The Diffusion of Executive Power in American State Constitutions: Tenure and Tenure Limitations

The comparative study of the development of state constitutionalprovisions concerning executive power, within the frameworkof diffusion theory, has value for a general understanding ofexecutive authority in contemporary America. American chiefexecutive offices were designed with a complex package of powersand limits, all viewed by their creators as mutually contingentand in delicate balance. Since the creation of each executiveoffice, constitutional development has evidenced a "decouplingeffect," that is, in different eras, discrete powers and limits,considered individually, were altered in response to unfoldingevents and changing ideological premises, generally with theeffect of enhancing executive power. This pattern is evidentin the development of the current norm in constitutional provisionsregarding tenure and tenure limitation, the four-year term andthe two-term limit. In this development, there has been evidenceof mutual influence between the states and the national governmentwith some evidence, too, of regional patterns of resistanceto change (in New England). Somewhat surprisingly for thosewhose study of executive power is limited to the Presidency,when a comparative approach is employed, the post-Civil Warperiod emerges as a crucial time of executive strengtheningin America.     

A Kindergarten at Longxing:Put the World back in Place(Abridged)

Little hands started the motion—and the snow-white object inside a transparent ball turned out to be a small replica of the Swiss Pavilion of the World Expo revolving     

Psychological Injury and Law: Editorial Introducing a Journal and an Association

In this inaugural editorial to the journal, I describe briefly the topic of psychological injury and law and the association set up to house this the new journal on the topic. I present the journal’s aims and scope and invite members of the relevant professional communities to participate in our work and publications.     

Rethinking global governance: a China model in the making?

This paper examines Chinese perspectives on global governance, an area in which China has increased substantially the depth and breadth of its participation. The paper attempts to draw a mainstream perspective to inform our understanding of some key aspects of China's foreign policy. It demonstrates that while China's statist preference appeals to some Third World countries, such a preference leads the country to clash with the West over how to tackle global issues collectively, particularly over humanitarian intervention. While the Chinese perspective is in the process of evolving and far from reaching maturity, it is questionable whether the global community led by the West would find the Westphalian practice that China embraces admirable.     

Somatization and Medically Unexplained Symptoms in Psychological Injury: Diagnoses and Dynamics

This paper examines the somatization process that may complicate diagnosis in cases of psychological injury. Usually, somatoform and related disorders are fraught with diagnostic uncertainty, and a survey of the scientific literature reveals that recommendations are being made to revise them for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) V. The paper concentrates on the dynamics in somatization. The article presents an integrated forensic biopsychosocial model of somatization. It incorporates a biopsychosocial model of somatization that includes 100 factors. It addresses the process of somatization in terms of three dimensions having forensic relevance. The article concludes with recommendations for the DSM V in terms of a new class of diagnostic categories pertaining to somatization and a new axis on causality.