Notes on expanding the concerns of peace research

This paper attempts to develop an approach to the problem of peace, the world order approach, and suggests some general directions for research in psychology intended to describe global conditions and to promote solutions to critical human problems. The author stresses the need for enlisting psychologists whose work focuses on the humanistic aspects of peaceful interactions.

The paper is divided into four sections. The first section presents the author's view of the current world situation; one that suggests expanded research and action in peace studies. The second section develops the concept of world order to complement the more restricted view of peace research that is often adopted. The third section develops the idea of constructing a global monitoring system designed to describe the global problem of peace. The final section proposes some broad directions for research in psychology that hopefully build upon previous and current efforts in the field.     

Sickle Cell Trait as a Contributory Cause of Death in Natural Disease

Sickle cell trait (SCT) affects 300 million people globally, and awareness is growing that SCT is not an entirely benign condition; however, most reported cases have been non‐natural deaths. Autopsy records from the Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) in Dallas, Texas, contained seven natural deaths from January 2007 to October 2013 in which micro‐occlusive sickling was identified at autopsy and SCT confirmed by postmortem hemoglobin fractionation. Sickle crisis was never diagnosed clinically. These cases illustrate the importance of red cell morphology in autopsy material. When sickling is suspected, hemoglobin fractionation should be performed. If confirmed, SCT should be listed as an autopsy finding and the severity and distribution of sickling documented. Extensive micro‐occlusive sickling should be considered contributory to death; however, its relative importance depends on all facts of the case. Accurate reporting should facilitate further research and the development of evidence‐based preventative and supportive strategies for these patients.     

EXPANDING COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE THROUGH THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Since collaborative law was first proposed, collaborative practitioners have expanded its concepts and methods as it has grown in acceptance by professionals and the public. This article addresses how collaborative law can further expand its theoretical and practical base by drawing from social science perspectives on negotiation, conflict resolution and third‐party interventions. It also explores how collaborative practice draws upon two prevailing models of negotiation, the strategic problem‐solving and the social‐psychological model, and demonstrates how tools from each model can be used at different points in a collaborative case's lifecycle.     

The Illegal Drug Industry,Violence and the Colombian Economy: A Department Level Analysis

Previous research on the Colombian illegal drug trade, which is generally qualitative in approach and focused on the national level, has concluded that the drug industry harms the economy. In order to test out this widespread claim, this article seeks to differentiate between the corrosive economic effects of Colombia's persistently high levels of generalised political violence and the specific consequences of the cocaine trade. It combines historical national level analysis with quantitative department analysis and identifies the economic effects of both paramilitary and guerrilla violence, thereby contributing to a closer examination of the impact of the drugs trade on the economy. The results reveal that paramilitary violence is related positively to exports but negatively to gross domestic product. Guerrilla violence, however, appears to harm exports but, surprisingly, not gross domestic product. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, coca cultivation does not have independent effects on exports or GDP, a conclusion which suggests that Colombia's economic problems stem more from political violence than from the drug trade in itself.     

Hochschulsteuerung im deutschen Bildungsföderalismus

Seit einiger Zeit setzen sich in der deutschen Hochschulpolitik und an den Hochschulen Reformen im Rahmen des New Public Managements durch, die zu mehr Selbststeuerung und Effizienzerhöhung führen sollen. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird ein Vergleich der Hochschulsteuerung der 16 Landeshochschulsysteme Deutschlands vorgenommen. Zunächst werden die derzeitigen hochschulischen Steuerungsinstrumente systematisiert und anschließend zwei Governance‐Modellen zugeordnet, dem bürokratisch‐oligarchischen und dem Management‐Modell. Eine Einordnung der 16 Landeshochschulsysteme auf Basis dieser Systematisierung zeigt für die meisten Bundesländer eine Dominanz jener Steuerungsinstrumente, die dem Management‐Modell zugeordnet werden. Gleichwohl bestehen zwischen den Bundesländern deutliche Unterschiede in den jeweiligen Steuerungssystemen. Trotz der allgemeinen Annäherung an das Management‐Modell sind auf der konkreten Umsetzungsebene Varianten in der Ausgestaltung festzustellen. Demzufolge verwundert es nicht, dass der Erfolg von Hochschulen nicht nachweisbar von der gesetzlichen Verankerung des Management‐Modells abhängt, was am Beispiel der Exzellenzinitiative illustriert wird.     

The Credit Rating Agencies and Their Contribution to the Financial Crisis

The credit rating agencies that dominated the ratings of mortgage‐backed securities were Moody's and Standard & Poor's. The two agencies rated some 4.3 trillion dollars of bonds as triple AAA, yet within a period of 18 months these same rating agencies downgraded these bonds to below investment grade. This paper seeks to show that the ratings agencies business model, the issuer pays approach, led to major conflicts of interest with both the ratings agencies unable to walk away from a rating. The evidence given by analysts to Congressional Inquiries confirms a cultural revolution within the rating agencies, with analysts feeling unable to question the quality of a rating. Analysts who were described as being awkward by issuers were removed from the rating process. In the meantime, the income for the rating agencies increased from 3 billion dollars to 6 billion dollars, with the CEOs of the rating agencies receiving incomes comparable to the incomes to the CEOs of investment banks.     

Reforming Non‐Possessory Secured Transactions Laws: A New Strategy?

Non‐possessory secured transactions are key components of market economies. National and international legal reform projects have been advanced to further their use and broaden access to credit. Yet reforms appear to be limited by practical obstacles posed by national legal categories. This article shifts the focus from domestically defined categories to the operational rules that allow secured transactions to perform their economic function of managing credit risk. This shift leads to a reconsideration of the rules governing publicity and an examination of the policy issues underpinning the evolution of publicity. The article argues that international publicity standards, based on a registry system, could offer a new strategy for reforming secured transactions laws. The recently adopted UNCITRAL's Registry Guide is analysed and considered as a possible tool for reforming national secured transactions laws.     

Looking for Sustainability in Not‐for‐Profit Program Delivery: An Experiment in Providing Post‐Bushfire Recovery Programs

This article examines an experiment in delivering services and programs in communities that were affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires. Three not‐for‐profit agencies received funding to develop and deliver programs over a period of three years with the aim of achieving sustainability for the programs thus created. They were not constrained by the requirements of normal government funding, which is short term, subject to competitive tendering and targeted at specific programs and client groups. The nature of the funding allowed the three agencies to introduce innovative programs tailored to the needs of the community and with the aim of building community capacity. However the question of whether the programs are sustainable when existing funding runs out remains open.     

EXAMINING THE GENERALITY OF THE UNEMPLOYMENT–CRIME ASSOCIATION

This article examines whether the relationship between unemployment and criminal offending depends on the type of crime analyzed. We rely on fixed‐effects regression models to assess the association between changes in unemployment status and changes in violent crime, property crime, and driving under the influence (DUI) over a 6‐year period. We also examine whether the type of unemployment benefit received moderates the link to criminal behavior. We find significantly positive effects of unemployment on property crime but not on other types of crime. Our estimates also suggest that unemployed young males commit less crime while participating in active labor market programs when compared with periods during which they receive standard unemployment benefits.