Suchergebnisse

The use of criminal sanctions to punish or deter violations of environmental law is debated. Arguments favoring the criminalization of such laws point to their deterrent capacity & reflect the desire of some to exact moral retribution on offenders. Arguments against penalties & punishments focus on potential for overkill, procedural complexity, & high implementation costs. In weighing these arguments, a balance must be struck in evaluating the legal & organizational advantages/disadvantages against alternative measures for gaining compliance. These include publicizing the polluter's activities, economic incentives, civil sanction, equity fines, the pass-through fine, educational strategies, internal restructuring, cooperative lawmaking, external investigations, & community service orders. Adapted from the source document.

Proposes an interpretation of intercultural processes that take place in the exchange of traditional knowledge between ethnic groups and different kinds of agents in modern societies. Guidelines for a regulatory framework protecting vernacular knowledge and simultaneously providing incentives for modern scientific research are suggested. Under this scheme, communities might improve their ability to defend their rights and demand the enforcement of certain rules conditioning the use of traditional knowledge by firms, laboratories, and research institutes. (Original abstract - amended)

Knowledge accumulated for centuries by ethnic communities about their habitat is increasingly being used for commercial purposes in fields such as pharmacy & agriculture. Transnational corporations & research laboratories use knowledge obtained from the analysis of plants & other biological samples provided by ethnic communities, or from the observation of their traditional practices. This paper proposes an interpretation of intercultural processes that take place in the exchange of traditional knowledge between ethnic groups & different kinds of agents in modern societies. The exchange between indigenous communities that possess the knowledge & researchers from universities & transnational corporations willing to develop & exploit that knowledge is marked by a deep information asymmetry. Guidelines for a regulatory framework protecting vernacular knowledge & simultaneously providing incentives for modern scientific research are suggested. Under this scheme, communities might improve their ability to defend their rights & demand the enforcement of certain rules conditioning the use of traditional knowledge by firms, laboratories, & research institutes. At the same time, investment for research in this field would be stimulated. 33 References. Adapted from the source document.

Presents a case study as it operates to develop information and produce knowledge relevant to law enforcement agencies, promote effective public policy, and inform the public about organised crime. Offers an informative critique and identifies several ways to improve the design and implementation of an evaluation system for agencies attempting to control organised crime. (PAS)

The federal role in support of racially discriminatory practices in Public Housing in Chicago from 1963 through Jun 1971 is reported. A case study of federal efforts to deal with inadequate housing for low-income Americans is made. The research is based on M. Meyerson & E. Banfield's book POLITICS, PLANNING AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1955). Their findings presented an ideal case of P. Selznick's "constituency relation" whereby the local constituency coopts the federal agency to serve local interests. The "constituency relation" persisted throughout the 1960's in the operation of the federal Public Housing program in Chicago. The city operated the program in a racially discriminatory way in violation of the Constitution, federal law, agency regulations & a court order of the US District Court. The defense of nonenforcement of civil rights legislation by HUD on the grounds that it does not want to use its programs to further social goals is questionable. HUD's failure to enforce its own regulations has social consequences. It reinforces local practices of segregation. Any solution to the problem of the failure of HUD to enforce Civil Rights regulations lies more with the attitude of the agency & the administrator than with the content of the regulations. Modified HA.

The influence of tax preparers on tax compliance is assessed, using 1982 data from the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Taxpayer Compliance Measurement Program & an index of legal ambiguity based on revenue rulings, focusing on the impact of preparation mode (paid third party vs self) on compliance at the level of the return line item. Results suggest that preparers contribute to compliance by enforcing legally clear requirements but also contribute to noncompliance, as measured by the IRS, by helping taxpayers take advantage of legal ambiguity. Furthermore, an analysis of a campaign to enforce estimated tax requirements conducted by the Pennsylvania Dept of Revenue suggests that tax preparers are also an important network for communicating tax agency enforcement priorities to taxpayers. 7 Tables. HA