Koncepcja wolności w ekonomii konstytucyjnej Jamesa M. Buchanana

Tekst składa się z trzech części. W pierwszej Autorka przedstawia podstawowe informacje na temat poszczególnych etapów rozwoju intelektualnego Buchanana, zwracając jednocześnie uwagę na to, pod wpływem i za inspiracją czyjej twórczości kształtowała się jego myśl. Druga część tekstu poświęcona jest krótkiemu przedstawieniu programu badawczego ekonomii konstytucyjnej, który Buchanan stworzył, a jego koncepcja wolności jest z tym programem nierozerwalnie związana. W trzeciej, zasadniczej części tekstu zajmuje się szczegółowo koncepcją wolności w ujęciu Buchanana. Tekst kończy podsumowanie.Publikacja dofinansowana ze środków przyznanych w ramach dotacji dla Wydziału Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego na rozwój młodych naukowców i doktorantów

Maternal hyperoxygenation test in prediction of fetal lung hypoplasia – preliminary report

Summary Objectives: The aim of our study was to present the detailed execution and interpretation of the hyperoxygenation test in the fetus. Material and methods: This was a retrospective investigation of fetuses examined in The Department for Diagnosis and Prophylaxis of Congenital Malformations (Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Institute and Medical University in Lodz) between January 2006 and December 2009, in whom in addition to the routine echocardiographic examination the hyperoxygenation test was performed. Indications for such an extended evaluation were suspected fetal malformations and pulmonary hypoplasia. Changes in the fetal pulmonary circulation before and after maternal exposure to hyperoxygenated air together with the newborn follow-up were analyzed. Results: Clinical outcome was available for 42 of 52 cases: 16 patients died (including 11 cases with negative hyperoxygenation test), whereas 24 patients were discharged home (including 17 cases with positive hyperoxygenation test). The probability of survival for fetuses with the positive test was significantly higher than for fetuses with the negative one (p=0.016, Fischer’s exact test). Conclusions: Based on changes evoked in the fetal pulmonary circulation, the hyperoxygenation test seems helpful in predicting impaired fetal lung development Functional assessment of the fetal pulmonary circulation may be useful in predicting fetal lung hypoplasia and respiratory failure in the neonate

The use of multidimensional comparative Analysis for the assessment of the attractiveness of municipalities situated around the Krzna river

Tourism is an example of the economy branches which are displaying the most dynamic growth. Natural and cultural value of the Krzna River Valley render it suitable for the development of various tourism forms. Until recently, summer tourism was the dominant form but now agritourism has gained popularity, too. The competitiveness of communes located around the Krzna River was conditioned by both the attractiveness of the natural environment and the quality of accommodation facilities. A precise assessment of tourist competitiveness is quite complicated and to a large degree depends on the set of selected variables which reflect the tourist attractiveness of the communes examined.Badaniami objęto gminy, przez które płynie rzeka Krzna. Dane do analizy zaczerpnięto z Bazy Danych Lokalnych Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego za 2015 rok. O konkurencyjności terenów gminnych położonych nad rzeką Krzna decydowały zarówno walory środowiska naturalnego, jak i stan bazy noclegowej. Jednoznaczna ocena atrakcyjności turystycznej jest dosyć skomplikowana i w dużej mierze może być uzależniona od zaproponowanego zbioru zmiennych

Countries’ Constitutions Viewed from an Economic Perspective: Why They Are Enacted and How Stable They Are

Based on recent literature on the subject, the article investigates why countries need constitutions and how constitutions influence economies. The authors look at how lasting national constitutions are and why they are amended. The analysis is based on approaches including Constitutional Economics, New Political Economy, and Law and Economics. The authors reach for explanations related to property rights economics, interest group theory, and analysis of the distribution of political power between various groups of society. The study identifies the primary factors shaping the process of establishing constitutional rules and their stability. It also highlights four channels through which constitutions influence economies. In particular, the authors focus on: (1) the constitution’s role in enhancing the credible commitments of political elites, (2) its significance for political stability within the state, (3) the functioning of interest groups benefiting from various constitutional provisions, and (4) transaction costs that various actors bear because of the necessity to adjust to the enforced rules or attempts to evade them. The authors formulate conclusions that they say could contribute to further research on the potential substitutability and complementarity of constitutional rules and to studies focusing on the issue of endogenizing constitutions.Artykuł ma na celu wskazanie najważniejszych wątków z powstałej na przestrzeni ostatnich lat literatury wyjaśniającej powody ustanawiania konstytucji, ich trwania i zmian oraz powiązanie tych rozważań z zagadnieniami dotyczącymi wpływu konstytucji na gospodarkę. Zaprezentowana dyskusja czerpie przede wszystkim z osiągnięć ekonomii konstytucyjnej, nowej ekonomii politycznej i ekonomicznej analizy prawa, sięgając m.in. do wytłumaczeń nawiązujących do teorii praw własności, teorii grup interesu, czy analiz rozkładu siły politycznej pomiędzy różne grupy w społeczeństwie. Przedstawione rozważania pozwalają zidentyfikować podstawowe czynniki kształtujące proces ustanawiania reguł konstytucyjnych oraz ich trwałość, naświetlając jednocześnie cztery kanały, poprzez które konstytucja może wpływać na gospodarkę. W tym kontekście, uwaga koncentruje się na (1) znaczeniu, jakie konstytucja ma dla wzmacniania wiarygodności obietnic składanych przez elity polityczne; (2) na roli jaką odgrywa ona przy zwiększaniu stabilności politycznej w państwie; (3) na działalności grup interesu czerpiących wymierne korzyści z konkretnych zapisów konstytucyjnych; oraz (4) na kosztach transakcyjnych, które różni aktorzy społeczni ponoszą, czy to z konieczności dostosowania się do obowiązujących reguł czy też z chęci ich obejścia. Sformułowane w artykule wnioski mogą stanowić podstawę do dalszych badań poświęconych, np. potencjalnej substytucyjności bądź komplementarności pomiędzy niektórymi regułami konstytucyjnymi, jak i tych koncentrujących się na problemie endogenizacji konstytucji

De Jure and De Facto Institutions: Implications for Law and for Economics

The paper contributes to the debate on economic effects of law by extending the focus to the de jure – de facto distinction. Identification of economic effects of legal rules has been the focus of law and economics for decades. However, the literature on the subject relates relatively rarely to de jure provisions; rather it deals with the way in which these rules de facto function in legal practice. The authors refer to the conceptualization of de jure and de facto institutions, as well as their interrelationships, and investigate the applications of this perspective to the literature on economic effects of law. Specifically, they focus on constitutional-legal institutions, including judicial independence, protection of constitutional rights, central bank independence, fiscal rules, independence of regulatory agencies, and protection of property rights. Their conclusions concern the validity of research on economic consequences of law and provide lessons for its further developmen

Temperature Effect on the Adsorption and Volumetric Properties of Aqueous Solutions of Kolliphor®ELP

Density, viscosity and surface tension of Kolliphor® ELP, the nonionic surfactant aqueous solutions were measured at temperature T = 293–318 K and at 5K interval. Steady-state fluorescence measurements have been also made using pyrene as a probe. On the basis of the obtained results, a number of thermodynamic, thermo-acoustic and anharmonic parameters of the studied surfactant have been evaluated and interpreted in terms of structural effects and solute–solvent interactions. The results suggest that the molecules of studied surfactant at concentrations higher than the critical micelle concentration act as structure makers of the water structure

The Comparative Constitutional Compliance Database

This article introduces a novel database that measures governments' compliance with national constitutions. It combines information on de jure constitutional rules with data on their de facto implementation. The individual compliance indicators can be grouped into four categories that we aggregate into an overall indicator of constitutional compliance: property rights and the rule of law, political rights, civil rights, and basic human rights. The database covers 168 countries over the period 1900 to 2020 and can be used by researchers interested in studying the determinants or the effects of (non)compliance with constitutions. Our investigation of the stylized facts of constitutional compliance does not reveal a long-term trend toward more compliance. Parliamentary democracies are the regimes with the highest level of constitutional compliance, whereas military dictatorships perform the worst. Although compliance is not determined by a constitution's breadth, constitutional design does still matter. Constitutions that allow for the dismissal of the head of state or government for violating the constitution achieve higher compliance levels

Micellar Parameters of Aqueous Solutions of Tween 20 and 60 at Different Temperatures: Volumetric and Viscometric Study

Density, viscosity and speed of sound of aqueous solutions of nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate (Tween 60) at T = 293, 303 and 313 K are reported. From these measured values different parameters such as, for example, isentropic compressibility, molecular free length, acoustic impedance, primary hydration numbers and internal pressure have been calculated and employed to discuss molecular packing, structural alteration and molecular interactions. The variation in these parameters with temperature indicates that the mobility of surfactant molecules increases the disordered state of the liquid (surfactant + water) due to irregular packing of the molecules. Also, for Tween 20 solutions, more conversion to bulk water of the structured water molecules was observed, obtaining lower compressibilities and higher values of hydration numbers as well as internal pressure for a given T