Russia's Twentieth Century in History and Historiography

Discussions of Russian history have frequently been marked by a preoccupation with the question of Russian 'backwardness', or, during the Soviet period from 1917 to 1991, with its obverse: the claim of the Soviet Union to play a vanguard role in world history. This paper offers a critical survey of twentieth-century Russian and Soviet history, and of its often highly politicised historiography, in the light of these debates. The extent to which the Soviet 'building of socialism' represented a project of modernisation will be considered, along with differing interpretations of this project by both Western and post-Soviet Russian historians. While the work of the new generation of post-Soviet historians promises substantive advances in our knowledge of the Soviet past, it is suggested here that debates on Russia's past are once again being overshadowed by old concerns about Russia's backwardness vis-à-vis the West.     

Urban ethnic politics in the post‐modern city: Comparing Miami and Toronto

This paper synthesises variants of post‐modern political theory in order to examine contemporary urban ethnic politics in Miami, Florida, and Toronto, Ontario. Cities in general, and Miami and Toronto in particular, are conceptualised not as foundational entities to be excavated in search of pre‐given data, but as texts—configurations of signs, symbols and codes to be read, interpreted and analysed. The focus is on race and ethnicity as socially constructed and political contested imageries, but the approach, aptly described as empirical post‐modernism, has even broader implications for the study of power and identity politics in contemporary world cities.     

Bureaucracy and consultation: the Correctional Service of Canada and the requirements of being democratic

Abstract: The question of how the “participatory” climate of the 1900s has affected government decision-making processes in Canada has caught the attention of many students of public administration. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has made a commitment over the last decade to greater public involvement in its operations. However, the csc initially underestimated the tensions between bureaucratic and consultative practice, as well as the extent of the organizational changes required for meaningful consultation. The result was a delayed adaptation to the requirements of consultation, which impaired the csc's ability to communicate with the public. The first part of this paper delineates the tensions between bureaucratic and consultative practice that manifest themselves in different assumptions concerning who should make policy decisions, what criteria should be used in decision making, who should be informed and, finally, how the decision-making organizations should be designed. In the second part, the csc's attempts to overcome such tensions are examined in four cases of community consultation conducted in the 1990s. Sommaire: De nombreux étudiants en administration publique se sont penchés sur la question de savoir comment le climat «participatif» des années 1990 a influé sur le processus décisionnel gouvernemental au Canada. Le Service correctionnel du Canada (scc) s'est engagé au cours de la dernière décennie à faire participer davantage le grand public à ses opérations. Cependant, le scc avait sous-estime au depart la tension qui régnait entre l'approche bureaucratique et l'approche consultative, ainsi que l'ampleur des changements organisationnels nécessaires pour avoir une consultation valable. Par conséquent, l'adaptation aux exigences de la consultation a tardéà se produire, ce qui diminua l'aptitude du scc à communiquer avec le public. l.a première partie de cet article décrit les écarts entre les deux approches mentionnées plus haut, écarts qui se manifestent par des idées divergentes concernant quidevrait prendre les décisions en matiere de politique, quels criteres devraient guider les décisions, qui devrait êre mis au courant et enfin, comment les organismes décisionnels devraient être concps. La deuxième partie de l'article examine quatre cas de consultation communautaire réalisées dans les années 1990, Afin de cerner les efforts du SCC visant àéliminer ces tensions.     

The Regulation of Xenotransplantation in the United Kingdom After UKXIRA: Legal and Ethical Issues

Xenotransplantation - the transfer of living tissue between species - has long been heralded as a potential solution to the severe organ shortage crisis experienced by the United Kingdom and other 'developed' nations. However, the significant risks which accompany this biotechnology led the United Kingdom to adopt a cautious approach to its regulation, with the establishment of a non-departmental public body - UKXIRA - to oversee the development of this technology on a national basis. In December 2006 UKXIRA was quietly disbanded and replaced with revised guidance, which entrusts the regulation of xenotransplantation largely to research ethics committees. In this article we seek to problematize this new regulatory framework, arguing that specialist expertise and national oversight are necessary components of an adequate regulatory framework for a biotechnology which poses new orders of risk, challenges the adequacy of traditional understandings of autonomy and consent, and raises significant animal welfare concerns. We argue for a more considered and holistic approach, based on adequate consultation, to regulating biotechnological developments in the United Kingdom.     

The sources and consequences of corrections officers' stress: A South Korean example

Corrections officers play crucial roles in the functioning of correctional institutions. They create and maintain the social and security milieu within prisons and often have direct impact on the behavior of inmates through their daily contact with inmates. Studies showed, however, that the correctional work environment was fraught with stress. Many studies found that corrections officers experienced excessive stress, which manifested in physical illnesses, burnout, family problems, or their inability to perform their duties—compromising institutional safety and creating further stress for other staff. These studies were instrumental in instituting improvements in the correctional work environment; however, most were conducted in Western societies. To extend the knowledge of corrections officers' work environments, this study examined correctional work among officers in South Korea. Specifically, stress-related issues outlined in previous studies were examined here to assess their relevance and applicability in the South Korean society. Implications for policy and future endeavors are discussed.