Issue definition: the neglected foundation of effective issue management

Many issue management models proceed from issue scanning and identification directly to determining an objective, with insufficient attention to the important element of formally defining the issue. Proper definition is a vital foundation for effective issue management, and comprises a sound understanding of the issue itself, choosing exactly the right words to best position the issue and securing agreement on the definition. It also requires a full appreciation of the techniques used by other parties to try to redefine the issue to their competing agenda, and this paper identifies and categorises three such techniques. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications     

Targeting Benefits for Electoral Gain: Constituency Marginality and the Distribution of Grants to English Local Authorities

We model the spatial allocation of resources over constituencies as an optimization problem in which governing parties face uncertainty about voter preferences, but seek to increase their chances of getting re-elected. We show that a rational government should allocate extra resources to marginal constituencies and especially favour opposition-held marginals. We test this hypothesis on data about central government grants to larger English local authorities. We consider whether Conservative controlled and 'flagship' local authorities also benefit. Our empirical results suggest that the government allocated around £500 million more to local authorities containing marginal constituencies and around £155 million more to 'flagship' local authorities than they could have been expected to get on the criteria of social need and population.     

Hypothermia: a natural cause of death

Deaths due to hypothermia are usually accidental and are the result of exposure to extreme environmental temperatures. Often these individuals are intoxicated, elderly, or exposed to severe cold temperatures. We report the case of a blind, nonambulatory, elderly man who was found alive in his home in an unresponsive state. Core body temperature at hospital was 24 degrees C (75 degrees F). At autopsy, punctate hemorrhages were present in the stomach mucosa. A 4- x 7-cm pituitary adenoma extended from a dilated sella turcica, obliterated the optic chiasm, and compressed the base of the brain in the region of the hypothalamus. Compression in this region of the brain would disrupt the temperature regulatory function of the hypothalamus and create an individual who would be susceptible to minor fluctuations in ambient temperature. The manner of death was designated as natural. This is an unusual presentation of a pituitary adenoma in the current era of advanced imaging techniques in which microadenomas are often detected and treated.     

State action antitrust immunity for public hospitals: it depends on what you mean by "foreseeable"

The Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal from the Fifth Circuit's ruling on the application of state action antitrust immunity doctrine leaves a split in the circuits as to the proper test to apply to determine antitrust immunity for public hospitals. The circuits have either adopted a "foreseeable conduct from state policy" approach or a "policy from foreseeable conduct" approach. This Article analyzes the approaches and demonstrates that the "foreseeable conduct from state policy" approach is the better of the two methods.     

IQ and delinquency: A test of two competing explanations

In the past, sociologists either dismissed or ignored the well-established empirical relationship between IQ and juvenile delinquency. More recently, however, they have come to accept the IQ/JD connection but now debate the most valid explanation for it. Some have advanced what we characterized as a school performance model, while others adhere to what may be called a school reaction model. The major bone of contention between the competing models is over the school variables thought to mediate the IQ/JD relationship. In this study, we specified the most dominant versions of the competing models as well as a model integrating the concepts of each. Using three waves of data from the Youth in Transition project, we first estimated parameters for each of the competing models and then parameters for the integrated model. Considered independently, each model was supported by the data. However, when each of the separate models was forced to take into account the explanatory contribution of its competitor, only the school performance model was supported. Implications of the findings for schooling and delinquency are discussed.