Three Versions of Stoker

This article offers an assessment of the writings of Professor Gerry Stoker of Manchester and examines the main themes and messages of his work as it has related to both academics and practitioners. It examines the controversial nature of Stoker's output which has provoked the charge of 'betraying' local government, and suggests that reading Stoker's work is a more complex task than perhaps his fiercest critics would allow. It argues that there is more than one way in which Stoker's contribution can be interpreted and that there are, in ways which mirror his own pluralistic approach to political science, a number of 'versions of Stoker' which can be advanced based on a close reading of his work. This article explores three of these.     

From Human to Workers' Rights: The Emergence of a Migrant Workers' Union Movement in Korea

Migrant workers in Korea occupy a low social position because of their objective economic position within the division of labour, hegemonic norms of racial homogeneity, and government policy that seeks to extract the labour power from migrant workers without recognising their substantive human and workers' rights. Despite the existence of an official system for the rotational employment of so-called “industrial trainees”, the dominant system in Korea has been a tacitly accepted market for illegal labour. Despite the emergence of a dynamic civil society movement to support migrant workers, their challenge to the prevailing cultural norms in society and their manifestation in government policy has been somewhat limited. However, a migrant-worker-centred trade union movement has also emerged which, although still in its early stages, has more directly begun to challenge these norms and to achieve a common identity with the Korean working class.     

THE CUSTOMER IS SOMETIMES RIGHT: THE ROLE OF CUSTOMER VIEWS IN MERGER INVESTIGATIONS

Antitrust enforcement officials and practitioners generallyagree that customers should have a prominent role in the mergerreview process. The question of the appropriate level of reliancethat competition authorities and courts should give to customertestimony has been the subject of considerable debate sincethe Arch Coal and Oracle decisions. This paper contains a comprehensivediscussion of the use of customer testimony throughout the U.S.merger review process, from the initial merger notificationfiling to injunction proceedings in federal court. We discussthe benefits from and problems with the use of customer testimony,including how these problems have led to litigation losses forthe U.S. antitrust authorities. What is the appropriate roleof customer testimony and when is it most probative? We contendthat customers can provide investigators and judges with informationregarding several relevant issues in an acquisition, includingindustry structure, geographic and product demand substitution,and acceptance of potential market entrants. In contrast, customerswill have considerably less information relevant to the likelihoodof entry, the extent of any merger-specific efficiencies, andthe validity of a failing firm defense. They will almost neverbe qualified to offer legal conclusions, such as the propermarket definition or likely competitive effects of a proposedmerger. We conclude that courts have generally remained consistentin their reliance on customer testimony, including in the ArchCoal and Oracle cases, and that customer testimony, despiteits limitations, should and will continue to be important ateach stage of the merger review process.     

Doctors as Good Samaritans: Some Empirical Evidence Concerning Emergency Medical Treatment in Britain

This paper reports the results of the first survey of British doctors' attitudes towards the provision of emergency treatment outside the usual confines of a surgery or hospital. The experience and perceptions of NHS doctors practising in Sheffield concerning Good Samaritan behaviour are discussed against the background of the rather uncertain common law of medical rescue. The implications of the survey's findings for the direction of legal policy and the promotion of medical altruism are also considered. Despite the alleged deterioration in standards of social responsibility, the potentially fraught nature of such interventions, and the theoretical possibility of legal liability should any rescue attempt go badly, it seems that the overwhelming majority of doctors (in this survey, at least) are willing Samaritans.     

How Not to Increase Participation in Local Government: The Advantages of Experiments When Testing Policy Interventions

Local governments benefit from nonelected committees that provide citizen input on important issues. Although these committees offer a valuable tool for policy makers, they suffer from low participation and tend to underrepresent economically disadvantaged citizens. This article reports the results of a randomized survey experiment that evaluated the relative effectiveness of offering social recognition or skills training. The findings show that entreaties to participate premised on gaining social recognition had no effect on willingness to participate and that offers to provide training actually decreased citizens’ willingness to participate, especially among economically disadvantaged citizens. Even though these approaches may hold promise, this particular policy intervention did not live up to that promise. The article concludes with a discussion of the importance of testing policy interventions before wide‐scale implementation and the utility of randomized experiments in this process.     

Skills training for treatment of spouse abusers: An outcome study

The present study evaluated a 15-week cognitive-behavioral skills training program for male spouse abusers. Results showed dramatic decreases in occurrence of violent behaviors after treatment, and up to 1-year follow-up in subjects (n =32)completing the intervention. Furthermore, compared to program dropouts (n =36),completers showed a lower rate of physical violence recividism over the 1-year follow-up period. However, there was evidence of continued psychological abuse among completers in some cases (as corroborated independently by the victim/partner). Changes measured by psychometric assessment indicated decreased dysphoria. No change in basic personality, characterized primarily by disorder, was found. The latter findings was interpreted to partly account for continued psychological abuse. Implications for refining programs to address psychological abuse and to develop mechanisms to reduce attrition are discussed.     

Complex financial histories--a problem solved?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. Key points

• Recognizing the importance of ensuring that the financialhistory presented in a prospectus appropriately reflects thesubstance of an issuer's operations, the European Commissionhas brought forward an amendment to the Prospectus Directiveimplementing Regulation (809/2004) which will take effect fromJanuary 2007. The new law defines two new terms, namely a ‘complexfinancial history’ and a ‘significant financialcommitment’, which if applicable will require an issuerto consider including additional historical financial informationto that of its own.
• Following the Committee of European SecuritiesRegulators' advice on this subject, as well as the views ofmarket participants, the new law does not prescribe the financialreporting solutions to be followed. Rather, it sets out theprinciples to be applied and then allows competent authoritiesflexibility to accommodate solutions that reflect the particularcircumstances of an issuer. Notably, the competent authoritiesare required to take into account the . . . [Full Text of this Article]