An Update on the Hazards and Risks of Forensic Anthropology,Part I: Human Remains

This work reviews the hazards and risks of practicing forensic anthropology in North America, with a focus on pathogens encountered through contact with unpreserved human remains. Since the publication of Galloway and Snodgrass' seminal paper concerning the hazards of forensic anthropology, research has provided new information about known pathogen hazards, and regulating authorities have updated recommendations for the recognition and treatment of several infections. Additionally, forensic anthropology has gained popularity, exposing an increased number of students and practitioners to these hazards. Current data suggest many occupational exposures to blood or body fluids go unreported, especially among students, highlighting the need for this discussion. For each pathogen and associated disease, this work addresses important history, reviews routes of exposure, provides an overview of symptoms and treatments, lists decontamination procedures, and presents data on postmortem viability. Personal protection and laboratory guidelines should be established and enforced in conjunction with the consideration of these data.     

A Primer on State Insurance Guaranty Associations

In the wake of our nation's financial crisis, protection against insurer insolvency is more critical than ever to the insurance-buying public. All U.S. jurisdictions provide partial statutory protection in the event of insurer insolvency through the creation of various state insurance guaranty associations that are governed by statutes primarily based on a model act promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Guaranty associations are an integral part of each state's regulatory process for addressing insurer insolvency. Through a matrix of state-specific enabling statutes, state insurance guaranty associations levy and collect assessments from member insurers, pay statutorily defined “covered” claims, and defend against appropriate claims that are in litigation. Together with the domestic regulator of the insolvent insurer (usually the commissioner or superintendent of insurance) and the deputy liquidator (typically approved by the court presiding over the liquidation process and selected by the commissioner or superintendent of insurance as statutory liquidator), the guaranty association community (comprised of associations located in virtually each state in which a policyholder resides) functions as a unified system to manage and at least partially mitigate the impact of an insurer insolvency.     

Success and design of local referenda for land conservation

From 1998 to 2006, over three‐quarters of the more than 1,550 U.S. referenda targeting open space passed. We analyze the success of the conservation movement at holding referenda in areas with greater ecological value and greater likelihood of supporting conservation. To do so, we first analyze the patterns in where referenda are held and in which finance mechanisms they employ. Controlling for these two selection patterns, we then investigate the factors determining the success of the referenda. Our findings suggest that conservation groups are pursuing a successful strategy, targeting communities with above‐average probabilities of passing referenda and higher ecological value. Nevertheless, our results suggest that overlooked opportunities exist in minority and middle‐class neighborhoods, in suburban fringe areas, and in the Southeast. © 2010 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

Real Solutions for Fake News? Measuring the Effectiveness of General Warnings and Fact-Check Tags in Reducing Belief in False Stories on Social Media

Political Behavior - Social media has increasingly enabled “fake news” to circulate widely, most notably during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. These intentionally false...     

Municipal Activism on Irregular Migrants: The Framing of Inclusive Approaches at the Local Level

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which city policymakers in Europe frame the reasons for provision of welfare services to migrants with irregular status. In the context of restrictive national legal and policy frameworks, the article explores a tendency toward municipal activism in extending access to services, providing a typology of six policy frames used by policy makers that identify the intended beneficiaries and stated policy aims. Drawing on interviews with local policymakers and documentary sources, the article contributes to our understanding of the reasons why some European cities provide services to this particular section of the migrant population.