Law and American Political Development

This essay reviews the recent volume edited by Ronald Kahn and Ken I. Kersch, The Supreme Court and American Political Development (2006), as well as the broader literature by law scholars interested in American Political Development (APD). The Law and APD literature has advanced our knowledge about courts by placing attention on the importance of executive and legislative actors, and by providing political context to our understanding of judicial decision making. But this knowledge would be more powerful if it would embrace the broader APD field's orientation toward the importance of state and institutional autonomy for understanding politics and political change. Law and APD scholars could go further in examining the ways in which courts and judges act institutionally, and how the legal branch as an institution impacts American politics and state-building. In doing so, Law and APD scholars would contribute not only to our understanding of judicial decision making but also to our understanding of the place and importance of courts in American politics.     

THE CORVAIR, THE PINTO AND CORPORATE BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS FOR REGULATORY REFORM

Top corporate management responds to what is socially desirable when the costs and economic benefits provide the incentive to do so. Even when changing directions to match what is thought to be socially desirable would produce long-term profit maximization, some firms may stay with what is socially undesirable for what is perceived as a greater short-term profit maximization. Halpern suggests that such short-term profit decisions made by General Motors with the Corvair, and by Ford with the Pinto, backfired. A key problem is seen as the time lag between corporate misdeeds and the final judgment of courts or the government.     

From good intentions to successful implementation: the case of patient safety in Canada

Abstract: Improvements to patient safety have become a major issue on Canada's already crowded health care policy agenda. This paper applies implementation theory to the practical issues involved with the adoption of patient safety reforms. It is based on a review of the literature and official reports on patient safety and on the author's experience as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety created in June 2004. The obstacles and possible solutions to advance the patient safety agenda are discussed. While implementation theory was found to provide a general guide, the author's experience leads him to conclude the literature on governance and organizational change offers more practical advice. Sommaire: L'amélioration de la sécurité des patients est devenue une question majeure du programme déjà chargé des politiques en matière de soins de santé. Le présent article applique une théorie de mise en œuvre aux questions pratiques découlant de l'adoption des réformes sur la sécurité du patient. II est fondé sur une étude de publications et rapports officiels sur la sécurité du patient, ainsi que sur l'expérience de l'auteur en tant que président du conseil d'administration de l'Institut pour la sécurité des patients du Manitoba, créé en juin 2004. II passe en revue les obstacles et les solutions possibles à la promotion du programme de la sécurité des patients. Si l'auteur trouve que la théorie de la mise en œuvre fournit un guide général, son expérience le pousse à conclure que la documentation sur la gouvernance et les changements organisationnels offre davantage de conseils pratiques.