Regulatory Reform in the 104th Congress: Revolution or Evolution?

This article examines the regulatory reform efforts of the 104thCongress. The focus is on congressional efforts to (1) relaxregulations, (2) shift responsibilities to the states, and (3)scrutinize new regulations. Analysis of legislation in eachof these three areas is followed by consideration of whetherthe laws that have been and will be enacted during the 104thCongress are truly revolutionary, or whether such laws representthe continual evolution of relations between the federal governmenton the one hand and the states, localities, and private sectoron the other.     

The Petroleum Paradox: Oil,Coercive Vulnerability,and Great Power Behavior

Why do great powers fear oil coercion, and what explains the strategies they adopt to protect themselves from it? The paper identifies three types of anticipatory strategies great powers pursue: self-sufficiency, indirect control, and direct control. A state's choice of strategy depends on its degree of vulnerability to oil coercion, which in turn is determined by two independent variables: the amount of oil the country possesses compared to what it needs to meet strategic objectives and the susceptibility of its imports to physical disruption. Great powers fear oil coercion not only because they worry about damage to their economies; petroleum denial also threatens a country's military capabilities. Four case studies illustrate the theory, including Great Britain's efforts to reduce coercive vulnerability at the close of the First World War and Adolf Hitler's attempts across three periods to safeguard German oil access before and during World War II.     

Utilisation of maternal health services in Ethiopia: a key informant research project

This article explores the application of key informant research to examine barriers and facilitators to maternal health services in rural and pastoralist Ethiopia. The key informants were health extension workers (HEWs) who assist women with birth preparedness and facilitate timely referral to health centres for birth. While women encounter many barriers to giving birth in health facilities, where HEWs are supported by their communities and health centre staff, they can effectively encourage women to travel to health centres to give birth with skilled birth attendants rather than at home with unskilled relatives or traditional birth attendants.     

Introduction: contact and domestic abuse

ABSTRACT

This article introduces the special issue of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law on contact disputes and allegations of domestic abuse. It first describes the aims and findings of the International Symposium on Contact Disputes and Allegations of Domestic Violence – Identifying Best Practices at which the papers in the special issue were originally presented. It then outlines the position in England and Wales regarding allegations of domestic abuse in child arrangements cases, highlighting the difference between the ‘law in the books’ and the ‘law in action’. Thirdly, it discusses the research evidence on another prominent international approach to domestic abuse allegations – legislative presumptions against custody or unsupervised visitation/contact for abusive parents. The experience of presumptions in the USA and New Zealand suggests that a similar gap between ‘law in the books’ and ‘law in action’ exists, together with potential problems of legislative drafting. Finally, the article outlines the contributions of the other papers in the special issue to our understanding of international approaches to ensuring safety for children and resident parents in family proceedings where allegations of domestic abuse are raised.     

Conclusion: international best practices

ABSTRACT

Three approaches presented at the International Symposium on Contact Disputes and Allegations of Domestic Violence – Identifying Best Practices offered the possibility of overcoming the limitations identified in the preceding papers in this special issue. A human rights framework, trauma-informed practice and integrated services taking a whole-of-family approach can all help to achieve cultural change in contact proceedings and to ensure the availability of the resources needed to address the issue of domestic abuse holistically. Four Australian initiatives are described as examples of trauma-informed practice and integrated services: Legally Assisted Family Dispute Resolution (LAFDR), the Family Safety Model (FSM), the Family Violence Courts Division of the Victorian Magistrates Court (FVCD), and the Family Advocacy and Support Service (FASS). FSM and LAFDR are out-of-court initiatives which aim to address a family’s abuse-related needs before they get to a court. The FVCD and FASS pick up families whose cases have entered the court system, and at that stage attempt to offer a wrap-around service which addresses both legal and non-legal needs. Lastly, the article describes the European human rights framework, which is designed to operate in cases which are ultimately adjudicated by a court.