IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND POLICY FAILURE: THE NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACT OF 1982

We examine the role of environmental assessments in the siting process mandated under the ambitious Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. We analyze the effect of these assessments in both the western and eastern United States using the original documents, critiques of the methodology of the assessments, and public comments on the siting process, including a content analysis of hearings in Wisconsin and Maine. We conclude that the major effect of the assessments on the policy process was to stimulate public and state opposition to the Department of Energy's efforts to implement NWPA, leading to what could be called policy failure and a significant redirection of the act by Congress in late 1987. The paper represents an early report of a more comprehensive and ongoing study of the politics of nuclear waste disposal.     

COMMENTARY

This is a comprehensive paper with which I find many points of agreement. An examination of evolution in Treasury thinking provides a useful perspective on attitudes at the federal level to alternative policy approaches. A distinction needs to be drawn however, between the public perception of the Treasury rationale, and the ongoing approach within the department. While the changes in public stance that Whitwell identifies are important, I would see those as representing changes in emphasis in the Treasury approach, rather than a major recasting of Treasury thinking.     

Contemporary Canadian federal information policy

Abstract: In this overview of the status of Canadian federal information policy current initiatives are examined against a background of historical context. The politics of access (the Privacy and Access to Information acts), policy development, and policy implementation provide the main points of focus for discussion. Relationships between the Canadian private sector information industry and the government are considered, particularly in respect to policy implementation. The Canadian information environment is such that the government views the information that it produces as a corporate resource. As such, government information is seen as too valuable to be left unmanaged. The question facing government policy-makers is how to manage the people's information without precluding the people's access to it. There is discussion as well of the undercurrent of frustration among policy-makers outside the Treasury Board who perceive that an inordinate amount of time is spent studying problems rather than making progress towards practical solutions. The question is raised and examined as to whether such intense and protracted interest in government information issues reflects their importance or government impotence. Finally, some matters are offered for future consideration as Canada moves towards the policy implementation and evolution phases in its quest for an effective and well-rounded national information and communications policy. Sommaire: Dans cet aperçu général de I'état de la politiyue canadienne fédérale d'in-formation, les auteurs présentent les initiatives actiielles siir line toile de fond histori-que. Leur analyse a pour objet principal les politiques d'accès à I'information (lois sur la vie privée et I'accès h I'information), ainsi clue P élaboration et I'instauration de ces politiyues. Les auteurs s'intéresseiit aux relations entre I'industrie de I'informatioii du secteur privé canadien et le gouvernement. tout particulièrement au niveau de la mise à exécution des politiyues. Le monde canadieii de I'information est tel yiie le gouvernemeiit considère I'information yu'il produit coinme tine ressoiirce goiiverneineiitale. À ce titre, l'information goiiveriiemeiitale s'avère bien trop précieuse pour lie pas être gérée. La question qui se pose aux responsables des politiyues gouvernenientales est alors la suivante: comment gérer I'information sans empêcher ceux et celles qu'elle concerne d'y avoir accês. Les auteurs se penchent également sur les frustrations qui apparaissent chez les responsables des politiques, à I'extérieur du Conseil du Trésor, du fait qu'à leur avis I'on passe beaucoup trop de temps àétudier les probèmes au lieu de progresser vers des solutions concrètes. Un intérêt aussi intense et prolongé pour les questions soulevées par I'information gouvernementale traduit-il I'importance de ces questions, ou reflète-t-il I'impuissance du gouvernement? Les auteurs examinent cette question. Enfin, ils proposent plusieurs thèmes qui mériteront réflexion à I'avenir, alors que le Canada entre dans les phases de I'application et de I'évolution de ses politiques, dans sa quête plus large d'une politique nationale judicieuse en matière d'information et de communication. Bruce Morton is associate professor and assistant dean of lihraries at Montana State University, Bozeman. mt Steven D. Zink is professor and assistant university lilmrian at the University of Nevada. Reno, nv . The authors are associate editor and editor-in-chief respectively of the journal Government Publications Review (Pergamon Press). Research for this study was funded by a 1989 faculty research grant from the Canadian emhassy, Washington. DC. We would like to express our special gratitude to nuinerous Canadian government officials, only some of whom are cited in this paper. who took time from busy sclietlules to speak openly and at length with us about information policy issues. Our thanks also to Canadians Ken Rubin. Rolwrt Gibson, and Gordon Grahame.     

Reliability and validity of the oral interview board in police promotions: A research note

In recent years the validity of personnel systems has come to be more closely examined. This study focuses on one component of the police promotion system, the oral interview board. It examines the oral interview boards of a state police agency in which 161 state police troopers were aspiring for the rank of sergeant. Reliability and validity of the process are evaluated. The findings indicate that although the reliability coefficients were acceptable, significant differences in the ratings of similar types of raters across boards existed. Several statistical procedures were also used to investigate the validity of the procedure, but validity could not be established for this particular case. Several recommendations for improving the procedure are made.     

The Role of Suggestibility in Personal Injury Claims

Interrogative suggestibility and other psychological vulnerabilities are often assessed in the forensic criminal context in disputed confession cases. Such an assessment may also be relevant in disputing the validity of a confession by a plaintiff in a tort claim. This paper will outline the relevancy of suggestibility in the personal injury context, the reasons why an individual may falsely confess, how interrogative techniques may increase the likelihood of a false confession, false confession and suggestibility research, and methodology to be used in assessing vulnerability to falsely confessing.     

Lifting the cover on drug courts: evaluation findings and policy concerns

Drug treatment courts emerged in 1989 as a court-based solution to an enormous increase of drug-related arrests. Since their inception, drug treatment courts have been subject to empirical and process evaluations to provide quantitative and qualitative data regarding their effectiveness. This article reviews the extant literature on the effectiveness of drug treatment courts and discusses findings regarding various components of the criminal justice system. It is argued that based on empirical evaluation findings, drug treatment courts have achieved success in lowering rates of recidivism among drug offenders, despite problematic methodological and analytical concerns. This article also presents key components and agents of drug treatment courts and discusses their impact and relevance to policy creation and adaptation. It is suggested that when combined with empirical evaluations, process evaluations provide great insight into the drug-treatment-court dynamic. This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of drug treatment courts for justice policy.     

Blood rights: the body and information privacy

Genetic and other medical technology makes blood, human tissue and other bodily samples an immediate and accessible source of comprehensive personal and health information about individuals. Yet, unlike medical records, bodily samples are not subject to effective privacy protection or other regulation to ensure that individuals have rights to control the collection, use and transfer of such samples. This article examines the existing coverage of privacy legislation, arguments in favour of baseline protection for bodily samples as sources of information and possible approaches to new regulation protecting individual privacy rights in bodily samples.