A social and political profile of Canadian legislators, 1996

This research note provides an overview and an update on the social and political backgrounds of all elected Canadian legislators at the federal and provincial/territorial levels of government in 1996. For provincial/territorial legislators data are presented by electoral jurisdiction, and for all legislators by level of government and political party. Relatively few differences in social characteristics were found between the two levels although there were some variations by province, territory and party. Business, education and law are the three most prevalent occupations, although the latter has declined among legislators over time. There is little movement of members from the provincial to the federal level. The most common political experience of both groups lies in municipal governance. Over time women have increased their share of seats at both levels. Even in a polity such as Canada with high rates of legislative turnover at both federal and provincial/territorial levels and with new parties emerging, most changes in social and political experience backgrounds proceed incrementally.     

Books received

Dependency under Challenge: The Political Economy of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Edited by Anthony Payne and Paul Sutton. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1984. Pp.xii + 294. £25. ISBN 0 7190 0970 7.

The International Crisis in the Caribbean. By Anthony Payne. London: Croom Helm, 1984. Pp.iii + 177. £14.95. ISBN 0 7099 2052 0.

Grenada: Revolution and Invasion. By Anthony Payne, Paul Sutton and Tony Thorndike. London: Croom Helm, 1984. Pp.x + 233. £17.95. ISBN 0 7099 2080 6.

The Three Worlds: Culture and World Development. By Peter Worsley. London: Weidenfeld &; Nicolson, 1984. Pp.xiv + 409. £16.95 and £8.95. ISBN 0 297 783467 and 78356 4.

Agriculture, Poverty and Freedom in Developing Countries. By Eric Clayton. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp.x + 277. £15 and £6.95. ISBN 0 333 36100 8 and 36101 6.

Understanding Green Revolutions: Agrarian Change and Development Planning in South Asia. Edited by Tim P. Bayliss‐Smith and Sudhir Wanmali. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Pp. x + 384. £30/$59.50. ISBN 0 521 24942 2.

Kritsman and the Agrarian Marxists. Edited by Terry Cox and Gary Littlejohn. London: Frank Cass, 1984. Pp. 149. £18.50. ISBN 0 7146 3237 6.

The Defense of Community in Peru's Central Highlands: Peasant Struggle and Capitalist Transition, 1860–1940. By Florencia E. Mallon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Pp. xiv + 384. £28.20 and £12.60. ISBN 0 691 07647 2 and 10140; X.

Miners, Peasants and Entrepreneurs: Regional Development in the Central Highlands of Peru. By Norman Long and Bryan Roberts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Pp.x + 288. £25. ISBN 0 521 24809 4.

The New Bourgeoisie and the Limits of Dependency: Mining, Class and Power in ‘Revolutionary’ Peru. By David G. Becker. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Pp.xxviii + 368. £30.20 and £8.60. ISBN 0 691 07645 6 and 0 691 02213 5.

The Pharmaceutical Industry and Dependency in the Third World. By Gary Gereffi. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Pp.xiii + 292. £21.60 and £8.65. IBSN 0 691 09401 2 and 02828 1.

Law and Policy of Producers’ Associations. By D.E. Pollard. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984. Pp.xii + 372. £30. ISBN 0 19 825480 6.

Inequalising Trade? A Study of Traditional North/South Specialisation in the Context of Terms of Trade Concepts. By John Spraos. Oxford: Clarendon Press in cooperation with UNCTAD, 1983. Pp.ix + 169. £15. ISBN 0 19 828458 6.

Reality and Rhetoric: Studies in the Economics of Development. By P. T. Bauer. London: Weidenfeld &; Nicolson, 1984. Pp.viii + 184. £11.95. ISBN 0 297 78335 1.

Critique and Anti‐Critique: Essays on Dependence and Reformism. By Andre Gunder Frank. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp.xiii + 336. £20 and £7.95. ISBN 0333 37122 4 and 37123 2.

Participation of the Poor in Development. Edited by Benno Galjart and Dieke Buijs. Leiden: Leiden Development Studies No.2, 1982. Pp.325. NP.

Studies in Rural Participation. Edited by Amit Bhaduri and Md. Anisur Rahman. New Delhi: Oxford &; IBH Publishing Co., 1982. Pp. vii + 229. Rs.85.

Evaluating Population Programs: International Experience with Cost‐effective Analysis and Cost‐benefit Analysis. Edited by Ismail Sirageldin, David Salkever and Richard W. Osborn. London: Croom Helm; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983. Pp.xxxi + 534. £19.95. ISBN 0 7099 2393 7.

Development Planning Models. Edited by S. Bhagwan Dahiya. 2 vols. New Delhi: Inter‐India Publications, 1982. Pp.xxiv + 392 + xxiv + 270. $60 the set.

Appropriate Products, Employment and Technology: Case‐Studies on Consumer Choice and Basic Needs in Developing Countries. Edited by Wouter van Ginneken and Christopher Baron. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp. xi + 260. £25. ISBN 0 333 35302 1.

Education and Income Determination in Kenya. By Arne Bigsten. Aldershot, Hants: Gower, 1984. Pp.vii + 156. £14.50. ISBN 0 566 00703 7.

The Impending Crisis in Kenya: The Case for Land Reform. By Diana Hunt. Aldershot, Hants: Gower, 1984. Pp.viii + 314. £17.50. ISBN 0 566 00713 4.

Ibn Khaldun: The Birth of History and the Past of the Third World. By Yves Lacoste. London: New Left Books and Verso, 1984. Pp. 214. £20 and £5.95. ISBN 0 86091 084 9 and 789 4.     

Policy entrepreneurs and post-conflict cross-border cooperation: a conceptual framework and the Israeli–Jordanian case

What is the role of policy entrepreneurs in shaping the dynamics which normalize relationships between neighboring countries after the formal resolution of conflict? This article suggests a conceptual framework to understand the influence of policy entrepreneurs on public policy regarding cross-border interaction in post-conflict border regions. We analyze the motivations, preferences and strategies of local players which design given realities in the border region. We propose a typology of the various policy entrepreneurs active in the post-conflict border region. The theoretical framework is used in the analysis of the Israeli–Jordanian border region since the peace treaty of 1994.     

Toward a More Pragmatic Multiculturalism? How the U.K. Policy Community Sees the Future of Ethnic Diversity Policies

The United Kingdom is often considered a leader in multiculturalism. However, recent statements by British politicians, community leaders, and academics question the multiculturalist direction in policymaking. This article reports interviews about multiculturalism, national identity, social cohesion, and future policy directions with leading figures in the debate, including Home Affairs Select Committee members, authors of major reports, experts, researchers, and academics. The attitudes expressed when discussing overall policy directions in most cases indicate disquiet at the assumed segregative effects of current policies. However, when specific issues (sharia law, faith schooling, dress codes including veiling, dietary practices, political representation) are considered, most interviewees express a concern to accommodate differences in cultural and traditional standpoints through dialogue. We conclude that multiculturalism in Britain is not “dead,” as some have argued. Instead it is developing in a more pragmatic direction that emphasizes the importance of interaction and accommodation rather than top‐down interventions.     

Genetic variability of RyR2 and CASQ2 genes in an Asian population

We analyzed the coding regions of the cardiac calcium-handling genes, ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) and calsequestrin 2 (CASQ2) for genetic variants in a healthy Chinese population (n = 95) and in a cohort of 28 sudden unexplained death victims. Mutations in RyR2 and CASQ2 have been shown to alter calcium homeostasis during excitation–contraction coupling and predispose individuals to fatal cardiac arrhythmias. The genetic screening was accomplished by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and DNA sequencing methods. Genetic analysis revealed the following non-synonymous genetic variations: two reported RyR2 polymorphisms; 5654G>A (G1885E) and 5656G>A (G1886S), two reported CASQ2 polymorphisms; 196A>G (T66A) and 226G>A (V76M) and one novel CASQ2 mutation; 529G>C (E177Q). The functional significance of the novel CASQ2 mutation has not been evaluated and characterized. This study shows that multiple genetic variations of the RyR2 and CASQ2 genes exist in the two study populations. The inter-individual genetic variability may underlie the different susceptibility of individuals to developing ventricular tachycardia. The research results will be valuable for which future work involving clinical and forensic samples can be based upon to distinguish potential disease-associated mutations from common polymorphisms.     

Regret,Reconciliation, and Restorative Justice: Introduction to a Special Issue of Social Justice Research

Social Justice Research -     

The Ethics of Respect in Negotiation

Negotiation Journal -     

The Special Case of Pesticides: Science and Regulation

Pesticide regulation is a data-intensive activity that is strongly controlled at the federal level. The pesticide law FIFRA controls pesticide sale, use, and disposal. Normal use of pesticides is excluded under RCRA and CERCLA. There are approximately 1,000 pesticide active ingredients with highly diverse functions ranging from insecticides to disinfectants and pheromones (insect sex attractants). There is a relatively large database on many pesticides, which helps reduce uncertainty in risk assessments. Witnesses subject to Daubert should be familiar with the data as well as the computer models designed for pesticides. “Inert” ingredients that are formulated with the pesticide active ingredients can become issues in torts cases. Federal courts have ruled both in favor and against FIFRA preemption, i.e., the ability of a plaintiff to seek relief in a torts case may be blocked by FIFRA. Golf course permitting provides a special land use whereby fundamental pesticide risk and regulatory issues are debated at the level of local planning and zoning commissions.     

Distributive justice: Theory and research

The concept of distributive justice and the theoretical and empirical work conducted on it during the past two decades are examined. Three questions provide the structure for this examination: (i) What are fundamental conceptual dimensions of distributive justice and the specific substantive issues to which they are related? (ii) What central questions has recent work on distributive justice addressed? and (iii) What are the most important emerging issues on which work in the near-term future should focus? Much of the theory and research examined in the paper is social psychological in nature, but reference is made to related work in related disciplines, particularly sociology and philosophy.