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The bankruptcy of the government of Orange County, California in 1994 is treated as a case study depicting a potentially critical problem emerging for democracies. The analysis links finan-cial and fiduciary perspectives by re-examining the actions of Orange County officials and citi-zens through three separate analytical frames: the dynamics of economic globalization; citizen engagement through the channel of civil society; and the theory of risk--both its nature generally and its financial aspect specifically. The conclusion reached is that globalization has made con-tingency and uncertainty ubiquitous and this indicates that the practice of governance in its pub-lic administration dimension should include a return to pragmatic, process approaches to policy and implementation. ; Ph. D.

Since the mid-1970s, virtually every state has altered its rape legislation in an effort to rectify problems in the prosecution of such crimes. Implementation of rape law reform statutes can affect the success of these efforts, & prosecutors play a decisive role in the process; thus, an attempt is made to assess the effectiveness of reformed rape legislation by measuring attrition & conviction rates in the prosecution of sexual assault during 1975-1977 in the Kalamazoo County, Mich, jurisdiction, operating under the model Criminal Sexual Conduct Code; the results are discussed & compared to other research data. This comparative examination indicates that the law can be productively employed to combat the problems of high attrition & low conviction rates historically associated with prosecution of sexual assault offenses. It is also noted that the problems may persist despite reform legislation. For instance, while attrition & conviction rates in this jurisdiction compared favorably to all other available data, almost 64% of the criminal sexual conduct cases brought to prosecutors were lost at some stage in the criminal justice system. While legislation alterations represent a step in the direction of progress, such measures alone will fall short of generating the encompassing social change necessary to rectify the inequitable treatment of rape victims. 3 Tables. Modified HA.

The effect of media images of female (F) victimization on organizing consent for crime control strategies was examined by exposing 99 college students to 2 news stories in which a F had been murdered, & a F raped. Respondents (Rs) provided written reactions, & the data were coded according to whether: (1) the Rs noticed the victim & how they reacted (blame, defense, or sympathy with the victim); & (2) Rs mentioned control strategies that would apply to the accused (whether Rs criticized the system for letting people with violent histories escape prosecution, pressed for "just deserts" approach to punishment, or expressed some skepticism toward the accused's guilt). Findings show that images of F victims produce support for crime control, but in a highly variable manner. Rs who sympathized with the murder victim pressed for the "just deserts" approach; those who barely noticed the victim (murdered & rape victims), however, expressed skepticism toward the accused's guilt; Rs who defended the rape victim criticized the system for failing to stop the accused earlier in his violent career; Rs who blamed the victims expressed skepticism toward the accused's guilt. The discussion is focused on differences in the responses to murder & rape victims, especially the veil of privacy surrounding domestic violence & the more contested nature of rape. 3 Tables, 19 References. Modified AA