THE CREOLE MALAISE IN MAURITIUS

Although they are the most geographically close to their continentof origin, the African diasporas of the Indian Ocean are amongthe most culturally remote from it. In Mauritius, where a highlydeveloped form of multicultural pluralism has become the modusvivendi of the ‘rainbow society’, Creoles of Africandescent have developed the weakest sense of group identity amongthe various components of island society. Yet for that veryreason Creoles are arguably the ‘most Mauritian’of islanders: they alone trace their origins and ancestral languagepurely to their island of birth. In a society where the senseof nationhood is so weak this may be more of a handicap thanan asset. Only in recent years has a sense of Creoleness begun to develop,one which incorporates Africanity. The Creole programme includesa reinterpretation of the meaning of slavery in modern societyand attempts to give the anniversary of abolition the statusof a national holiday. It also encourages the recognition ofAfrican folkways in island culture. It does so, however, inthe face of anti-African prejudices, shared by many Creolesthemselves. Extension of nascent trade and business linkageswith the African mainland is critical to correcting the currentCreole malaise.     

SCRUTINIZING PERFORMANCE: HOW ASSESSORS REACH JUDGEMENTS ABOUT PUBLIC SERVICES

Strengthening the accountability and improving the performance of public services is an important issue in many countries. A common response is to impose elaborate oversight or scrutiny arrangements. While we know a good deal about the formal operation of these arrangements, we know much less about the informal practices of scrutiny bodies and how they make judgements. This paper investigates scrutiny processes in three national audit bodies, three service inspectorates, and two inquiry committees in the UK. Judgement processes were analyzed along five dimensions: intuitive to analytical thinking; implicit to explicit assessment criteria; inductive and deductive methods; internal and external validity; and the principles used to make and evaluate judgements. These processes varied considerably, suggesting the need for a broader conception of the nature of and influences on scrutiny processes, which recognizes the inherent tensions in these processes and the skills required by those who engage in them.     

Charting a Course for the Coming Years

SHORTLY after the Spring Festival,China be-gins its annualpolitical seasonwith the con-vening of the Two Sessions,the session of the National People's Congress(NPC)and that of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference(CPPCC).This year both of these events have a very special significance.First,it will be the start of a new Five-Year Plan period,and secondly,this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Commu-nist Party of China.This will be the source of a great deal of celebration throughout the year.     

The Gorilla in the Closet: Joint and Several Liability and the Cleanup of Toxic Waste Sites

The use of the tort law doctrine joint and several liability (JSL) to Superfund, the federal program to cleanup inactive toxic waste sites, has been controversial since, its inception. Despite this controversy, the underlying assumptions for utilizing JSL have gone largely unexamined. We look at four rationales for applying joint and several liability in this setting: (a) a fairness rationale; (b) a settlement rationale; (c) a deep pockets rationale; and (d) an incentives effects rationale. We find that it is unclear whether JSL has had the desired effect of encouraging swift site clean ups. At a minimum it seems clear that unexpected and undesired consequences accompany its use warranting further research on this important public policy question.     

Our African Territories

This article represents the second half of a speech made ata combined meeting with the Royal Empire Society, on the 27thFebruary. Mr. Creech Jones was deputising, at short notice,for his chief, Mr. George Hall, with Lord Harlech in the chair.The first part of the address was devoted to a general statementof British Colonial principles.     

Legal,Extra-Legal,and Organizational Factors in the Disposition of Juveniles

This paper examines the effect of legal, extra-legal, and organizational factors on the processing of delinquents in selected California counties. A brief review of each perspective is given followed by a discussion of the data base and variables included in the analysis. Overall, bivariate relationships stress the importance of legal compared to extra-legal characteristics. The analysis also reveals clear evidence of the importance of organizational differences in juvenile court processing. Multivariate analysis revealed few differences in this pattern with the exception of “race” where some degree of interaction was found to exist when controls for offense were introduced. An analysis of covariance model shows that case sequence, county, and referral source were the most important predictors of case outcome.