(In)equality and the South African Constitution

ABSTRACT

Does the South African Constitution constrain or empower government, courts and citizens in addressing systemic social and economic inequalities? This article argues that the Constitution is explicitly ‘transformative’, but is an enabling document, providing ‘scaffolding’ for political and legal activities. It is government, strong institutions and civil society that are ultimately responsible for securing its equality aspirations. Here the Constitution admits of different understandings of equality and different economic and social policy choices. This article identifies these contested meanings of equality and suggests that a liberal egalitarian/social democratic version is dominant in policy choices and the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court. It illustrates this with reference to the Court’s jurisprudence on equality, and suggests that more radical and transformative interpretations remain possible. However, it concludes that we cannot escape politics, the need for good policy choices and effective implementation and enforcement.     

The impact of wearable devices on employee wellness programs: A study of hotel industry workers

Hospitality workplaces are particularly challenging contexts in which to implement wellness initiatives. The present study implemented a technology-based wellness intervention to improve various aspects of employee wellness in contemporary hotel workplaces. The participants were given a wearable device (Fitbit, used here as an innovative tool) in order to monitor their activity levels and sleep patterns over a 14-day period. Additionally, the participants provided researchers with food diaries in separate electronic form. Information regarding job satisfaction, job engagement, organizational citizenship behaviors, and intention to leave was obtained before and after the observation period. The results demonstrate an increase in physical activity, an increase in healthy food consumption, and a reduction in overall caloric intake. Furthermore, positive changes in employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment were noted. Care should be exercised when implementing such interventions in order to ensure data privacy and positive employee relations.     

碳排放交易制度的节能减排路径：效率提升还是结构转型？——来自中国省级数据的准自然实验

以中国2013年以来实行的碳排放交易试点政策作为准自然实验事件，基于2000-2017年中国30个省市的面板数据，运用双重差分法实证检验碳排放交易制度的节能减排效应及影响机制。研究发现，碳排放交易制度有利于实现中国经济“节能”与“减排”的双重目标，并通过了一系列稳健性检验；作用机制检验表明，能源效率提升和能源结构转型都是碳排放交易制度实现节能减排目标的重要路径；能源效率提升在碳排放交易制度实现“节能”和“减排”中分别发挥了10.19%和5.93%的作用，而能源结构转型分别发挥了48.87%和52.95%的作用。这意味着中国碳排放交易制度实现节能减排的主要动力来自能源结构转型，而非能源效率提升。能源结构转型涉及问题更加宏观和深层，这为中国加快推进节能减排进程，特别是完成2030年碳达峰和2060年碳中和的国际承诺提供政策启示。     

资源依赖型地区产业转型的战略及对策研究

资源依赖型地区产业转型是保障国家资源安全和促进经济社会可持续发展的关键。我国资源依赖型地区数量多且分布广,现阶段此类地区开发阶段不同,所以进行产业转型的路径存在差异,其过程任重而道远。针对我国资源依赖型地区产业发展的现状进行分析并找出其问题,基于此,科学全面的探讨适合此类地区实现产业转型的五个战略,并进一步分别从地区资源开发阶段和地区利益相关主体两个维度,制定出符合资源依赖型地区产业转型的对策。     

Labor market analysis through transformations and robust multivariate models

The work presents a robust approach to labor share analysis. The estimate of labor share presents various complexities related to the nature of the data sets to be analyzed. Typically, labor share is evaluated by using discriminant analysis and linear or generalized linear models, that do not take into account the presence of possible outliers. Moreover, the variables to be considered are often characterized by a high dimensional structure. The proposed approach has the objective of improving the estimation of the model using robust multivariate regression techniques and data transformation.     

长江下游船舶溢油应急处理措施框架

介绍长江下游船舶溢油污染的现状,论述溢油污染对沿岸生态和环境的影响以及溢油防治研究的重要性。以长江南京段为例,分析影响江中及岸边事故溢油迁移转化规律的因素,提出船舶事故溢油应急处理措施的三个重要部分,即溢油模拟及污染区预测、溢油清除回收和溢油风险评价。针对三个部分提出了具体的研究内容,为国内各大中型江河不同河段的船舶溢油的研究提供参考。     

Testing Rival Theories of Budgetary Decision–making in the US States

This article tests three common budgetary decision–making theories in the US states. Pooled time series cross–section analysis is used from 1960 to 1996 to test the garbage can theory and incrementalism, and from 1989 to 1996 to test various theories of rational budgeting. The results demonstrate that there was some support for all three theories in terms of their impact on reducing state budget outputs. Rational budgeting reduces expenditures in aggregate, incrementalism has relatively low explanatory power below the aggregates, and garbage can budgeting is more prevalent in functional areas than for government as a whole. These findings imply that the future research agenda on budgetary decision–making theories should focus more on a system–wide approach, which takes into account many of the characteristics of all three rival models of decision–making, rather than exclusively focusing on each one singly.     

谈体育教学改革发展趋势

体育教学“以人为本”观念形成的社会环境是现代化发展的必然结果。我们教育改革思路提出“健康第一”的指导思想，同样验证了“以人为本”的现代体育观念的社会环境背景。学生对体育课的要求和看法将对体育教学改革提供“主体”依据，体育教学改革要“以人为本”。     

青铜峡灌区水土资源平衡分析的探讨

本文根据青铜峡灌区四水转化的特点和灌区规划的要求，提出灌区节水改造规划的水土资源平衡应进行水资源的3个平衡分析，即水资源供需平衡分析，引水、耗水与排水平衡分析，水资源耗水平衡分析.水资源的3个平衡分析的目标与内容不同，但科学基础与依据都是灌区的四水转化关系.     

暴雨洪水流域系统随机模拟(研究之三)

本文提出的移置特大暴雨的不连序序列的随机插补方法,以及利用W—H逆变换法将偏态暴雨序列转为正态序列和随机扣除模拟的暴雨过程损失量等方法,基本是可行的,对提高模型的代表性、稳定性和实用性有重要作用。