Regulatory Design for Scientific Uncertainty: Acknowledging the Diversity of Approaches in Environmental Regulation and Public Administration

Environmental regulatory design addresses scientific uncertaintythrough a range of regulatory design tools. The seven approachesidentified and considered in this article are termed (1) theacknowledgement of scientific uncertainty (2) the burden shiftingapproach (3) the ‘sound science’ approach (4) theconsequences approach (5) the consensus approach (6) the estimationapproach and (7) the adaptive management approach. Analysisof some common environmental legislative frameworks suggeststhat, rather than occurring in isolation, these seven approachesare frequently incorporated into legislative regimes in a multitudeof combinations. The article also highlights the implicationsof expressly embedding a precautionary approach within pre-existingenvironmental regulatory frameworks, such as has occurred withinAustralian environmental regimes. Finally, the article exploresthe advantages and disadvantages of each approach and the variouscircumstances that favour the adoption of a particular regulatoryapproach to scientific uncertainty. In doing so, it suggestsan agenda for future empirical research on approaches to regulatorydesign for scientific uncertainty.     

Feminism and Utopia: Irigaray Reading Kant

The student revolution of the late 1960s and the early 1970s was a major impetus for the development of new academic disciplines. Topics that had not been considered'proper academic material' only a few years earlier, such as women's studies and Holocaust studies, received recognition and began to be taught in American universities. Soon, universities throughout the world followed suit. Sometime during the early 1990s initial attempts were made in the United States and Israel to prepare courses that incorporated themes from women's studies or gender studies into the study of the Holocaust. The result was a number of courses dealing with women and the Holocaust located in the fields of history, sociology or literature. Taught initially in only a few institutions, the topic was slowly taken up by scholars throughout the world. After a decade of research and teaching the subject in academic institutions throughout the world, scholars of the Holocaust and gender suddenly found themselves facing opposition from historians and public figures. Baumel deals with the more common attitudes towards the subject, experienced by those dealing with the topic. She provides a short survey of the arguments used against scholars of the Holocaust and gender, an overview of the state of research on the topic and guidelines for future research.     

Bindungsmacht in Paarbeziehungen. Warum Beziehungen scheitern

Berliner Journal für Soziologie - Seit Jahrzehnten ist ein Anstieg der Zahl von Trennungen und Scheidungen zu verzeichnen. Bislang liegen allerdings nur wenige sozialwissenschaftliche...     

Soviet Electric Power After Chernobyl': Economic Consequences and Options

A review of the role of nuclear power in Soviet electricity production and of economic and design factors that may have contributed to the accident at the Chernobyl' Atomic Power Station sets the stage for analysis of its economic and other impacts on the USSR and Eastern Europe. The paper outlines methods for estimating direct costs stemming from lost generating capacity, agricultural output, and plant infrastructure; clean-up and relocation; and medical care. Longer-term costs in the form of environmental and public health problems, reexamination of energy development strategies, and effects on international trade will be greater but more difficult to determine. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 027, 124, 723.