Mukulabhaṭṭa’s Defense of Lakṣaṇā: How We Use Words to Mean Something Else, But Not Everything Else

We frequently use single words or expressions to mean multiple things, depending upon context. I argue that a plausible model of this phenomenon, known as lak?a?ā by Indian philosophers, emerges in the work of ninth-century Kashmiri Mukulabha??a. His model of lak?a?ā is sensitive to the lexical and syntactic requirements for sentence meaning, the interpretive unity guiding a communicative act, and the nuances of creative language use found in poetry. After outlining his model of lak?a?ā, I show how arthāpatti, or presumption, forms the basis of both semantic and pragmatic processes in this approach. I employ a model from contemporary linguist James Pustejovsky as one way of reconstructing Mukulabha??a’s analysis. Finally, I argue that presumption is responsible for the wide range of interpretations in creative uses of language, and that our interpretations are constrained, through defeasible in a way that our decodings of literal meanings typically are not.     

The Impact of Energy Asset Privatisation on State Government Debt Management and Service Provision in Victoria and New South Wales

The purpose of this article is to look at the impact of the privatisation of the electricity and gas industries in the state of Victoria on the level of state government debt and subsequent ability of the state to deliver public services in the areas of health, education and law and order. In order to undertake this, a comparison is made with the state of New South Wales (NSW), where the privatisation of the electricity industry was often debated during the 1990s and 2000s, but never undertaken.     

Regulating assisted reproductive technologies in Victoria: the impact of changing policy concerning the accessibility of in vitro fertilisation for preimplantation tissue-typing

On 1 January 2010, the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 (Vic) came into force. The legislation was the outcome of a detailed review and consultation process undertaken by the Victorian Law Reform Commission. Arguably, the change to the regulatory framework represents a significant shift in policy compared to previous regulatory approaches on this topic in Victoria. This article considers the impact of the new legislation on eligibility for reproductive treatments, focusing on the accessibility of such services for the purpose of creating a "saviour sibling". It also highlights the impact of the Victorian regulatory body's decision to abolish its regulatory policies on preimplantation genetic diagnosis and preimplantation tissue-typing, concluding that the regulatory approach in relation to these latter issues is similar to other Australian jurisdictions where such practices are not addressed by a statutory framework.     

Nonincremental Policy Change: Lessons from Michigan's Medicaid Managed Care Initiative

Studies of policy implementation have focused primarily on incremental policy change, yet policy change is sometimes implemented quickly and comprehensively. Such is the case with Michigan's recent implementation of a statewide Medicaid managed care initiative. This article analyzes Michigan's quick implementation and highlights the importance of political support, organizational change, and a supportive policy and administrative environment in affecting successful implementation. It also notes the price paid for quick implementation—namely, stakeholder dissatisfaction, mistakes, and lack of public involvement.