Legislative Research Articles

Planning the Green New Deal: Climate Justice and the Politics of Sites and Scales

Climate change and the rise of a grassroots–legislative political–environmental movement in the United States should change how urban planners think and act on spatial change and social justice. After the 2018 U.S. elections, organizing movements and progressive legislators endorsed the Green New Deal. In this Viewpoint I look at the Green New Deal’s potential implications for urban planning. I analyze it in reference to the 1930s’ New Deal inspirations and current climate and urban challenges, and illustrate the contradictions between large-scale spatial change and community-scale social justice. I explain how the imperatives of the Green New Deal, in conjunction with the shifting sites, scales, and politics of planning for climate change, should encourage planners to reframe their spaces and politics of practice toward a reconceptualized urban regional scale and a new politics of more public participation.

Slaves and Slavery in Kingston, 1770–1815

AbstractHistorians have mostly ignored Kingston and its enslaved population, despite it being the fourth largest town in the British Atlantic before the American Revolution and the town with the largest enslaved population in British America before emancipation. The result of such historiographical neglect is a lacuna in scholarship. In this article, I examine one period of the history of slavery in Kingston, from when the slave trade in Jamaica was at its height, from the early 1770s through to the early nineteenth century, and then after the slave trade was abolished but when slavery in the town became especially important. One question I especially want to explore is how Kingston maintained its prosperity even after its major trade – the Atlantic slave trade – was stopped by legislative fiat in 1807.

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Деякі аспекти правового режиму воєнного стану в Україні: порядок введення та припинення дії

В останні роки, на тлі російської збройної агресії проти нашої держави, певними українськими політиками, громадськими діячами, у засобах масової інформації час від часу порушуються питання щодо необхідності уведення в Україні правового режиму воєнного стану. Разом з тим, як показала практика, законодавче врегулювання питання уведення правового режиму воєнного стану не відповідало умовам, що склались під час російської збройної агресії проти України. Тому керівництвом держави було ініційоване внесення суттєвих змін до законодавства для правового забезпечення протидії збройній агресії РФ, зокрема й у питанні запровадження правового режиму воєнного стану. Метою статті є: на основі проведеного аналізу положень вітчизняного законодавства та міжнародного гуманітарного права, досвіду запровадження в листопаді-грудні минулого року в Україні положення правового режиму воєнного стану, розкрити його сутність, мету, заходи, а також основні питання порядку його уведення та припинення дії. У статті розтлумачені і систематизовані поняття: воєнний конфлікт − форма розв’язання міждержавних або внутрішньодержавних суперечностей із двостороннім застосуванням воєнної сили. Основними видами воєнних конфліктів є війна та збройний конфлікт ; локальна війна − війна між двома чи більше державами, у якій воєнні дії обмежені територіями воюючих держав та переслідують воєнно-політичні цілі, що зачіпають переважно інтереси лише цих держав (територіальні, політичні, економічні тощо); регіональна війна − війна, що охоплює певний регіон (частину континенту) за участю всіх чи більшості держав регіону та з метою досягнення воєнно-політичних цілей, що зачіпають інтереси цих держав; інші ‑ особливий правовий режим, особливі повноваження, особливий період, воєнний стан. Викладені у статті результати проведеного наукового дослідження щодо правового режиму воєнного стану дозволить більш системно та цілеспрямовано його запроваджувати органами виконавчої влади, органами місцевого самоврядування та органами військового управління, а також використовувати у навчальному процесі Національного університету оборони України імені Івана Черняховського та інших навчальних закладах.

Will Oregon’s legislature choose resiliency?

Will Oregon’s legislature choose resiliency?

GAME OF THRONES: THE BATTLE OF THE MPHEPHUS

South Africa, like the whole of Africa and many parts of the world, was not immune to Western civilisation, and this ‘civilisation’ was accompanied by the imposition of Western ideas, laws, cultures and traditions, and many other attributes of conquest.3 African law was infiltrated and distorted beyond recognition, resulting in the origination of ‘official’ customary law, which remains stagnant and incapable of accounting for the needs, values and circumstances of an ever-changing society.4 This study looks at the battle for the Vhavenda kingship/queenship between Masindi Mphephu (hereafter ‘Masindi’) and Toni Peter Mphephu (hereafter ‘Toni’) and contends that the Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision was correct in light of the values enshrined in our constitutional democracy.5 This is done by looking at the decision pertaining to the principle of male primogeniture in Bhe and Others v Khayelitsha Magistrate and Others (hereafter ‘the Bhe case’) and succession in Shilubana and Others v Nwamitwa (hereafter ‘the Shilubana case’).6 Throughout this study, the adoption of ‘living’ customary law by judicial systems and the legislature is proposed as a catalyst towards the transformation of customary law.7 Finally, this study contends that the pronouncement of Masindi as queen would be a step towards the transformation of customary law.

A Storm of Controversy Over Toronto’s Legislative Buildings

A Storm of Controversy Over Toronto’s Legislative Buildings

Afghanistan Legislative Commitments to the WTO: A Deeper Look at Afghanistan's Compliance with TRIPS

Afghanistan Legislative Commitments to the WTO: A Deeper Look at Afghanistan's Compliance with TRIPS

Between Regulatory Reticence & Legislative Rush: Internet Lawmaking in Ethiopia

Between Regulatory Reticence & Legislative Rush: Internet Lawmaking in Ethiopia

"We Sympathise with the Mines for Pilfery That Goes on but …": African Interests in Gold Coast Mines, Protecting Gold, and the Politics of Legislation, 1907–1948

For decades, the British colonial establishment in the Gold Coast believed that setting its gaze on goldsmiths was pivotal to eliminating pilfery of gold from the mines. This assumption, commonly without concrete proof, hardened colonial paranoia and was shared with Ashanti Goldfields Corporation. Both entities thought that the continuous access to gold by goldsmiths, coupled with increasing gold theft were enough basis to surveil goldsmiths—the supposed pivotal actors in a fledging illicit trade in stolen mine gold. Yet, the problem remained. As this study shows, there was a paucity of successful prosecutions against persons caught in possession of stolen mine gold, and none against a goldsmith. Ultimately, it is argued that from 1907 to 1948, central colonial laws meant to regulate the growing gold mining industry and protect its finds in the Gold Coast reveal negotiations that more than realizing their primary principle(s), increasingly limited access to gold by many indigenes. While the latter sustained an emergent illicit market for pilfered gold from the mines, it simultaneously sparked a misplaced colonial state-led surveillance that targeted goldsmiths.

Challenging the wisdom on preferential proportional representation

The conclusion to the special issue takes stock of both the first and the second generations of research on preferential proportional representation (PR) and electoral personalism. The article uses this appraisal in order to locate this project’s achievements within extant scholarship. It argues that the project not only reevaluates but also challenges the wisdom on preferential PR. In challenging the canon, the project enriches the study of electoral institutions, political parties, legislative politics, comparative politics, and political science more broadly.

Fake news and legislative politics: Search for methods other than content regulation

Fake news and legislative politics: Search for methods other than content regulation

Legislative policy assignment on Commercial Arbitration Promotion

Legislative policy assignment on Commercial Arbitration Promotion

A Curb on Tainted Legislators

Criminalisation of politics is a serious problem in Indian democracy .inaction on the part of legislature and executive is making the situation worse .but, the judiciary is consistently trying to establish court an criminalisation of politics recently the supreme court in public interest foundation case issued some direction in this earlier , in lily Thomas case, it declared the MPS and MLAS to be disqualified for holding membership on conviction without giving three months time for appeal .various aspects of the issue have critically been analysed in this research paper.

АНАЛІЗ ПІДХОДІВ ДО ОЦІНЮВАННЯ РОЗРИВУ ЗА ПОДАТКОМ НА ДОДАНУ ВАРТІСТЬ

Стаття присвячена дослідженню сутності та особливостей формування податкових розривів за податком на додану вартість. На основі аналізу існуючого теоретичного та практичного досвіду детінізації економіки проведено систематизацію підходів до оцінювання податкових розривів, визначено їх характерні риси та особливості. Аналіз існуючих практик оцінювання податкових розривів за ПДВ засвідчив відсутність уніфікованого підходу до їх оцінки, низький рівень апробації отриманих результатів в Україні, відсутність законодавчого врегулювання питань оцінювання та управління податковими розривами на рівні органів законодавчої та виконавчої влади. За результатами аналізу зроблено висновок про доцільність дослідження проблеми постійного зростання частки тіньового сектору економіки, в тому числі і за рахунок ухилення від виконання платниками своїх податкових зобов’язань за допомогою оцінювання обсягу податкових розривів.

ASSESSING AN INDIVIDUAL’S WELL-BEING THROUGH THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIFE AND WORK

The quality of working conditions have a direct impact on the individuals’ quality of life and level of well-being. Attention to well-being in work environments has become a matter of great interest for legislators. However, the well-being concept has not yet found a legal definition. The first commitment to achieve a global well-being strategy was made by the World Health Organisation. The European Union claims that a positive relationship between work and well-being is a necessary factor to reach greater economic and social progress, since full and quality employment is one of the main elements of economic stability and social cohesion in a country. The Italian regulatory framework consists of various legislative provisions: the importance of the workers’ good health and quality of life has generated a complex regulatory system. In the digital society the potential health risks associated with the use of IT tools and the risk of an increased overlapping between work and personal life should not be overlooked.

TEMPOS E ESPAÇOS DE GINÁSTICA: SENTIDOS E SENSIBILIDADES QUE SE EDUCAM

O artigo tem como objetivo observar prescrições sobre a definição dos espaços e dos tempos para a prática da ginástica nas escolas, no período compreendido entre as três últimas décadas do século XIX e as duas primeiras do século XX. Para a sua escrita, foram mobilizadas diferentes fontes documentais, como programas de ensino, propostas legislativas e manuais de ginástica. A partir das análises foi possível perceber que a escolarização da ginástica representou não apenas a resposta a um novo tipo de sensibilidade, mas a sua produção, como a própria definição de novos valores e costumes na viragem dos oitocentos para o início do século XX.

Public-Private Partnership: Its Essence and Specificity

The article justifies public-private partnership from the point of view of domestic and foreign theory and practice, since the state is the initiator of the vast majority of public-private partnership projects. Therefore, there is a specific partnership between the state and business, which depends on the goals, objectives, priorities of economic policy, legislative and the regulatory and legal framework, the administrative structure and functions of government bodies, the level of development of society and legal culture. It is determined that a public-private partnership should be viewed not as a simple combination of state and business resources, but as a technology for developing economic relations that combines state business and other government corrective actions with the ability to attract private investment and private business competencies to solve social and economic problems.

Environmental Crimes and Preventive Strategies

Background and Aim: Nowadays, the environment and its protection have become one of the most important social and bioethics issues in the world of humanity. This study was conducted to investigate environmental crimes and provide prevention strategies. Materials and methods: In this analytical study, published materials related to the topic were collected and analyzed using library method. Then, recommendations have provided based on a preventive and ethical approach. Findings: In general, the most important environmental problems are air pollution caused by industrial activities, pollution of water resources through the entry of urban and industrial wastewater into rivers, the lack of standardization in urban waste management, soil pollution due to the input of toxic substances and construction waste. Some environmental offenses include threats to public health, deliberate destruction of trees, excessive livestock grazing, unauthorized construction. Among the ways to prevent such crimes include legislative changes, conduct training courses for lawyers, the use of alternative prison sentences and the participation of people and NGOs in preventing environmental crimes. Also, criminal offenses enacted by legal entities and their importance require a criminal liability plan. Conclusion: Environmental crimes are one of the most important problems of human communities that have the ability to destroy it by affecting all aspects of community's life. Therefore, public participation in environmental protection in the form of NGOs, promoting community culture through mass media and cyberspace and updating the rules and regulations in this area are recommended. Please cite this article as: Kashkoulian E, Sheikholeslami A, Naghavi M. Environmental Crimes and Preventive Strategies. Bioethics Journal 2019; 9(32): 101-110.

Language Situation and Language Legislation of Ukraine in the Context of Experience of the Countries with Similar Historical Background

The paper highlights the peculiarities of language legislation in Ukraine as compared to the corresponding laws of some other countries that have experienced similar language problems concerning the abuse of the national language and forcing the language of the invader. Special attention has been paid to the description of the language laws of Latvia, Lithuania and Republic of Korea as compared to the newly adopted language law of Ukraine. The text of the laws on the languages of Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Korea and Ukraine were the material of the study. As a supporting material, the texts of the constitutions of Latvia, Ukraine, Moldova, as well as Basic Law: Israel – The Nation-State of the Jewish People, the language law of France, the European Charter for Regional Languages, were used. Many common features have been observed in language legislation of the above-mentioned countries. However, Ukraine seems to have a number of problems concerning implementation of the legislative decisions related to financial issues as well as sporadic character of legal procedures which leads to lack of real legislative mechanisms of language conflict regulation and state control of language legislation implementation.