The Effect of Pretrial Detention on Sentencing in Two Federal Districts

While a substantial body of research indicates that legal variables, such as offense severity and criminal history, principally shape sentencing decisions, other studies demonstrate that extralegal factors such as race, gender, and age influence sentencing outcomes, as well. The handful of studies focusing upon the effect of pretrial detention/release on sentencing outcomes indicate that pretrial detention is associated with greater lengths of incarceration. This study—the first to empirically examine the sentencing consequences of pretrial detention in the United States federal courts—employed a sample of 1,723 cases from two district courts (New Jersey and Pennsylvania Eastern). Pretrial detention and, to a lesser degree, revocation of granted pretrial supervision were associated with increased prison sentences; on the other hand, successfully completing a term of pretrial services supervision was associated with shorter sentence length. Implications for the federal criminal justice system are discussed.     

Collaborative Governance in the Reform of Western Australia's Alcohol and Other Drug Sector

Collaborative governance involves processes and structures for policy development and decision making with particular relevance for health and social services. We examined collaborative governance in the reform of Western Australia's alcohol and other drug sector, applying Emerson et al.'s (2012) integrative framework. A documentary review and group interviews with government, sector, and consumer representatives were involved. Contextual factors included increased service funding, and the development of a partnership approach. Drivers for collaboration involved leadership and financial incentives for policy implementation. Key stakeholders across government and the sector reported a mutually supportive and constructive relationship and increased capacity, and they shared an agenda for change. The integrative framework was a useful structure for the explication of collaborative governance, although financial arrangements were not addressed.     

Human Rights in the Public Sector

This article examines how universal human rights have been given practical effect in the UK through the Human Rights Act. It focusses on the role of human rights in public services and using the duty placed on public officials as a lever to bring about positive change.     

The implementation of complex social policy: Institutional layering and unintended consequences in the National Disability Insurance Scheme

In this article, we identify the unfolding unintended consequences which flow from one instance of policy layering in Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). We show how use of a causal diagram, which highlights feedback loops and emergent properties, to map complex chains of causal factors can assist policy scholars and policy practitioners to understand the likely direction of change and possible responses. In the case of Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme, our analysis suggests that the likely direction of change will work against two of the fundamental design features of the NDIS: providing participants with more choice and control, and ensuring all eligible Australians are able to access appropriate services and supports regardless of where they live. Our analysis points to the use of price regulation as the site of potential intervention because of the role it plays in subsequent feedback loops and the development of the two, unwelcome, emergent properties.     

“中国奇迹”:成就与问题

如果说改革开放以来中国人在财富生产和积累方面达成了广泛的共识,从而促进了经济的持续增长,形成了所谓的中国奇迹,那么,今天在生产和积累达到一定水平之后,财富的分配便成为中国民众更加关心的问题。社会福利和保障的普遍匮乏,政府公共服务供给的严重不足以及非均等化,妨碍着社会共识的进一步发展,使得中国奇迹难以在原有的轨道上获得可持续性。要为中国的发展寻找新的路径,恐怕还是要回归政治合法性的经典理论上来,构建一种公认的、公平的、开放的政策体系。     

Basic Social Security and Welfare Governance in the Context of Equal Share of Public Services: A Study Based on the Telephone Interview of the Public in Zhejiang During 2014—2016

Based on three years’telephone interview data during 2014-2016, this paper made a study on the evaluation of the public in Zhejiang on the development of basic social security from perspectives of family income, health care and elderly care, and found that during the period the public’s evaluation on the basic social security continues to rise, the gap of the evaluation results between different groups is narrowed obviously, and the government grassroots organizations become the preferred channel of social assistance of vulnerable groups. But it also found that the development gaps among structures of basic social security and among different social groups still required attention. From the perspective of the theory of welfare governance, this paper argued that we should give full play to the unique function of the government, non-government, market, and informal organizations, and collaborate with those organizations to achieve the goal of equal share of the economic and social development results among various social groups.     

Computer Self-Efficacy and e-Government Service Adoption: The Moderating Role of Age as a Demographic Factor

This article investigated the moderating role of age on the positive relationship between computer self-efficacy (CSE) and intention to use e-government services.The Technology Acceptance Model was used as the theoretical framework for this study while the data was analyzed with SPSS. The results showed that age as a demographic factor was significant and positively moderates the impact of CSE on the intention to use e-government services. Also, CSE was a significant predictor of the intention to use but age does not have a direct significant impact on the intention to use. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Public Sector Reforms and Service Quality Issues From the Perspective of the Small Island Developing States in the Pacific: A Case of Fiji

The purpose of this article is to compare service quality of the Fiji Islands Maritime Safety Administration (FIMSA) and the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF). Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 200 Fiji maritime industry stakeholders. Research findings identified FIMSA and MSAF service delivery misalignment with customer expectations; customer’ expectations exceeded perceived customer service experiences of FIMSA and MSAF; and, perceived customer service experiences of MSAF were noticeably better than those of FIMSA.     

公用事业公私合作制实施的问题与对策——以“汇津污水处理案”为实证分析对象

多年来,公用事业公私合作制的实施加快了我国公用基础设施建设的步伐,增加了公共产品的数量,提高了公共服务的质量与效率。然而,在公私合作制实施过程中还存在着对私人资本保障不足、对公共利益关注不够等问题,尤其是在污水、垃圾处理等新兴环保型公用事业领域存在的问题较为突出。本文认为,可以通过完善政府相关职能、健全收费机制、建立公私合作合同制度、完善公众参与机制等途径,促进公用事业公私合作,提高公用事业产品与服务的质量,以期更好地实现社会福祉。     

主体性缺失与工具理性选择：社会工作介入工业园区职工服务的角色困境与策略研究

目前，我国处于经济社会转型上升期，职工处于“强资本、弱劳动”的社会环境中，社会工作 参与职工服务成为政府和企业力量的有力补充，经过 20 余年探索，企业社会工作已经形成稳定的服务模式。在 此背景下，本研究以实证调查素材为案例，分别对园区社工服务过程中所承担的支持者、服务提供者、政策影响者、 资源整合者和赋能者的角色困境进行分析和探讨。研究发现，在低社会认知、过多的行政干预和制度缺位下， 园区社工逐渐丧失服务的主体性并趋向于工具理性选择。研究建议，需从服务的信任根基搭建、主体性释放、 制度保障建设和组织能力提升 4 个方面帮助一线社工走出角色困境，向服务的专业化和权威性发展。