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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Mapping the Approaches to the Question of Exemption from International Responsibility

Netherlands International Law Review - García Amador, the first Special Rapporteur on the topic of state responsibility, was of the view that in international law, special circumstances denote...     

Brownfield redevelopment and affordable housing: A case study of New Jersey

Abstract

A total of 779 New Jersey residents were surveyed to determine the number of people who during the next five years would be willing to move to housing built on brownfield sites that have been remediated to the extent that they pose no plausible brownfield‐related health risk to residents.

Fourteen percent of the respondents said they would be willing to move to and live in housing built on cleaned‐up brownfields. These respondents were disproportionately relatively poor and young and resided in apartments and cities, especially cities where the city government was actively promoting brownfields. These respondents also did not like their current neighborhoods, did not feel threatened by the idea of living on a cleaned‐up brownfield site, and trusted experts to advise them on the health risks involved.