Hard truths for strategic change: Dilemmas of implementing affirmative action

This paper addresses some of the obstacles and dilemmas we face as we attempt to influence the ways in which affirmative action gets implemented in our universities. General obstacles to implementation discussed include: external initiation and regulation of the program, conflict of program goals with other organizational goals, the often overlooked distinction between stated and real goals, powerless organizational placement of the Affirmative Action Office, general resistance to a program dealing with sexism and racism, and the lack of self interest in the program on the part of many of those in powerful organizational positions.Two dilemmas for our influence attempts are then presented. The first is, how do we respond to the multiple goals of our organizations, especially when they appear to conflict with affirmative action? The second is how do we define our objectives clearly and straight-forwardly enough so that they can be achieved, while we avoid alienating potential allies? These dilemmas are discussed, with the understanding that there are no ‘right’ resolutions, but that resolution must be done within the context of our overarching goal and our own organizational realities.     

Psychological research on the police

As a context for this special section, we surveyed the published research literature on the psychology of law enforcement in four specialty journals that feature law and psychology studies and two more broadly targeted scholarly outlets. The volume of research studies was scant and concentrated on two targets: clinical services to the police and eyewitness identification studies. We call for social scientists to engage in empirical study of psychological variables that affect the full spectrum of police activities.     

Mixing God's Work and the Public Business: A Framework for the Analysis of Faith‐Based Service Delivery

Over the past thirty years, there has been a dramatic transformation in the way the American political process operates. There has been a growing public perception that traditional political institutions lack the capacity to meet existing challenges. This has led many observers to call for a rethinking of how government does its work. Numerous alternatives, including the use of faith‐based organizations, have been suggested. The current popular debate on the appropriate role of faith‐based organizations in public service delivery has shed little light on a number of important issues raised by engaging such actors in governance issues. The impact of using faith‐based institutions to design and implement public policy must be considered not only in terms of traditional evaluation standards, but also regarding potential long‐term impacts on the political process itself. This article outlines a theoretical framework for the evaluation of faith‐based organizations as “alternatives” to conventional governance structures. It identifies key practical and theoretical issues raised by such substitution, in both short and long range systemic terms.     

The Importance of Microscopic Examination of the Lungs in Decedents with Sustained Central Intravascular Catheters: A Nine‐Case Series

Indwelling intravascular catheters provide convenient access to healthcare personnel and also recreational intravenous drug users who inject suspensions of oral medications. A nine‐case series of autopsies of clinically stable decedents with indwelling catheters and sudden death is herein presented. Pulmonary histologic findings were consistent with intravenous administration of oral medications in all cases. In eight, the mechanism of death was directly attributed to occlusive vascular embolization of foreign material, with or without contribution of acute drug toxicity. In one, the mechanism of death was solely attributed to acute drug toxicity. Acute, massive embolization of foreign material may explain sudden death by vascular obstruction, whereas chronic repeated injections lead to obliteration of the pulmonary vasculature, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, and cardiac failure. Therefore, a complete autopsy with histologic examination of the lungs and toxicology testing is recommended in patients with indwelling catheters to determine the cause and mechanism of death.