Adopting good samaritan immunity for defendants in the horse industry

Interest groups are advancing new statutory provisions to limit the liability of persons involved in equine activities. The first statute was adopted in Washington State five years ago, and subsequently twenty-nine other states have proceeded to adopt legislation regarding this issue. The new statutes, termed Equine Liability Statutes, provide immunity from liability for injuries and death arising from ordinary risks of equine activities. Drawing from policies involving the provision of assistance for needy interest groups and voluntary social prerequisites, two recommendations may be proffered. First, the good samaritan and recreational use models suggest that the statutes might require a donation to offset the loss of participants' rights before a person could qualify for the statutory dispensation. Second, an additional safety prerequisite regarding a helmet to encourage action to reduce head injuries may be appropriate to foster safer equine activities.Terence J. Centner is a Professor at The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Athens, Georgia. His research program involves the policy analysis of agricultural legislation, the development of legislative policy, and the fusion of economic theory with law applied to specific problems. Centner pursued research on agricultural policy issues at the Agricultural Law Institute, University of Göttingen, Germany, pursuant to an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, and is a past president of the American Agricultural Law Association.     

Factors underlying farm diversification: the case of Western Australia’s olive farmers

The growth of niche markets in rural industries has been one response to the restructuring of established agricultural industries in developed countries. In some cases entry into niche markets is part of a diversification of activities from other areas of farm-based production or services. In other cases, operators have sought to diversify from niche market production into other areas, such as on-site selling and agritourism. This paper outlines the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of the factors that olive farmers in Western Australia take into account when considering diversification, with a special focus on diversification into servicing visitors in the form of on-site selling and agritourism. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted among 23 small olive growing operations located in the main olive growing region of Western Australia. Decision-making is shown to involve an assessment of risk, which is shaped by their appraisal of economic conditions, market opportunities, access to resources (including labor), and lifestyle factors. The argument is made that a fuller understanding of diversification is gained by studying both those who seek to diversify and those who do not, in contrast to most previous research that has only focussed on those who diversify. Also argued is that diversification is best seen as a continuum of adjustment strategies, which is guided by a combination of economic need, risk assessment (based largely on resource access), market potential, and lifestyle factors.     

澳大利亚、中国体育运动伤害典型案例分析

体育运动与伤害事故几乎同时并存，致害人和受害人对伤害都没有过错，如果追究致害人的责任， 则对体育运动的发展极为不利。澳大利亚对体育运动伤害的法律处理经历了侵权责任到自愿承担风险的转 变，对我国体育运动伤害事故的处理有借鉴意义。     

论我国反腐败刑事司法协助中的证人制度——以《联合国反腐败公约》为视角

反腐败刑事司法协助是国际打击与惩罚腐败犯罪的重要制度之一。证人制度是其中不可或缺的组成部分。《联合国反腐败公约》对刑事司法协助中的证人制度规定较为具体,如电视会议作证方式、污点证人作证、证人作证刑事责任豁免制度等。我国仅在《刑事诉讼法》中规定了普通刑事案件的证人制度,在刑事司法协助中的证人规定上存在明显不足。以《联合国反腐败公约》为视角,梳理该公约对刑事司法协助证人制度的规定,指出我国制定《刑事司法协助法》、引入高科技作证方式、构建污点证人及证人作证刑事责任豁免制度等具有迫切的现实必要性。     

Injury litigation and liability insurance dynamics

Prices for some lines of liability insurance have increased sharply in recent years, even while the real amount of coverage provided has declined. What accounts for these changes? The large financial inertia inherent in the insurance business, forecasting errors repeated across the industry, and herd-like reactions among many insurers have made the market adjustments exceptionally abrupt. But the most likely underlying cause for the current crisis in liability insurance is the inexorable expansion in liability law.     

国家级休闲农业园区的分布、类型与优化布局

休闲农业是推进农业现代化和转型升级的重要抓手,成为乡村地理与旅游地理研究的重要课题。国家级休闲农业园区是休闲农业的龙头,在促进一二三产业融合互动、带动农业、农村发展和农民致富等方面具有明显示范效应。利用我国960家国家级休闲农业园区数据,采用GIS空间分析、归纳等方法,分析了全国尺度以及东部、中部、西部和东北地区四大区域尺度国家级休闲农业园区空间分布及其类型结构。结果表明:1)在分布模式上,国家级休闲农业园区主要依托城市呈集聚型分布;2)在分布格局上,每个区域内国家级休闲农业园区分布都存在明显的集聚区,在全国尺度上,这些集聚区在区域间具有连绵成片、形成大集聚带(区)的趋势;3)各区域间国家级休闲农业园区的开发主体结构、主导功能类型的构成比例没有明显差异,但资源依托和区位选择的类型构成比例存在区域差异。根据研究结论,提出在东部地区依托城市人口打造休闲农业集聚带、提高中部地区休闲农业发展集聚度、加强西部和东北地区部分省区休闲农业开发力度、围绕风景名胜打造休闲农业集聚区等空间布局优化建议。同时,还提出了四大区域内国家级休闲农业园区类型结构的优化建议和发展方向。     

休闲农业开发中的生态环境问题与环境管理制度研究

20世纪70年代末,伴随着日益高涨的生态旅游需求,我国休闲农业应运而生,发展方兴未艾。作为依托环境生存和发展的新型产业形态,各地休闲农业项目开发普遍存在重经济利益、轻环境保护的现象,农村生态环境问题日趋严重,产业发展前景堪忧。该文从休闲农业与生态环境的关系入手,通过分析休闲农业发展的生态环境特点,探讨当前休闲农业开发中的环境问题及损害影响,在分析原因的基础上,提出严格行业准入制度、建立资源有偿使用制度、组建农村环保的非政府组织制度等环境管理制度的相关建议。     

Sustaining production and strengthening the agritourism product: Linkages among Michigan agritourism destinations

Agricultural restructuring has disproportionately impacted smaller US farms, such as those in Michigan where the average farm size is 215 acres. To keep agricultural land in production, entrepreneurial Michigan farmers are utilizing agritourism as a value-added way to capitalize on their comparative advantages, their diverse agricultural products, and their locations near large, urban, tourist-generating areas. Using focus groups, this paper illustrates how entrepreneurial farmers have strengthened Michigan agritourism by fostering producer networks through brochures and web linkages, information sharing in refining the agritourism product, referrals to other agritourism businesses that serve different markets or offer different products, purchase linkages, and a regional approach to establishing agritourism destinations and increase visitation. Successful entrepreneurial, agritourism developers thus work cooperatively, rather than individualistically and competitively. Agritourism destinations facing stiff competition from alternative venues for leisure time and food purchases benefit from supportive linkages that help sustain a critical mass of producers who offer diverse goods, maintain land in agriculture, and thus, reinforce Michigans image for agritourism.     

创意农业旅游内涵及相关概念辨析

在总结、分析前人对创意旅游、创意农业和农业旅游三个与创意农业旅游密切相关概念的基础上,提出了作者的观点,并分析了创意农业旅游的概念及内涵。     

Product liability and the technical expert

The refinement of the product liability litigation process requires a continuing substantive dialogue between the legal and technical communities. The common problem-solving orientation of the two disciplines bodes well for such interaction. We have shared in the exciting beginnings of this legaltechnical interaction (7) and hope that in the field of product liability such joint efforts will lead to a more sophisticated and technologically sound litigation process, one in which the technologist can be true to himself while operating within a strong and responsive adversary system.     

环境责任保险的负面效应及其规避

环境责任保险除了具有分散损失和强化环境管理的功能外,还可能引发道德风险：如环境责任保险会淡化被保险人对社会的责任感,引发企业间的不公平竞争,削弱民事责任制度的惩戒功能。分析了环境责任保险引发的道德风险的实质,并提出了相应的规避措施,如加强保险公司的监管,限定承保范围,采取差别保险费率和最高限额赔偿等制度,以求抑制环境责任保险的负面效应。参10     

论产品缺陷与无过错责任原则

产品缺陷是产品责任构成要件之一，就产品责任归责原则所生分歧实与产品缺陷有利害关系。产品责任应当贯彻无过错责任原则：第一，无过错责任原则的出现是历史的进步，具有重要价值；第二，无论是何种类型的缺陷产品致害，均应适用无过错责任原则；第三，存在产品缺陷时的责任减免事由，并不违背无过错责任原则。     

产业集聚视角下的福州市休闲农业发展研究

借鉴产业集聚常用定量研究方法,选用行业集中度、空间基尼系数和区位熵等集聚度评价指标,测评得出福州市休闲农业整体呈弱集聚状态,且存在地区发展不平衡、项目同质化等问题,据此提出打造福州市休闲农业集聚中心区的对策：进行福州市休闲农业产业布局空间整合,从培育棱心企业和促进中小企业集聚两个层面提升福州市休闲农业集聚水平,充分发挥政府在公共物品和信息化建设方面对休闲农业产业的推进作用,产学研相结合为福州市休闲农业发展提供人才支持.     

循环经济理论指导下的农业旅游可持续发展

循环经济倡导所有经济活动对自然环境的负面影响尽可能降到最小。农业旅游在快速发展的过程中,面临着2个产业对资源和生态环境的压力。以循环经济理论指导农业旅游发展,有助于将农业生产对旅游环境的负面影响降到最低,使以旅游为龙头的各个相关产业有机结合和协调发展,维护和改善生态环境,提高企业管理水平,降低经营成本,提升企业形象,从而促进旅游消费观的形成,促进旅游业的可持续发展能力的建立。在农业旅游发展过程中推行循环经济理念需要在外部环境改善、企业意识提升和消费者素质提高等方面做出努力。参20     

南京观光农业园观花植物调查及景观营造分析

了解南京市观光农业园观花植物资源使用情况,寻找现存问题,提出营造策略及发展建议,从而为提升观光农业园景观多样性及农业园的竞争力与吸引力提供科学参考。研究以南京为例,选取南京市内15个类型的观光农业园,采用实地调查的方法对观花植物种类、观赏期、色彩、配置手法进行分析研究。结果表明:南京市观光农业园观花植物层次丰富,景观营造方式多样,但季相景观效果仅集中于春夏两季,且每季观赏时长较短,观花植物的花色以红色系列为主,不同农业园观花植物材料相似,同质化较为严重。在此基础上提出如下营造策略及发展建议:适地适花,延长植物观赏期;一园一景,构建园区特色化;尽善尽美,挖掘植物文化之韵。     

侵权连带责任的理解与适用

侵权连带责任规定的主旨在于保护受害人的权益.侵权连带责任具有整体性等特征,其适用范围比较广泛.侵权连带责任的法律后果分为对外效力和对内效力两部分.我国侵权责任法关于侵权连带责任的规定还需要进一步加以完善.     

刑法中严格责任的归责原则及适用

严格责任作为刑法中的一种归责原则,是英美法系国家刑法理论的一个特色。严格责任的存在有其合理性,值得借鉴,以构建符合我国国情的严格责任理论。     

北京现代都市农业建设应大力发展休闲农业

休闲农业是现代都市农业的重要组成部分,在北京尤其需要大力发展。休闲农业是一种体验经济产业,是城乡融合的重要途径。北京发展休闲农业是由城市生产、生态、生活和社会发展的强烈需求决定的。当前北京也已经具备了休闲农业大发展的基本条件。应采取系列措施,逐步建成北京以农业园区和民俗旅游为主体结构的"城市-郊区-乡村-田野"休闲农业体系。     

农业遗产保护背景下黄山市农业旅游发展战略

农业旅游对地区经济社会的发展具有非常积极的意义,已在经济发达国家和地区显示出较强的生命力和发展前景,是现代农业发展的新途径,旅游业发展的新领域。作为我国著名的旅游城市,黄山市资源丰富,环境优美,旅游产业基础好,具有发展农业旅游的优越条件,但在发展过程中出现了水平不高、产品单一、宣传不到位等问题,因此需要进行资源调查、整体规划、加强合作、健全产品体系、加大宣传,从而推动黄山市农业旅游的快速发展。     

动物屠宰的法律保护研究

介绍了动物屠宰的法律概念和分类,指出动物屠宰一般指“通过放血导致动物死亡的行为”;依据不同的标准,可以将动物屠宰进行不同的分类。阐述了动物屠宰保护立法建设历程,指出动物屠宰保护立法经历了源于宗教,在反虐待动物立法中逐渐独立出来的发展进程;当代各国的动物屠宰立法可以分为独立型动物屠宰立法、附属型动物屠宰立法和分散型动物屠宰立法3种模式。论述了主要国家和地区动物屠宰保护的法律规定,指出欧盟、美国、亚洲一些国家及中国港台地区针对动物屠宰作了较为系统全面的规定;而我国动物屠宰福利的相关立法还刚刚起步,在立法体系、立法体例、立法目的、适用范围、监管体制、法律制度、法律责任等方面应向国外借鉴成功经验。