Governance Reform of German food safety regulation: Cosmetic or real?

Discussion of institutional changes made by the German government in response to the emergence of the first cases of BSE in Germany in 2000. Due to the establishment of a large-scale private sector quality assurance scheme, regulation moved away from publicly mandated food safety regulations toward industry-led initiatives (so-called QS system). The paper discusses whether changes in regulation, administration, and liability standards have improved the effectiveness and the allocative efficiency of German food safety regulation.standards, contested governance, quality assurance, liability, food safety regulation, QS system, regulation, Germany

Encouraging Corporate Innovation for Our Homeland During the Best of Times for the Worst of Times: Extending Safety Act Protections to Natural Disasters’

This article first analyzes the innovative tort reform of the SAFETY Act and then argues for expansion of SAFETY Act type risk protection to natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires. The SAFETY Act was drafted to stimulate the development and deployment of technologies that combat terrorism by providing liability protection. Applying the same type of legislation to natural disasters will provide a commensurate benefit of encouraging preparedness and development of technologies that could mitigate harms resulting from natural disasters. The Department of Homeland Security voiced a desire to increase the use of the SAFETY Act by private industry. This article argues that one way to increase the utility of the SAFETY Act and provide more value for the American public is for Congress to extend SAFETY Act protections, by amendment or new legislation, to cover risk related to national catastrophes

Establishment of risk control mechanisms for farmers' microcredit in China's rural areas: the case of HN Province

This thesis aims to address the practical and institutional problems in the development of farmers' microcredit to ultimately contribute to achieve sustainable development. The author, based on his long-term work experience in rural finance, analyzes the current situation of microcredit in rural areas and presents a set of mechanisms for risk management and scientific pricing of farmers’ in the framework of the construction of an iterative model with the support of statistical analysis. To be specific, based on improving farmers' scheduled repayment rate and a study of farmers' microcredit factors, criteria are formulated for selecting credible borrowers among farmers; Making full use of the decisive role of the market, an effective risk management model is gradually formulated that helps to foster a credit-based financial service environment in rural areas. Besides, software engineering is utilized to optimize and control farmers' microcredit risk management and scientific pricing of credit products. The study suggests that the farmers' microcredit risk control mechanisms established can effectively enable farmers' microcredit financial institutions to function as a main market player, while overcoming theoretical and practical difficulties in microcredit for farmers. Four suggestions are also presented. First, ensure that farmers enjoy the "right of approval" when applying for loans; second, transfer the "right of pricing" loan interests to farmers; third, transfer the "right of salary distribution" and risk control of loans to loan officers; and fourth, entrust the "management right" of loans to the system.Esta tese tem como objetivo abordar os problemas práticos e institucionais no desenvolvimento do microcrédito dos agricultores para, finalmente, contribuir para alcançar o desenvolvimento sustentável. O autor, com base em sua experiência do trabalho de longo prazo em finanças rurais, analisa a situação atual do microcrédito em áreas rurais e apresenta um conjunto de mecanismos para a gestão do risco e a determinação científica de preços para o microcrédito dos agricultores no quadro da construção de um modelo interativo com o apoio da análise estatística. Mais especificamente, com base na melhoria da previsão da taxa de reembolso do microcrédito pelos agricultores e em um estudo dos fatores condicionantes desse reembolso, são formulados critérios para selecionar mutuários confiáveis entre os agricultores; Fazendo pleno uso do papel decisivo do mercado, é formulado gradualmente um modelo eficaz de gestão de risco que ajuda a promover nas áreas rurais um ambiente favorável de serviços financeiros baseados no crédito. Além disso, a engenharia de software é utilizada para otimizar e controlar a gestão de riscos de microcrédito dos agricultores e a determinação científica dos preços dos produtos de crédito. O estudo demonstra que o mecanismo de controle de risco de microcrédito dos agricultores assim estabelecido pode efetivamente permitir que as instituições financeiras de microcrédito funcionem como um participante principal do mercado, ultrapassando dificuldades que a teoria e a prática têm revelado no microcrédito para os agricultores. Quatro sugestões são ainda apresentadas. Em primeiro lugar, garantir que os agricultores desfrutem do "direito de aprovação" quando solicitam empréstimos. Em segundo lugar, transferir para os agricultores "direito de determinação do preço" da taxa de juro do empréstimo. Em terceiro lugar, passar o "direito de distribuição salarial" e o controle de risco dos empréstimos para os agentes de crédito. Em quarto lugar, confiar ao sistema o "direito de gestão" dos empréstimos

Pollution prevention in the New Jersey chemical industry : motivations and barriers to commitment

This study of the New Jersey Chemical Industry identifies the primary elements that lead to or inhibit company commitments to pollution prevention. A direct measure of facility pollution prevention commitment is developed that takes into account: organizational support attributes, past reductions achievements, current methods implementation, process reduction goals, and special environmental initiatives. The P2 Commitment Index allows for categorization of facilities so that the needs and interests of varying groups may be differentiated. Higher level commitments are associated with: establishment of company pollution prevention policy, setting of prioritized facility goals, and measurement and reporting on pollution prevention progress. Facilities at above average commitment levels are motivated by a drive for improved quality, market competitiveness, and consumer demand for green products and investment opportunities. Firms of below average commitment are driven primarily by regulatory requirements and often lack the awareness of pollution prevention opportunities and techniques, needed to fully participate

The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002: A Potemkin Village

Due to the daunting possibilities of cyberwarfare, and the ease with which cyberattacks may be conducted, the United Nations has warned that the next world war could be initiated through worldwide cyberattacks between countries. In response to the growing threat of cyberwarfare and the increasing importance of information security, Congress passed the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA). FISMA recognizes the importance of information security to the national economic and security interests of the United States. However, this Note argues that FISMA has failed to significantly bolster information security, primarily because FISMA treats information security as a technological problem and not an economic problem. This Note analyzes existing proposals to incentivize heightened software quality assurance, and proposes a new solution designed to strengthen federal information security in light of the failings of FISMA and the trappings of Congress’s 2001 amendment to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Environmental governance in China

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