UK development policy and domestic politics 1997–2016

Debate surrounds the relative importance of development aid and development policy in donor efforts to support international development. Likewise, the literature on UK development policy points to its putative stability and consistency over time. Both perspectives, however, underplay the political contention which characterises UK development policy and its variable effects. This article, therefore, examines UK development policy between 1997 and 2016 and the varying extent to which it gave rise to contentious politics over time. It explores three politically-significant periods in the context of UK development policy between 1997 and 2016: the first between 1997 and 2003, characterised, I argue, by political consensus and managed contention; a second between 2003 and 2010, characterised by transition and emerging political contention; and a third, between 2010 and 2016, characterised by contentious politics and political fracturing. I associate the first period with effective political vision and direction and the third with a significant erosion of both, to the detriment of UK development policy and its efficacy. In conclusion, I argue that UK development policy has been most effective when it has been underpinned by a clear and consensual political vision.     

Forensic Identification of CITES Protected Slimming Cactus (Hoodia) Using DNA Barcoding

Slimming cactus (Hoodia), found only in southwestern Africa, is a well‐known herbal product for losing weight. Consequently, Hoodia extracts are sought‐after worldwide despite a CITES Appendix II status. The failure to eradicate illegal trade is due to problems with detecting and identifying Hoodia using morphological and chemical characters. Our aim was to evaluate the potential of molecular identification of Hoodia based on DNA barcoding. Screening of nrITS1 and psbA‐trnH DNA sequences from 26 accessions of Ceropegieae resulted in successful identification, while conventional chemical profiling using DLI‐MS led to inaccurate detection and identification of Hoodia. The presence of Hoodia in herbal products was also successfully established using DNA sequences. A validation procedure of our DNA barcoding protocol demonstrated its robustness to changes in PCR conditions. We conclude that DNA barcoding is an effective tool for Hoodia detection and identification which can contribute to preventing illegal trade.     

Analysing Local Policy Agendas: How Dutch Municipal Executive Coalitions Allocate Attention

Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the allocation of attention to policy problems on the local level, focusing on the executive agenda of six municipalities in the Netherlands over a 25-year period. It reveals that there is specifically a local politics of attention, showing differences between national and local policy agendas in specific policy areas. We did not find evidence that the political composition of the local executive coalitions leads to agenda differences, revealing the more problem-oriented and pragmatic nature of local politics. We did find evidence of an effect of institutional arrangements between national and local government on shifting patterns of attention, such as due to decentralisation. This shows that the local politics of attention is limited in scope and conditioned by the functions of local government and the institutional arrangements of policy making in the Dutch decentralised unitary state and that rearrangements affect these patterns of attention.     

Prorogation and partisanship in Tasmania and South Australia

SUMMARY

The historical evolution of the Westminster Parliament left the constitutional power over the summoning, dismissal, and temporary suspension of that body in the hands of the sovereign. As ‘Westminster-style’ parliaments developed in Britain's colonies, this aspect of the prerogative came to be exercised by colonial governors. As ‘responsible government’ evolved in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both at Westminster and in its progeny, conventions developed whereby the ministerial executive advised the Crown on the exercise of this aspect of the prerogative power. Thus, while prorogation is a perfectly legitimate, routinely used device in Westminster-style parliamentary systems, ministries sometimes use it as a partisan tool, as it provides the opportunity for the executive to manipulate the parliamentary calendar for political advantage. This study examines cases of just such ‘partisan political use’ of prorogation in the Australian states of Tasmania and South Australia. Conditions commonly associated with this type of use of prorogation in these two states are identified as: the existence of a proximate issue of a highly controversial or partisan nature; minority or near-minority status in the lower chamber; and a novel context leading to general uncertainty and higher than usual partisanship. In addition, a question is raised regarding whether the institution of a fixed-term parliament regime may increase the likelihood of a particular variety of partisan use of prorogation. The findings are situated in a comparative context.     

Markets in Health Care: The Case of Renal Transplantation

This article explores the ethics and economics of a market in donated kidneys in the United States. With the impending changes in the health care system, the author argues that a full turn to the market for distribution of kidneys is not appropriate. However, he would sanction a regulated market, as outlined in the article.     

海上恐怖主义和海盗威胁

在打击马六甲海峡沿岸的海盗中,区域各方力量已迈出了可喜的一步。在960万公里的海岸线上,沿岸国家印度尼西亚、马来西亚和新加坡为了海上安全,在首次提出“天空之眼”优先战略3个月后,便于2005年9月13日进行联合海上空中巡逻。事实上,“天空之眼”构想是在3个海岸国家共同制定     

An investigation of biographical information as a predictor of employment termination among law enforcement officers

Among the most important services that psychology can offer law enforcement is assistance in the selection of future officers. The usual contribution made by police psychologists centers on the elimination of applicatns who are mentally ill. However, due to increased behavior-generated police liability, psychologists must focus on ruling out applicants whose future behavior may result in departmental compromise for any reason. One method for forecasting police officer performance is by examining critical information in biographical data. This paper examined the predictive validity of biographical information for a sample of 2,965 police officer candidates. Results indicated that several biographical variables were significantly correlated with later police officer termination. However, results of regression analyses indicated that biographical variables alone accounted for limited variance in the prediction of police officer termination. These findings suggested that the use of biographical information as a sole determinant of police candidates was not supported and the use of additional sources of data would likely be required for practical forecasting purposes.