Does Capital Punishment Have a Deterrent Effect? New Evidence from Postmoratorium Panel Data

Evidence on the deterrent effect of capital punishment is importantfor many states that are currently reconsidering their positionon the issue. We examine the deterrent hypothesis by using county-level,postmoratorium panel data and a system of simultaneous equations.The procedure we employ overcomes common aggregation problems,eliminates the bias arising from unobserved heterogeneity, andprovides evidence relevant for current conditions. Our resultssuggest that capital punishment has a strong deterrent effect;each execution results, on average, in eighteen fewer murders—witha margin of error of plus or minus ten. Tests show that resultsare not driven by tougher sentencing laws and are robust tomany alternative specifications.     

Belize It or Not: Implied Contract Terms in Marks and Spencer v BNP Paribas

In Marks and Spencer v BNP Paribas, the Supreme Court restated the law on the implication of terms in fact, rejecting the previously authoritative approach taken by Lord Hoffmann in Attorney General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd. This article examines two major departures from Belize in Lord Neuberger's leading judgment: the treatment of implication as a process separate from interpretation, and a return to the ‘traditional tests’ for the implication of terms. It argues that these are retrogressive steps in our understanding of contract terms, which risk fostering an incoherent and unprincipled approach to the law.     

Understanding a Period of Policy Change: The Case of Hydraulic Fracturing Disclosure Policy in Colorado

This paper investigates the beliefs and framing strategies of interest groups during a period of policy change and the factors explaining policy change. We develop propositions to explore questions concerning policy change primarily from the advocacy coalition framework as well as from other theorie. The propositions are tested by examining the promulgation of a Colorado regulation requiring the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Using coded data of documents published by organizations involved in the rulemaking process, we find divergence between industry and environmental groups on their beliefs concerning hydraulic fracturing, as well as their portraying themselves and each other as heroes, victims, and villains, but some convergence on their more specific beliefs concerning disclosure of chemicals. Interviews point to the importance of policy entrepreneurs, timing, a negotiated agreement, and learning for explaining policy change. The findings provide both theoretical and methodological insights into how and why policy changes.     

E-Documentation as Medical Services Quality Determinant on the Private Dentist＇s Surgery Example

The paper presents the modem management of health care institutions in the electronic medical document （EMD） context. Electronic medical document is in the form of software that provides a comprehensive system for the whole dentist＇s surgery management. The program allows for complete service of the patient in the private dentist by keeping records, archival photographs, the settlement of visits, and patient registration. It has been shown that technological innovation can fundamentally change the quality of the medical services in Poland, making a revolution in the management of budgetary expenditure. Electronic medical document is a system for the citizens of the 21st century. This is a new quality in healthcare administration, reimbursement systems, and most importantly patient care. Created based on specified standards and national standards, information databases ensure the reliability and comparability of data, and can be an analytical tool for health policy planning at various levels of the administration.     

Early Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Skills Among Youth in Fragile Families

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with negative health and behavioral outcomes across the life course, yet little is known about the association...     

Correction to: The Influence of Latinisms on the Quality of the Judgments of Polish Courts

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique -     

Belarusian population genetic database for 15 autosomal STR loci

Allele frequencies of 15 short tandem repeat loci included in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit (Applied Biosystems) were obtained from a sample set of unrelated individuals living in Belarus (n=176). For all loci, no deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found. Results were compared with data available for the Belarusian minority residing in northeastern Poland and for other Slavic populations. Statistically significant differences were observed between Belarusians and all compared populations. The values of heterozygosity, polymorphic information content (PIC), power of discrimination (PD), power of exclusion (PE), paternity index (PI) and matching probability (pM) were calculated.     

The standard of care and expert evidence of accepted practice in medical negligence

The topic of this article is the perennial issue in medical negligence litigation of various kinds of the extent to which it is a defence to a charge of lack of reasonable care that the defendant's conduct complied with accepted professional practice. Recent English interpretations of the controversial Bolam principle are considered, before the current approach of the courts and the Health and Disability Commissioner in New Zealand is described, using case illustrations. In New Zealand expert medical opinion of accepted practice is relevant to, but not conclusive of, the standard of care. There is, however, more freedom than pursuant to the current English approach for a decision-maker to reject expert opinion of accepted practice, because he or she is able to examine not just the logical defensibility of the practice but its overall reasonableness, including where the practice involved a risk assessment on a matter of clinical judgment. A decision to reject expert opinion of accepted practice is more readily made in areas which do not involve assessment, diagnosis and treatment.