Herbert the Cabbie

<正>Taxi drivers in Xi’an tend to fall into one of two categories: the nice ones and the nasty ones. The majority of drivers belong to the first group     

Holding on to History in Changing Times

THE 30 years of China＇s reform and opening-up correspond roughly with my own lifetime. I was born in 1973, so I＇ve never known a China that wasn＇t a rising economic power. Having lived in China for just over a year, I also haven＇t personally witnessed the immense changes that have swept across the People＇s Republic since economic liberalization commenced in the late 1970s.     

The Transition to Group Decision Making in Child Protection Cases: Obtaining Better Results for Children and Families

It was only a few years ago that in most jurisdictions across the United States, decisions at each stage of a child welfare case were made by individual professionals (law enforcement, child protection workers, social workers, and judges) who were all a part of the community's response to child abuse and neglect crises. In the last decade, the development and continuing evolution of best practices have brought about many changes in how professionals approach the resolution of these issues, how they convene interested persons in the decision‐making process, and how families and children participate in decisions. This article will examine some of these changes, with a particular focus on the expanding use of groups and the inclusion of families in these groups to make better decisions in child protection cases.     

Anarchy, State, and Dystopia: Venezuelan Economic Institutions before the Advent of Oil

This article studies the evolution of Venezuelan economic institutions before the emergence of oil exploitation in 1920. We argue that, by 1920, Venezuela had developed a highly centralised state and a professionalised military. These two institutions ensured that growing oil revenues would strengthen the state structure and protected Venezuela from the resource-conflict trap into which many oil-abundant countries have fallen. We also argue that the failure to develop institutions that could mediate between sectoral demands and the state, the subordination of property rights to political imperatives and the political dominance of the commercial-financial elite conditioned the nation's response to the post-1920 influx of oil revenues.     

Critical commentary on “Who Are the Palestinian Suicide Bombers?”

This article provides a critical commentary to Shaul Kimhi and Shemuel Even's research on Palestinian suicide bombers presented in this issue. The main focus is on the problems with definitional distinction between the motivations of suicide versus “ordinary” terrorists and the method of determining a suicide bomber's primary motive for critical commentary     

Canada's Conservatives Change Their Mindset

As the United States' influence wanes in the global downturn, its neighbor's prime minister moves to thaw frosty relations with Beijing     

Juvenile Mental Health Court: Rationale and Protocols

Under the sponsorship of the judiciary, the Santa Clara County, California Juvenile Court, in partnership with the Juvenile Mental Health Department and a technical assistance agency (SOLOMON), has pioneered a Juvenile Mental Health Court for seriously mentally ill children who have become involved in the criminal justice system. The judiciary, probation department, district attorney, public defender, county counsel, and service providers have collectively embarked upon the implementation of a modern approach to mental health diagnosis, triage, and treatment services for youth and families who come in contact with the justice system as a result of the combination of serious mental illness and juvenile delinquency. This article presents the court's rationale and protocols.