Order of Precedence Between Local Laws of Cities with Subordinate Districts and Regulations of Provincial Governments Clarifying Premises for Discussion Based on the Characteristics of Laws

The lack of descriptions regarding the order of precedence between the local laws of cities with subordinate districts and the regulations of provincial governments in Legislation Law of the People's Republic of China(Legislation Law) has led to two divergent views. One holds that "the local laws of cities with subordinate districts should take precedence over the regulations of provincial governments," while the other supports the exact opposite. This is a value judgment issue in legislation. To reach a solution, we need to clarify the premises based on the characteristics of the laws in question so that a basic common ground can be established for discussion. The first premise for traditional legislation is that a law should be based on experience as well as logic; the second is that the experience of authority subjects, plus the three aspects of logic should outweigh the experience of social subjects, plus the three aspects of logic. With respect to postmodern legislation, the first premise is that experience should override logic, and the second is that the experience of the authority subject should take precedence over that of social subject, with no requirements for logical consistency. Since Legislation Law fal s into the category of postmodern legislation, according to the premises, the argument that the local laws of cities with subordinate districts should take precedence enjoys wider acceptance, but the view is logically challenged in terms of conceptual consistency, system consistency and principle consistency. More studies must be conducted to facilitate the discussion.

Central environmental protection inspection and carbon emission reduction: A tripartite evolutionary game model from the perspective of carbon neutrality

Since the carbon neutrality target was proposed,many countries have been facing severe challenges to carbon emission reduction sustainably.This study is conducted using a tripartite evolutionary game model to explore the impact of the central environmental protection inspection(CEPI)on driving carbon emission reduction,and to study what factors influence the strategic choices of each party and how they interact with each other.The research results suggest that local governments and manufacturing enterprises would choose strategies that are beneficial to carbon reduction when CEPI increases.When the initial willingness of all parties increases 20%,50%—80%,the time spent for the whole system to achieve stability decreases from 100%,60%—30%.The evolutionary result of“thorough inspection,regulation implementation,low-carbon management”is the best strategy for the tripartite evolutionary game.Moreover,the smaller the cost and the larger the benefit,the greater the likelihood of the three-party game stability strategy appears.This study has important guiding significance for other developing countries to promote carbon emission reduction by environmental policy.

Transfer payments from the central government to the local governments and the local governments' efforts on taxation: taking China as an example

The influence of the transfer payments from the central government to the local governments on the local governments＇ efforts on taxation must be taken into consideration by every country for the design of the transfer payments. Based on the theoretical analysis on the influence of the transfer payments from the central government to the local governments＇ on the local governments＇ payments＇, this paper indicates that the local governments＇ efforts on taxation depends on the demand elasticity of the district for public goods, It increases with the increase of the elasticity. Judge the degree of the local govet：nment＇s efforts on taxation by measure 2. After an empirical analysis on the transJer payments from the central government to the local governments＇from 2000 to 2004, this paper gets the con- clusion that the local governments＇ effbrts on taxation ctbates with the increase of supporting payments or with the increase of the ratio of transfer payments to local wiliing public paymentS. Under speCific Circumstances, the higher the ratio of transfer payments to the local fiscal expenditure is. the smaller the local governments＇ efforts＇ on taxation is＂ under the central payments, whereas＇ the higher the local income is, the higher the efforts is under the central pav- ments. Based on this＇, this paper gives the meaning of its eOrresponding pofiCieS. ＂

Female-biased Dispersal of the Emei Moustache Toad (Leptobrachium boringii) under Local Resource Competition

Dispersal is an important area of ecological and evolutionary research.Although many studies have been conducted in mammals and birds,dispersal pattern in amphibians is still unclear.To verify dispersal patterns of amphibians,an endangered species the Emei Moustache Toad(Leptobrachium boringii)was selected.In this study,we analyzed six genetic parameters:inbreeding coefficient(F_(IS)),gene diversity(H_S),the mean of corrected assignment index(mAI_C),the variance of corrected assignment index(vAI_C),relatedness(r)for all three years together and each year separately based on eight highly polymorphic microsatellite loci.Data in totaled across years and each year for 581 individuals captured during 2013–2015 revealed a significant female-biased dispersal pattern.Significantly higher F_(IS) and H_S in females,and lower mAI_C and r for each year separately in females support that L.boringii displays femalebiased dispersal,although r for the total dataset and vAI_C tests did not show significant differences between the sexes.Female-biased dispersal patterns may be explained by the local resource competition hypothesis.

“Scrambling”: Logic of horizontal competition between local governments based on three cases of interprovincial disaster counterpart support

Interprovincial counterpart support is a cooperative system used by local governments to achieve horizontal flow of resources based on cross-regional cooperation.Existing research has mainly focused on governance ef‐ficiency,institutional advantages,and ranking incentives while ignoring the scrambling behavior and opera‐tional mechanisms of local governments formed by ranking incentives and territorial responsibilities.This study selected the Wenchuan earthquake,Yushu earthquake,and COVID-19 as three typical cases.We con‐structed a theoretical framework for competition among provincial local governments and found that competi‐tion in interprovincial disaster counterpart support followed a dual behavioral logic of“striving to be first”and“fear of being last”.Specifically,local governments will choose striving to be first under the logic of time coercion,content games,and territorial responsibility;they will choose fear of being last under the logic of re‐sponsibility avoidance and moral pressure.This type of scrambling-based horizontal competition reflects the logic of local government competition tournaments.This study further revealed the specific processes,mecha‐nisms,and results of horizontal local government competition,which can provide inspiration for cross regional and provincial cooperation.

Research of Mechanism on the Impact of Local Governmental Competition on Farmland Conversion

In the perspective of local governmental competition, the impact of local governmental competition on farmland conversion is analyzed in terms of political competition, factors competition and products competition, and the empirical analysis is conducted according to the provincial data from 2002 to 2007. The results show that the endowment of land resources correlates negatively with the scale of farmland conversion, and the population, the tendency of exceeding capital investment and the competition of research and development input correlate positively with the scale of farmland conversion. According to these research results, corresponding policies and countermeasures are put forward: we should overhaul the system of performance evaluation of local governmental officials; we should normalize the local governmental competitive behavior.

The Relationship between Local Government and the Development of Industrial Clusters

Apart from spontaneous market force, the development of industrial clusters is indispensable from government role in that their development entails the guidance and support from local governments. During the development process, local governments play an extremely important role. On the basis of former research results, the author raises that while developing industrial clusters, local governments should play their important role by formulating a scientific and complete policy supporting system.

A Memetic Algorithm With Competition for the Capacitated Green Vehicle Routing Problem

In this paper, a memetic algorithm with competition(MAC) is proposed to solve the capacitated green vehicle routing problem(CGVRP). Firstly, the permutation array called traveling salesman problem(TSP) route is used to encode the solution, and an effective decoding method to construct the CGVRP route is presented accordingly. Secondly, the k-nearest neighbor(k NN) based initialization is presented to take use of the location information of the customers. Thirdly, according to the characteristics of the CGVRP, the search operators in the variable neighborhood search(VNS) framework and the simulated annealing(SA) strategy are executed on the TSP route for all solutions. Moreover, the customer adjustment operator and the alternative fuel station(AFS) adjustment operator on the CGVRP route are executed for the elite solutions after competition. In addition, the crossover operator is employed to share information among different solutions. The effect of parameter setting is investigated using the Taguchi method of design-ofexperiment to suggest suitable values. Via numerical tests, it demonstrates the effectiveness of both the competitive search and the decoding method. Moreover, extensive comparative results show that the proposed algorithm is more effective and efficient than the existing methods in solving the CGVRP.

Analysis on Local Government's Illegal Occupation of Cultivated Land Using Game Theory

In order to find out reasons for local government illegally occupying cultivated land and reduce such acts to ensure China's grain security,this paper made an analysis through building the single person game model for local government's legal or illegal occupation of cultivation land.It reached the conclusion that the benefit obtained by local government from illegal occupation of cultivated land is far greater than cost and punishment of such illegal acts.Illegal act is an optimal choice of local government to maximize its benefits,which is also the major reason for its illegal occupation of cultivated land.Thus,to reduce these illegal acts of local government,it should reduce benefits of local government obtained from illegal occupation of cultivated land,and increase costs for illegal occupation of cultivated land.

The Transformation of Environmental Governance from the Point of the Interaction between Government and National People's Congress

Taking cadmium pollution in X River as an example, the interaction between National People＇s Congress and local government was de- scribed. How the local government transforms its role in environment protection with the help of several deputies to National People＇s Congress was expounded from the angle of social construction, which also enlightened the way to build an environment protection road with Chinese characteristics.

The relationship between resource and environmental regulation and industrial competitiveness

The reason why materials on earth are divided into "resources" and "waste" is fundamentally dependent on the level of industrial technology and the scale of industrial demand. The only viable option for humans to end their resource and environmental predicament is to resolutely and efficiently push forward industrialization. At present, China’s industrial development is still at a stage of severe resource and environmental deterioration. The fact that industrial production activity is becoming cleaner does not mean that industrial production has reached the satisfactory level of resource conservation and environmental protection. On the contrary, as China is still at the intermediate stage of industrialization, it is imperative to go ahead with massive resource consumption amid heavy industrial development. China’s industrial production has led to severe resource waste and environmental pollution. Therefore, strengthening resource and environmental regulation and enhancing regulatory effectiveness are still a very important, though tough, issue for China to address in its industrialization process at the present time. The fundamental objectives of government regulation of resources and the environment are: i) to realize the viable objective of resource conservation and environmental protection; and ii) to maintain an effective order of fair competition. An effective and feasible way toward resource and environmental regulation is to realize the resource conservation and environmental protection policy objectives and help improve the long-term industrial and corporate competitiveness, with a special emphasis on boosting the international competitiveness of China’s industry under the rule of fair competition. Moderate and reasonable regulatory intensity requires imposing effective constraints on corporate behavior without going beyond the maximum level of affordability dictated by the current level of industrial and corporate competitiveness, with a special focus on striking the right balance between the principles of economic efficiency and social benefits.

Analytical Framework Model for Capacity Needs Assessment and Strategic Capacity Development within the Local Government Structure in Tanzania

This is a methodological paper prepared by senior academicians, researchers and consultants from renowned universities in Tanzania. The paper provides insights as to how best development agents can approach the challenge of capacity needs assessment and development of capacity building programs in the context of the local government structure in Tanzania. The paper is of original nature and is based on author’s accumulated knowledge and practice in conducting capacity assessments and developing capacity building programs in Tanzania. The paper describes what can be considered to be best practices in conducting participatory capacity assessment through consultative processes which involves most of the key actors who would be engaged in implementing proposed interventions. The paper puts forward an analytical model for capacity assessment and program development in the Tanzanian context. The main features of the model can be summarized as participatory capacity assessment, strategic capacity building program development and complementarity through synergy building with like-minded stakeholders. The operational modality for utilizing the model in developing capacity building programs which among other components has monitoring and evaluation aspects is included. It is recommended that practitioners and development agents should test the model in their working environments to realize its potential benefits including program ownership by stakeholders.

Local Government Behavior behind China's Excessive Investment under Decentralization——Theoretical and Empirical Analysis Based on Manufacturing Sector

This paper investigates the effect of local government intervention on capital deepening of manufacturing sector by using interprovincial panel data sets of 28 Chinese provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions between 1994 and 2011.Theoretical research indicates that as a transitional economy,China's local government intervention in corporate investment behaviors will cause excessive investment,thus bringing about a long-term and sustained tendency of capital deepening in manufacturing sector.Empirical test further discovers that in a certain range,the phenomenon of capital deepening in manufacturing sector is not an inevitable result endogenous to economic development and technology progress,and that investment behaviors of manufacturing sector are largely subject to the external institutional environment.Fiscal decentralization has indeed promoted capital deepening of manufacturing sector.Financial credit expansion and interventions in SOEs are major instruments for local governments to intervene in the capital deepening of manufacturing sector and such an influence is particularly significant for China's central,western and northeast regions.Therefore,clarifying government functions and improving local government performance review mechanism are of great significance to the healthy development of China's manufacturing sector.

The E-Government in Local Governance and Its Contribution to the Regional Development: A Comparative Study

The purpose of this article is to designate the impact of the implementation of e-governance in municipalities and to suggest some proposals for further growth. More specific, in the first chapter, there is a theoretical approach of e-governance by presenting its definition and describing the current situation of the progression of e-governance to these municipalities. In the second chapter, it is presented a comparison between these municipalities about the implementation and progress of e-governance among them. Finally, in the third and last chapter, there are the conclusions and some proposals for future growth of e-governance to these municipalities.

The Dimensions and Management of China-US Financial Competition

During a period of profound adjustments to the international power structure,China-US financial competition may intensify and lead to a crisis for the international financial system and even the international power system.The China-US financial relationship is structured in mainly four dimensions:the international monetary system,bilateral financial exchanges,the international financial system and the construction of international financial and/or economic concepts.Management of this competition relationship is thereby four-pronged:managing the relationship between the RMB and the US dollar in the international monetary system,the China-US bilateral creditor-debtor relationship,the indirect China-US relationship in global financial governance organizations and normative frameworks,and the divergence of both countries in regard to their economic ideologies.In particular,to stabilize the international monetary system,China should postpone the strategic confrontation between the RMB and the US dollar,strengthening their complementarity and cooperation based on market choice and their monetary function.Meanwhile,China should be prudent as a creditor to the United States,neither coerced by its over-reliance on American financial markets,nor tempted to weaponize the US debt by dumping US bonds.Also,before aiming for systematic reforms,China should first aim to become a stakeholder in the current global financial governance system by comprehensively accepting and becoming deeply integrated into it.Finally,China should avoid the economic competition model between China and the United States,and should instead apply the“Chinese Approach”to better facilitate solutions to international problems.These approaches to crisis management aim to help China endure this turbulent period of the international power system with more prudent strategies and policies,and to maintain a relatively stable international financial and economic environment for the sustained rise of its economy and for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Politics of Local Regulation in Tanzania:The Quest for Multilevel Regulatory Governance

Regulation is currently perceived as an art and craft of governance where the regulatory processes are an outcome of interdependences between political actors,bureaucrats,business community,and the public at large.However,it is now extensively recognized that this interdependency is beyond one level of government particularly in the era of decentralization where regulatory outcomes are a result of a complex set of interacting levels.This study concedes that regulatory processes are intrinsically political endeavor.Principally,local government regulatory processes are characterized by multiple actors at different levels of governance,i.e.,the local government itself and stakeholders within its jurisdiction and the central government.In fact power dispersion has a vertical direction consisting of actors stemming from different governmental levels as a consequence of decentralization.The complexities of the relationships of multiple actors at different levels of government and across the same level of government create a number of risks that jeopardize quality local regulation that need to be managed calling for multilevel regulatory governance anchored on effective stakeholder engagement and coordination.Particularly,engagement with local government during the design of new regulations is largely poor resulting in a missed opportunity to have informed decisions that enhance quality local regulation.To augment multilevel governance,it is imperative to improve the interface between central and local government with local authorities recognized as“co-producers”of regulatory outcomes.Effective implementation of Regulatory Impact Assessment(RIA)that safeguards proper analysis of proposed and existing regulation is of paramount importance to ensure evidenced based regulations,analysis of cost implications for the local government,the capacity of LGAs in to implement as well as legitimacy of regulations.Therefore this study examines the political tradeoffs between the central and local government and among other stakeholders.

Financial Reporting Dilemmas for the Maltese Local Government

Maltese Local Councils are required to prepare financial reports compliant with International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS）. Through documentary research, this study examined the suitability of this requirement and implications for institutional relationships. This study showed that IFRS statements are problematic to produce and interpret at the local level of government, and that, on their own, they are undermining the control needs of the Central Government. This study highlighted the important role of financial reporting for accountability by showing that the use of financial reporting systems that do not fit the reporting entity may actually lead to avoidance of accountability by mystifying reality.

The Association Between Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Stock Investment Risk： Empirical Evidence From Thailand

This study examines the association between corporate governance mechanisms （i.e., internal corporate governance, ownership structure, and external corporate govemance） and stock investment risk （i.e., idiosyncratic risk, systematic risk, and total risk of non-financial listed firms in Thailand in 2007）. The multiple regression analysis is employed to test the hypotheses, and the results suggest that firms with higher market power have lower systematic risk. It implies that firms with higher market power can reduce the unavoidable risk when compared with firms that have lower market power. Firms with more media coverage will have higher systematic risk, which indicates that firms which publish more news will have higher unavoidable risk. This research may be the first to provide the evidence of the association between corporate govemance mechanisms and stock investment risk. Interestingly still, this study has utilized the data of Thailand, which is an emerging market economy with a capital market structure different from those of the developed market economies, and the results of this study are anticipated to be applicable to other similar studies in other emerging market economies.

Alternative policy implementation: Theoretical explanation and case analysis of local government's action logic

Since the reform and opening up, the local government has played a key role in promoting the economic and social development of our country, and the effective implementation of the local government has become an important research topic. Therefore, based on the literature, the observation method of in-depth interviews, practice investigation and participation is adopted in this paper, which focuses on the implementation of special groups of social assistance policy. The theoretical framework of government' rational choice reveals the status of local government implementation policies and behavior behind the mechanism and organizational structure. The study found that:(1) the local government is easy to choose a quantifiable policy to implement;(2) there is a coexistence between the local government departments;(3) the local government selectively meets the needs of special personnel;(4) the local government's seeking political promotion and power leads to its behavior alienation.

The AHP-Based Assessment of Public Services With Respect to Different Groups of Customers of Polish Local Government

The situation of the contemporary economic systems is based on their ability to ensure optimal response to the customer needs. There are several important groups of clients, who may determine development processes and who are recipients of public services. They include： residents, entrepreneurs, tourists, and State Treasury. Local governments are equipped with a range of legal instruments to provide public services addressed to the selected clients. The objective of this paper is to present the application of the AHP method to assess the significance of the selected categories of public services for different groups of clients in Poland. The results allow setting priorities for future policy and adjust the tasks to the specific expectations of each group of clients. The model of assessment of public services was built using the analytic hierarchy process （AHP）. Since the 1970＇s, this multicriteria decision-support method has been used by researchers and practitioners in many areas of socioeconomic life. The case study presented in this paper involved 14 experts--public administration workers in one of the districts in Southern Poland. The survey consisted of two stages. First, they assessed--using the AHP--the influence of each group of customers on local development processes. The most important was ＂business＂ （priority 38.7%）, followed by ＂tourists＂ （29.7%）, ＂citizens＂ （26.1%）, and ＂central administration＂ （5.5%）. Second, they evaluated at the five-point Liken scale the influence of over 20 different public services with respect to different groups of clients. The results were aggregated using arithmetic mean and multiplied by the priorities of the clients. The synthesized final score indicated the most significant public activities overall, which were ＂roads＂ （4.16）, ＂transport＂ （3.93）, and ＂tourism＂ （3.84）.