Strategic regeneration: A policy coupling approach to managing a coastal resort in South Wales

This review paper takes a case study approach to critically discuss how regeneration in the coastal resort of Porthcawl, South Wales has integrated flood defences as part of a strategic spatial planning and integrated policy coupling approach to the redesign of the town's seaside, promenade and harbour quarter. This planned initiative is part of a concerted effort to upgrade the town's waterfront and enable regeneration of a small seaside resort. From a resort cycle perspective, Porthcawl's perceived vulnerability to changing economic fortunes has prompted a master planning approach which is intended to bring together a mixed-use development programme with particular attention to urban design, strategic environmental assessment and public consultation. In different ways, this process has sought to raise public awareness of the issues and risks associated with the town's coastal location and to integrate flood defence aspects within the strategic regeneration plan as part of a greater sensitivity to climatic risks and potential flooding. This paper examines the adaptive capacity of coastal communities and the complex of socio-economic and spatio-temporal perspectives that shape policy developments in the planning, development and proactive management of coastal environments. The paper identifies the need to accommodate a new civic awareness of potential environmental hazards in articulating the public interest and balancing the trade-offs involved.     

检察院参与生态环境损害赔偿磋商的空间与角色选择

生态环境损害赔偿磋商从试点到全国推行,其地位愈加重要。当前,对于生态环境损害赔偿磋商的性质有颇多争议,其性质决定了是否需要第三力以及需要何种第三力,而在公法说、私法说、双阶构造说、三阶进阶说之上构建的生态环境损害赔偿磋商虽不相同,但建立磋商监督制度与磋商共同参与制度是其共同指向的完善路径,即检察院可作为第三力监督、参与磋商全过程。横向比较各省份对于检察院参与生态环境损害赔偿磋商的立法规定,总体看来检察院在此制度中地位不明、存在边缘化倾向,而实践中检察院具有协调跨区域磋商与促进赔偿义务之履行的作用,且生态环境损害赔偿磋商法律体系为检察院的监督与参与预留了空间,检察院可以法律监督者、公益代表者、社会治理者的身份参与,三种角色在不同阶段相互补充。     

公产法定:国有自然资源资产分类调整的民法思考

新中国成立后,效法前苏联的中国物权立法是一种按照所有权主体分类调整的“身份型”立法,该立法模式不仅抹杀了不同类型国有财产的“个性”,而且也将自然资源的公共性和生态性消融于普通财产的财产属性和独占使用之中。鉴于“公产法定,私产推定”立法模式能够实现自然资源领域政治国家与市民社会之间的利益平衡,并且“公产法定”具有限制国家公权、保障公众对特定自然资源的平等利用权等制度功能,应以国有自然资源资产的分类管理为逻辑主线,重构自然资源国家所有权客体制度:一是明确自然资源为不动产的物权法地位,借助自然资源不动产登记单元和“复杂物”概念对具有特定生态功能的同一自然资源登记单元的不同自然资源的整合功能,将其纳入传统民法物权客体理论的调整之中。二是依据不同自然资源社会属性之强弱,将国有自然资源资产区分为公产和私产,建立分类调整的规则体系,防范公产之上的国家所有权“遁入私法”。三是物权立法应直接明确国有自然资源资产受公法和私法的双重调整,可以公法和私法相互配合的方式行使所有权。四是国家和集体所有之外的资源原则上可自由利用。     

土地开发对城市经济增长的作用机制和传导路径——基于结构方程模型的实证检验

已有文献对土地开发、土地收入与城市经济增长间的关系进行了大量探讨,但未能揭示土地开发对城市经济增长的作用机制和传导路径,尤其是没有区分土地开发对城市经济增长的直接和间接影响,直接影响主要是土地开发收入用于城市基础设施建设带来的投资效应,间接影响包括土地开发收入通过改善城市基础设施和公共服务、增强对产业和人口的吸引力对城市经济增长的促进作用。本文构建了反映土地收入对城市经济增长的作用机制和传导路径的结构方程模型,利用285个城市2000—2010年以及2011—2013年的差分数据进行了实证检验。结果表明:土地开发收入显著促进了城市经济增长。2000—2010年间,土地出让收入每增长1个标准单位,城区GDP将增长3.09标准单位,其中土地开发收入的直接影响为0.35标准单位,间接影响为2.74标准单位。土地开发通过改善城市基础设施和公共服务、增强对产业集聚和常住人口吸引力的间接效应远大于用于城市基础设施建设投资的直接效应,在间接效应中,吸引产业集聚的影响大于吸引常住人口的影响。不同类型城市土地开发收入对城市GDP的直接影响和间接影响的程度不同。     

Can food safety policy-making be both scientifically and democratically legitimated? If so,how?

This paper provides an analysis of the evolution of thinking and talking about the role of scientific knowledge and expertise in food safety policy-making, and in risk policy-making more generally from the late 19th century to the present day. It highlights the defining characteristics of several models that have been used to represent and interpret the relations between policy-makers and expert scientific advisors and between scientific and political considerations. Both conceptual and empirical strengths and weaknesses of those models are identified, focusing in particular on the ways in which they deal with scientific uncertainties and social choices. By drawing on both empirical evidence and conceptual analysis, a novel and more realistic model is provided along with an account of some conditions for food safety policy-making achieving both scientific and democratic legitimacy.     

Why Are People Skeptical about Climate Change? Some Insights from Blog Comments

Surveys of public opinion show that a significant minority of the population are skeptical about climate change, and many suggest that doubt is increasing. The Internet, in particular the blogosphere, provides a vast and relatively untapped resource of data on the thinking of climate skeptics. This paper focuses on one particular example where over 150 climate skeptics provide information on their background, opinion on climate change, and reasons for their skepticism. Although these data cannot be regarded as representative of the general public, it provides a useful insight into the reasoning of those who publicly question climate science on the Web. Points of note include the high level of educational background, the significant numbers who appear to have been converted from a position of climate concern to one of skepticism, and the influence of blogs on both sides of the climate debate.     

Establishing public accountability,speaking truth to power and inducing political will for disaster risk reduction: ‘Ocho Rios + 25’

The problem is that disaster risk reduction (DRR) is still more a zone of political darkness than of light. Therefore, the purpose of our contribution to this theme issue is to illuminate at least some of that zone of political darkness and to suggest a more proactive, but for many career professionals a personally problematic, way forward for DRR. The career problematic derives from the fact that the way forward would involve moving from applauding the emergence of elected and/or appointed champions (from mayors to cabinet ministers to presidents/prime ministers) for action to raising the political costs of inaction by leaders not otherwise disposed. The essential element of this way forward would be greatly enhanced public accountability. We will draw preliminary accountability lessons from the Haiti earthquake catastrophe and the Chile earthquake disaster 2010 events towards the conclusion of this paper as we outline a possible future paradigm.     

宁波市常用家电产品回收回用调查分析

通过对宁波市居民的家电产品系列问题的随即抽样问卷调查,阐述了宁波家电拥有量、使用寿命、更新原因和速率、居民购买家电和处理废旧家电时环保意识和行为,了解了本地区废旧家电的基本情况以及废旧家电处理的途径,在对调查数据进行分析的基础上,给出了结论和建议。     

高校预防和处理突发公共事件研究

提出了高校预防和处理突发公共事件应坚持统一领导、分级负责、反应及时、措施果断、依靠科学、加强合作的原则。阐述了高校应对突发公共事件应建立值班制度、物资采购及供应制度、信息采集、报告、发布、上报制度和检查监督制度和成立指挥领导组、抢险应急组、医疗抢救组、后勤保障组、教学组织组、学生管理组、安全保卫组、信息管理组、检查监督组组织机构的预防预警机制。阐述了事件发生时高校应按照预警预案做好组织人员、调配物资、抢救伤员、保护现场等应急处理机制;最后,进一步阐述了伤亡人员处理、财产损失处理、教学工作恢复,事件原因调查,突发公共事件评估,事件责任追究、总结表彰的善后处理机制。     

加强生产领域公共安全监管问题的思考

对生产领域公共安全及其综合监督管理,是当前安全生产管理工作亟待研究和解决的问题.本文从公共安全、生产领域公共安全、职业安全的内涵关系入手,分析了生产领域公共安全监管存在的突出问题,从综合监管的体制和机制的层面上,在基本思路、法律制度、工作体系、统计制度和监管手段等方面,提出了加强生产领域公共安全监管的措施建议,并作了一些思考和探索.