FEDERAL POLICY IN LOCAL CONTEXT: The Influence of Local State-Societal Relations on Endangered Species Act Implementation

Current debates regarding the degree to which centralization or decentralization of environmental bureaucracies promotes more effective management of natural resources suggest the need for employing new methodologies to empirical analysis, in a variety of political and ecological settings. In this paper, recent state synergy scholarship is adopted to an analysis of the impact of state‐societal relations on the implementation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act in the coastal redwoods region of California. This study suggests that certain state‐societal relations at the peripheries of bureaucratic state systems pose potential sources of both state autonomy and capacity. Effective utilization of such sources may be hampered, however, by policy actions that reflect national‐level political pressure, leading to management decisions that are not necessarily designed to improve either the ecological or social welfare of the region. In conclusion, the author argues that decentralization may be beneficial to bureaucratic effectiveness, however such efforts will be contingent on the ability of states to develop dense connecting networks with social actors that can contribute to policy goals.     

Acid phosphatase screening — Wetting test paper or wetting fabric and test paper?

Detecting and locating semen stains is addressed by identifying the associated acid phosphatase activity of semen. The recovery of semen stains is critical as it can, via DNA testing, address the possible source(s) of the semen and may aid in the interpretation of a case. The purpose of these experiments, carried out on behalf of the Body Fluids Forum, was to consider whether wetting the test paper alone or wetting the semen stained fabric and the test paper affected the detection and location of the semen stains on various fabric types, or the subsequent recovery of spermatozoa from these fabrics. It became evident that the preferred approach varied depending on the fabric type being tested but that more often than not, wetting both the fabric and the test paper had a detrimental effect on the recovery of spermatozoa.     

Action research in mental health: acute care teams

Action research applies knowledge and research findings to practical problems in order to strengthen the capability of the work unit, to contribute to the personal growth and satisfaction of organization members, and to improve theory. An action research project studying acute care teams at a state residential psychiatric facility found that foreign-born physicians chair high-performing teams. This unexpected result strengthens theories of diversity, status inconsistency, and project team effectiveness.     

De-canting ‘Trafficking in Human Beings’, Re-centring the State

Contemporary liberal states are eager to combat ‘human trafficking’, which state actors describe as ‘the scourge of modern slavery’ and a violation of human rights. The same states are also depriving migrants of their freedom on an unprecedented scale through immigration detention, forcibly moving them across borders through deportation, and sustaining a flourishing industry in the prevention and control of human movement. This is not a paradox. The ambition to eradicate ‘slavery’, as much as the desire to severely restrict freedom of movement, reflects a concern to preserve and extend state powers, in particular its monopoly on violence and on the control of mobility.     

Driving growth: Regulatory reform and expressways in Indonesia

This article uses the case study of Indonesian governments' attempts to construct a 1,000 kilometer toll road through the densest parts of Java to shed light on how governments with a checkered past of enforcing contracts and protecting private property rights go about establishing the requisite regulatory framework to attract private investment for infrastructure. While regulatory reform has taken place in Indonesia, vested interests and power will keep the country's political economy from taking on World Bank-promoted best practice characteristics. Programs that promote private sector participation in infrastructure need to be reconsidered where the main ingredients for these programs' success exist in small measures.     

Investigation of nocturnal oviposition by necrophilous flies in central Texas

The need to accurately estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) has prompted research into factors affecting fly oviposition (i.e., oviposition and/or larviposition) on a corpse. Research efforts have focused on whether or not diurnally active flies oviposit during nighttime hours. This study reports that nocturnal oviposition (defined as occurring between 2100-0600 h CDST (Central Daylight Savings Time)) did not occur on freshly killed white rats or mice, on beef (fresh or aged up to 48 h), on freshly thawed pigs, nor, usually, on thawed pigs that were aged for up to 48 h. Limited oviposition did occur between 2100 and 2120 h on one bloated pig at a lighted rural site. Necrophilous flies were present and active at lighted and dark sites (urban and rural) before and immediately after sunset, but fly activity on the bait ceased within 50 min postsunset and did not resume until after 0600 h. These observations support other studies reporting that diurnally active flies do not oviposit during the nighttime.     

Performance: Promises to Keep and Miles to Go

In July 1995, the American Society for Public Administration's Endowment Board established the Donald C. Stone Fund to honor the memory of this public administration legend. Income from this fund is used to sponsor a lecture or symposium at ASPA's national conference, which reflects Stone's varied interests and contributions to the field. This year marked the tenth Donald C. Stone Lecture. On April 4, Patricia Wallace Ingraham was ASPA's Stone Lecturer and gave the following speech