Book notes

Freedom in the World: Political Rights and Civil Liberties 1991–1992 by Freedom House Survey Team. New York: Freedom House, 1992. Pp.570; tables; ratings. £58.50 (hardback); £22.50 (paperback). ISBN 0 932 088 75 9 and 74 0

The Middle East and Problems of Democracy by Heather Deagan. Buckingham and Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press, 1993. Pp.152; index; bibliography. £37.50 (hardback); £12.99 (paperback). ISBN 0 335 and 15686 X

Nation‐building and Democratisation in Thailand: A Political History by Prudhisan Jumbala. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute, 1992. Pp.144; index; bibliography; appendices. ISBN 974 582 219 1

Economic Reforms in New Democracies: A Social‐Democratic Approach by Luiz Carlos Bresser Pereira, José María Maravall and Adam Przeworski. Cambridge: University Press 1993. Pp.227; index. £30 (hardback); £10.95 (paperback). ISBN 0 521 43259 6 and 43845 4

Post‐Socialist World Orders: Russia, China and the UN System by Robert Boardman. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1994. Pp.200; index. £35 (hardback). ISBN 0 312 10671 8

Regime Transitions, Elites and Bureaucracies in Eastern Europe by Hans‐Ulrich Derlien and George J. Szablowski. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1993. Pp.150; index; bibliography; appendices. £10.99 (paperback). ISBN 1 55786 522 1

Political Dissent and Opposition in Poland: The Workers’ Defence Committee ‘KOR‘ by Robert Zuzowski. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1992. Pp.295; index; bibliography; appendices. £58.95 (hardback). ISBN 0 275 94138 8

Debating the Constitution: New Perspectives on Constitutional Reform edited by Anthony Barnett, Caroline Ellis and Paul Hirst. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1993. Pp.183. £39.95 (hardback); £11.95 (paperback). ISBN 0 7456 1199 0 and 1081 1

Quelling the People: the Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Pp.x + 222; notes; bibliography, appendix. $27.50. ISBN 0 19 507457 2     

Contesting the Governance of Capital Flows at the IMF

Financial crises can trigger different actors to reassess their ideas, interests, and policies, and sometimes change them. The Global Financial Crisis triggered a reassessment at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the utility of capital account liberalization and the management of capital flows. In 2010, the IMF embarked upon an official reassessment of these issues and in 2012 published an official “institutional view” on capital account liberalization and managing capital flows that gives more caution toward capital account liberalization and endorses the use of capital controls in certain circumstances. This article traces the political process that yielded the IMF's new view and draws out lessons for thinking about policy change in global economic governance institutions.     

Identity in Flux, Destination Uncertain: Montenegro During and After the Yugoslav Wars

Montenegro's political evolution since the mid-1990s undermines the stereotypical view that disputes over nationality and territory in the Balkans are bound to end in violence. Montenegro's case also shows that ethnic identity is fluid rather than fixed in large parts of the region. Its bid for independence appears to be heavily dependent on the way that disputes between the Atlantic democracies and Serbia are resolved. Montenegro has formidable handicaps to overcome if it is to sever its constitutional links with Serbia and embrace full statehood. It is hard to see how this can be accomplished without international economic backing.     

Variation in Developmental Time for Geographically Distinct Populations of the Common Green Bottle Fly,Lucilia sericata (Meigen)*

Abstract: Time between death and discovery of remains, or postmortem interval (PMI), can be assessed using blow fly maggot age. Forensic entomologists rely on published, often nonlocal, species‐specific developmental tables to determine maggot age. In a series of common garden experiments, we investigated the developmental rate variation between populations of Lucilia sericata collected from Sacramento, CA, San Diego, CA, and Easton, MA at 16°C, 26°C, and 36°C. For the 16°C trial the time measurement started at egg hatch, while for the higher temperatures the experiment began at oviposition; the wandering stage signified the endpoint for all experiments. The distribution of developmental times differed significantly (ANOVA, p < 0.001) between the three populations within each temperature treatment. We discovered that regional variation of developmental times within a blow fly species exists. This study demonstrates the importance of assembling local population‐specific developmental tables when estimating larval age to determine PMI.     

Measuring attitudes toward grievance systems: A procedural justice perspective applied to the workplace

Contractual grievance procedures have long been utilized in union-management relationships to resolve workplace disputes. Little research attention, however, has focused on determining unionized workers' perceptions of and attitudes about such procedures. This study develops an instrument designed to measure worker attitudes toward the grievance procedure (ATGP). The survey items and conceptual framework are based on prior research in the areas of administrative and procedural justice. Employing a national sample (N=1080) from a single union, the results support a multidimensional attitudinal measure. Four key dimensions of workers' assessment of the grievance procedure were found: (i) Fairness, (ii) Effectiveness, (iii) Representation, and (iv) Importance. The structure of the measure was stable across identified sub-groups in the sample. Some differences in the attitudinal assessment on the four dimensions emerged depending upon union office holding and the grievance-filing experience of the respondents. Last, potential future applications of the instrument are discussed.     

The political consequences of the electoral system in the Republic of Ireland

The single transferable vote electoral system, popular with many electoral reformers, has been used for parliamentary elections in the Republic of Ireland since 1922. Examination of its impact shows that it has delivered as high a degree of proportionality as most PR systems despite the unavoidable use of relatively small district magnitudes. It has not produced either a fragmented party system or unstable governments. Critics have blamed it for contributing to a weak parliament, but these criticisms remain unproven. Suggestions are made for the wider use of STV, especially in countries currently employing preferential list systems.     

A case of fatal aconitine poisoning by Monkshood ingestion

Accidental aconitine poisoning is extremely rare in North America. This report describes the confirmation of a case of accidental aconitine poisoning using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The case involved a 25-year-old man who died suddenly following a recreational outing with friends where he consumed a number of wild berries and plants including one that was later identified as Monkshood (Aconitum napellus). Postmortem blood and urine samples were available for analysis. All routine urine and blood toxicology screens were negative. The LC-MS/MS method allowed sensitive quantification of aconitine, the main toxin in A. napellus, and showed 3.6 and 149 microg/L in blood and urine, respectively. These concentrations were similar to that reported in other aconitine-related deaths. This case illustrates the dangers of consuming unidentified plants, and documents concentrations of aconitine in blood and urine in a fatal case of A. napallus-related poisoning.