Foregoing life-sustaining treatment for adult, developmentally disabled, public wards: a proposed statute.

This Article proposes a procedure for making decisions to forego life-sustaining treatment for adult, developmentally disabled, public wards who are not competent to make health care decisions. Few commentators or cases address the special considerations involved in making life-sustaining treatment decisions for this patient population. The proposal attempts to fill this gap with a patient-centered process that allows decisionmakers, without prior judicial approval, to forego life-sustaining treatment for adult, developmentally disabled, public wards who have been reliably diagnosed with specific medical conditions.     

The Coming Genocide? Burundi's Past,Present, and Potentially Deadly Future

The Great Lakes region of Africa is the most conflict-prone region of the world and one current concern is political violence in Burundi. This research investigates whether Burundi is on the precipice of a genocide. Burundi's weak democratic norms, genocidal history, and the impact of contagion and diffusion of violence in the region provide a number of the conditions that could contribute to a genocide. This research investigates the past and present conflict variables of the Great Lakes region with a focus on Burundi and assesses the potential that the ongoing political violence in Burundi will lead to genocide.     

The Enduring Power of Isolationism: An Historical Perspective

Are Americans becoming more “isolationist”? Four years ago, for the first time since the Vietnam War, almost half of those polled by the Pew Research Center stated they would rather the United States “mind [its] own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own” and work to “reduce military commitments overseas” in order to decrease the deficit. Such cautious views about American involvement abroad are on the rise, up ten percentage points over the past decade, according to Pew polls released in 2011 and 2012. A majority of Americans think the United States is withdrawing from Afghanistan too slowly and are reticent to take direct action in Syria. This article explains the long historical context of these recent events to argue for the enduring power and significance of isolationist thought.     

Effects of neoliberal adjustments on government-funded international volunteer cooperation organisations

This paper uses findings from a survey of 19 government-funded international volunteer cooperation organisations (IVCOs) to discuss whether past and future patterns of government funding provide support for assertions of neoliberal adjustments. Findings indicate greater competition between providers, increased accountability for aid effectiveness, more private sector involvement, and an emphasis on domestic priorities with a focus on the skill-development of young volunteers. It provides examples of these changes and discusses the implications of changing patterns of government funding for international volunteering as an approach to development aid.

Effets des ajustements néolibéraux sur les organismes de coopération internationale bénévole financés par des gouvernements

Cet article se sert des résultats d'une enquête menée parmi 19 organismes de coopération internationale bénévole (OCIB) financés par des gouvernements pour discuter de la question de savoir si les schémas passés et futurs de financement gouvernemental viennent prouver les ajustements néolibéraux. Les résultats indiquent une concurrence accrue entre fournisseurs, une redevabilité accrue pour ce qui est de l'efficacité de l'aide, une participation plus importante du secteur privé, et un accent sur les priorités nationales, avec pour axe central le développement des compétences des jeunes bénévoles. Il donne des exemples de ces changements et traite des implications de l’évolution des schémas de financement gouvernemental pour le bénévolat international comme approche de l'aide au développement.

Efectos de los ajustes neoliberales en organizaciones internacionales de cooperación voluntaria financiadas por gobiernos

El presente artículo se apoya en una encuesta aplicada a 19 organizaciones internacionales de cooperación voluntaria (oicv) financiadas por gobiernos, realizada con el fin de polemizar respecto a si los actuales y los pasados patrones de financiamiento gubernamental sustentan las afirmaciones de [que se produjeron] ajustes neoliberales. Las conclusiones demuestran la existencia de mayor competencia entre proveedores, así como mayor rendición de cuentas en torno a la eficacia de la ayuda, más participación del sector privado y un énfasis en las prioridades nacionales, centrado en el desarrollo de habilidades en los jóvenes voluntarios. El artículo proporciona ejemplos de estos cambios y examina las implicaciones que los cambiantes patrones de financiamiento gubernamental tienen para el voluntariado internacional como enfoque para la ayuda de desarrollo.

Efeitos de ajustes neoliberais em Organizações Internacionais de Cooperação de Voluntários financiadas pelo governo

Este artigo utiliza resultados de uma pesquisa de 19 Organizações Internacionais de Cooperação de Voluntários (IVCOs) financiada pelo governo para discutir se padrões passados e futuros de financiamento governamental oferecem apoio para reivindicações de ajustes neoliberais. Os resultados indicam uma maior competição entre provedores, maior prestação de contas para a efetividade da ajuda, mais envolvimento do setor privado e ênfase nas prioridades domésticas com enfoque no desenvolvimento de habilidades de jovens voluntários. O artigo oferece exemplos destas mudanças e discute as implicações de padrões variáveis de financiamento governamental para o voluntariado internacional como abordagem para a ajuda ao desenvolvimento.     

Urban Intersections: Religion and Violence in Belfast

Abstract

Addressing the intersections of religion and violence in ‘post conflict’ Belfast, this paper focuses on the nexus between religion, violence and memory. It distinguishes between the churches (institutionalised religion) embedded in the physical and social environment of the city, and popular religion that recurs in the contexts of parades, protests and sectarian conflict. Wider debates on the relationships between religion, violence and politics are integrated with recent empirical data. We argue that while asymmetries between Protestantism and Catholicism continue to inform politics and vice versa, there are also signs of change in the religious politics of Belfast and in how they accommodate violence.     

Who Controls the Content of Supreme Court Opinions?

Conventional arguments identify either the median justice or the opinion author as the most influential justices in shaping the content of Supreme Court opinions. We develop a model of judicial decision making that suggests that opinions are likely to reflect the views of the median justice in the majority coalition. This result derives from two features of judicial decision making that have received little attention in previous models. The first is that in deciding a case, justices must resolve a concrete dispute, and that they may have preferences over which party wins the specific case confronting them. The second is that justices who are dissatisfied with an opinion are free to write concurrences (and dissents). We demonstrate that both features undermine the bargaining power of the Court's median and shift influence towards the coalition median. An empirical analysis of concurrence behavior provides significant support for the model.     

OREGON TASK FORCE ON FAMILY LAW

Outlined in this article are the proposals of the oregon Task Force on Family Law. This interdisciplinary task force recommends early education in conflict resolution and preparation for marriage. Also recommended is a change of the language of divorce and a more streamlined, less adversarial system.     

Australian Federalism: Developments and Prospects

This article discusses the principal recent developments in,and future prospects for, constitutional change, judicial review,fiscal arrangements, local government, public policy, and intergovernmentalrelations since the 1977 Publius issue on Australian federalism,taking into account the arguments presented in the other contributionsto this volume. It highlights the continuing vertical imbalanceof Australian fiscal federalism, and the Hawke Labor government'srecent initiative for a closer working partnership with thestates for reforming intergovernmental arrangements. It arguesthat while there is scope for the latter, there is greater needfor the former. Nevertheless, the 1980s was significant as adecade of predominantly Labor governments working with the federalConstitution, while the 1990s promises to be a decade of celebratingthe centenary of the Australian Constitution and working towardimproving the functioning of its federal system.