A Framework for the Judicious Use of the Polygraph for Youth Who Have Committed a Sexual Crime

Among professionals working with youth who commit sexual crimes, there is a clear chasm between proponents and opponents of postadjudication polygraph testing. Polygraph use for juveniles is an issue at the forefront of conversation in the state of Colorado, as the Sex Offender Management Board has evolved on positions. Drawing on extant research base, they have conducted a state-level evaluation in Colorado to inform further determinations. Using probation files of youth adjudicated of a sexual crime (N = 62), regression models were run. Youths’ significant reactions on a polygraph test were statistically significantly associated with more disclosures. Nonsignificant reactions, significant reactions, inconclusive results, and more disclosures were statistically, significantly associated with more polygraph testing. Finally, youth with nonsignificant reactions were five times more likely to successfully complete treatment, but test results and number of tests were not associated with recidivism outcomes. A framework for the judicious use of the polygraph is proposed.     

Plaintiffs by proxy: A firm-level approach to WTO dispute resolution

Lobbying by multinational business firms drives the agenda of international trade politics. We match Fortune Global 500 firms to WTO disputes in which they have a stake and to their political activities using public disclosure data. The quantitative evidence reveals traces of a principal-agent relationship between major MNCs and the US Trade Representative (USTR). Firms lobby and make political contributions to induce the USTR to lodge a WTO dispute, and once a dispute begins, firms increase their political activity in order to keep USTR on track. Lobbying is overwhelmingly patriotic—the side opposing the US position is barely represented—and we see little evidence of MNCs lobbying against domestic protectionism. When the United States is targeted in a dispute, lobbying by defendant-side firms substantially delays settlement, as the affected firms pressure the government to reject concessions. Lobbying on the complainant side does not delay dispute resolution, as complainant-side firms have mixed incentives, to resolve disputes quickly as well as to hold out for better terms.     

Long-Term Absenteeism From Work: Disentangling the Impact of Sector,Occupational Groups and Gender

Absenteeism is critical to organizational performance. Although absenteeism is higher in the public than in the private sector, surprisingly little public administration research has studied this topic. We investigate and test potential explanations for these differences: is it because the public sector employs more women and occupational groups that have higher absence? Using register data, we find that for six out of seven occupational groups long-term absenteeism is more likely for public than for private sector employees; generally, this is true for both genders. We discuss potential explanations and future avenues for investigating these sector differences.     

Dimitriadis,G. (2003). Friendship,Cliques, and Gangs: Young Black Men Coming of Age in Urban America

No abstract available for this article.     

Looking Forward to Cuts: A Simulation Decision Tool for Cutback Management

This study addresses managerial strategies to adapt public spending in anticipation of fiscal stress. It simulates a cutback to a federal agency, providing a decision tool that applies normative recommendations from the cutback management literature. Using agency data, we develop a menu of options that illustrate how different distributions of budget reductions affect organizational goals. We show five alternatives that consider the political, legal, and fiscal implications of the agency's responses to anticipated budgetary pressure. This simulation demonstrates that public agencies can apply existing data to generate rational and viable strategic plans for weathering fiscal stress.     

Why does government produce national defense?

Economists argue that government produces national defense because it is a public good, and markets fail to produce public goods optimally. This argument has two shortcomings. First, it relies on different assumptions of individual behavior in the private and public sectors. Second, it assumes that government has a comparative advantage in the production of public goods, despite evidence to the contrary. Employing the standard assumption of self-interested behavior for both private sector and public sector individuals, government has an incentive to produce national defense because by doing so it is protecting its source of income: its tax base. Incidentally, citizens benefit from the exchange of protection for tribute because their assets are protected.     

The impact of private security companies on Somalia's governance networks

The article discusses the use of private security contractors to support coastguard forces in the Somali substate entities of Puntland and Somaliland. Neither of these entities is sufficiently robust to raise and maintain an effective maritime security force without external assistance, hence they have had recourse to the private sector for training, logistical and operational support and high-level consultancy with respect to their coastguards. The article makes some general observations about the international private security industry and Somali politics in order to provide a context for the three case studies. The case studies, each of which covers the engagement of one security contractor in support of a coastguard, assess the roles played by the contractors, making particular reference to sustainability and influence on governance networks. The analysis establishes a matrix of security company typologies and potential roles and then uses this matrix to suggest which types of company might be best employed for which functions. The article has current pertinence, as two of the three case studies concern efforts by substate entities to hire private security to enhance anti-piracy capability.     

An oxcarbazepine-related fatality with an overview of 26 oxcarbazepine postmortem cases

We present an oxcarbazepine-related fatality together with an overview of 26 postmortem cases involving oxcarbazepine observed during the period 2001-2006. The fatality case concerned a 27-year-old woman with epilepsy, who was found dead in her bed. Oxcarbazepine and its active metabolite, 10-hydroxycarbazepine, were the only compounds detected. The concentrations of oxcarbazepine were as follows: femoral blood, 2.9mg/kg; muscle, 1.8mg/kg; liver, 0.9mg/kg; gastric content (300ml), 860mg/kg; and vitreous humour, not detected. The concentrations of 10-hydroxycarbazepine were as follows: femoral blood, 66mg/kg; muscle, 40mg/kg; liver, 62mg/kg; gastric content, 27mg/kg; and vitreous humour, 25mg/kg. The analyses were performed by HPLC-DAD after liquid-liquid extraction. Oxcarbazepine intoxication was regarded as a possible cause of death. For the other 26 cases, the 10-hydroxycarbazepine concentrations ranged from 2.2 to 48mg/kg with a median of 25mg/kg.