Democracy in the ageing society: Quest for political equilibrium between generations

The ageing of society looms large as having a huge impact on the future political landscape, and is increasingly being acknowledged as a serious threat to the sustainability of democracy. The ageing of the voting electorate is contributing to the political imbalance between the old and young generations, and has the potential to levy excessive burden on future generations. With this background in mind, this research seeks to point out, through reform of the electoral system, the problems of silver democracy caused by societal ageing, and to suggest ways to achieve political equilibrium between generations. Key suggestions are: 1) changing the basis of electoral districts from geographic area to age-cohort; 2) establishment of a new future generations district which can speak for the rights of those who are currently underage; and 3) weighting of votes cast by the younger generations, who may be at a numerical disadvantage in elections.     

简论司法舆情和司法独立的平衡--药家鑫案的制度反思

社会舆论对司法活动给予了充分关注。在监督司法活动的同时，社会舆论也对司法独立产生了严重的冲击。在借鉴美国谢泼德案件意义的基础上，着力探讨缓解社会舆论对审判活动造成冲击的途径和方法。     

论羁押制度之改革

在我国侦查实践中,羁押制度存在诸多缺陷。本文试通过对我国羁押制度缺陷的分析,从刑事诉讼理念上进行反思,并在此基础上建议在我国羁押制度的改革中实现对羁押的司法审查及逮捕与羁押的分离等,以期完善我国的羁押制度。     

司法审查权与法律监督权之良性互动——基于构建我国刑事预审程序的法律思考

我国《刑事诉讼法》第150条规定的对公诉案件的审查不是典型意义上的刑事预审程序。刑事预审程序在世界范围内的实践并不统一,但其价值内核客观存在。在我国构建刑事预审程序的关键是实现检审机关的理性制约与良性互动。     

中国现代法律文化建设之程序公正

法律文化现代化是中国法治建设的重要组成部分,现代法律文化建设受到诸方面因素的影响。程序公正以及与程序公正相关的法律制度在我国传统法律文化中不健全、不完善,是制约我国现代法律文化建设的主要因素之一。从而提出程序公正对建设现代法律文化的重要性,摒弃传统法律文化重实体轻程序的观念,不断完善程序公正理论,从而推动现代法律文化的建设和社会主义法治国家的全面实现。     

程序正义视阈中中国行政决策听证制度建设

行政决策听证作为一种法律程序,应当符合程序正义的基本要求。中国现阶段行政决策听证制度缺乏统一的听证规则;听证参与人缺少应有的法理属性;听证的抗辩性不强;缺乏对听证代表意见的回应和救济机制等。完善中国行政决策听证制度,应当强化程序观念,提高全体公民的听证权意识;制定统一的听证规则;完善听证主持人制度和代表遴选制度;建立对听证意见的回应与救济机制。     

从消费主义到消费正义——科学发展考察的新视角

消费主义作为一种文化意识形态,是资本运行的逻辑结果,其带来的一系列后果必然阻碍社会的科学发展。从消费主义走向消费正义是科学发展的题中之义。以消费正义促科学发展,一是要限制人类对自然的掠夺性消费,坚持可持续消费;二是要实现公平合理的消费,重建人与人之间和谐共生的关系;三是要实现精神消费与物质消费的平衡,凸显＂以人为本＂,促进人的全面自由发展。     

Water scarcity, social power and the production of an elite suburb: The political ecology of water in Matadepera, Catalonia

This article investigates the history of land and water transformations in Matadepera, a wealthy suburb of metropolitan Barcelona. Analysis is informed by theories of political ecology and methods of environmental history; although very relevant, these have received relatively little attention within ecological economics. Empirical material includes communications from the City Archives of Matadepera (1919-1979), 17 interviews with locals born between 1913 and 1958, and an exhaustive review of grey historical literature. Existing water histories of Barcelona and its outskirts portray a battle against natural water scarcity, hard won by heroic engineers and politicians acting for the good of the community. Our research in Matadepera tells a very different story. We reveal the production of a highly uneven landscape and waterscape through fierce political and power struggles. The evolution of Matadepera from a small rural village to an elite suburb was anything but spontaneous or peaceful. It was a socio-environmental project well intended by landowning elites and heavily fought by others. The struggle for the control of water went hand in hand with the land and political struggles that culminated - and were violently resolved - in the Spanish Civil War. The displacement of the economic and environmental costs of water use from few to many continues to this day and is constitutive of Matadepera's uneven and unsustainable landscape. By unravelling the relations of power that are inscribed in the urbanization of nature (Swyngedouw, 2004), we question the perceived wisdoms of contemporary water policy debates, particularly the notion of a natural scarcity that merits a technical or economic response. We argue that the water question is fundamentally a political question of environmental justice; it is about negotiating alternative visions of the future and deciding whose visions will be produced.     

“德主刑辅,礼法并用”刑法思想在我国的传承与发展

刑法思想是指导立法和司法的理论基础。司法效果是产生刑法思想的实践源泉。中华民族从封建王朝的"德主刑辅,礼法并用"刑法思想到新民主主义时期的"镇压与宽大相结合",再到新中国成立的"惩办与宽大相结合",直至近年来国家实行的"宽严相济以及控制和慎重适用死刑",它们既一脉相承,又发展创新。其宗旨在于注重教化挽救,打击极少数,争取大多数,减少社会对立面,增加和谐因素。以此为指导思想,则社会安定,经济繁荣;反之,重典治乱,虽救弊一时,但衰败亦促。     

反腐倡廉：维护社会公平正义的紧迫任务和重要途径——以防止利益冲突为研究视角

维护和实现社会公平正义是中国共产党人的一贯主张和奋斗目标,也是发展中国特色社会主义的重大任务。文章认为,利益冲突是产生腐败的重要根源,腐败是对社会公平正义的恶意破坏,防止利益冲突是维护社会公平正义的紧迫任务和重要途径。