Researching other people's rows: Current research into divorce conciliation

Conclusion This paper has been a review of some current issues in research to monitor conciliation and mediation in matrimonial disputes. We have argued that although the main faults of the Lord Chancellor's Department'sReport of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Conciliation have been well identified by critics, some of the criticisms are unnecessarily harsh and unfair. Second, we have pointed to the major weaknesses of research to date on conciliation. These are: (a) the absence of convincing controls to conciliated clients; (b) the lack of consumer research. We have suggested an aggressive research design to overcome the first of these problems and argued against theprima facie ethical objection to it. Finally, we have reviewed the issue of confidentiality of information in relation to research needs. We have suggested that a reluctance to betray confidences can not only be seen as part of a general adherence to the informed consent principle, but that, for us, it forms part of a general attitude to research that treats clients as responsible partners in the acquisition of knowledge and insight.With these three themes in mind we look forward to research into conciliation that is (a) more convincing than the Robinson report; (b) more adventurous in tackling the problems of legitimate inference of the cause/effect type; (c) sensitive to ethical issues without being unnecessarily timid.     

Overurbanization and underdevelopment in Sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national study

"This paper discusses both the urban bias and world-system theories of overurbanization and presents a cross-national analysis of 32 African nations to test these perspectives. The analysis is divided into three parts. First, the effects of urban bias (i.e., the disparity in welfare between rural and urban areas) and economic dependence on overurbanization are examined. Next, the association between overurbanization and (1) the structure of the labor force and (2) economic growth is tested. Finally, the relationship between the structure of the labor force and economic growth is evaluated." The results indicate that "the rural-urban disparity and foreign investment facilitate overurbanization, and that an increase in level of overurbanization has a deleterious impact on both the structure of the labor force and economic growth. Furthermore, there is strong evidence indicating that an increase in service-sector employment has a negative effect on economic growth."     

Emerging from the Chrysalis: Union Citizenship Must Escape its Nationality-Based Shortcomings

The European Union is at the core of a supranational citizenship project. This supranational project resulted in a crystallised form of citizenship in 1992, although it has been subject to constant revision by the ECJ since then. Nonetheless, the basis on which this novel form of citizenship is predicated is the traditional national paradigm of citizenship, with all its inherent sensitivities and inhibitions replicated on the international stage. It will be suggested that this nation-centric focus is ultimately the single biggest failing of European Union citizenship and its greatest limitation. The very nature of the supranational entity is exclusionary, to the detriment of over a million individuals. This paper will address which sectors of the broader European society are most affected by European citizenship’s exclusive properties and will explore the Union’s obligations and its responsibility to include marginalised groups, particularly the stateless, refugees, and third country nationals on an equal footing with Member State nationals. The extent of the statelessness problem will form the main portion of the discussion with a view to considering the challenges these at risk individuals face on a daily basis and how they can be incorporated in the most effective way within the Union framework: such incorporation will, of necessity, also mandate an examination of surrounding human rights issues, all the more pressing in light of the post-Lisbon Union commitment to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights. The stateless are not the only marginalised group found in Union territory: third country nationals who do not benefit from Directive 2003/109 nonetheless make a considerable contribution without receiving the same rights and freedoms as those serendipitous enough to call themselves ‘long-term residents’. The human rights and democratic bases of the Union appear to be undermined by the restrictive approach to inclusion that has, to date, been taken when addressing non-nationals’ incorporation under the citizenship umbrella. This paper aims to assess the shortcomings of the European Citizenship project by highlighting the effects of its exclusivity and the limitations of its notion of inclusivity. Rather than establishing a single supranational form of citizenship the Union has, instead, succeeded in developing a multi-tiered and hierarchical construct, far removed from the notion of ‘a broader community of peoples’. It will culminate in a proposal for a significantly modified vision of Union citizenship which would seek to overcome the current version’s apparent limitations, elevating the standing of the at risk groups in such a way that their contribution to Union life is fully, and deservedly, recognised.     

US state crimes related to nuclear weapons: Is there hope for change in the Obama administration?

Given the long history of US state crimes related to nuclear weapons and the aggressive unilateralism of the George W. Bush administration that compounded these crimes, the election of Barack Obama created a “hope” for “change” in American nuclear weapons policy. While it is too early to render any conclusive judgment, we offer a preliminary assessment of the Obama record with regard to nuclear weapons based on a number of significant policy statements made and official actions taken, including Obama's 2009 Prague speech, the signing of the new START agreement in April 2010, the administration's 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, the Washington DC Nuclear Security Summit, and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference of 2010. Although the new administration has taken some steps to reduce the likelihood of the use or threat to use nuclear weapons, we conclude that under President Obama the US continues to be in violation of the solemn legal obligation to disarm as imposed by the NPT treaty of 1968. We also briefly note some of the structural and cultural factors related to the American empire that hinders any president from changing American nuclear weapons policy.     

THE IMPACT OF CLIENT AND EVALUATOR GENDER ON CUSTODY EVALUATIONS

Fifty-one child custody evaluations from registries of the Family Court of Australia were analysed for evidence of sex role and sex trait stereotyping by using a content analysis program. The categories used in the content analysis included expressive and instrumental sex role traits, power-related behaviours, communications about family and marital interactions, basic care-taking, attachment, and the parents' environment. When analysed by the gender of the evaluator, it was found that male and female evaluators significantly favoured the parent of their own gender in specific categories. It is suggested that the court context has been important in influencing the content of the stereotype.     

The effect of feeding enrichment upon reported working ability and behavior of kenneled working dogs

It is widely recommended that kenneled dogs are provided with environmental enrichment such as toys or feeding devices. However, the adoption of enrichment for military working dogs is impeded by a widespread belief that it reduces their motivation to work. Handlers of 22 working German Shepherd dogs were asked to rate their dogs on 11 attributes pertaining to working ability, related behavioral traits, and health. Eight of the dogs were then provided with daily feeding enrichment for 4 months, while the remainder were given equivalent human attention. The same 11 traits were scored again following the enrichment period: 10 changed little over the period while handlers' reports of their dogs' Ability to learn from being rewarded increased significantly. Changes for all attributes were virtually identical in enriched and control dogs. We conclude that if correctly managed, feeding enrichment can be introduced to kenneled working dogs without any reported detrimental effects upon working ability, health, or behavior.