Riding the Wave: Consumer Economics and the Consumer Movement in the United States

The development and current state of the scholarly field of Consumer Economics in the United States is discussed in relation to the Consumer Movement and other forces that have impinged upon it. Membership in the American Council on Consumer Interests, the scholarly organization for consumer economists, is used as one measure of the size and health of the field. Other forces impinging on the field that are discussed include: the baby boom induced increase in the demand for college education; the subsequent decline in the support for higher education as higher education costs rose throughout the 1980s and 1990s; the decline in the Federal Government's support for consumer research and consumer education; and the development of competing organizations.     

Influences of Comparative Law in Uruguayan Consumer Protection Law

Journal of Consumer Policy - Uruguay was the last country in MERCOSUR to pass a consumer Protection Law in 2000. The purpose of this article is to analyse the origins and influences of the Law on...     

The Abuse of the “Confident Consumer” as a Justification for EC Consumer Law

A reference to the need to create confident cross-border consumers who can contribute to the strengthening of the internal market has often been used as one of the main arguments for EC consumer policy and legislation. The argument has been presented in order to justify both the creation of a minimum safety net for consumers (the minimum confidence argument) and the current turn towards more total harmonisation of consumer protection (the harmonised confidence argument). In the paper these lines of argument are critically evaluated with reference to common sense knowledge about the behaviour of consumers as well as on the basis of Eurobarometer data concerning consumer confidence. In this light the substantive minimum harmonisation measures which have been justified with reference to the need for promoting consumer confidence seem only to a limited extent relevant with respect to the creation of such confidence. The current turn towards total harmonisation most certainly cannot be justified in this way. Other substantive measures, facilitating the access to a counterparty, would be more important in order to create consumer confidence in cross-border shopping, but the Community has almost systematically avoided adopting such measures.     

法经济学研究方法的新思路——基于结构方程模型的简介

结构方程模型在社会科学领域得到越来越多的重视和应用,与传统的研究手段相比,它有显而易见的优点。以法经济学中公司理论的经理人报酬研究为例,可以很好地反映出各因素之间的关系和影响路径,这就为公司法经济学分析中的公司治理理论提供了更为清楚的结构关系。     

引领消费经济理论研究的一面旗帜--热烈祝贺《消费经济》创刊20周年

二十年前，当改革开放的春风吹绿华夏大地、消费经济理论研究刚刚起步的时候，由著名经济学家、我国消费经济学创始人之一的尹世杰教授一手创办的《消费经济》隆重面世。尽管人们日复一日、年复一年地在重复消费这个行为，尽管马克思主义经典作家从理论上对消费有过许多科学精彩的论述，但是在当代，我国经济理论工作者对消费的系统研究仍是落后了一步。正是在这样的背景下，《消费经济》的诞生就具有了非常的意义：她是一个标志，向世人宣告，消费经济理论研究和发展的成果，从此有了舞台；她是一个号角，唤起经济理论工作者向这个领域进军的激情。弹指间，二十年过去了，在尹世杰教授的领导下，《消费经济》不负众望，为马克思主义消费经济理论的研究和发展，作出了重要贡献。     

Consumer Affairs Departments in the United States and the Netherlands: A Comparative Analysis

Over a decade ago Hansen and Schoenheit (1986), in their Journal of Consumer Policy article, concluded that Consumer Affairs Departments (CADs) offer potential for improving organisational performance in the market place and that their transferability to the European context would be warranted. In this article we trace and analyse the development of Consumer Affairs Departments in the United States and the Netherlands on the basis of fourteen case studies. On the basis of a comparative analysis we conjecture that the application of information technology, the application of communication technology, and personnel management style could be considered as major determinants of differences with regard to CADs in the aforementioned countries. We conclude the article with a number of building blocks that organisations may use in preparing their CADs for the decade to come.     

The Action Plan on European Contract Law: Perspectives for the Future of European Contract Law and EC Consumer Law

The European Commission's Action Plan on European Contract Law is the follow-up to the Communication of July 2001. It reveals the conclusions of the Commission and proposes a mix of regulatory and non-regulatory measures aimed at removing obstacles to the smooth functioning of the internal market and ensuring the uniform application of EC law. These measures are (a) the improvement of the acquis through the elaboration of a common frame reference containing common rules and terminology, (b) promotion of the use of standard terms for cross-border contracts, and (c) further reflection on an optional horizontal instrument in the field. This article will undertake a general discussion of the likely impact of the measures on the future of EC consumer law and European contract law, and treat certain questions relating to the conflict of laws. It is also hoped that the article will acquaint the new reader with some of the (mainly) recent discussions in English and French on the subject matter from different jurisdictions.     

Stabilising Citizen and Consumer Expectations by Legal Means when Introducing the Euro in the Participating Member States

The author discusses the introduction of the euro from a consumer law point of view. The paper refers to the report of the Euro Working Group of the EC Consumer Committee. Dual indication of prices, continuity of contracts, costs, and transparency are discussed and solutions suggested. The recommendations recently adopted by the EC Commission have taken up some of these points but the proposals are far from satisfactory.     

An Overview of Consumer Law in Nigeria and Relationship with Laws of Other Countries and Organisations

There is no single statute dealing with the rights and obligations of parties in relation to products and services in Nigeria. The sector-specific approach is adopted with laws and agencies put in place to regulate specific areas of consumer protection such as food and drugs; energy, telecommunications, product standards, aviation, banking, and financial services. As a former colony of the United Kingdom (UK) , many Nigerian statutes are modelled on English statutes. This historical link is also reflected in the decisions of Nigerian courts which adopt, on persuasive basis, the decisions of the English courts particularly those of the House of Lords. Nigeria belongs to some international, regional, and supranational organisations which influence the consumer law of the country. This paper gives an overview of the Nigerian consumer law with particular reference to product safety, product liability, and telecommunications services and refers to the laws of other countries and organisations where applicable. The paper concludes that Nigeria has, subject to the identified gaps, attained an appreciable level of consumer protection.     

《消费文化学》与尹世杰消费经济思想

尹世杰同志关于消费问题研究的又一部学术著作<消费文化学>已由湖北人民出版社于2002年6月出版.<消费文化学>的出版标志着尹世杰同志在消费问题研究领域所进行的具有开拓性和创新性的研究已拓展到一个更具有探索价值的课题.任何一个社会的经济发展都有着深刻的文化背景和民族的文化底蕴,一定的经济发展必然会孕育某种与之相应的文化,并且反过来这种相应的文化又会影响经济的发展.经济与文化的这种辩证关系既推动着经济的发展,又促进着文化的繁荣.就消费经济与消费文化的关系来讲也是如此.因此,从消费经济学的研究拓展到消费文化学的研究,可以说是一种合乎逻辑和历史的演绎的必然结果.     

《消费经济》的发展需要加强消费经济学科建设

今天是一个大喜的日子，大家来到这里，一起庆贺《消费经济》杂志创刊20周年。在这里，我要感谢《消费经济》杂志的主编尹世杰教授，感谢他多年来不懈的工作和创造性的研究成果，使得《消费经济》在经济期刊中取得如此高的学术地位。我要感谢各位专家学者，感谢大家对《消费经济》的关怀与厚爱。同时，我也代表《消费经济》的主管单位湖南商学院，感谢湖南省新闻出版局、湖南师范大学和湘潭大学对于《消费经济》的关心和支持。正是大家的共同努力，才使《消费经济》取得了今天这样引人注目的成就。     

谈谈消费经济学的走向--为纪念《消费经济》创刊20周年而作

二十年来，在《消费经济》的倡导和支持下，消费经济从无到有，而今已茁壮成长，成为经济学的一个重要分支，令众多学子敬仰。     

The Politicisation of EC Anti‐dumping Policy: Member States,Their Votes and the European Commission

This paper examines one political‐economy aspect of the European Communities’ (EC) anti‐dumping policy that has tended to be overlooked in prior studies; namely, the role that member states play in deciding whether to impose definitive duties on imports that have been found to be dumped and that are deemed to have injured a European industry. We find that, in the late 1990s, numerous disagreements between member states occurred over the merits of imposing anti‐dumping duties. These disagreements may well have been partly responsible for the strong decline in the number of European anti‐dumping investigations initiated after 1999.     

研究消费经济理论,发展消费经济学

我热烈祝贺全国第六次消费经济理论研讨会的隆重举行,祝贺尹世杰教授八十华诞.在这里,我想讲三个问题.     

浅议法经济学视野下合同法中的效益性

在社会经济与法律全面渗透和融合的今天,法经济学的兴起,无疑是一种顺应时代的全新思维方法,它运用包括成本—效益在内的经济理论方法和价值观研究分析评判几乎所有的法律问题,给人以更深的启迪,对最具经济性的经济法无疑更有＂他山之石,可以攻玉＂的效果,在经济法中,合同法研究如何使财产动态调整到最佳使用者手中,从而使效益最大化,这是经济法学中的重点问题,也是它得以不断完善的基础。     

在华外商投资企业中争夺控制权问题研究

近年来,外商越来越重视对外资企业控制权的争夺,这一方面给我国带来了先进的技术和管理经验,另一方面又给我国经济带来一些负面影响。因此,我们应深入思考并制定对策,使其负面影响降到最低程度。     

愿消费经济学的园地永远繁花似锦--祝贺《消费经济》创刊20周年

尹世杰教授是我尊敬的老朋友，老学者。他毕生忠诚于马克思主义经济理论特别是消费经济学的教学与研究工作，成绩卓著，为我国社会主义消费经济的建立和发展作出了巨大贡献。兹逢《消费经济》创刊20周年，特函表示诚挚的祝贺，望继续努力，再创辉煌。