Hard Bases of China’s Soft Power

THERE is currently much discussion in China about soft power, and I follow this discussion with great interest as a marketing professional and a lay observer. Here I would like to express my opinion in a professional sense. I was in charge of marketing and branding London for eight years, from 2000 to 2008. During that period the success of our work was recognized by international surveys that fre- quently ranked London as the world’s number one city.     

Structured to Survive

THE International Monetary Fund’s recent meeting in Tokyo focused on the continuing deterioration of the global economy. In the second quarter of 2012, G7 economies registered mere 0.1 percent growth on average, while EU output contracted.     

MOTHERHOOD AND CRIMINAL DESISTANCE IN DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS*

Evidence from several qualitative studies has suggested that the transition to motherhood has strong inhibitory effects on the delinquency and drug use trajectories of poor women. Quantitative studies, however, typically have failed to find significant parenthood or motherhood effects. We argue that the latter research typically has not examined motherhood in disadvantaged settings or applied the appropriate statistical method. Focusing on within-individual change, we test the motherhood hypothesis using data from a 10-year longitudinal study of more than 500 women living in disadvantaged Denver communities. We find that the transition to motherhood is associated significantly with reductions in delinquency, marijuana, and alcohol behaviors. Moreover, we find that the effect of motherhood is larger than that of marriage for all outcomes. These results support the qualitative findings and suggest that the transition to motherhood—and not marriage—is the primary turning point for disadvantaged women to exit delinquent and drug-using trajectories.     

RENEWING POLICY TO SUPPORT EVIDENCE‐BASED HEALTH CARE

Health systems internationally have developed policies to support evidence‐based health care (EBHC) for over a decade. As this article shows, the time is ripe to review current policy frameworks in an evidence‐based manner. We summarize key themes deriving from qualitative research on the UK EBHC implementation and draw out implications for policy renewal. Our diagnosis is different from current UK NHS (National Health Service) policy since we stress local capacity building rather than top‐down frameworks, standardized tools and guidelines. As other jurisdictions demonstrate alternative EBHC policy frameworks, more international comparison and mutual learning is needed.     

Administrative License Revocation in New Mexico: An Evaluation

Swiftness of punishment for drivers impaired by alcohol is likely to be increased objectively by administrative license revocation laws. These laws provide that a driver who fails or refuses a breath-alcohol test has his license confiscated on the spot by police, with formal loss of driving privileges following shortly thereafter. This study of New Mexico law looks for evidence of a deterrent impact of administrative license revocation. Interrupted time-series analysis finds a permanent drop in the proportion of driver and pedestrian fatalities involving the presence of alcohol precisely at the time that the law went into effect. However, lack of publicity for the law and the existence of a complex procedure, unpopular with many police, appear to have diminished the law's effectiveness.     

PUBLIC POLICY NETWORKS AND ‘WICKED PROBLEMS’: A NASCENT SOLUTION?

The last two decades have seen a shift in public services organizations from hierarchies to networks. Network forms are seen as particularly suited to handling ‘wicked problems'. We make an assessment of the nature and impact of this shift. Using recent evidence from the United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS), we explore the nature and functioning of eight different public policy networks. We are also interested in whether there has been a radical transition – or not – from hierarchical to network forms.