Government’s credible commitment in economic policy-making: Evidence from Singapore

Policy Sciences - Studies of participatory policy-making show citizens’ participation in policy-making yield better solutions and more successful policy performance. But studies of the Asian...     

State Capacity in Contemporary China: ‘closing the pits and reducing coal production’

This paper analyses the capacity of China's central state to control society and implement its policies at the local level, using as a case study the implementation from 1998 of a major policy initiative—‘closing the pits and reducing coal production’. The aims of this policy were to close down many of the TVE (township and village enterprise) mines, thereby ameliorating China's coal safety record, and to reduce output in order to balance supply and demand, thereby improving the situation of the SOE (state-owned enterprise) coal mines. The paper concludes that, despite some success, the state found it difficult to overcome resistance from a powerful coalition of local cadres, mine bosses, workers and farmers who depended directly or indirectly on the mines for their living. It therefore highlights continuing shortfalls in China's state capacity, particularly in situations where the state is trying to control or influence the distribution of economic rents as between different groups in society.     

The Voting Rights Act and Louisiana: Twenty Years of Enforcement

This article examines the interaction of structural change (lawsaffecting voting rights) and cultural continuities (differencesbetween the Protestant and black Catholic political cultures)on the level and quality of black political participation inLouisiana. Blacks who at mid-century resided in the French-Catholicparishes were more likely to register and vote than blacks wholived outside these parishes. The advent of the Voting RightsAct has radically changed this pattern. Northern parishes havingthe highest proportion of black population, the highest landtenancy rates, and a tradition of a plantation economy are nowamong the parishes exhibiting the highest rates of black voterregistration.     

Postmortem interval estimation from body temperature data only

One of the most consistently used methods of postmortem interval estimation (PMIE) is by means of body temperature measurements. Several variations of this method exist, from simple 'rules of the thumb' to quite complex equations requiring a knowledge of body mass and height. All of these methods employ a certain degree of approximation and perhaps the use of standard values and tables, and all of them are susceptible to some degree of error. The present study, at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Leeds, was initiated by the Home Office to investigate the extent of the errors which might be encountered in the use of these methods, and to devise a more simple and accurate method. The method devised is called the time-dependent-z equation, for purely theoretical reasons. It will be referred to as the TDZE method. The TDZE method requires the measurement of two rectal temperatures, about 1 h apart, a little mental arithmetic and reference to a single standard curve. The method is valid for all bodies, obese or emaciated, clothed or naked, in all environmental conditions, without modification. Results of the use of the method on data collected from 67 coroner's cases compare favourably with the results obtained by the use of other methods on the same data.     

Establishing Identity: How Direct‐to‐Consumer Genetic Testing Challenges the Assumption of Donor Anonymity

The rise of direct‐to‐consumer genetic testing is challenging the rules and expectations of the fertility industry concerning donor anonymity. While ethicists debate whose rights should prevail, many donor conceived people, recipient parents and donors are currently sharing their genetic information, along with methods to identify genetic links, in vast online communities, invalidating donor anonymity and providing a platform for those who advocate globally for legislative change to support donor‐linking practices. This article looks at why it is important to access this information in relation to identity and kinship formation and how the Family Court Community can apply this knowledge in order to achieve better outcomes for children and families.     

Scholar Networks and the Manuscript Economy in Nyāya-śāstra in Early Colonial Bengal

Journal of Indian Philosophy - This essay engages with two large themes in order to address the social and intellectual practices of nyāya scholars in early colonial Bengal. First, I examine...     

Local electoral rights for non-French residents? A case-study analysis of British candidates and councillors in French municipal elections

The French Constitution restricts local electoral rights to French nationals and EU citizens. Third country nationals have long been excluded from suffrage as France has maintained a stronghold on nationality and republican values. Academics have called for expansive and liberal citizenships that would allocate political rights to all non-citizen residents, independent of nationality. This paper argues that Brexit and cessation of Britons’ electoral rights present a pivotal moment to discuss expansive citizenship and alien suffrage. Taking a bottom-up approach, the paper presents actual experiences of Britons as candidates and councillors in French municipalities. It demonstrates the importance of residency, representation, participation and inclusion, rather than nationality at the local level to underpin claims for expanding electoral rights. These findings foreground an empirical case for further promotion of theoretical ideas that propose expansive citizenship based on effective residency rather than nationality. Consideration is also given to third country nationals.