Contested community

He also taught at the Universities of Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Maryland. Among his leading works are Collective Actionand Morality within the Limits of Reason.He was for many years the editor of the journal Ethics.     

TARGETING EFFICIENCY OF SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAMS*

Abstract: The program budgeting and related reforms initiated by the Commonwealth in 1985 require federal departments and agencies to set objectives for their programs and to develop performance measures to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of these programs. This paper examines the targeting efficiency of Australia's social security programs and finds that these are among the most efficient of OECD countries.     

Diagnostic problems associated with cadaveric trauma from animal activity

Analysis of a series of deaths between 1986 and 2001 resulting from natural disease, accidents, suicides, and homicide, where postmortem animal activity had traumatized bodies, was undertaken at the Forensic Science Center in Adelaide to demonstrate the range of lesions that may occur and problems in interpretation that result. Tissue damage had been caused by a variety of animals, including fly larvae, ants, birds, dogs, rodents, sea lice, and sharks. Postmortem animal activity had disguised injuries, modified wounds, and created the appearances of inflicted injury. Problems with identification occurred after postmortem facial trauma, and loss of organ parenchyma had interfered with, or precluded, the precise determination of the manner of death in some cases. Specific kinds of tissue and organ damage may occur after death, necessitating careful assessment of lesions in a search for characteristic features of animal activity. The pattern of lesions may enable identification of the particular species of animal involved.     

Rethinking the Probative Value of Evidence: Base Rates,Intuitive Profiling,and the “Postdiction” of Behavior

It is argued that American courts may be routinely admitting evidence with little to no probative value and great potential for prejudicial impact. This may be particularly likely with regard to what is essentially intuitive profiling or stereotype related evidence, defined herein as evidence suggesting that the defendant (or other party), or his (her) behavior, fits intuitive profiles (or stereotypes) of the type of person likely to commit the crime or behavior in question. In other words, intuitive profiling evidence is admitted to postdict behavior. Formal empirically based profiling evidence (testimony regarding the fit of a defendant's characteristics or behaviors to formal or scientific profiles of the typical perpetrator of the crime in question for use to prove guilt is inadmissible in American courts. However, we suggest that everyday use of informal intuitive profiles underlies both judicial determinations of probative value diagnosticity, and thus admissibility, of evidence, and jurors' use of the evidence in determining guilt. Demonstrations of the use of base rate information to evaluate the probative value of such intuitive profiling evidence both as evidence of guilt and as evidence of innocence are provided. Demonstrations of both how to evaluate the actual probative value of evidence (when all necessary values are known), and the theoretical limit of its probative value (in circumstances where some values are not known) are provided. It is argued that such evaluations may provide the basis for (1) support of motions to either admit or to exclude evidence, (2) testimony to the jury to help them weigh or interpret evidence, (3) exculpatory profiling (profiling evidence of innocence), (4) pretrial research to establish probative versus prejudicial value of evidence, and (5) sufficiency analyses to determine maximum likelihood of guilt, given multiple items of evidence. Among these, the first two are considered most important, as it can be demonstrated that many profiling characteristics currently admitted in trial (such as evidence of battery to support a murder charge) are not probative of guilt.     

Postmortem blood and vitreous humor ethanol concentrations in a victim of a fatal motor vehicle crash

A 20-year-old male was found on the passenger side of a small car after a collision with a semi-trailer truck. Postmortem blood, collected from the chest cavity, and vitreous humor samples were collected following harvesting of the heart and bones. Gas chromatographic analysis revealed a blood ethanol concentration of 0.32 g/dL and a vitreous humor ethanol concentration of 0.09 g/dL. The stomach was intact and full of fluid and food, but its contents were not collected. Possible explanations for the large difference between the two results include diffusion of ethanol from the stomach into the chest cavity, contamination of the blood sample prior to collection, and ingestion of a large quantity of ethanol shortly before death. This case demonstrates the importance of proper quality assurance procedures in collecting postmortem specimens and of collecting a vitreous humor sample for ethanol analysis in postmortem toxicology cases.     

Explaining Taiwan's Revisionist Diplomacy

Taiwan is a revisionist power. Its independence movement challenges a vital status-quo interest of mainland China's opposition to a de jure Taiwan declaration of independence and maintaining, however ambiguously, Taiwan's commitment to the ‘one-China’ formulation. Why is it that a small and vulnerable island off the coast of a great power has continued to challenge the vital interest of that great power and risk war? Adopting a ‘levels of analysis’ approach to Taiwan's mainland policy, this paper addresses this question by examining four prevalent explanations for Taiwan's revisionist diplomacy: (1) the mainland deterrent is ineffective, reflecting Taiwan doubts about either mainland capabilities or mainland resolve to wage a retaliatory war; (2) in an example of the security dilemma in alliance politics, US commitment to Taiwan, although aimed at deterring PRC use of force, encourages Taiwan to challenge the status quo because the Taiwan leadership is confident of US intervention and US ability to defend Taiwan; (3) because of the development of a ‘Taiwan identity’ and of corresponding domestic political pressures, the Democratic Progressive Party has been compelled to adopt a pro-independence policy; (4) Chen Shui-bian has a personal commitment to Taiwan independence and has been willing to challenge the mainland's interest in one-China, despite risk of heightened conflict and regardless of domestic political considerations.     

Social Support, Risk-Level and Safety Actions Following Acute Assessment of Suicidal Youth

The purpose of the pilot study was to examine the interrelationship between social support, risk-level, and safety actions for 2 groups of suicidal adolescents (50 attempters and 50 ideators), who had presented for an acute assessment at an outpatient mental health service. A social support model was proposed in which it was thought that information related to patients' social support would impact upon the types of risk-level and safety actions made by clinicians. Data was collected from a total of 100 patient files, utilizing the acute assessment reports (e.g., reports assessing risk of self-harm). Findings show that groups differed significantly on indices of negative support severity, positive support, and risk-level. Limited support was found for the proposed social support model. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.