In the wake of revolution: Eastern Europe in the 1990s

Summary

A ‘new world order’ and a ‘Europe whole and free’ are phrases that epitomize the hopeful rhetoric born of East European revolutions in 1989. In the three years since we were awed by the courage of citizens disgusted with communist party rule, and surprised by the rapidity of such regimes’ demise, socio‐economic and political realities have dimmed hopes and constrained expectations. The work of building free governments and free markets after decades of neglect and abuse faces East Europeans in the 1990s and beyond.

The dangers suggested above are not hyperbole, and represent real and present threats to the hopes of Poles, Romanians, and the other people, for better futures. Comparisons across the region are much less valid than at any time in the last half century. Nevertheless, the goals of post‐communist leaders ‐ security, democracy and market ‐ face similar extraordinary challenges that can easily derail these processes. Americans and our longstanding allies cannot ensure the survival and further development of East European democracy, but we must certainly be more engaged in helping them help themselves.     

CIA origins as viewed from within

Arthur B. Darling, with Introductions by Bruce D. Berkowitz and Allan E. Goodman, The Central Intelligence Agency: An Instrument of Government, to 1950 (University Park, PA, and London: Penn State Press, 1990). Pp. 509. $60.00 (cloth), ISBN 0–271–00715‐X; $17.50 (paperback), ISBN 0–271–00717–6.

Ludwell Lee Montague, with an Introduction by Bruce D. Berkowitz and Allan E. Goodman, General Walter Bedell Smith as Director of Central Intelligence, October 1950‐February 1953 (University Park, PA, and London: 1992). Pp. 308. $45.00 (cloth), ISBN 0–271–00750–8; $14.95 (paperback), ISBN 0–271–00751–6.

Michael Warner (ed.), CIA Cold War Records: The CIA under Harry Truman (Washington, DC: History Staff, Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, 1994). Pp. 473. $28.50 (paperback). Available from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA, 22161, USA, Tel: (703) 487–4650, order number PB94–928005.     

The Public Purpose of Political Economy

ABSTRACT

For too long the discipline of political science has ceded research on the dynamics of the national political economy to the field of economics. In this article, we explore the cost of this cession in the context of the public purpose. Following John Kenneth Galbraith, we define the public purpose in terms of its independence from the market economy and the planning system. Political scientists, and especially political theorists, are uniquely qualified to theorize power relations relative to a host of challenges that have emerged in today’s rapidly transforming national economies. Galbraith’s critique of mainstream economics, coupled with his understanding of power as an inescapable and perpetual dialectical process, provide guidance for theorizations that should attend to rather than deny the contested domain of the public interest and collective good.     

Effects of proportionate‐share impact fees

Abstract

When it comes to paying for the significant costs of growth, local governments throughout the United States are usually the first line of financing. Yet because of a variety of factors, existing tax, fee, and inter jurisdictional transfer revenues may not be sufficient. Many hundreds (if not thousands) of communities rely in part on proportionate‐share impact fees to provide facilities concurrent with the effects of growth.

Impact fees have numerous detractors, many of whom worry about their effect on affordable housing, economic development, and development patterns. A disparate literature has emerged addressing each of these concerns. This article synthesizes current knowledge about the market effects of proportionate‐share impact fees and finds that for the most part, they facilitate development in several important ways. Policy implications and guidance for future research are presented as well.     

Identifying pregnant women experiencing domestic violence in an urban emergency department

The article describes characteristics of pregnant women presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) who are experiencing current violence and presented a screening tool to identify pregnant women experiencing violence. Women completed an in-person interview regarding violence, sociodemo-graphic factors, health status, and drug use. Fifteen percent of women reported at least one episode of violence during the pregnancy. Young age (OR = 3.37, 95% CI: 1.79-6.36), current alcohol use (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.06-2.19), current marijuana use (OR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.32-2.92), less than a high school education (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.01-2.12), and a prior diagnosis of trichomonas (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.20-2.72) were significantly related to experiencing current violence. Screening patients using these five characteristics identified 8 out of 10 women reporting violence (sensitivity = 75.6%). These results identify a set of predictors that may be helpful in identifying pregnant women who are experiencing current domestic violence.