ottobre 11th, 2010
Robert Alexy, Dennis Patterson, Matias Kumm, George Pavlakos, Josè Juan Moreso all together in Bologna, on november 12, 2010 for the next Ratio Iuris Seminar Series event. I will be there, most probably.
http://www.cirsfid.unibo.it/CIRSFID/Bacheca/Eventi/2010/11/SeminarRatioJuris20101112.htm
The event is organized by CIRSFID, a think tank affiliated to University of Bologna. We’re friends, and I want to pay them homage just showing how many good things they have been doing these years, almost running on fumes. Have a look at the projects they have been carrying on. And have fun. It’s an interactive map, which is a masterpiece itself.
http://www.cirsfid.unibo.it/CMSUniboWeb/Graph/default.aspx?dip=Cirsfid
Chapeau.
Categorie: Senza categoria
luglio 18th, 2010
What makes us feel as a unique country?
In my theory, nationalistic propaganda has a big role to play.
Today, in most of EU countries, the feeling for the nation is not that strong anymore. Governments have abandoned nationalistic slogans. The hymn is not taught and sung in school.
Who’s not afraid of singing hymns and declare how’s good to feel part of something are the companies, the big companies. They create a sense of corporate identity using the same slogan which were used by the EU countries during nationalism era.
Too bad that the love for the nation has to be substituted by a sad love for the company.
for the ones who can read Italian, more details here
http://www.visionblog.eu/blogdivision/blog/articolo.asp?articolo=119
Categorie: Senza categoria
giugno 1st, 2010
interesting piece by Seth Roberts on increase of suicides in Foxconn, a Chinese company.
This company recorded a huge augmentation of suicides in the last few months. Professors from Tsinghua university have been contacted to discover why. They make hypotesis but they need to do it in a very short time. Can best hypotesis come in such a short time? The article raises a topic already explored by Lakatos in The Metodology of Scientific Research Programs
Article to be found here
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maggio 28th, 2010
“Postmodernism compels modern marketing to re-examine its theoretical accomplishments, appraise the appropriateness of its methodological procedures and, most importanthly perhaps, justify its continuing existence”
by Stephen Brown, article dated 1992 to be found here
Categorie: Senza categoria
Tag:philosophy and marketing, postmodernism and marketing, Serena Manzoli
aprile 20th, 2010
“The Europa Diary is an educational tool. It contains the basics of what the EU offers young citizens, covering a range of their specific concerns: e.g. travel, nutrition, drugs, shopping, money matters, environment, climate change, sustainable consumption, development, external trade, safety issues, etc.” Among these issues, also Consumer law.
Europa Diary
I like the project. The basics of law there, up for grabs, to be taught in schools, to be absorbed from young age.To make people know what their rights are, what they are entitled to.
One may say that oversimplification of legal issues can be a problem. But, to consider law as a worship to which only a few can be initiated is even worse. Consumer law is a rich branch of law which -in most cases- consumers themselves know very little about.Rights are there and they don’t know it.
Is law to remain an unknown area of everyday life? Something which is not for us to understand? Something to be relegated in the hands of few, skillful, learned lawyers, as the wizards jurisprudentes in Ancient Rome?
Categorie: Senza categoria
Tag:consumer law, law, Serena Manzoli
aprile 18th, 2010
“There’s a riot of information racing by, and to survive, we snatch little bits and then magnify them into what we embrace as the full picture. Nuance? No time for nuance.” via Seth Godin
Categorie: Senza categoria
aprile 12th, 2010
Kind of busy lately, or maybe just lackness of ideas. Actually, I think this blog should be redirected to something less academic and more laid-back. Less systematization and more free flow of ideas.
I’m currently working at the EU Commission. This is a privileged observatory on the law field. It gives you a new perspective on who’s making the law, and what the law is gonna be. And there’s so much going on here which doesn’t fit into the categories that we were taught.
For instance, I wrote some time ago that Parliaments have not the power they used to have, and that the democracy principles and procedures (you vote, elect a MP who represents you, who votes a law etc.) are going to be partially replaced – or juxtaposed to some other procedures, like lobbying for example. From here this thing is even more tangible.
Or, other example. I’m working in a unit which deals with Consumer Protection. I’m a graduate lawyer, and I’m a consumer, but I didn’t know what was going on here before I joined this team. When consumer wants to seek for redress, he doesn’t go to a Court (well, he could, according to law books). He goes to a European Consumer Centre, which redirects him to other way of dispute resolution. There are many ways to get the trader do what you want. You negotiate with him, you look for ADR, you bring a small claim action, you bring a class action. If the infringement is repeated, and general, State Authorities can directly ask courts for injunctions. Other tool, this time not strictly legal: talking with the press about the bad trader. Creating a shaming list.
This is the direction law is going, integrating new methodologies, new procedures, new tools, merging with areas different than law. I’ve never been taught about that, at least in my Uni. Is Academy catching up with legal panorama? I’d like to have some comments on that.
Categorie: Senza categoria
Tag:law, philosophy of law, Serena Manzoli, theory of law
novembre 22nd, 2009
Best universities for law and philosophy programs, according to this poll (via Brian Leiter)
Available Here
Categorie: Senza categoria
Tag:education, uni
luglio 13th, 2009
I wonder about the correlation between Family and Welfare. The juxtaposition gives rise to an (apparent) paradox, which according to me makes the whole thing more interesting.
To keep it short, we are generally told that, if the welfare policies increase, the natality will also increase. this is true of any kind of welfare policy, but expecially true for that welfare tools which are meant as specifically supporting the family (i.e. vouchers or bonuses for new-born kids etc.)
At the same time, and here’s the paradox, welfare seems to be also making the family weaker. By providing welfare policies, the State substitutes the need for family’s economic support. in doing so, it partially renders family “redundant”, and ends up by dampening the ties among family members.
So, should we insist on welfare or giving it up? I think it depends on the kind of family we are expecting. No kids but strong ties, or vice-versa? At the same time, maybe, the economic argument is not convincing enough to explain family’s dynamics.
I discuss the issue further for the ones who can read Italian, here (il welfare e il paradosso della famiglia) on Vision, this italian webzine dedicated to big, sometimes huge, issues. Every now and then we publish articles in English, so stay tuned.
Categorie: Senza categoria
Tag:family, politics, Serena Manzoli
