life of these children. Primary and secondary empirical data from 3 case studies where parents decided whether to abandon their child were analyzed. Did the child protection mechanisms protect the right to life of these children, and when did parents decide to abandon their children? The findings were: a) When the children were born, their right to life was not unconditional; b) the decision was made privately by parents—no formal decision procedure was available, the role of professionals was minimal, and the state did not intervene; and c) parents considered the disadvantages to their children if they lived. The implication is that China has not yet established a system to support parents and protect the lives of young children with disabilities. Future research to inform child protection reform and disability support to children and families to prevent children becoming abandoned is urgently needed.     

土地征收审批行为的性质认定及其意义 ———基于多阶段行政行为理论的分析

土地征收审批行为是具体行政行为还是行政内部行为,理论界和实务界对此并无一致观点,这不仅导致了对土地征收审批行为管理的混乱,还致使被征收人寻求司法救济的困顿.土地征收行为属于多阶段行政行为,按照显名主义原则,行政主体应为公告机关,土地征收审批行为只是审批机关的参与行为,是行政内部行为.但是,借鉴台湾地区尤其是德国的理论学说与司法实践,土地征收审批行为应属于显名主义原则的例外情形,在性质上应被认定为具体行政行为.科学合理地认定土地征收审批行为的性质,对于构建土地征收行为的正当程序及明晰被征收人权利救济机制具有十分重要的意义.     

私有化与公有化之间的博弈——重读《李顺大造屋》兼及对新时期农村题材小说的反思

作为新时期农村小说的一个重要起点,《李顺大造屋》折射出私有化与公有化之间的博弈与纠葛。基于此,该文通过重读文本,重新认识其在当代文学史中的地位,并对中国当代近三十年来的农村历史做更深入的社会学考察,探究私有化与公有化之间的复杂纠葛,进而对以《李顺大造屋》为代表的新时期农村题材小说存在的合法性问题进行探讨与反思。     

隐私权范围研究

隐私权范围涉及到未来我国隐私权制度的整体构架,该文提出从广度和深度两个方面对隐私权范围加以分析,建立起一个隐私权范围的平面图。通过对隐私权与相近概念的比较,从制度的外部来论证隐私权独立于名誉权、姓名权、肖像权、身体权和信用权。在此基础上提出我国隐私权范围完善的立法建议。