The Security Pretext: An Examination of the Growth of Federal Police Agencies

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, bureaucrats and special interest groups have been busy repackaging everything from peanut subsidies to steel protectionism under the rubric of "national security." Federal law enforcement agencies have also been expanding their power in the name of combating terrorism, whether or not such expansion has anything to do with enhancing security. One safeguard that exists to prevent such abuse is congressional oversight, but too many members of Congress are too often reluctant to challenge law enforcement officials. For freedom to prevail in the age of terrorism, three things are essential. First, government officials must take a sober look at the potential risk and recognize that there is no reason to panic and act rashly. Second, Congress must stop federal police agencies from acting arbitrarily. Before imposing costly and restrictive security measures that inconvenience thousands of people, police agencies ought to be required to produce cost-benefit analyses. Third, government officials must demonstrate courage rather than give in to their fears. Radical Islamic terrorists are not the first enemy that America has faced. British troops burned the White House in 1814, the Japanese navy launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Soviet Union deployed hundreds of nuclear missiles that targeted American cities. If policymakers are serious about defending our freedom and our way of life, they must wage this war without discarding our traditional constitutional framework of limited government

Environmental Water Markets: Restoring Streams Through Trade

This Policy Series explores the evolving institutional settings in western states1 for restoring and preserving instream flows. The focus is on how markets can provide an efficient and equitable solution for allocating water among increasingly competitive offstream and instream demands, while also providing economic incentives for improved water use efficiencies and conservation. This essay also identifies the underlying barriers that complicate or thwart water markets and provides thoughts on how they may be overcome

The influence of James in the Galatian churches prior to Paul's letter to the Galatians

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston Universit

The influence of James in the Galatian churches prior to Paul's letter to the Galatians

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston Universit

Decomposing the social discount rate

Recent modelling of the costs and benefits of climate change has renewed debate surrounding assumptions regarding the social discount rate in analysing the impacts of environmental change. Previous literature segments the social discount rate into being influenced by two key factors; the rate of pure time preference and the elasticity of marginal utility of future consumption. These components of the social discount rate reinforce the linkages between the choice of social discount rate and intergenerational distribution. In an extension of previous work by the author on intergenerational distributional preferences, this paper discusses the relationship between intergenerational equity and the social discount rate. The work has significant policy implications given the sensitivity of Cost Benefit Analysis outcomes to assumptions regarding the social discount rate.Intergenerational equity, Social discount rate, Environmental Economics and Policy,

A study of the impact on ten families of illness and hospitalization of a child

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Coping with Climatic Variability by Rain-fed Farmers in Dry Zone, Sri Lanka: Towards Understanding Adaptation to Climate Change

Climate change introduces numerous uncertainties over the livelihoods of farming communities that depend heavily on weather and climate. Rain-fed farmers in developing countries are among the most vulnerable communities. However, climate risks are not new to farmers. Coping with ‘natural variability’ of climate has been a constant challenge faced by farmers even though broad sweeping change in climate due to anthropogenic causes is a relatively new prospect. Some argue ‘climate change’ could be significantly different from ‘climatic variability’ known to and experienced by farmers. In spite of this it is widely accepted that understanding farmers’ behavior towards adapting to climatic variability could generate useful insights in facing the risk of climate change. In Sri Lanka, the village tank farming community in the dry zone is one of the most vulnerable communities thereby deserving the priority attention of policy makers. This study is based on information gathered in Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka. It depends mainly on information from secondary sources supplemented by qualitative primary information. Analysis was guided by recently introduced behavioral economics concepts of decisions based on experience. Accordingly adaptation is viewed as a response to the climate perceptions of farmers' aided by judgments based on heuristics. Farmers' adaptation decisions can be explained on the basis of their perception of climate variability with two major components. Firstly, farmers perceive climatic variability as an average annual pattern with variable probabilities of seasonal distribution of precipitation. Farmers base their long-term adaptation responses on this perceived average pattern and many of the choices made by them in the existing farming system and resource management practices can be explained accordingly. The average pattern of variability is largely a shared perception and therefore enables the option of joint adaptation. The land allocation practice popularly known as ‘Bethma’ provides a fine example for this. Secondly, farmers also perceive feasibility of random shocks with variable probabilities across the average pattern. This gives rise to short-term responses in the farming system activities. Such responses seem to be more individually oriented and reflect the variations in individual perceptions of climate risks.Adaptation, Climatic variability, Village tanks, Climate change, Rain-fed farmer, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory Government Budgets and the Selective Announcement of Budget Surplus/Deficit Numbers

This paper presents the findings from a case study of the 2004-05 annual budgets prepared by the Australian Commonwealth government and the governments of the six Australian states and the two Australian territories. The study examined the headline financial outcome (general government sector surplus or deficit) announced in the budget papers of each of the nine governments. Findings indicate the adoption of varying measurement bases and a consequent lack of comparability in the headlined budget outcome numbers. Accounting reforms have resulted in a variety of cash and accrual based measurements becoming available for presentation by governments. However, there has been no prescription of the manner in which these alternative measures are to be presented, resulting in a lack of consistency and comparability. It is not surprising in this reporting environment that different governments would choose to headline different budget outcome numbers in their budget announcements.