From ugly duckling to Swan. The rise of data protection and its limits

This article considers the development of data protection laws from a position on the periphery of legal consciousness to the situation where it is the subject of intensive legal and media publicity. Focusing on the recent controversies surrounding the use of Facebook apps for political purposes, the article will consider the role and limitations of data and privacy protection laws. The question will be posed – if not answered – whether national or regional laws can be effective in what increasingly is a global information society.     

An examination of the experience of cryptocurrency use in Russia. In search of better practice

This study concerns the use of crypto-currency with specific reference to the situation in Russia. A variety of such systems exist; Bitcoin, however, is perhaps the best-known example and will be used as synonymous with the concept throughout this article. Our findings not only show how the views of Russian government bodies are formed and developed, but also sheds light on the specific innovative methods which legal entities use for development of the economy. Consideration will be given to recent developments within Russia which has been more active than many countries in seeking to clarify the status of Bitcoin and providing for the regulation of the technology.     

Books received

Dependency under Challenge: The Political Economy of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Edited by Anthony Payne and Paul Sutton. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1984. Pp.xii + 294. £25. ISBN 0 7190 0970 7.

The International Crisis in the Caribbean. By Anthony Payne. London: Croom Helm, 1984. Pp.iii + 177. £14.95. ISBN 0 7099 2052 0.

Grenada: Revolution and Invasion. By Anthony Payne, Paul Sutton and Tony Thorndike. London: Croom Helm, 1984. Pp.x + 233. £17.95. ISBN 0 7099 2080 6.

The Three Worlds: Culture and World Development. By Peter Worsley. London: Weidenfeld &; Nicolson, 1984. Pp.xiv + 409. £16.95 and £8.95. ISBN 0 297 783467 and 78356 4.

Agriculture, Poverty and Freedom in Developing Countries. By Eric Clayton. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp.x + 277. £15 and £6.95. ISBN 0 333 36100 8 and 36101 6.

Understanding Green Revolutions: Agrarian Change and Development Planning in South Asia. Edited by Tim P. Bayliss‐Smith and Sudhir Wanmali. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Pp. x + 384. £30/$59.50. ISBN 0 521 24942 2.

Kritsman and the Agrarian Marxists. Edited by Terry Cox and Gary Littlejohn. London: Frank Cass, 1984. Pp. 149. £18.50. ISBN 0 7146 3237 6.

The Defense of Community in Peru's Central Highlands: Peasant Struggle and Capitalist Transition, 1860–1940. By Florencia E. Mallon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Pp. xiv + 384. £28.20 and £12.60. ISBN 0 691 07647 2 and 10140; X.

Miners, Peasants and Entrepreneurs: Regional Development in the Central Highlands of Peru. By Norman Long and Bryan Roberts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Pp.x + 288. £25. ISBN 0 521 24809 4.

The New Bourgeoisie and the Limits of Dependency: Mining, Class and Power in ‘Revolutionary’ Peru. By David G. Becker. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Pp.xxviii + 368. £30.20 and £8.60. ISBN 0 691 07645 6 and 0 691 02213 5.

The Pharmaceutical Industry and Dependency in the Third World. By Gary Gereffi. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983. Pp.xiii + 292. £21.60 and £8.65. IBSN 0 691 09401 2 and 02828 1.

Law and Policy of Producers’ Associations. By D.E. Pollard. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984. Pp.xii + 372. £30. ISBN 0 19 825480 6.

Inequalising Trade? A Study of Traditional North/South Specialisation in the Context of Terms of Trade Concepts. By John Spraos. Oxford: Clarendon Press in cooperation with UNCTAD, 1983. Pp.ix + 169. £15. ISBN 0 19 828458 6.

Reality and Rhetoric: Studies in the Economics of Development. By P. T. Bauer. London: Weidenfeld &; Nicolson, 1984. Pp.viii + 184. £11.95. ISBN 0 297 78335 1.

Critique and Anti‐Critique: Essays on Dependence and Reformism. By Andre Gunder Frank. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp.xiii + 336. £20 and £7.95. ISBN 0333 37122 4 and 37123 2.

Participation of the Poor in Development. Edited by Benno Galjart and Dieke Buijs. Leiden: Leiden Development Studies No.2, 1982. Pp.325. NP.

Studies in Rural Participation. Edited by Amit Bhaduri and Md. Anisur Rahman. New Delhi: Oxford &; IBH Publishing Co., 1982. Pp. vii + 229. Rs.85.

Evaluating Population Programs: International Experience with Cost‐effective Analysis and Cost‐benefit Analysis. Edited by Ismail Sirageldin, David Salkever and Richard W. Osborn. London: Croom Helm; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983. Pp.xxxi + 534. £19.95. ISBN 0 7099 2393 7.

Development Planning Models. Edited by S. Bhagwan Dahiya. 2 vols. New Delhi: Inter‐India Publications, 1982. Pp.xxiv + 392 + xxiv + 270. $60 the set.

Appropriate Products, Employment and Technology: Case‐Studies on Consumer Choice and Basic Needs in Developing Countries. Edited by Wouter van Ginneken and Christopher Baron. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp. xi + 260. £25. ISBN 0 333 35302 1.

Education and Income Determination in Kenya. By Arne Bigsten. Aldershot, Hants: Gower, 1984. Pp.vii + 156. £14.50. ISBN 0 566 00703 7.

The Impending Crisis in Kenya: The Case for Land Reform. By Diana Hunt. Aldershot, Hants: Gower, 1984. Pp.viii + 314. £17.50. ISBN 0 566 00713 4.

Ibn Khaldun: The Birth of History and the Past of the Third World. By Yves Lacoste. London: New Left Books and Verso, 1984. Pp. 214. £20 and £5.95. ISBN 0 86091 084 9 and 789 4.     

“Another National Milestone”: Canada's 1927 Election to the Council of the League of Nations

Ten days after announcing its candidature, and amidst some surprise, Canada was elected to a non-permanent seat on the Council of the League of Nations. This article will show how and why this came about. In so doing, it will demonstrate that Canada's election was an important episode from several perspectives. First, it was a milestone in Canada's gradual international coming of age, confirming that it was entitled to all the rights and responsibilities of League membership. Second, it was a significant step in the development of the Commonwealth into an association of equals. And, third, it contributed to the gelling of the emerging group system in elections to the League Council.     

Screening for Substance Use Disorders as a Supplement to Caseworker Assessment Among Foster Care–Involved Families

Parental substance abuse is a major factor in families experiencing foster care placement, yet little is known about the potential of screening in determining risk or identifying subpopulations for which elevated risk occurs. One Midwestern state recently implemented screening. This research uses information gathered as part of the screen's implementation to conduct a latent class analysis. The research was extended to provide a detailed examination of differences in child and family characteristics across classes, and to compare the screen results with caseworker impressions. Three distinct typologies emerged, with the high-risk and moderate-risk designations comprising only one quarter of the cases.     

Re‐evaluating the relationship between electoral rules and ideological congruence

Two new studies challenge the prevailing consensus that proportional representation (PR) systems produce greater ideological congruence between governments and their citizens than majoritarian ones. This has led to what has become known as the ‘ideological congruence controversy’. G. Bingham Powell claims to resolve this controversy in favour of PR systems. Specifically, he argues that the results from the two new studies are based on an anomalous decade and that PR systems generally do produce greater government congruence. In addition, he also asserts that PR systems exhibit less variability in government congruence. In this article, the empirical evidence for these two claims is re‐evaluated using exactly the same data as employed by Powell. The analysis indicates that although PR systems produce better and more consistent representation in the legislature, they do not hold an advantage when it comes to representation at the governmental level.     

Evidence for Connections Between Prosecutor-Reported Marijuana Case Dispositions and Community Youth Marijuana-Related Attitudes and Behaviors

This article examines relationships between local drug policy (as represented by prosecutor-reported case outcomes for first-offender juvenile marijuana possession cases) and youth self-reported marijuana use, perceived risk, and disapproval. Interviews with prosecutors and surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in the United States were conducted in 2000. Analyses include data from 97 prosecutors and students from 127 schools in 40 states. Results indicate significant relationships between local drug policy and youth marijuana use and attitudes. In general, more-severe dispositions are associated with less marijuana use, higher disapproval rates, and increased perceptions of great risk. Associations primarily appear to be specific to marijuana-related outcomes. Results are discussed within the framework of both deterrence and broader social norms regarding substance use.