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Full-text in Open Access: Sample chapter 1 ; This is the first of five ambitious volumes theorizing the structure of governance above and below the central state. This book sets out a measure of regional authority for 81 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific from 1950 to 2010. Subnational authority is exercised by individual regions, and this measure is the first that takes individual regions as the unit of analysis. On the premise that transparency is a fundamental virtue in measurement, the authors chart a new path in laying out their theoretical, conceptual, and scoring decisions before the reader. The book also provides summaries of regional governance in 81 countries for scholars and students alike. ; -- Part I. Measurement -- 1. Transparency in Measurement 3 -- 2. Crossvalidating the Regional Authority Index 36 -- 3. How We Apply the Coding Scheme 58 -- Part II. Country Profiles -- North America 113 -- Central America and the Caribbean 145 -- South America 193 -- Asia Pacific 283 -- Northern and Western Europe 344 -- Central and Eastern Europe and Russia 418 -- Southern Europe 450 -- Appendix 514 -- References 563 -- Index 669

Carnivorous predators are difficult to detect using conventional survey methods, especially at low levels of abundance. The introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Australia is monitored to determine the effectiveness of control programs, but assessing population parameters such as abundance and recruitment is difficult. We carried out a feasibility study to determine the effectiveness of using faecal DNA analysis methods to identify individual foxes and to assess abundance before and after lethal control. Fox faeces were collected in two sampling periods over four separate transects, and genotyped at five microsatellite loci. Two transects were subject to lethal control between collection periods. DNA was extracted from 170 fox faeces and, in total, 54 unique genotypes were identified. Fifteen biopsy genotypes from 30 foxes killed during lethal control were detected among the faecal genotypes. Overall, a similar number of genotypes were detected in both sampling periods. The number of individuals sampled in both periods was low (n = 6) and new individuals (n = 24) were detected in the second collection period. We were also able to detect animals that avoided lethal control, and movement of individuals between transects. The ability to identify individual foxes using these DNA techniques highlighted the shortcomings of the sample design, in particular the spatial scale and distances between transects. This study shows that non-invasive DNA sampling can provide valuable insight into pre and post fox abundance in relation to lethal control, individual behaviour and movement, as well as sample design. The information gained from this study will contribute to the design of future studies and, ultimately, control strategies.

The purposes of the study were to explore consumer preferences for a cash option, to inform the ongoing CCDE survey and program design, and to identify the messages that the CCDE and other states should include when informing consumers about a cash option. The preference study consisted of 3 parts: 11 presurvey focus groups, a telephone survey in each of the 4 participating states, and 16 post-survey focus groups. This article highlights unique results from pre- and post-survey focus groups. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and videotaped and transcribed. Transcripts were manually coded and text was clustered according to the moderator's guide questions and some new and recurrent themes that emerged. Overall, focus group participants, including elders, expressed positive feelings about the CCDE, especially about having a role in hiring workers and determining the workers' schedules and responsibilities. Focus groups provided important lessons about features to highlight when presenting program information to potential consumers and their families. Program planners must also bear in mind consumer concerns, especially considering that less than 10% of eligible Medicaid consumers volunteered for the cash option. These findings will be useful in guiding other states as they develop new cash and counseling programs, especially those in the current Cash and Counseling replication project.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we collected and analyzed the first data available on the extent of the adoption of safer needle devices (engineered sharps injury protections [ESIPs]) by U.S. hospitals and on the degree to which selected factors influence the use of this technology. METHODS: We gathered data via a telephone survey of a random sample of 494 U.S. hospitals from November 1999 through February 2000. RESULTS: Although 83% of the sample reported some ESIP adoption, adoption was inconsistent across types of devices. All of the appropriate units in 52% of the facilities had adopted needleless intravenous delivery systems, but the hospitals used other types of ESIPs less often. A respondent's perception that the cost of ESIPs would not be a problem for the hospital was the best predictor of adoption of ESIPs in the facility, explaining 8% of the variance. Other predictors of adoption included the size of the hospital and the presence or absence of state legislative activity on the needlestick issue. CONCLUSIONS: Smaller hospitals may require special encouragement and assistance from outside sources to adopt expensive risk-reduction innovations such as ESIPs. Although use of ESIPs is the mandated and preferred way to protect workers from needlesticks, complete adoption of this technology will depend on the support of the social systems in which it is used and the people who use it.