List of Contributors

Events in eastern Europe have changed the forms of British assistance to other parliaments. Instead of taking advantage of the links of the Commonwealth, the British government now uses the Know How Fund to give non‐partisan assistance to legislatures in the former eastern bloc, and funds the Westminster Foundation for Democracy to help parliamentarians from other countries and to advise political parties. British political parties determine a proportion of the Foundation's activities. Aid to legislatures is part of a general policy for promoting democracy, an important aspect of bilateral assistance and an element in the reorientation of Britain towards Europe. British efforts in this field have been overshadowed by better funded competitors from other countries. But they have nevertheless helped to develop fresh conceptions of ‘political aid’.     

Prisoners’ Perceptions of Father-Child Relationships and Social Support

Incarcerated fathers (N?=?185) in a maximum security prison were interviewed about their relationship with their children and their perceptions of social support. The OLS regression on social support included the inmates?? perception of the father-child relationship and other factors (demographic, sentence, child-related, and program participation). Results indicate the fathers?? perception of the relationship with their children made a positive contribution to their appraisal of social support from all sources. ??Other?? program participation and being African American were related to the fathers?? perception of social support from others. Recommendations include using social support strategies in pre-release and post-release programs.     

North Korea and the East Asian Security order: competing views on what South Korea ought to do

This article investigates South Korean views on how to deal with the two major security issues regarding North Korea: its nuclear threat and regime instability. In this Special Section, the article analyzes the ongoing debate in South Korea over the government's policy toward North Korea in regard to these two issues. It argues that uncertainties about these two major issues are shaping the regional order in East Asia. In particular, the different levels of cooperation between South Korea and the United States may affect the regional security order in East Asia. In analyzing policy options available to South Korea, the riskiest option would be to employ early preemptive attacks and accelerate the collapse of North Korea given the security dilemma-driven action?reaction in East Asia. Given that the role of China has become the most crucial factor in dealing with North Korea, the most promising strategy would be to reinforce guarantees of extended nuclear deterrence and prompt a soft-landing unification.