Taking Liberties with the First Amendment

Law and Philosophy -     

Managing Complex Collaborative Projects: Lessons from the Development of a New Satellite

This paper examines the case of a Complex Product System (CoPS)—a new satellite—and the combination of international firms and agencies that contributed to its development. Despite many political, organisational and interpersonal tensions, divergent objectives and strategic misjudgements, the satellite was successfully launched in 2002. It was found that a number of factors contributed to the successful conclusion of the project, including the evolution of organisational structures between different actors as the project progressed, the use of a range of innovation management tools accompanied by personnel with significant discretion and judgement, and a unifying methodology for satellite production called the Small Satellite Philosophy (SSP), which helped provide an approach for its effective integration. The paper describes the satellite project and the problems of technology transfer it confronted, then examines whether the solutions adopted could be appropriate for other complex innovative projects, particularly those involving joint public–private investments. It also describes the interaction between development time, mission cost, risk and return in reduced resource CoPS. Although the satellite itself was a technical success, government policy objectives for the project were not realised and the paper considers mismatches between policy objectives and mechanisms in complex projects.     

Nietzsche's assault on the ideal of democratic justice

The moment beckons serious scholars to critically examine Nietzsche's political thought. This study examines Nietzsche's polemics on the democratic ideal. According to Nietzsche, democratic principles have taken over the role of traditional moral and religious ideals. From a very exhausted state, the bourgeoisie revengefully have created a set of ideals which posit absolute and normative standards of behavior applicable to all. These democratic ideals reflect character traits which the bourgeoisie already have habituated. Nietzsche's greatest objection to the cultural supremacy of the democratic ideal is that its target is the aristocratic instinet and psychology. Since the democratic ideal has attained its sovereign and universal status. Nietzsche believes the truly exceptional human beings are becoming “vanquished by the leveling magic of the great number”.     

Pre-Settlement Settlement (PreSS): A Simple Technique for Initiating Complex Negotiations

Pre-setttement settlement, or PreSS, is a negotiation technique that precedes and potentially facilitates a final settlement. A PreSS is distinguished by three characteristics. It is: formal (being a binding agreement), initial (being the first step of a longer process), and partial (covering only a subset of issues). PreSS provides a conceptual umbrella for several existing concepts in the negotiation literature. The what, when, and why of PreSS are delineated and examples of pre-settlement settlement are provided.     

An application of Megargee's Algebra of aggression to the case of theodore bundy

The case of Theodore Robert Bundy, a young man allegedly responsible for the murders of more than 36 women in five states, has captured the imagination of many people in current society. The killer resembles the “boynext-door” stereotype of an attractive, articulate young man. The women were most often college co-eds abducted from crowded areas or struck down while they were alone. The crimes themselves were brutal sexual assaults, with the bodies of the victims often discovered months later in uninhabited areas. Such crimes demand efforts on the part of crminologists and psychologists toward an understanding and, ultimately control of potential future behavior, Megargee's Algebra of Aggression, in which he attributes the propensity to commit violent acts to specific factors, offers one such framework of understanding. While theoretical and after-the-fact, it may aid comprehension of crimes which are currently incomprehensible. This paper applies Megargee's Algebra of Aggression to the crimes of Theodore Robert Bundy. It seeks to explain Bundy's actions in terms of his instigation to aggression, habit strengths which encouraged continued violent acts, inhibitions which may have limited some of his activity, and situational factors which fostered violence as an acceptable response. It is based on a review of the literature deading with Bundy and the author's own involvement as an investigator in one of Bundy's crimes, the Chi Omega murders at Florida State University.     

Negotiating Russian Federalism: A Simulation for Comparative Politics

While the use of simulations in the international relations classroom has proliferated over the past decade, this pedagogical tool has been largely neglected in the comparative politics classroom. Simulations in comparative politics can be a useful component in teaching students about the diversity within foreign countries and the dynamic of domestic policymaking. We describe here an informative and easy-to-run simulation on Russian federalism which can be integrated into courses on Russian politics or easily adapted for use in other courses, especially those focusing on countries in which center-regional relations are an important dimension. The simulation is based on the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Federal Assembly, and is a great way to illustrate through experiential learning the quid pro quo of Russian federalism. We provide detailed information on English-language sources that both instructors and students can use during the simulation, along with an Appendix and a Website that provides everything instructors need to run the simulation in their own classes.     

Adolescent Health: Are We Willing to Pay the Price for Inaction?

Several years ago, a legislator spoke clearly of the wishful unawareness we often confront in public health. After a session of frank exchange in his committee about teen pregnancy in Arkansas, he said, "Dr. Elders, until you became the health department director, we didn't have this problem." The facts paint a startling scenario for such people. We have not provided an environment in which our children can flourish. Instead, we have allowed the number of children who are economically, educationally, and medically disadvantaged to grow. Called "at-risk," their existence is an affront to democratic ideals, especially the belief that all have an equal chance for prosperity. It is time for true reform, but before that can happen, we must face the state of our children's health. After this, we must set to work at effective strategies.