New Regulatory Approaches in 'Greening' EU Policies

European environmental policy has been long characterised by traditional regulatory policy approaches. In recent years, however, the EU has begun experimenting with new forms of governance. In particular, the task of environmental policy integration (EPI) into sectoral policies has invited more flexible and participatory regulatory forms, emphasising at the same time the role of procedural guidance. This article traces the history of the EPI principle and links its effectiveness to specific governance characteristics. It argues that effective EPI is dependent on a combination of political leadership and public participation. While both terms appear in the EU's vocabulary on sustainable development and new governance, the EU is only slowly finding the appropriate forms to put them into practice. Coming from a tradition of governance by political élites, EU policy-makers are still relying too naïvely on the mobilisation capabilities of societal groups and on the power of 'good ideas'.     

Medical study: aspiring parents, genotypes and phenotypes: the unexamined myth of the perfect baby

Although many have argued that assisted reproductive technologies ("ARTs") attract those with a desire to genetically engineer their offspring, this claim has yet to be verified. To address this question, we surveyed three groups: the general public, people enrolling in an in vitro fertilization ("IVF") program, and pregnant couples. We asked subject which traits they would select in their children if it were possible to use a magic wand to do so and to value genetic relatedness. In our sample, the potential parents who were using ARTs were less likely to express a desire to select traits in their offspring than were the general public, and just as likely as the pregnant couples, Those using ARTs , however, place greater importance on having genetically related children than the others. Thus, the widely held view that reproductive technology is utilized by those most likely to favor genetic engineering is falsified by out findings.     

Predictions of Future Dangerousness in Capital Murder Trials: Is It Time to “Disinvent the Wheel?”

Although recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding the death penalty (e.g., Atkins v. Virginia, 2002) have renewed interest in mental health issues, one topic that has not received much attention recently is the ongoing use of expert testimony to support claims that defendants represent a continuing threat to society. In this article, we (a) review prior research relevant to determining the accuracy of clinical predictions that capital defendants will commit future acts of criminal violence; (b) summarize new data from current and former death row inmates in Texas that bolster the claim that such predictions are gross overestimates of risk; and (c) review extant research addressing the potential utility of various risk assessment instruments that increasingly are being used to reinforce clinical predictions in capital trials. Despite significant recent advances in the field of risk assessment, clinical assertions that a defendant is likely to commit future violent acts appear to be highly inaccurate and ethically questionable at best. Moreover, available research offers little support for the claim that the accuracy of these predictions will be appreciably improved by relying on more structured risk assessment measures that have some demonstrated predictive validity in other contexts.Portions of this article were written while the first author was a member of the Department of Psychology at Sam Houston State University. The prison inmate data reported in this study also are described in a report by the Texas Defender Service, available at:     

Choosing Healthplans All Together: a deliberative exercise for allocating limited health care resources

CHAT (Choosing Healthplans All Together) is an exercise in participatory decision making designed to engage the public in health care priority setting. Participants work individually and then in groups to distribute a limited number of pegs on a board as they select from a wide range of insurance options. Randomly distributed health events illustrate the consequences of insurance choices. In 1999-2000, the authors conducted fifty sessions of CHAT involving 592 residents of North Carolina. The exercise was rated highly regarding ease of use, informativeness, and enjoyment. Participants found the information believable and complete, thought the group decision-making process was fair, and were willing to abide by group decisions. CHAT holds promise as a tool to foster group deliberation, generate collective choices, and incorporate the preferences and values of consumers into allocation decisions. It can serve to inform and stimulate public dialogue about limited health care resources.     

Perianal and vulvar Crohn's disease presenting as suspected abuse

Misdiagnosis of sexual abuse may arise in cases of vulvar and/or perianal diseases such as lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, Behcet's syndrome, bullous diseases, contact dermatitis, or neoplastic lesions. We present the case of a 7-year-old girl who was referred by her general paediatrician to the local hospital for perianal fissures and swelling of the labia majora. A report to the judicial authorities was made, for suspected sexual abuse, and the patient was transferred to the department of paediatric surgery. Here, histopathologic examination of vulvar and rectal biopsies revealed multiple non-caseating and non-confluent epithelioid-gigantocellular granulomas, consistent with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, with cutaneous involvement of the genitalia. In cases of suspected sexual abuse, examination of children should be performed by a specialist in legal medicine in collaboration with a gynaecologist or paediatric surgeon. If the patient is hospitalised and the question of protection does not arise, physicians should exclude dermatological diseases before reporting to the judicial authorities.