Monetary and financial cooperation in Asia: taking stock of recent ongoings

Ever since the currency crisis of 1997–98, there has beena great deal of interest in enhancing regional economic cooperationin Asia. It is important to keep in mind that economic regionalismis of multidimensional nature. The focus of this paper is onpolicy initiatives underway in Asia to enhance monetary andfinancial regionalism and the analytical bases for these initiatives,rather than on examining the de facto level of financial andmonetary links that already exists (which may or may not havebeen facilitated via regional policy mechanisms). There aremany gradations of monetary and financial regionalism, rangingfrom the weak form involving regional policy dialog and surveillance,on the one hand, to exchange rate and monetary coordination,on the other. To maintain focus, this paper concentrates morenarrowly on ‘medium forms’ of monetary and financialregionalism, broadly defined as the development of regionalliquidity arrangements and regional financial markets.     

The rise of the shadow economy: An Indian perspective

This study was undertaken to understand the importance of the shadow economy, which is often misunderstood and misquoted. We come to an understanding of why this is an uproar regarding black money generation in India. This paper is an attempt to bring forward past evidences and current situation to understand the system through discussing various points of views in the literature. The paper concludes with bringing out the difference in black wealth and black money and the impact of both on the economy and answers the question—Is black money really bad for the economy? It is a hope that these results will be useful to policymakers and stakeholder to make policies that cater to all.     

Security dimensions of Soviet territorial disputes with China and Japan

The advent of Mikhail Gorbachev’sNew Thinking has produce a Soviet strategy toward East Asia that seeks a détente with China and Japan. An essential part of this task involves settling the territorial disputes that both countries have with the USSR. Present negotiations on the Sino-Soviet border have produced compromises, yet differences remain. Intractable positions by Japan and the USSR on the Northern Territories issue have resulted in a standstill that has prevented formal negotiations. This article analyzes the strategic-miliatary choices that Soviet leaders will have to make as they address the territorial disputes, examine possible compromises and their consequences for Soviet security, and assess the overall prospects for settlement. Rajan Menon is associate professor of international relations at Lehigh University and author ofSoviet Power and the Third World (Yale University Press, 1986). During the 1989⊋ash;90 academic year he is serving as a research scholar at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and as a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow on the staff of Congressman Stephen J. Solarz (D-NY).     

Referrers' views of structured professional judgement risk assessment of sexual offenders: A qualitative study

Abstract

The Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol is a structured professional judgement (SPJ) tool that aids risk assessment of sexual violence. It is widely used internationally. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical practice of SPJ risk assessment and risk management through qualitative analysis of the accounts of users of these assessments. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 31 criminal justice professionals in southeast Scotland. The participants' accounts were explored using the framework method. Five themes emerged from this analysis: informing risk management; confirming what was known and giving weight; understanding personality; treatment; and the usefulness and limitations of risk assessment. The participants reported that the assessments were influential with respect to risk management. The study revealed some important implications for service development. The authors suggest possible future use of the framework method in research investigating the risk assessment of sexual violence.