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Information Processing

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Judicial Discretion within Adjudicative Committee Proceedings in China

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Abstract

A rational decision maker is presumed to have complete knowledge and optimal computing capabilities (Simon 1955). The fact is, decision makers have limited resources and abilities to search for and process information (Simon 1955, 1956). In an organizational setting, decision makers have limited capabilities to communicate information. Inaccurate information causes uncertainty in decision-making and gives rise to discretion (Simon 1985).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    March thinks that the arguments of students of individual decision-making rarely have a strict biological basis.

  2. 2.

    Question outline 1, interview note 2.1.9 from Interviewee 9.

  3. 3.

    Question outline 1, interview note 2.1.9 from Interviewee 11.

  4. 4.

    Question outline 1, interview note 2.1 from Interviewee 12; Question outline 1, interview note 2.1.10 from Interviewee 13.

  5. 5.

    Question outline 4, interview note 3 from Interviewee 1.

  6. 6.

    Question outline 4, interview note 3 from Interviewee 2.

  7. 7.

    Question outline 4, interview note 3 from Interviewee 5.

  8. 8.

    Question outline 1, interview note 3.1.6 from Interviewee 10.

  9. 9.

    Question outline 1, interview note 3.1.6 from Interviewee 11.

  10. 10.

    Question outline 4, interview note 4 from Interviewee 2.

  11. 11.

    Question outline 4, interview note 4 from Interviewee 4.

  12. 12.

    Question outline 1, interview note 3.2.1 from Interviewee 3.

  13. 13.

    Question outline 1, interview note 3.2.1 from Interviewee 11.

  14. 14.

    Question outline 1, interview note 3.2.1 from Interviewee 9.

  15. 15.

    The decreasing and increasing arrangement is also expressively found in internal measures of Jingshan County (BPC of Jingshan County Jingmen City 2007, art. 2) and Luohu District, Shenzhen (BPC of Luohu District Shenzhen City 2009, art. 4). The Provisions of the Basic People’s Court of Jingshan County on the Work of the Adjudicative Committee provide that in a case discussion, the committee member who is most familiar with the case will speak first and then the relevant vice president. Other members will speak after that. The Provisions of the Basic People’s Court of Luohu District on the Work of the Adjudicative Committee provide that the speech order in case discussions are as follows: chief judges, vice presidents, and the court president.

  16. 16.

    “The law of primacy in persuasion” was suggested by Lund after he observed “the disproportionate influence of the first discussion… in determining the subjects’ final position” (Lund 1925). It emphasizes the effectiveness of first speech in determining the final position of the subjects.

  17. 17.

    Question outline 1, interview note 2.2.4.2 from Interviewee 11.

  18. 18.

    Question outline 1, interview note 2.2.4.2 from Interviewee 13.

  19. 19.

    Question outline 4, interview note 5 from Interviewee 4.

  20. 20.

    Chinese court can be characterized as a heteronomous professional organization. Scott distinguishes two types of professional organizations in terms of “the amount of autonomy granted to professionals by the administrative control structure”: autonomous and heteronomous professional organizations. In an autonomous professional organization, executives delegate to a staff of professionals considerable responsibilities for controlling professional activities within an organization. In a heteronomous professional organization, organizational officials control most professional activities (Scott 1965).

  21. 21.

    The presence of elaborate rules and routine supervision makes it difficult to determine the areas of responsibilities between individual judges and courts.

  22. 22.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 1.

  23. 23.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 2.

  24. 24.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 3.

  25. 25.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 6.

  26. 26.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 7.

  27. 27.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 8.

  28. 28.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 9.

  29. 29.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 10.

  30. 30.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 11.

  31. 31.

    Question outline 1, interview note 1.4 from Interviewee 13.

  32. 32.

    Interview with an assistant judge from a BPC, in a southern city of China (December 16, 2008).

  33. 33.

    Lai Bojun argued that a collegiate bench could be operated on two bases. One is efficiency-based and the other is “check and balance” based. The responsible judge-dominating collegiate bench is a classic efficiency-based example. This model helps avoid dissent, lessens interpersonal tension, and reduces waste of time and energy (Lai 2006, p. 108).

  34. 34.

    This case is provided by Professor Chen Ruihua’s article (Chen 1998, pp. 404–405).

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  1. School of Law, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Li Li

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Li, L. (2014). Information Processing. In: Judicial Discretion within Adjudicative Committee Proceedings in China. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54041-7_4

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