Reproductive health services: “Business-in-a-Box” as a model social innovation

Access to reproductive health services and products in remote and rural communities is a critical area of concern for developing countries. This article considers a pilot intervention in three districts of Pakistan where “Business-in-a-Box” as a model of place-based social innovation is used to improve the socio-economic conditions of women in remote rural settings through socially responsible micro-franchising. It finds that such programmes help build a sense of community, ownership and grassroots capabilities and skills. The article also discusses the impacts of such actions on the individual and community life, and the need to upscale and sustain these initiatives.     

Socio-political tensions in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) development in low-income Asian cities

International development agencies, with the help of the central government, support building state of art Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in low-income Asian cities. However, BRT investment over indigenous modes of mobility is creating socio-political tensions at the local level. This article uses multi-level governance as a theoretical lens to examine the relationships among actors in BRT investment decisions in Bandung and Surabaya, Indonesia. The research finds that local stakeholders can distort national and supranational policy initiatives totally or in a way that while projects are delivered, they are of limited use to the local communities they intended to help.     

Uncovering land tenure insecurities: tips for tenure responsive land-use planning in Ethiopia

Land-use planning, although a mechanism for development, can also generate insecurity during its implementation. This article argues that tenure security and land-use planning should not be implemented in isolation from each other. It posits that land-use planning – rather than restricting the security of people's tenure – has the potential to serve as a means of securing tenure. The article explores tenure (in)security elements in land-use planning as a crucial challenge in the urban town of Gelan Sidama Awash, Ethiopia. Using data collected through stakeholders’ interviews, it uncovers their tenure security challenges, and outlines a set of measures for enhancing tenure security through land-use planning.     

粤港澳大湾区养老服务业协同发展研究

养老服务业协同发展有利于粤港澳大湾区深层次融合,保障老年人养老权益的实现和促进经济社会全面发展。大湾区养老服务业在资源禀赋方面存在互补关系,且三地政府也注重在养老服务领域开展合作。但当前的合作中存在着发展水平较低、制度间协调不足和专门合作机制缺位等问题。在协同发展理论指导下,粤港澳大湾区养老服务业合作的重点是打破发展过程中的体制、机制障碍。对此建议制定协同发展规划、创新协同治理机制、提升养老服务法治化水平和加强新兴养老服务领域合作。     

“一带一路”对中国外交新理念的实践意义

为有效化解美国旨在遏制中国的"亚太再平衡"战略,在哲学层面,习近平主席提出以"和谐、和睦与和平"为核心内容的外交新理念;在战略层面,提出实现"亚太梦"与推进亚太自贸区建设的长远目标;在政策实践层面,提出"一带一路"建设的宏伟构想。"一带一路"建设的实施可以使多元化、多样化的各个国家和地区相互交织在一起,相互依存,实现利益共享,扩大共同安全,推进合作安全,促进发展安全,增进可持续安全。     

全国人大常委会在宪法实施中的创制行为及其界限——以“辽宁贿选案”为例

“辽宁贿选案”发生后,该省人大常委会无法正常开会履职。对此,全国人大常委会决定成立辽宁省十二届人大七次会议筹备组,代行该省人大常委会的部分职权。这被认为是宪法上的创制性安排。全国人大常委会的创制超出了宪法文本,不是宪法解释行为,也不是宪法续造行为,而是宪法建造行为。政治主体在面对宪法僵局时主动实施宪法,建造出民主集中制原则的具体内容和人民代表大会制度的新内涵,有效解决僵局并发展宪法。这并非孤例。全国人大常委会还曾在“总理辞职案”中进行过创制。创制需要符合一定的条件,前提是出现了必须创制的环境、没有可直接适用的宪法规则,方法是按照法定程序作出政治选择,形式是发布决定而非立法。创制具有宪法法律界限和合理性界限。政治主体要选择恰当的宪法原则和制度进行创制,所创制的内容要符合比例原则。创制是全国人大常委会掌握的一种新宪法工具,表明我国宪法实施具有政治主体与宪法互动的特征。     

我国区域协调发展中的地方立法协调:样本探索及发展空间

区域协调发展是我国的国家战略。近年来,在党的领导下,我国区域协调发展中的地方立法协调实践探索,呈现出京津冀、珠三角、长三角等几种典型样本,并各具特色及示范价值。进入新时代后,区域地方立法协调面临诸多国内无先例可循的新问题。根据党的十九届四中全会提出的“构建区域协调发展新机制”等时代新要求,需要重点思考我国区域立法协调的发展空间、聚焦领域和可能的溢出效应等理论难点。从已有的样本探索和发展趋势看,区域内跨省市的大气、水流等生态环境共保共治问题,区域市场一体化及区域营商环境共建问题,区域一体化示范区共建问题等,将是今后我国区域地方立法协调的侧重点和聚焦点。     

Shifting forensic science focus from means to purpose: A path forward for the discipline?

Forensic science is facing a persistent crisis that is often addressed by organizational responses, with a strong focus on the improvement and standardisation of means and processes. However, organisations and processes are highly dependent on the political, economical and legal structures in which they operate. This may explain why most proposed solutions had difficulties in addressing the crisis up to now, as they could hardly be applied transversally to all forensic science models. Moreover, new tools and technologies are continuously developed by a quasi-infinite number of different scientific disciplines, thus leading to further diversity and fragmentation of forensic science. In this paper, it is proposed to shift the focus from means to purpose and consider forensic science current challenges in terms of discipline, before addressing organisations’ specific issues. As a distinct discipline, forensic science can refocus research and development on shared principles and purposes, such as reconstructing, monitoring, and preventing crime and security issues. This focus change will facilitate a better understanding of the trace as the object of study of forensic science and eventually lead to a more impactful and long-lasting effect. This approach will also foster the development of a forensic science culture (instead of a primarily technological culture) unified by purpose rather than means through more relevant education and research.     

Taxing Digital Economy: A Critical View around the GloBE (Pillar Two)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) proposal for taxation of digital economy constitutes one of the most ambitious projects in the field of taxation and may lead to the most significant reform to international tax rules in the 20th century. Based on a two-pillar approach, Pillar Two of the proposal suggests the adoption of Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) provisions that are aimed at introducing a worldwide minimum tax. In this article, a critical analysis is based that the GloBE proposal suggests that it represents a shift in the OECD policy. As compared to base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), it jeopardizes the tax sovereignty of jurisdictions and it raises fundamental challenges of implementation, both in terms of amendments to domestic law and conflicts with tax treaties.     

试析中国的政治稳定问题

政治稳定与否,关系着国计民生,关系着一个国家在国际上的地位,更关系着本国国民的幸福生活和前途。我国的政治稳定将依法治国作为总方略,将以人为本与发展作为其核心理念和关键点。为了寻求保持我国政治稳定的路径,必须要从党的建设、政府职能的优化和完善以及文化建设的角度进行把握。