Evidence‐based policy development for cannabis? Insights on preventing use by youth

This article challenges the assumptions underlying the shared federal, provincial, and territorial goals of reducing criminal involvement in the drug trade and preventing substance use by youth. These official government objectives, it is argued, reflect a harmful tendency that continues the tradition of neglecting decades of sociological research on the efficiency of informal sources of control. Rather than continue to prioritize prevention, consistent evidence‐based policy development for cannabis requires articulation of more informed and realistic goals of harm reduction. New educational initiatives need to build on informal controls that more effectively regulate responsible substance use behaviour.     

Grand Old (Tailgate) Party? Partisan Discrimination in Apolitical Settings

Political Behavior - Recent work in political science demonstrates that the American public is strongly divided on partisan lines. Levels of affective polarization are so great, it seems, that...     

Central-Local Relations in an Era of Multi-Level Governance: The Case of Public Participation Policy in England, 1997-2001

The election of a 'New Labour' UK government in 1997 promised a new era of central-local relations facilitated by a programme of local government reform which recognised local government's 'community leadership' role. Other aspects of the agenda supported the development of multi-level governance, for example, the establishment of sub-national institutions such as the Scottish Parliament and the promotion of neighbourhoods as key sites for action. Despite these actions this paper will argue that in England the central state retains considerable influence over the key agents of local governance. Using the example of public participation policy, and drawing on the findings of a recent study in two English cities, the paper will explore how national policy aspirations were reflected locally. It concludes that while local action generally complemented national priorities, there were important points of contrast, and that localities' capacity to act in their own interests is supported by the opportunities presented in a multi-level governance environment.     

COORDINATION IN STATE ADMINISTRATION: A CASE STUDY

Abstract: "Coordination is one of the perennial concerns of public administration, and has been a particular problem of State-level policy-making in Australia. This paper describes a policy initiative under the Dunstan government in South Australia which was necessarily an exercise in State administrative coordination. The story illustrates the complexity of a multi-Departmental program aimed at producing an innovative, flexible and decentralized policy. While it shows the awkwardness of conventional administrative and policy-making procedures in such a situation, it also provides examples of constructive cooperation among and readjustment within departments. The general policy "parameters" inspired by the Dunstan government are regarded as a significant influence on the outcome of the program.     

Class bias in the criminal law

Crime, Law and Social Change -