Improving global governance: making global institutions fit-for-purpose in 21st century

In this lecture I will: • comment on some of the complex challenges of the 21st century which cry out for effective global governance reflecting today’s geopolitical and other realities; and • examine whether global governance institutions – particularly in the areas of peace and security, economic governance, sustainable development and climate change – have kept up with geopolitical changes and been able to tackle emerging challenges to ensure their continued effectiveness, legitimacy and accountability. My working definition of global governance will be that of Lawrence Finkelstein, former professor of political science at Northern Illinois University and former vice-president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Writing in the first issue of the journal Global Governance, he suggested that global governance could be defined as ‘governing, without sovereign authority, relationships that transcend national frontiers. Global governance is doing internationally what governments do at home’ (Finkelstein, 1995). • The Rt Hon Helen Clark is presently the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. This is the text of an address she gave to the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Tuesday 13 November 2012, and is now available in Policy Quarterly – Volume 9, Issue 1 – February 201

Annual Europa Lecture-2002. NCRE Online Paper No. 02/02

[From the Introduction]. Let me begin, however, by commenting on the establishment of this research centre. I am aware that when it was opened by Phil Goff in May 2000, it was as the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Research on Europe, funded through the Vice-Chancellor’s new initiatives fund. Following the receipt of a most welcome and substantial EU grant at the beginning of this year, it was renamed the National Centre for Research on Europe, and I understand that it has gone from strength to strength. Thanks are due especially to Martin Holland as Director for what has been achieved in such a brief time. It is indeed timely to have a research centre focused on Europe. A large majority of New Zealanders trace their ancestry to European countries, especially Britain, and we like to think we know and understand them. But Europe is changing fast, and the mass migration from there to New Zealand occurred several generations ago. If we don’t take care to nurture the relationship, we will end up being out of touch with the new developments. While the logic of our geography leads us to focus a lot of attention on the Asia Pacific region and the Americas, our ties to and interests in Europe are just too important to let go. This evening I will talk about the expansion of the Union, about its importance to New Zealand, and about the wide ranging relationships we have with the European Unio

Pack a Sense of Humor in Your Picnic Hamper

Did you ever get up at 5 o\u27clock on a Sunday morning, put on your oldest slacks and last year\u27s oxfords, and, with something to eat, tramp \u27way out beyond any signs of people to watch the early sun? Or maybe you would rather take a group of friends and your supper and hike out to Sunset Rock to watch the sun go down? If you have done neither, then you are indeed unfortunate, but you have a real thrill to look forward to

Administrative Law

This article is part of the District of Columbia Survey

Insurance

This article is part of the District of Columbia Survey

Synthetic and spectroscopic studies of some organotin(iv) complexes

(^119)Sn NMR and IR data are presented for Me(_2)SnX(_2) (X = C1. NCS,N(_3), NCO). Three series of mixed dimethyltin chloro-pseudohalide complexes (Et(_4)N(^+))(_2) Me(_2)SnCl(_n)X(^2-)(_4-n) (X = NCS. N(_3). Partial success obtained for X = NCO) have been prepared from them, and IR, Mossbauer (determined by Dr. P. J. Smith) and (^119)Sn NMR data are presented for the first two series of complexes. The results show them to be formed discretely, to contain regular octahedral anions with linear trans Me-Sn-Me units, and to dissociate in solution. The crystal structure of (Ph(_4)P(^+)(_2) Me(_2)Sn(N(_3))(^2-)(_4) (determined by Dr.J. Halfpenny) is also presented. δ((^119)Sn) changes across the series in the opposite direction to that expected on the basis of substituent electronegativity. The change is tentatively ascribed to polarisability differences between CI and pseudohalide ligands. A rough correlation between δ(mms(^-1)) and substituent electronegativity is observed, and the AE(_q) values correlate fairly well with those expected on the basis of the additivity model. The corresponding series of diphenyltin complexes has been prepared for X = NCS. C(^+)(_2) Ph(_2)Sn(NCS)(_n)C1(^2-)(_4-n). as has the series of five-coordinate complexes Et(_4)N(^+) Me(_2)Sn(NCS)(_n)C1(^-)(_3-n) (except for Me(_2)Sn(NCS)(^-)(_3)). Mossbauer data for the former compounds again show that the anions take up a trans octahedral arrangement. The dissociation of the dimethyltin tetrahalo/pseudohalo complexes (Et(_4)N(^+)(_2) Me(_2)SnCl(^2-)(_4)(^.) (Pr(_4)N(^+))(_2) Me(_2)Sn(NCS)(^2-)(_4) and (Et(_4)N(^+))(_2) Me(_2)Sn(N_3)(^2-)(_4) has been investigated in acetonitrile solution by (^119)Sn NMR, and equilibrium constants for the dissociation were derived. These show the tetra-azide complex to be considerably less dissociated in solution than are the chloride and thiocyanate complexes, although K is quite large for all three. When the same reaction was investigated in DMSO solution, it was deduced that the solvent completely replaces two of the anionic ligands of the complex. Addition of X(^-) to Me(_2)SnCl(^-)(_3) (X = C1), Me(_2)SnCl(_2) (X = C1) and Me(_2)Sn(NCS)(_2) (X = C1.NCS) in acetonitrile has also been studied. Addition is observed in all cases, followed by substitution for Me(_2)Sn(NCS)(_2) + C1(^-). and the limiting shift of the appropriate six-coordinate complex is ultimately obtained. Substitution reactions have been followed for the systems Me(_2)Sn(NCS)(^2-)(_4) + Cl and Me(_2)SnCl(^-2)(_4) + NCS(^-) (both in acetonitrile). The reaction was found to be more facile in the former case. The synthesis of some compounds containing hexacoordinate heterocyclic tin has been attempted, for testing as possible anti-cancer reagents. Preparation via ylide or dilithium reagents did not lead to useful products, but a series of bis(pyridine) or (bidentate pyridine ligand).1.1-dibromostannacyclohexanes has been successfully prepared. The (^1)H. (^13)C and (^119)Sn NMR and infra-red data for these compounds are presented and discussed

Visual Perception and Analysis of an Approaching Train at Railway Level Crossings in New Zealand

The prevalence of railway level crossing accidents in New Zealand is a high profile issue that has warranted close scrutiny over the last 10 years. However, the incident rate has not decreased. This research examined the possibility that visual illusions and perceptual errors contribute to an underestimation of a train‟s arrival time by motorists. The first experiment was designed to analyze whether the Size-Arrival Effect, a theory that states that large-far objects are judged to arrive earlier than small-nearer objects, was applicable to trains. Participants were shown a computer simulation of a moving vehicle (train, motorcar or motorcycle) and asked to indicate when the point was reached where they would no longer cross in front of the approaching vehicle. Approach speeds were systematically varied (60 km/h, 70 km/h, 80 km/h, 100 km/h and 120km/h). Results found that participants adopted the greatest safety gap distance to cross for the train. However, there was no adjustment for velocity when adopting safety gaps for the train and the motorcycle with observers using the same gap distance, regardless of the approach speed. The second experiment sought to examine the Leibowitz hypothesis (Leibowitz, 1985), which proposes an illusory bias; a large object seems to be moving more slowly than a small object travelling at the same speed. Experiment 2 measured participants' ability to make a direct comparison between the speed of an approaching motorcar and a train. Participants were asked to judge which of the vehicles appeared faster, with the distance from the observer varied (far, middle or near). Participants significantly underestimated the speed of the train as compared to the car, in both the 'middle' and 'near' conditions, with the magnitude of underestimation greatest in the 'middle' condition. The overall findings offered support for both theories, which indicates that a combination of distance and speed perceptual errors may at least partly contribute to the high rates of level crossing collisions