State mortgage foreclosure policies and lender interventions: Impacts on borrower behavior in default

Due to the rise in foreclosure filings, policymakers are increasingly concerned with helping families in financial distress keep their homes. This paper tests the extent to which distressed mortgage borrowers benefit from three types of state foreclosure polices: (1) judicial foreclosure proceedings, (2) statutory rights of redemption, and (3) statewide foreclosure‐prevention initiatives. Based on an analysis of borrowers in default who reside in 22 cross‐state metropolitan statistical area pairs, state policies generally have weak effects. Both judicial foreclosure proceedings and foreclosure prevention initiatives are associated with modest increases in loan modification rates. Using a matching procedure, a lender's letter promoting mortgage default counseling was associated with increases in loan modifications, decreases in loan cures, and decreases in foreclosure starts. The effects of the letter were also stronger in states with judicial proceedings. © 2011 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

Study of an economic issue as a possible indicator of suicide risk: a discussion of stock prices and suicide

There were more than 30,000 suicides in 1998 in Japan, and since then, the numbers have remained high. In 2009, the number of suicides per a day was c. 90. This phenomenon constitutes a major social problem. One of the major reasons for the rapid increase in the number of suicides appears to be the worsening economic problems. It is therefore necessary to research the relationship between economic issues and suicide. In this study, we examined the relationship between the value of the Nikkei Stock Average and suicide rates in Japan. The value of the Nikkei Stock Average may be related to suicide among men. On the basis of the results, relevant researchers and organizations should understand the factors that relate to suicide to better carry out specific suicide prevention measures.     

The fallacy of the two-minute acid phosphatase cut off

Research was carried out to determine whether the likelihood of obtaining a positive Acid Phosphatase (AP) test result is affected by the make and type of paper used. Also, we aimed to investigate the frequency of AP positive reactions occurring after 2min using a series of known semen dilutions and to determine whether spermatozoa transfer onto the paper during the act of AP screening. In this research, most brands of paper tested were able to detect a 1 in 40 semen dilution within 2min. Leaving AP test papers for longer will allow the detection of greater dilutions of semen and as the amount of ejaculation is not reliably known in most casework situations and levels of AP activity can vary in different men, this will increase the seminal detection rate in sexual offence allegations.     

The Future of Australian Public Services

It is very rare for the stars in the political firmament to come together at one time so as to create a situation where the two major eastern states and the Commonwealth will be election free, barring accidents, for three years. It is an opportunity which is rarely provided and should be grasped immediately if Australia is to continue on the path of reform and establish an enduring position in the West Pacific Basin region as well as delivering improved living standards to its people.     

Price Setting for Local Government Service Delivery : An Exploration of Key Issues

Local governments in Australia are constantly seeking to raise additional revenue to fund higher service demands. One key revenue source is service fees and charges, including fines. Premised on the notion of user pays, service fees and charges represent a significant proportion of total revenue for many local governments, especially in New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania. This exploratory essay addresses a number of key issues related to this revenue source in order to stimulate discussion and debate on matters which are presently under‐examined in the literature. The article examines the philosophy underpinning price setting, the identification of the principles of price setting, the adoption of applicable price setting models, the need to adhere to National Competition Policy and also the applicability of differential pricing of service delivery within local government. Calls for more open approaches and enhanced disclosure relating to service provision and pricing are made.     

Sinking Swann: Public School Choice and the Resegregation of Charlotte's Public Schools

Public school choice is a widely used tool for education reform and may be a way to improve school accountability and efficiency. This article examines what happened to student outcomes when Charlotte‐Mecklenburg Schools, a large and diverse urban school district located in North Carolina, changed its assignment policy to one of open enrollment with mandatory choice. The previous policy used a broad array of magnet schools and a limited amount of mandatory busing to achieve desegregation. The new policy required that all students choose a school, and it specifically avoided using race or ethnicity considerations in assigning students. The article examines the impacts of the new policy on the end‐of‐grade standardized tests in reading and math. The article uses regression analysis to discover whether the scores of various groups of students increased or decreased after the policy change. The analysis suggests that the “race‐neutral” assignment policy was neither neutral in the opportunity it provided students to attend their school of choice nor in its academic outcomes. Anglo students were more likely to receive their first choice of schools and to improve their scores. African American students were less likely to receive their first choice school and their scores declined.     

Characterization of pyrotechnic reaction residue particles by SEM/EDS

Today the method commonly used for detecting gunshot residue is through the combined use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). In recent years, this same methodology began to find use in detecting and characterizing pyrotechnic reaction residue (PRR) particles whether produced by explosion or burning. This is accomplished by collecting particulate samples from a surface in the immediate area of the pyrotechnic reaction. Suspect PRR particles are identified by their morphology (typically 1 to 20 microm spheroidal particles) using an SEM; then they are analyzed for the elements they contain using X-ray EDS. This can help to identify the general type of pyrotechnic composition involved.