Das europäische Verfassungsprojekt scheiterte an ungünstigen innenpolitischen Umständen. Nun weitet sich der halbherzige Ratifizierungsprozess zu einer Orientierungskrise aus, die auch durch den „Plan D“ der Brüsseler Kommission nicht aufgefangen werden kann. Kernpunkte des Verfassungsentwurfs sollten 2009 erneut zur Diskussion gestellt und in einem paneuropäischen Referendum zur Abstimmung gebracht werden. / The project of the European Constitution failed because of unfavourable circumstances related to domestic affairs. Now the ratification process extends to a crisis of orientation, which cannot be solved by the „Plan D“ of the Brussels-based commission. The essentials of a draft constitution should be presented again for discussion in 2009 and then decided in a pan- European referendum.

Forum: EU-Diplomatie im Jahre 2020

Although previous scholars have addressed the legislative parameters of the Equal Rights Amendment debate in non-ratifying states, analysis of amendment supporters’ rhetoric has been limited. Examining the public and private writings of activists, This thesis presents the argument that pro-ERA coalitions in Georgia addressed the concerns of their opponents and developed rhetoric that deemphasized connections to the radical women’s liberation movement and argued that the ERA would enact legal, rather than social, change. While the educational materials produced by pro-ERA coalitions presented a logical analysis of the amendment’s legal ramifications, the personal discourse of Georgia activists presented an emotional defense of the amendment that has often been overlooked in previous studies.

This study attempts to systematically analyze the determinants of state participation in International Environmental Agreements (IEAs). The study focuses on two core elements: (i) IEA characteristics; and (ii) state characteristics. Hypotheses for state participation in IEAs are formulated based on the two main International Relations theories dealing with cooperation – Realism and Liberalism. The study presents five different models for state participation in IEAs. The first model analyzes the influence of treaty variables, while the remaining four focus on state variables. The second and third models analyze the influence of Realist and Liberal variables respectively. The fourth model specifically focuses on variables which reflect the various socio-economic, political and logistical constraints of developing countries. The fifth model presents an integrated analysis of participation based on the previous models. Results of the study show that participation can be understood in terms of both the Realist and Liberal variables, and that there can be no rarefied partitioning of those factors on participation. More specifically, the study empirically demonstrates that state participation in IEAs is influenced by the following four main factors: (i) the impact of domestic and international institutions (ii) human development; (iii) power motivations; and (iv) IEA design. Policies proposed to increase participation in IEAs therefore have to enhance any positive influence exerted by these parameters, and mitigate their negative influences, if any.

In this study I have attempted to present the reaction of a Northern state, Indiana, to the movement for the adoption and ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The significance of such a study results from the position of this amendment as the foundation of the Republican party's programs of national reconstruction and of Indiana as an important state in the movement for ratification. Of necessity, such a presentation involves a careful examination of the background of the two major political parties in Indiana as well as an investigation of the attitude of the state with regard to earch of the problems with which the Fourteenth Amendment attempted to deal.

This study attempts to systematically analyze the determinants of state participation in International Environmental Agreements (IEAs). The study focuses on two core elements: (i) IEA characteristics; and (ii) state characteristics. Hypotheses for state participation in IEAs are formulated based on the two main International Relations theories dealing with cooperation – Realism and Liberalism. The study presents five different models for state participation in IEAs. The first model analyzes the influence of treaty variables, while the remaining four focus on state variables. The second and third models analyze the influence of Realist and Liberal variables respectively. The fourth model specifically focuses on variables which reflect the various socio-economic, political and logistical constraints of developing countries. The fifth model presents an integrated analysis of participation based on the previous models. Results of the study show that participation can be understood in terms of both the Realist and Liberal variables, and that there can be no rarefied partitioning of those factors on participation. More specifically, the study empirically demonstrates that state participation in IEAs is influenced by the following four main factors: (i) the impact of domestic and international institutions (ii) human development; (iii) power motivations; and (iv) IEA design. Policies proposed to increase participation in IEAs therefore have to enhance any positive influence exerted by these parameters, and mitigate their negative influences, if any.

In my dissertation, I examine factors associated with firms’ submission of auditor selection for shareholder ratification and test if shareholder ratification of auditor selection is associated with the extent of price competition in the audit market (as measured by audit fees) and audit quality (as measured by clients’ earnings management). The dissertation is motivated from the recent recommendation of the U.S. Treasury’s Advisory Committee on Auditing Profession (ACAP) regarding the submission of auditor selection for shareholder ratification votes. The ACAP suggests that this practice may improve the competition in the audit market; yet, there is no empirical evidence supporting the ACAP’s recommendation. My dissertation attempts to fill the gap in the literature on an issue of current interest to the auditing profession. I find that firm size, CEO-Chair duality, insider ownership and institutional ownership are associated with the submission of auditor selection for shareholder ratification vote. However, I do not find an association between audit committee variables and the submission of auditor selection for shareholder ratification vote. The second essay investigates the association between auditor ratification and audit fees. Audit fees are higher in firms that submit auditor selection for shareholder ratification. The finding is not consistent with the increased price competition predicted by the ACAP. The third essay of my dissertation examine whether the submission of auditor selection for shareholder ratification is associated with earnings management. I find that firms that submit auditor selection for shareholder ratification are more likely to have lower level of earnings management. Overall, the results suggest that the same factors that are associated with higher quality monitoring also may be associated with the submission of auditor selection for shareholder ratification vote. The results call into question the one-size-fits-all approach recommended by the ACAP.

El presente estudio investigativo se planteó como propósito Identificar los factores que conllevan a complejizar el proceso de ratificación de ordenanzas distritales con contenido tributario en la Provincia de Lima Metropolitana. El enfoque utilizado es de tipo mixto, de igual manera la población objetivo de este análisis estuvo constituida por 42 funcionarios de las municipalidades distritales que intervienen directamente en el proceso de ratificación de ordenanzas de carácter tributario, en la Provincia de Lima, esta misma cantidad de funcionarios conformaron la muestra del estudio. De igual forma, fue usada la técnica de la observación, las encuesta y entrevistas para obtener la información requerida en el estudio. El instrumento de investigación utilizado consistió en el uso de una encuesta, cuyo cuestionario estuvo constituido por 13 preguntas cerradas con varias alternativas de respuestas, asimismo se utilizó para las entrevistas un cuestionario que consta de 4 preguntas. Pudo concluirse que el proceso de ratificación de ordenanzas con contenido tributario en la provincial de Lima, al ser presencial resulta complejo, generando situaciones dilatorias y conllevando a potenciales riesgos de no ratificación en tiempo y forma. Dentro de los factores y/o aspectos que conllevan a complejizar el proceso de ratificación de ordenanzas se identificó los relacionados a: i) La intervención de múltiples actores, ii) Breves plazos en relación a la presentación y absolución de requerimientos, iii) Dificultades en el traslado de los intervinientes para las actuaciones presenciales y iv) Alto volumen de documentación e información a evaluarse. Resulta viable el perfeccionamiento y puesta en práctica de un sistema de interoperabilidad para la simplificación del proceso de ratificación de ordenanzas con contenido tributario en la provincia de Lima Metropolitana, además, para la implementación del aspecto normativo, la Municipalidad Provincial dentro de sus facultades normativas, deberá incorporar en la Ordenanza N° 2085, la obligatoriedad del uso de la plataforma de interoperabilidad para los intervinientes dentro del proceso de ratificación. / The present research study was proposed as a purpose Identify the factors that lead to the complexity of the process of ratification of district ordinances with tax content in the Province of Metropolitan Lima. The approach used is of mixed type, in the same way the target population of the present research work was constituted by 42 officials of the district municipalities that are directly involved in the process of ratification of tax ordinances, within the scope of the Province of Lima, this same number of officials formed the study sample. Similarly, the observation technique, surveys and interviews were used to obtain the information required in the study. The research instrument used consisted of the use of a survey, whose questionnaire consisted of 13 closed questions with several alternative answers, a questionnaire consisting of 4 questions was also used for interviews. It could be concluded that the process of ratification of ordinances with tax content within the province of Lima, being face-to-face is complex, generating delaying situations and leading to potential risks of non-ratification in a timely manner. Among the factors and / or aspects that lead to the complexity of the process of ratification of ordinances, those related to: i) The intervention of multiple actors, ii) Short deadlines in relation to the presentation and absolution of requirements, iii) Difficulties in the transfer of the participants for the face-to-face actions and iv) High volume of documentation and information to be evaluated. It is feasible to develop and implement an interoperability system for the simplification of the process of ratification of ordinances with tax content in the province of Metropolitan Lima, in addition, for the implementation of the regulatory aspect, the Provincial Municipality within its regulatory powers, must incorporate in Ordinance No. 2085, the mandatory use of the interoperability platform for those involved in the ratification process. / Trabajo de investigación

Neste trabalho investigamos os determinantes da adesão de países a dois tratados internacionais de patentes: A Convenção de Paris e o Tratado de Cooperação de Patentes (TCP). Por meio de um modelo hierárquico Bayesiano, apresentamos evidências de que fatores domésticos são importantes para predizer adesão aos tratados estudados. Porém, quais fatores são importantes dependem do tipo de tratado. Para o TCP, que é um tratado que visa reduzir custos de transação, a legislação doméstica de patentes não é relevante. Para a Convenção de Paris, que limita as opções de política na área de patente, a legislação doméstica é fator relevante. Nós mostramos também que os ganhos diretos de participar dos tratados, medido pelo número de patentes no exterior, é uma variável importante e positivamente associada à probabilidade de adesão a ambos os acordos. Apresentamos ainda evidências de que variáveis sistêmicas são importantes e que as mudanças no sistema internacional nos últimos 30 anos são fatores importantes para explicar a adesão. / In this paper we investigate the determinants of the accession of two international patent treaties: the Paris Convention and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Through a Bayesian hierarchical model, we present evidence that domestic factors are important in predicting accession to the treaties studied. However, what factors are important depends on the type of treaty. For TCP, which is a treaty aimed at reducing transaction costs, the domestic law of patents is not important. For the Paris Convention, which limits the options in the area of patent policy, domestic law is a relevant factor. We also show that the direct gains from participating in treaties, as measured by the number of patents abroad, is an important variable and positively associated with the likelihood of ratification to both agreements. We also present evidence that systemic variables are important and that changes in the international system over the past 30 years are important factors to explain the membership to the treaties.

<p>On 17 July 1998, a total of 120 States, including Malawi, voted for the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The ermanent ICC became operational on 1 July 2002. The ICC has jurisdiction over the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. These crimes are the most serious crimes of international concern. The&nbsp / ICC operates under the principle of complementarity, which entails that the ICC will only assume jurisdiction over these core crimes in the event that a State Party is unwilling and unable genuinely to carry out the investigation and prosecution. States Parties have, therefore, the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute these crimes. The States&nbsp / Parties must therefore establish jurisdiction to conduct investigations and prosecution of these core crimes. It is from that background, coupled with the historical evolution and development of international criminal law, with regard to individual criminal responsibility, that this paper argues for the implementation of the Rome Statute in Malawi, through&nbsp / domestic legislation.The paper thus argues that only through domestic legislation can the purports of the Rome Statute be achieved and fulfilled by Malawi.</p>