Independence or Union: Scotland's Past and Scotland's Present

Independence or Union: Scotland's Past and Scotland's Present. By T.M. Devine (London: Allen Lane, 2016), pp. xiii + 306. £20.00 (cloth).     

Postmortem cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis

We show that postmortem cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis is a common event. Postmortem cerebrospinal or ventricular fluid was obtained from children and adults. The cells were counted and morphologically characterized using several histochemical markers. Infants exhibit a brisk postmortem CSF pleocytosis. Sudden infant death cases have relatively high CSF counts. Typeable cells are mononuclear and consist of approximately 60%-70% lymphocytes and 20%-40% macrophages. When postmortem duration is greater than 12 h, the cells become vacuolated and cannot be identified. The etiology of these findings requires further study.     

Governance and transnational civil society: the problem of transnational rent-seeking

The expansion of transnational civil society challenges the regulatory reach of nation-states, both individually and collectively. One regulatory challenge is that transnational civil society organizations (TCSOs) can avail of opportunities to engage in, or facilitate, transnational rent-seeking in ways which benefit a small group of organizations or individuals but which impose significant social costs. This article suggests that certain roles played by TCSOs lend themselves to rent-seeking behaviour and it explores the hypothesis that TCSOs can engage in, or facilitate, transnational rent-seeking where they constitute transnational special interests and/or private transnational authorities. To this end, the article outlines a brief theoretical framework and applies it to case studies of two TCSOs, representing transnational trade associations and industry lobbies, and sports associations and regulators. While the conclusions here are tentative, the article argues for further research including refinement of the theoretical framework and empirical testing.     

What does recovery mean to a forensic mental health patient? A systematic review and narrative synthesis of the qualitative literature

This is a systematic review and narrative synthesis of qualitative literature for forensic mental health patients’ perceptions of recovery. Relevant databases were searched and a total of 11 studies that fit the inclusion criteria were identified. Thematic Synthesis was applied to synthesise the collated themes into six superordinate themes: connectedness, sense of self, coming to terms with the past, freedom, hope and health and intervention. Two superordinate themes were particularly prevalent: connectedness and a sense of self. It is argued that a focus on increasing opportunities for forensic mental health patients to develop a sense of self and connectedness could help improve recovery. Future recommendations to expand on these findings include using grounded theory methods to develop theoretical understanding of the data.     

Green Alert: The Need to Rescue New York's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard

New York is set to miss the 2015 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard deadline, due in a large part to over-reliance on in-state generation projects. Although much of the current discussion and articles written about New York energy policies are focused on hydrofracking, clean and renewable energy should not be lost in the discussion and the state cannot afford to miss a major energy policy goal. This article provides an analysis of the current energy policies of the Cuomo administration and highlights a major out-of-state generation project, the Champlain Hudson Power Express.     

The Zuma Affair,Labour and the Future of Democracy in South Africa

This review article critically analyses the contribution of Amartya Sen's The Idea of Justice to development studies. On the basis of examples of unjust situations derived from Sen's writings, the article discusses the limited reach of The Idea of Justice in addressing concrete cases of injustice. It contends that remedying injustice requires an understanding of how justice is structural, which recognises that discussion of justice is inseparable from reasoning about the nature of the good society. The article concludes by pointing out The Idea of Justice's ambiguous relationship with liberalism.