我国民事调解制度的法律性质及其完善

民事调解制度虽然存在于民事诉讼过程中,但属于非讼程序。私权自治、审判效益和司法文明的要求,促使民事诉讼契约化。民事调解协议本质上是一种诉讼契约,法院承担公证的角色。应从以下几个方面完善我国民事调解程序:单独设置调解机构和调解主持法官;合理设置调解员选任程序、回避程序和参加庭审程序;采用签字生效制度;合理界定达成调解协议的标准。     

中国检察权及其权力配置

中华人民共和国检察权产生于上世纪中叶,是社会主义制度一项重要的宪政成果.前苏联的检察制度、西方国家的检察制度和中国传统的检察制度,共同成为了中国检察制度的经验材料和制度参照.在人民代表大会制度基础上的"一府两院"制政权结构模式下,法律监督权是中国检察权的基本属性和制度特征.检察权的配置应当在宏观和微观两个方面展开:在宏观方面,以监督行政行为和法院审判为基本理念,强调逻辑理性和制度理性;在微观方面,以监督诉讼为主要内容,关注监督的现实需要和操作需求.     

通过诉讼的政府控制

没有控制的权力必然导致腐败.政府权力应受到控制已成为世界各法治国家所遵从的一条公理.政府权力的无限扩张性、执政理念转变的必然性使人们开始意识到有限制政府权力之必要.实现法治国家首先要求对政府权力有所控制,通过诉讼(行政诉讼和宪法诉讼)对政府进行控制不失为一条有效的途径.针对当前国际国内形势,首先要弱化权力崇拜、强化行政服务,其次要完善行政诉讼法、加强对政府的监督,而宪法的权威性和至上性决定了通过宪法诉讼是控制政府权力的首要选择.我国在完善行政诉讼的同时亟须建立适合我国国情的宪法诉讼制度.     

侦查人员出庭作证制度运行效果的考察 ——基于383份判决的分析

庭审实质化改革下,侦查人员出庭作证的重要性日益彰显。考察2012年1月至2019年11月中国裁判文书网收录的383份裁判文书,发现侦查人员出庭率低、出庭作证效果不明显。侦查人员出庭作证运行效果不佳的原因主要有:立法规范的模糊性、检察机关的消极态度、侦查人员出庭作证的意愿低。应采取以下措施完善侦查人员出庭作证制度:界定侦查人员出庭作证的范围、明确侦查人员拒绝出庭作证的诉讼法后果、强化侦查人员出庭作证的保障等。     

论当事人收集证据的程序保障

我国在20世纪90年代的民事庭审方式改革中引入了举证责任原则,庭审的对抗性由此得以增强,证据的重要地位也逐渐凸现,这就要求加强当事人收集证据的程序保障。但我国关于当事人收集证据的程序保障的法律规定是严重缺失的,这不仅严重影响了诉讼程序效用的发挥,也阻碍了我国诉讼制度的改革进程。因此应通过加快程序保障措施的法律化,构建独立的审前准备程序,扩大律师的调查取证权,设立书证、视听资料、物证提出命令制度及庭外证人证言收集制度等措施加强当事人收集证据的程序保障。     

论《劳动争议调解仲裁法》构建的裁审体制及与劳动监察的关系

<劳动争议调解仲裁法>所构建的一般案件"一裁两审"、特殊案件"一裁终局"的裁审体制是对我国原有制度的重大修改,该法确立的分类处理机制以及对仲裁机构资源的整合必将对我国劳动争议处理实践产生重大影响.同时,如何在受案范围以及程序衔接上理顺劳动监察与裁审体制的关系,也是在理论及制度上必须面临和解决的重要问题.     

劳动争议处理之我见

近年来,我国的劳动争议案件逐年增多,且呈现复杂化、群体化、涉外化等趋势.我国政府为了实现社会公正,走上了通过扩大劳动者个人的权利来解决劳动争议的路子,致使劳动者、企业单位、工会、行政权力以及法院在处理劳动争议过程中的职能、地位发生扭曲.所以必须关注并完善劳资双方的信用关系、工会的职能与地位、行政权力在劳动争议处理中的地位和权威、法院最后的司法救济,从深层次解决原来的处理体制"用其所短"的弊端,实现劳资关系的和谐.     

Transnational public goods provision: the increasing role of rising powers and the case of South Africa

The paper delineates three debates, which will be conflated. One line of discussion relates to public goods at a transnational level. Here, the referencing of debates regarding the characteristics of ‘a common good’ will be of significance. A second strand addresses the group of countries known as the ‘rising powers’ and the role these countries could play towards a globalised common good. A third discussion thread analyses South Africa as a case study for the main rising power on the African continent. By creating connections between the lines of discussion, this paper drives forward the debates on how the role of rising powers can be conceptually repositioned in the light of a changing global context, and explores how these countries can respond to global challenges.     

ASEAN as the ‘regional conductor’: understanding ASEAN's role in Asia-Pacific order

This paper analyses ASEAN's prominence in regional order negotiation and management in Southeast Asia and the Asia-pacific through the lens of social role negotiation. It argues that ASEAN has negotiated legitimate social roles as the ‘primary manager’ in Southeast Asia and the ‘regional conductor’ of the Asia-Pacific order. It develops an English School-inspired role negotiation framework and applies it to three periods: 1954–1975 when ASEAN's ‘primary manager’ role emerged from negotiations with the USA; 1978–1991 when ASEAN's role was strengthened through negotiations with China during the Cambodian conflict; and 1991-present when ASEAN created and expanded the ‘regional conductor’ role. Negotiations during the Cold War established a division of labour where great powers provided security public goods but the great power function of diplomatic leadership was transferred to ASEAN. ASEAN's diplomatic leadership in Southeast Asia provided a foundation for creating its ‘regional conductor’ role after the Cold War. ASEAN's ability to sustain its roles depends on maintaining role bargains acceptable to the great powers, an increasingly difficult task due to great power rivalry in the South China Sea.     

South Caucasus from 1918 to 1921: history and historical parallels with the contemporary era

The republics that make up the South Caucasus today gained brief independence after the fall of the Tsarist Empire, before the integration of the region into Bolshevik Russia. This period, even though short, gives interesting historical background to understand the present. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to study the South Caucasian republics from 1918 to 1921 at the regional and international levels, paying particular attention to the historical continuities with the contemporary era (since 1991). The results of the study show three main parallels between the early twentieth century (1918–1921) and the present. First, the region is still internally divided (e.g. the unresolved conflicts). Second, externally, it is torn between sometimes opposing powers (e.g. Russia and the Western powers). Finally, third, the partnerships with international or regional powers still remain asymmetrical; consequently, the need to cooperate with Russia exceeds the aspirations of the Western powers toward the South Caucasus. Based on archival research, this study contributes to the historiography of the region and gives a framework for understanding the South Caucasus in contemporary international relations.