The medically uninsured: problems, policies, and politics

The ranks of the medically uninsured have grown significantly in recent years, but no consensus on a policy solution has emerged. After summarizing the characteristics of the uninsured population, this paper reviews diverse policy responses and their troubled political prospects.     

Measuring the Performance of Community Organisations in Queensland and New Zealand

The need to measure qualitative outcomes is well documented. This article argues that despite this recognition many programs are still evaluated using unreliable numerical indicators. This has particular ramifications for community service programs that deal with the sharp end of social problems. While the New Zealand government has instigated a comparatively detailed approval standards, the Queensland government's community service guidelines are still applied almost on an ad hoc, case by case basis. Both New Zealand and Queensland performance indicators are directed towards process outputs, with a primary focus of government being centred on financial accountability. The satisfaction of the client remains the core responsibility of the service provider, but there is little assessment of how successful programs are in meeting individual requirements. This article suggests that there needs to be the development of a more collaborative relationship between governments and community service organisations, to ensure both financial and social objectives are fully realised.     

Elmer's case: A legal positivist replies to Dworkin

Conclusion I have argued that Legal Positivism can accommodate the existence oftheoretical disagreements in law and that Ronald Dworkin is wrongto claim otherwise. As far as Legal Positivists are concerned, evenjudges who differ over both the truth of propositions of law and thegrounds or sources of law can have a legal duty to resolve their dis-agreements on the basis of legal arguments. The duty exists whenconventional legal practice creates it. Moreover, all Anglo-Americanlegal systems impose the duty on judges because all such systemscontain legal practices of the right sort: practices creating expectationsthat cases will be decided on the law even when they raise doubtsabout the content or proper formulation of a rule of recognition.Thus, Elmer's Case poses no threat to Legal Positivism. To the con-trary, it reveals the richness of that theory as few other cases can.Only if Elmer's Case is detached from the context of Anglo-American adjudication can it be said to undermine Legal Positivism.But then no theory of positive law could withstand its challenge.A draft of this essay was presented at a political theory workshop at the University of Chicago. I am grateful for comments received from Russell Hardin, Leo Katz, Steven Fletcher and Thomas Christiano on that occasion. I also thank Steven Walt and Jules Coleman, two of the better dressed philosophers I know.     

Conceptualizing police professionalism

Police professionalism is a term that has seen wide usage in recent years. However, much confusion has been generated by the distinct and often contradictory usages of the concept. This paper attempts to clarify the concept by examining three competing conceptualizations which have been most frequently subscribed to. Criminal justice researchers have followed sociologists, operational zing professionalism through application of the dimensional approach. Fundamental problems with this approach are discussed as well as specific problems with its’ application to the police. Given the conceptual problems which have plagued the concept of police professionalism, recommendations for future research are made.