Book Review: Game Theory and the Transformation of Family Law by Kenneth H Waldron and Allan R. Koritzinsky

In this book, Waldron and Koritzinsky, provide a stimulating and interesting new way of understanding the impact of traditional approaches to divorce on families and divorcees. They ask whether the structure of divorce can be altered so that the payoff systems for a divorcing couple lead toward a more constructive and cooperative approach. Waldron and Koritzinsky encourage us to understand how what appears to be irrational behavior actually makes sense when you analyze the payoffs built into the divorce process and argue that we can change that system to reward more constructive behavior. They also urge us to look at subjective payoffs as well as objective outcomes. Their application of game theory yields rich insights to divorce practitioners, but it is important to remember that a rational actor model can only go so far in explaining the complexities and variations of the divorce process.     

International relations theory and Japanese pacifism: Why didn’t Tokyo go ballistic over North Korean nukes?

Seen from the perspectives of the various Western theories of international relations, Japan’s peculiar armed pacifism can appear very different. Prominent neorealists have predicted that Japan will inevitably develop nuclear weapons; prominent liberals have cited Japan as the model pacifist nation of the future. Over the last five years, it became clear to Japan that North Korea either possessed, or was on the brink of acquiring, nuclear weapons. How would the Japanese government respond to such a critical threat to its security? The case of North Korean nukes suggests that policymakers should be wary of the grim expectations of Western neorealists, at least in regard to Japan.     

Interactive Policy Development: Undermining or Sustaining Democracy?

The question can be raised whether the principal effect of interactive policy development is to shore up a (creaking) democratic system or to destabilize its very foundations. In this article, a framework is presented for assessing the democratic credentials of interactive policy development. It is based on four views on how a democracy should work: instrumental or substantial democracy and direct or indirect democracy. Critics and advocates differ in their confidence that the intended aims can ever be realized. Based on extensive case study material of interactive local policy development projects collected between 1997 and 2001, the validity of the various arguments for or against interactive policy-making is analysed. The analysis indicates that whether interactive policy development undermines or sustains democracy depends principally on the extent to which divergences in the expectations of the various groups are made explicit and unrealistic or mistaken expectations are dispelled.     

Nuclear forensic investigations: two case studies

This paper describes the methodology and analytical methods used in nuclear forensic investigations. Two case studies are taken as examples to illustrate this. These examples represent typical cases that have been analysed at the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) since last 10 years, i.e. the beginning of the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. Results of the various analytical techniques are shown, which, together with other type of information, reveal the origin of the material.     

LINCOLN CENTER AND NEW YORK

Abstract

A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections, Marie C. Malaro. Washington, D.C.: The Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985. 351 pages, appendix, bibliography. $29.95. Reviewed by Joyce L. Hagen.     

Corruption Along Ethnic Lines: A Study of Individual Corruption Experiences in 17 African Countries

Income growth in Africa that is high enough to achieve the internationally agreed development goals implies a rise in the region's per capita income by the early 2020s to about Latin America's current level. The paper shows that such income growth would be associated roughly with a nine-fold increase in Africa's manufactured exports, but also with a tripling of its primary exports, which in absolute terms would account for two-thirds of the increase in the region's total exports. Focusing on the demand potential for such an increase in Africa's primary exports, the paper argues that rising global demand from sustained rapid growth in natural-resource-poor Asian countries, particularly China, provides sizeable new opportunities for Africa's primary exports. In Africa, extractive industries are poised best to benefit directly from China's rising imports, while exporters of agricultural products are more likely to benefit indirectly from rising world market prices associated with Asia's growing primary imports.     

Declining might in the limelight: European responses to new regional powers

The article analyses the responses of three established European powers, France, Britain and Germany, to a world of rising regional hegemons. It argues that Europe as a region remains unique as it consists of three regional powers of similar material and ideational power resources and is the most institutionalised region worldwide. The current transformation of world power configurations, debated in competing visions of global order, challenges Europe's central place. Facing gradual marginalisation, the foreign policy adaptations of Germany, Britain and France have been insufficient and remarkably static. Old foreign policy identities still play a significant part in European self-perceptions. However, views are gradually changing as the world becomes more heterogeneous. Among the emerging regional powers, China, India and Russia are perceived as decisive global players. Other rising powers are viewed as mainly regional and, hence, more manageable actors. Finally, the article calls for a general shift in European attitudes towards the non-European world and argues that European powers should overcome traditional Euro-centric world views. Rather, they should start to engage with rising powers in a serious discourse over common global responsibilities.     

Prediction of stature based on radiographic measurements of cadaver long bones: a study of the Croatian population

We tested a new approach to the stature prediction that could be used in the identification process of human skeletal remains of unknown identity. The stature of 19 female and 21 male adult cadavers was measured within 24 h after death and considered to be equal to the living stature. The antero-posterior radiographs of all limbs were taken, and the maximum length of the six long bones was measured from radiographs. There was a significant difference in the stature and maximum length of long bones between female and male cadavers (p<0.001 for all). The correlation between the stature and long bone length was the best for the humerus in females (r=0.792) and the tibia in males (r=0.891). Regression equations specific to the Croatian population were computed separately for each long bone in males and females and proven to be reliable in predicting the living stature of the individual.