Disappointments of post-colonialism

Jean-Fran?ois Revel is a French writer and philosopher. He is the author of Without Marx or Jesus, The Totalitarian Temptation,and How Democracies Perish.     

Les politiques de régulation et le modèle d'Edelman: une analyse en fonction de la santé dans l'industrie de l'amiante

Sommaire. Le centre d'intérêt de cet article réside dans les politiques de regulation. Il s'agit de mettre à contribution un modèle théorique des politiques de régulation peu utilisé, soit celui de Murray Edelman, en l'expérimentant sur une politique elle aussi négligée des chercheurs, soit l'intervention de l'Etat en matière de santé au travail. Pour des raisons essentiellement d'ordre pratique, nous concentrons notre analyse sur la régulation de l'empoussiérage dans l'industrie primaire de l'amiante au Québec. Quant au modèle d'Edelman, qui postule que les politiques de régulation sont symboliques, il est disséqué et résumé sous forme de trois propositions principales. La première explique pourquoi l'Etat entreprend d'élaborer une politique de régulation; la deuxième montre comment s'exerce cette politique de régulation; et, la troisième s'applique à dégager les conséquences réelles de cette politique de régulation sur ceux en fonction de qui elle existe. Notre examen empirique de chacune de ces propositions nous amène à conclude que seule la deuxième est vérifiée quant au fond, de façon relativement satisfaisante (cette proposition affirme que l'organisme régulateur sera dominé par ceux qu'il veut contrôler). Ainsi notre étude de cas vient supporter un courant de pensée très influent parmi les analystes des politiques de régulation. En dernier ressort, nous tentons de mettre en relief ce qui nous est apparu comme étant l'idée la plus originale du modèle des politiques de régulation d'Edelman. Abstract. This article is primarily concerned with regulatory policies. Murray Edelman's little-used theoretical model for regulatory policies is experimentally applied to the policy of state intervention in the field of industrial health, one which has also been neglected by researchers. For practical purposes, we have concentrated our analysis on dust-control regulations in Quebec's primary asbestos industry. Edelman's model, which postulates that regulatory policies are symbolic, has been broken down and summarized within three main propositions. The first explains why a government attempts to draft a regulatory policy; the second shows how such a policy is applied; the third is concerned with the actual consequences of this policy for those affected by it. Our empirical examination of each of these propositions leads us to conclude that only the second can be substantially verified in a satisfactory manner (this proposition avers that the regulatory agency will be dominated by those it wishes to control). To this extent our case study provides support for a theory which is highly influential among regulatory policy analysts. Finally, we have attempted to highlight the most original idea in Edelman's model of regulatory policies.     

Perceived coercion and need for hospitalization related to psychiatric admission

Psychiatric hospitalization constitutes a moment of major stress to the point that occurrences of posttraumatic stress disorders have been described. Feelings of coercion are usual, whatever the legal status of admission. Patients may also consider afterwards that they needed hospitalization even if they refused it initially. A cross-sectional survey has been conducted among the inpatients of a Swiss psychiatric hospital to assess their subjective view of admission with emphasis on legal status, perceived coercion and need for hospitalization. Eighty-seven questionnaires were completed and analyzed. Results indicated that 74% of patients felt that they had been under pressure to be hospitalized, whether or not they were involuntarily admitted. Seventy percent felt their admission was necessary. More involuntary patients reported a subjective lack of improvement. Clinicians could decrease feelings of coercion of their patients while discussing need for hospitalization, legal status and subjective feeling of coercion as different dimensions. An argument is presented to favor positive pressure from social environment over legal involuntary commitment in many hospitalizations.     

Analysis of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol in oral fluid samples using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

An analytical method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has been developed and validated for the confirmation of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in oral fluid samples. Oral fluid was extracted using Bond Elut LRC-Certify solid-phase extraction columns (10 cm(3), 300 mg) and elution performed with n-hexane/ethyl acetate. Quantitation made use of the selected ion-recording mode (SIR) using the most abundant characteristic ion [THC+H(+)], m/z 315.31 and the fragment ion, m/z 193.13 for confirmation, and m/z 318.00 for the protonated internal standard, [d(3)-THC+H(+)]. The method proved to be precise for THC, in terms of both intra-day and inter-day analyses, with coefficients of variation less than 10%, and the calculated extraction efficiencies for THC ranged from 76 to 83%. Calibration standards spiked with THC between 2 and 100 ng/mL showed a linear relationship (r(2)=0.999). The method presented was applied to the oral fluid samples taken from the volunteers during the largest music event in Portugal, named Rock in Rio-Lisboa. Oral fluid was collected from 40 persons by expectoration and with Salivette. In 55% of the samples obtained by expectorating, THC was detected with concentration ranges from 1033 to 6552 ng/mL and in 45% of cases THC was detected at concentrations between 51 and 937 ng/mL. However, using Salivette collection, 26 of the 40 cases had an undetectable THC.     

Social Classes and the Neo-Liberal Poverty Regime in Turkey, 2002–2011

The Justice and Development Party (or AKP) era in Turkey has witnessed the emergence of a new welfare regime resting on voluntary public and private transfers. This system has been replacing the former welfare system in which the right to social welfare benefits was constitutionally guaranteed. The new welfare system has tended to distribute transfers on a selective and unequal basis. This article analyses the size and effects of this system using a social class-based analytical framework. In explaining class structure in Turkey, we use the official Household Budget Survey database. The results indicate a massive process of proletarianisation has taken place. Our results indicate that the working classes have constituted the majority of the poor. In this environment, the shares of voluntary public and private transfers in the incomes of households have been rising. For some classes, like rural unemployed, urban unemployed and agricultural labourers, these transfers have captured a very high share of the incomes. These transfers have also been distributed very unequally. Their share in the central budget has also been rising. All these point to the emergence of a new neo-liberal welfare (poverty) regime as part of a new labour control regime.     

Sharing aquatic genetic resources across jurisdictions: playing ‘chicken’ in the sea

International regimes regulating access and benefit sharing were originally designed to promote conservation and fairness objectives concerning the use of the world’s biological resources for their genetic material value. These regimes determine from whom permission is required to take the resources and who obtains the benefits of their use. They have evolved separate frameworks in three distinct jurisdictional areas—within national jurisdiction, beyond national jurisdiction and in the Antarctic Treaty Area. This article argues that if these regimes continue to evolve separately, there is a strong temptation for countries to play ‘chicken’ with biological resource governance through forum shopping or opting out of agreements that do not suit their political ends. Using game theory and a transgenic tilapia fish example incorporating genetic material from the three jurisdictional areas, it illustrates the legal and ethical dilemmas that can arise from the territorial (jurisdictional) approach to access and benefit sharing—to the detriment of fairness and conservation in tilapia’s countries of origin. Tilapias are known as the ‘chicken of the sea’ because they dominate global farmed production and developing countries depend on them as their primary source of protein, livelihoods and trade. This means there will be serious consequences if the regimes do not achieve their fairness and conservation objectives for sharing their genetic material. This article concludes that a purpose-driven cooperative governance approach can sidestep the game of chicken and promote fairer and more conservation focused outcomes than the current jurisdictional approach for the developing country providers of migratory aquatic resources.