The aim of this article is to examine how the structure of legislation can nurture accessibility and effectiveness of legislation. |
Article |
Structure of Legislation: A Paradigm for Accessibility and Effectiveness |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 3 2015 |
Keywords | effectiveness of legislation, structure of legislation, accessibility of legislation, quality drafting, clarity |
Authors | Elohor Onoge |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Article |
Can Imprisonment Be Cheaper? The Case for Private Prisons |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 4 2015 |
Keywords | costs, criminal law, law and economics, private prisons, privatization |
Authors | Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Custody is the most expensive method of punishment in the Western world, as compared to other alternatives. Although expensive, prison is an indispensible instrument to deal with judgement proof or dangerous offenders. Hence, by using the law and economics approach, this article explores prison privatization as an instrument for less expensive incarceration. This method has the potential to reduce the prison costs without hampering its quality. However, a restructuring of the current contracts is needed to achieve this purpose. The attention given to the topic of private prisons by the law and economics scholars, especially in the European context, is limited, and this article attempts to fill this gap. The present article applies arguments from the bureaucracy and political science literature to explain the inefficiencies of public prisons. Subsequently, the potential problems of private prisons are presented through the principle-agent model and solutions are offered. |
Article |
The Minor in Divorce-Related Judicial Proceedings in the Netherlands and GermanyRights to a Special Representative and to Be Heard in Person |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 2 2015 |
Keywords | procedural (in)capacity, conflict of interests, the right to a special representative, the right to be heard in person |
Authors | Maximilian Strutz PhD and Evelien Verhagen PhD |
AbstractAuthor's information |
This contribution examines the extent to which a minor is involved in divorce-related judicial proceedings in the Netherlands and Germany. The discussion will concentrate exclusively on the rights of the minor to a special representative and to be heard in person. The purpose of this contribution is to identify the uncertainties and bottlenecks that arise in both legal systems. |
Article |
The Rule of Law Reform and Judicial Education in PakistanSearch for a Model |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 1 2015 |
Keywords | judicial education, rule of law reform, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, militancy, Pakistan |
Authors | Khurshid Iqbal |
AbstractAuthor's information |
The article investigates the intrinsic and instrumental roles of judicial education in broader contours of the rule of law theory and reform practice in a developing country. It focuses on: firstly, the relationship between judicial education and the rule of law theory and reform practice; secondly, whether and how judicial education can promote the rule of law; and third, the challenges to a successful judicial education in strengthening the rule of law. Examining Pakistan as a case study, the article explores challenges to judicial education in Pakistan and critically assesses Pakistan’s rule of law reform efforts to overcome those challenges. Evidence shows that key challenges to judicial education in Pakistan are lack of a national judicial educational vision and a well thought out policy, coordinated efforts to training needs assessment, curriculum and faculty, research and learning best practices, as means of development and innovation. Of special concern is the role of judicial education in promoting the rule of law to address security issues embedded in (bad) governance. The article finds that in view of its initial limited success, the judicial academy of Pakistan’s terrorism-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province may play a role model to improve judicial services and thereby help promote the rule of law in a post-conflict society. |
Article |
Extra-Marital Children and Their Right to Inherit from Their Fathers in BotswanaA Critical Appraisal |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 1 2015 |
Keywords | extra-marital children, inheritance, fathers, Botswana, human rights |
Authors | Obonye Jonas |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Despite the fact that in recent years a number of states have extended to non-marital children many of the legal rights previously exclusively granted to legitimate children, Botswana still denies non-marital children a wide constellation of their basic rights. One such area where the rights of non-marital children are violated in Botswana is inheritance. In terms of the law of succession of Botswana, extra-marital children have no real legal rights to inherit from and through their father, both at customary law and Common Law. This article discusses and analyses the rule that excludes non-marital children from inheriting from and through their fathers under the two systems of laws. Its central claim is that this rule is antithetical to extra-marital children’s rights to equality, non-discrimination, and dignity. The article argues that the rule is devoid of social currency, has no place in a democratic society, and must be abolished. |
Article |
Goodwill/Intangibles Accounting Rules, Earnings Management, and Competition |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 1 2015 |
Keywords | fraud, mergers and acquisitions, Games economic psychology, regulation, goodwill and intangibles |
Authors | Michael I.C. Nwogugu |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Intangible assets account for 60%-75% of the market capitalization value in most developed stock markets around the world. The US GAAP and IFRS Goodwill and Intangibles accounting regulations (ASC 805, Business Combinations; ASC 350, Goodwill and Intangible Assets; IFRS-3R, Business Combinations; and IAS 38, Accounting for Intangible Assets) are inefficient and create potentially harmful psychological biases. These regulations facilitate earnings management and money laundering, reduce competition within industries, and are likely to increase the incidence of fraud and misconduct. This article introduces a new goodwill/intangibles disclosure/accounting model that can reduce the incidence of fraud, information asymmetry, moral hazard, adverse selection, and inaccuracy. The article also introduces new economic psychological theories that can explain fraud, misconduct, and non-compliance arising from the implementation of the goodwill/intangibles accounting rules. |
Article |
Regulating Genetic Discrimination in the European UnionPushing the EU into Unchartered Territory or Ushering in a New Genomic Era? |
Journal | European Journal of Law Reform, Issue 1 2015 |
Keywords | genetics, regulation, discrimination, data protection, European Union |
Authors | Aisling de Paor and Delia Ferri |
AbstractAuthor's information |
Against the backdrop of rapid developments in genetic science and technology, one of the main concerns arising in this area is the potential use of genetic testing to discriminate, especially in the employment and insurance contexts. Employers and insurance companies may use the results of genetic tests to discriminate (primarily for economic advantage), based on perceptions of future health risks or future disabilities. This article explores the scope for an EU to effectively address genetic discrimination and the misuse of genetic information. It first provides a theoretical overview of the choice of regulatory frameworks. It then examines the scope and protection of current non- discrimination laws in the EU and investigates the possibility of an EU level response to address the misuse of genetic information. |