Fast-tracking Trust: Exploring the Relative Importance of Competence, Integrity, and Benevolence in Informant-Handler Interactions

Introduction: Demonstrating trustworthiness has been shown to increase trust and, in turn, information sharing in investigative interviews. However, the most effective ways to build trust in security contexts and the role of trust demonstrations in informant-handler relationships remain underexplored. This study tests the relative importance of competence, integrity, and benevolence demonstrations on initial trust development and willingness to cooperate in remote informant-handler encounters.Methods: Using a within-subject design, participants received background information on an organised crime scenario and listened to three simulated phone call recordings, where handlers demonstrated each of the three factors of trustworthiness during attempts to recruit an informant. After each recording, participants rated the handler’s trustworthiness and their own willingness to trust and cooperate and provided written feedback on each call. Participants also expressed their preferred trust-building strategy used by handlers and rated their trust propensity.Results: A repeated measures ANCOVA revealed no significant differences in willingness to trust based on the type of trustworthiness demonstration. However, trust propensity significantly impacted trust levels, so that more trusting individuals were more likely to trust the handler. Thematic analyses highlighted substantial individual differences in what participants liked and disliked about each approach.Conclusions: Findings suggest that no specific demonstration of trustworthiness is more effective in fostering initial trust, indicating that handlers should tailor trust-building strategies to individuals instead of adhering to general guidelines. Future research should employ idiographic approaches to further understand how individuals perceive and react to trust-building strategies

Expanding Drug Indications: Strategic Lifecycle Management vs. Evergreening in SGLT2 Inhibitors

In the rapidly evolving pharmaceutical industry, Lifecycle Management (LCM) strategies are critical for maximizing the profitability and extending the market life of drugs. This study investigates the strategic importance of expanding indications for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors before the expiration of their foundational patents. By analyzing these pre-expiration strategies, the balance between genuine innovation and strategic evergreening is addressed. The analysis covers the legal, regulatory, and clinical dimensions of indication expansions across the US, EU, and Japan, contrasting with the traditional focus on LCM strategies post-patent expiration

Covid Crisis & Patent Waiver – A Saga

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly been the biggest calamity in recent times. The pandemic put to test not only the global supply chain and infrastructure but also the national and international disaster-management capacities. These challenging times compelled the world to tackle the problem from a global perspective. Ergo, with several joint efforts, the countries were able to collaborate, construct and finally implement an international decision with respect to intellectual property rights, which enabled the world to address the crisis as one. In this article, the authors aim to discuss the proposals for intellectual property (IP) / patent waiver and the nuances of WTO’s Ministerial Decision. The authors also highlight the decision’s effectiveness in addressing the issue of the accessibility of resources to combat the dreadful pandemic

A Role for Parliament in Independent Judicial Appointments: Insights from the Comptroller and Auditor General

In the UK, there is a debate as to whether Parliament should have a role in judicial appointments similar to the that of the US Senate. The minority in favour of this position argues that it would enhance the democratic legitimacy of the judiciary – who are currently selected by various independent commissions – and refers to the proposed reform’s coherence with the general practice of pre-appointment hearings in the UK (such as for the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission) and other parliamentary systems. However, the majority against this position argues that meaningful input into judicial appointments, by parliamentarians, would necessarily undermine the impartiality of the judiciary and outweigh the benefits of judicial democratisation. This paper seeks to add to the debate by establishing a detailed proposal for a parliamentary confirmation model for nominations to the UKSC and arguing that it would be both consistent with and enhancing to judicial independence. The research compares the constitutional foundations and historical origins of the Comptroller and Auditor General – an independent office co-nominated by the Government and Opposition, but confirmed by Parliament – and the UKSC, plus the American and Canadian Supreme Courts. This paper fundamentally argues three points: that there is a democratic deficit in the UKSC judicial appointment model; that the Comptroller and Auditor General is sufficiently equivalent to the UKSC so that its appointment model could be translated onto judicial appointments; and that said translation would remedy said democratic deficit, without compromising the non-partisanship of the UKSC

Mergers in the US Gambling and Horse Racing Industries: What It Means for Local Economic Development and Taxation

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, most sectors of the various gambling industries in the United States were showing signs of stagnation. Over the last few years, these industries have seen mergers between horse racing tracks, between horse racing tracks and casinos to form “racinos”, and between casino companies. Many gambling facilities and racetracks have closed and have been sold to developers to be used for other purposes. An industry “shakeout” is occurring, and there appears to be a trend toward greater industry concentration as consumers are showing less and less interest in gambling in general. This has been partially fueled by stagnation of disposable personal income over the last 20 years or so. Consumer preferences and attitudes also seem to have changed regarding horse racing and gambling. Sports gambling and the expansion of online gambling do not appear to have offset negative trends. These current conditions are somewhat a reversal of past fortunes in that in the 1980s and 1990s the opening of a casino in a city often was considered a plus for local economic development. As more consolidation and establishment closures occur, the impact on various local communities and state governments must be examined regarding lost jobs, lost local and state tax revenues, and lost tourism. This paper is an attempt to assess these developments

CASE COMMENT – Tickle v Giggle – No laughing matter

At the time of writing, Supreme Courts in both the United Kingdom1 and United States2 are considering cases which raise the questions of ‘what is a woman’, and whether it is possible to change sex. This follows on from a US Presidential election in which Democratic Party support for extreme trans rights was a key distinguishing feature highlighted by the Trump campaign – a campaign which ultimately secured a landslide victory for the Republican Party. The Australian case of Tickle v Giggle is similarly destined to be remembered, not only for its amusing name, but also because of its significance in tackling these same questions. It is a case that records a truly extraordinary episode in the history of Australian jurisprudence, and for society generally. The Federal Court judgment in Tickle v Giggle holds that, for the purposes of discrimination law, sex is not confined to biology, is not binary in nature and can be changed – and that as a result, women must allow males who claim to be women into their previously safe spaces and services. The decision acknowledges Roxanne Tickle’s right to access the social media application, Giggle for Girls. Uncritically accepting caselaw recognising change of sex stretching back over 30 years, Bromwich J. effectively adopts the submissions of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner who appears amicus curiae. The court fails to accept the relevance of the expert and lay evidence filed on behalf of the Giggle team, or to reflect on the practical implications of this decision. Arguments as to the lawfulness of special measures to exclude men with the purpose of advancing women’s equality hold no sway as it is accepted by Bromwich J. that Tickle is a woman – and therefore cannot be found to have been discriminated against as a male. Instead, Tickle is found to have been discriminated against on the ground of gender identity. It is not established that the Giggle team knew of Tickle’s gender identity and as a result there is no finding of direct discrimination. Instead, the Court finds that imposing a condition that individuals should appear visibly female constitutes indirect discrimination on the ground of gender identity. The test as to reasonableness is not applied and various constitutional arguments also fail to gain traction

Regenerative Urbanism: Enriching Places for People and the Planet

Regenerative urbanism enriches places for people and the planet by building upon existing strengths through meaningful community engagement. This article describes the process for achieving regenerative urbanism. This process may be applied to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and complements the methods described in Goal 17 – building global partnerships that mobilize and direct resources – for effectively realizing all the other goals

Assessing the Capacity to Build Rapport in Investigative Interviews with the Rapport-Based Inventory – Short Form (RBI-SF) Scale

Introduction: Investigative interviewer training has increasingly focused on enhancing interviewers’ ability to build rapport with subjects; however, trainers currently lack a consistent and efficient method to assess individuals’ competence in using rapport-based skills. To address this, we have developed a self-report scale – the Rapport Based Inventory (RBI), which is a scenario-based assessment intended to measure interviewers’ recognition of the correct use of rapport-based skills in interviewing contexts. The original scale consisted of four vignettes with 16 items requiring free text and multiple-choice responses in which core rapport concepts are tested. The current study aims to examine the scale’s psychometric properties, underlying factor structure and construct validity.Methods: To test the instrument’s psychometric properties, the RBI was administered online to 225 participants (140 practitioners and 85 university students). To assess convergent (construct) validity, additional data was collected from a subsample of 60 practitioners taking part in interview training to examine whether RBI scores were associated with practitioners’ interview performance during mock interviews. Performance was coded using the rapport skills scales from the Observing Rapport Based Techniques (ORBIT) coding framework (Alison & Alison, 2012).Results: The final short form version of the RBI scale (RBI-SF) contains eight items across four investigative interviewing vignettes, comprised of two factors – reflective listening (six items) and developing discrepancies (two items) with good internal reliability. One item relating to adaptability was also retained as a separate item that should be administered alongside the RBI due to its theoretical and statistical significance. Correlational analyses revealed that the scale demonstrated convergent validity with behavioural measures of rapport-based skill, with RBI scores positively correlated with interviewers’ effective use of rapport-based behaviours and negatively correlated with rapport-inconsistent behaviours during mock interviews.Conclusions: We conclude that the newly developed instrument appears to be a promising tool to support the identification of interviewers’ accurate comprehension of rapport-building skills in the context of law enforcement and intelligence interviewing

Tourism at a Crossroads in the Age of Climate Change in Bojanala Platiunum District Municipality, Northwest South Africa: Crises of Adaptation and Mitigation

Climate change research is fast growing, with increasing information on the relationshipbetween climate change and tourism. Globally, tourism is sensitive to climate, meaning that the effects of climate change may change tourism flow and demand. Developing countries are those most affected by climate change. The consequence for tourism is disturbing as this sector contributes greatly to their economies. South African tourism depends on its environment to attract tourists; climatic change is a threat to the environment; therefore this is a major concern for South Africa. This article examines the perceptions of climate change threats within the tourism industry in Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in NorthwestProvince by exploring how perceptions can influence behaviour and how the tourism industry responds to a changing climate. The Bojanala Platinum District Municipality is dependent on its local tourism sector to drive its economy. While both the tourists and tourism operators are aware of the threat of climate change and are concerned about its impacts, there are no or very few adaptations and mitigation measures being implemented. The lack of climate change planning to deal with these impacts is likely associated with perception. The tourism sector establishments consider it is the responsibility of the government to respond to climate change. This will have implications beyond Bonjanala Platinum District