Voice Over IP services: Regulatory perspectives from the developed and the developing worlds

As the technology for Internet telephone service (“Voice Over IP” or “VOIP”) matures, and the quality of service improves, regulators in developed and developing countries are encountering significant and very different regulatory challenges. This article looks at the issues faced by regulators in developed country markets with a history of extensive service competition. A follow-up article will contrast the issues faced in developing country markets, particularly those where service competition is limited.     

Road crash cervical injuries. A radiological study of fatalities

A lateral radiograph of the cervical spine was obtained for 174 of the 207 persons killed in road crashes in Adelaide, South Australia, during the 12-month period of June 1, 1987 to May 31, 1988. Of the total of 57 cases of cervical injury, routine postmortem examination identified 30 cases (52.6%), and the radiographic examinations identified 51 cases (89.5%). In the cases where it was performed, radiography identified 96.2% of injuries. One-half of injuries of level C3 and above were not reported at postmortem examination, compared with 22% of those occurring below this level. This finding correlates with the physical difficulties of examining the upper part of the cervical spine. This study has shown that lateral cervical radiography is a simple and effective method of more accurately identifying significant cervical spinal injuries, thus improving greatly the value of postmortem examinations in determining the patterns and mechanisms of these injuries.     

Restructuring Local Government in Hampshire: A Case of Mistaken Community Identity?

This article examines the impact of the idea of community identity upon the Local Government Review in England. It considers the extent to which the notion of community identity was built into the Local Government Review nationally and, moreover, locally in Hampshire, and the extent to which it shaped the outcomes of the Local Government Review. Three conceptions of community identity are examined - affective, effective and deliberative community identity - and their interplay assessed in shaping the process of restructuring local government. The article argues that the issue of community identity figured prominently in the early stages of the Local Government Review, but faded away as it got caught up with the political machinations of central government, local authorities and political parties.     

Evaluation of technology transfer by peer review

We report the outcome of an experiment in the field of program evaluation. Because of the rapid outward growth of technology transfer from federally funded laboratories, it was judged necessary to devise a new, yet effective, way of evaluating technology transfer programs and comparing them to conventional research and development projects. Specifically, technology transfer projects within the High-Temperature Superconductivity program of the Department of Energy were subjected to peer review evaluation by a panel of researchers who themselves conduct technology transfer activities. The evaluation criteria and procedures resembled those used for peer review of basic research, but were adapted to the characteristics of technology transfer projects. We include both the viewpoints of a laboratory being evaluated and of the panel chairman. We comment on the degree of success of this evaluation, and draw some conclusions about how it might be modified for the future.     

Democracy,confusion, or chaos: Political conditionality in Kenya

We argue that the policy of conditioning all economic development aid on a process of democratization is a mistake. Good economic policy should be rewarded for its own sake. The process of democratization is costly to participants, and forcing it prematurely can lead to institutional collapse rather than development. Unclear definition of political conditionality has made donor policies inconsistent and capricious. We make these arguments conceptually and then review the experience of one of the most explicit cases of conditionality-induced “democratization”—Kenya. An aid cutoff stimulated the government to hold multiparty elections for the first time in many years. Despite the apparent success, the human and economic costs have been high, and the political changes less than donors hoped.     

Competitive Tendering and Outsourcing — Initiatives and Methods

Public debate about the use of competitive tendering and contracting (CTC) by governments largely revolves around whether this process actually does lead to better outcomes compared with direct public provision, and whether the formal separation between service specification and delivery enhances or undermines the achievement of policy goals. Over the last decade debate about CTC in Australia has tended to move away from a narrow focus on ideology, towards a broader discussion about how this process can be best managed. The various reviews of CTC currently underway provide an ongoing opportunity for individuals and groups to express their views and highlight their experiences with CTC. These reviews will provide further guidance about how this process can be best managed in the interests of the Australian community.     

Bringing the State into Constitutional Theory: Public Authority and the Constitution

This article brings the state into constitutional theory by presenting a theory of the development of the American state from the late 19th century to the present. The focus of the theory is the ability of the national state to exercise sovereignty or public authority over civil society. The main thesis is that the Constitution did not establish a government with a level of public authority adequate to the requirements of a modem democratic state. The result was a mismatch between the demands of civil society and the competence of state institutions, causing a reorganization of the political institutions of civil society in the early 20th century and a crisis of public authority in the 1960s. The United States continues to experience the consequences of an imbalance between the state institutions established by an 18th-century constitution and 20th-century democratic politics.