Liberal Administration Research Articles

Legal geographies of labour and postdemocracy: Reinforcing non‐standard work in South Korea

This paper engages the literature on the legal geographies of labour and postdemocracy in order to examine the role of law in limiting the labour rights of non‐standard workers. To do so, it analyses the effects of civil suits for obstruction of business against workers and trade union activists in South Korea. First embraced by liberal administrations as an alternative to authoritarian forms of labour control, civil suits for obstruction of business have become a common feature of labour struggles since 2002 and have led to millions of dollars in damage claims and provisional seizure of assets being applied against workers for engaging in collective action. We argue that by treating many ordinary trade union practices as “threats of force” that obstruct business and are thus liable for compensation, the law has been an essential component in the creation of a postdemocratic mode of labour control: one in which many fundamental labour rights are officially recognised, unlike under authoritarian regimes, but undermined in practice by narrowly limiting workers’ ability to pursue lawful collective action.

The Dangers of Complacency: women’s history/gender history in Canada in the twenty-first century

ABSTRACTOur contribution will focus on some of the intellectual developments occurring in gender history/women’s history in Canada in the twenty-first century, while also drawing attention to the decline of women’s history outside of the university environment. In the mid-1990s there was a vigorous debate over the merits of gender history vs. women’s history. Over the past decade, these debates have quieted along with a growing recognition that gender history and women’s history have many common goals. Today, biography and recent history (post 1945) figure among the strong trends in Canadian women’s and gender historiography. But the impact of government funding cuts under the previous decade-long Conservative government has seriously handicapped federal institutions such as museums and archives. So far, the current Liberal administration is moving in a more positive direction.

GW27-e1005 Liberal versus restricted fluid administration in heart failure patients: a meta-analysis of 6 randomized trials

International guidelines have recommended fluid restriction for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, this recommendation lacks scientific evidence. This study sought to evaluate effect of fluid restriction on patients with heart failure in randomized controlled trials. Randomized

Current haemodynamic management of septic shock

Early and adequate resuscitation of patients with acute circulatory failure is important to restore the balance between oxygen needs and delivery. Haemodynamic management can globally be separated into three categories according to the VIP mnemonic -Ventilate, Infuse, Pump- which should be considered simultaneously in the patient with shock. Sufficient oxygen should be given early, and endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation performed without hesitation if there is any indication that oxygenation is inadequate. Fluids should be administered using the SOSD mnemonic-Salvage, Optimization, Stabilization, De-escalation. After initial liberal administration, ongoing requirements should be guided by repeated fluid challenges using a combination of balanced crystalloid solutions and colloid. Noradrenaline is the vasopressor of choice and should be started early. Dobutamine may be needed to improve myocardial contractility and cardiac output. Haemodynamic support should be personalized according to individual patient characteristics and global and regional parameters of haemodynamic and oxygenation status.

Initial resuscitation of burn patients: association between hemodynamic parameters and serum lactate level with 90-days mortality

Initial resuscitation, historically based on crystalloids fluids administration, is essential to burn patients' survival. However, hemodynamic targets have been poorly explored although avoidance of both hypovolemic status and too liberal fluid administration is the bottom line [1, 2].

Políticas de educación en Bogotá 1930-1948

El documento presenta un balance de las políticas educativas en Bogotá entre 1930 y 1948, concentrándose en cinco aspectos fundamentales: 1. una presentación general de la configuración de Bogotá, como una urbe, en el contexto de los gobiernos liberales, las perspectivas que estos asumieron frente a la formación de los ciudadanos y frente al crecimiento de la ciudad; 2. análisis y descripción de las políticas de ampliación de la cobertura de la escuela primara que los gobiernos de la ciudad impulsaron para establecer las condiciones de “civilización” necesarias en una ciudad en crecimiento; 3. descripción de las políticas de cobertura, esta vez en el campo de lo técnico, destinada específicamente a los obreros; 4. análisis de las fuentes de financiamiento con las que contaron los gobiernos capitalinos para promover la educación, particularmente en lo que tiene que ver con la escuela primaria, secundaria y técnica; y 5. una revisión de lo que podría denominarse la educación en los espacios públicos, destinadas a enseñar y mejorar la “vida urbana”

Constructing new expertise: private and public initiatives for safe food (Brussels in the first half of the nineteenth century).

In 1856, the mayor of Brussels proposed the establishment of a municipal laboratory with a chemist to analyse food and beverages to restrain fraud. His proposal was accepted and a laboratory – possibly one of the first municipal laboratories in Europe – was set up. The laboratory still exists today. This paper aims at tracing the conditions in which it emerged, situating it within the laissez-faire context of the time. It was brought into existence by a liberal administration, in a period of little interventionism replete with unencumbered private interests (those of bakers, butchers, grocers, millers, pharmacists, doctors and so on). What will be considered here is the general mood with regard to food fraud, fair trade, correct price, and the quality of food in the first half of the nineteenth century. On a broader level, this contribution addresses the frictions between private and public initiative, while focusing on the process of construction of expertise. The paper makes use of contemporary documents such as reviews, newspapers, association reports and city council chronicles.

Outside the World of Tomorrow

This paper analyzes the 1939–1940 New York World’s Fair as a conflicted site of public-sphere formation, and the repercussions of these conflicts on organized labor in New York. Conceived within the liberal administration of Mayor La Guardia and dedicated to the principles of social cooperation, this “closed-shop exposition” granted American Federation of Labor (AFL) trade unions an unprecedented degree of workplace benefits and rhetorical support by the Fair administration. This was undermined, however, by the trade unions’ limited public activities within the fair itself and their refusal of city offers to establish outreach and educational programs through events, rallies, and pavilions. As a result, the public space and discourse of a fair nominally devoted to social interdependence was appropriated by a variety of other interests, particularly those of corporate America. This marginalization would ultimately contribute to delegitimization, as allegations of graft and racketeering by visitors, exhibitors, and the national media framed labor as a direct threat to the “World of Tomorrow” and its visitors. Millions of Americans found their visits marred by exorbitantly inflated prices, delayed by strikes, and disappointed by cancelled exhibits. In the face of outside pressure, and with labor groups unable to address hostile critiques within the fair itself, the exposition administration withdrew its public support for unions while dramatically restricting their workplace rights. In this way, the “business-union” principles of the AFL not only undermined their legitimacy in the eyes of the public, despite the efforts of liberal municipal officials to promote them, but ultimately served to undo those very workplace gains such principles were meant to secure.

Übelkeit und Erbrechen nach Kindernarkosen – Große Probleme bei kleinen Patienten

Postoperative nausea and vomiting are undesirable and unpleasant side effects after surgery and anaesthesia associated with delayed oral intake and postoperative recovery, and impaired parental satisfaction. Since current modalities against PONV are cheap, highly effective, and almost free from relevant side-effects - providing contraindications are appropriately considered -, recommendations tend to move away from risk-score guided administration of antiemetic towards a more liberal administration policy or even favour routine administration to children undergoing general anaesthesia for surgery combined with total-intrevanous anaesthesia using propfol and reduction of perioperative opioid administration.

Evaluation of the effect of intra-operative intravenous fluid on post-operative pain and pulmonary function: a randomized trial comparing 10 and 30 ml kg−1 of crystalloid

Existing evidence suggests that administration of intravenous fluids has been shown to improve outcomes including pain in gynecological laparoscopic surgery but the optimum fluid dose has not been determined. To determine the effect of administration of intravenous fluids on post-operative pain and pulmonary function after gynecological laparoscopy. In a prospective randomized double-blinded study 100 ASA 1 and 2 elective patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy were randomized to receive intravenous compound sodium lactate 10 ml kg(-1) (CSL10-restrictive) or 30 ml kg(-1) (CSL30-liberal) administered intra-operatively. The primary outcome measure was the post-operative pain score at 24, 48 and 72 h, assessed by 0-10 verbal rating scale (VRS). Pulmonary function (FEV1, FVC, PEFR) and oxygen saturation were also measured. Patients who received CSL 30 had lower post-operative pain scores than CSL 10 (ANCOVA-mean difference = 0.47, 95 % CI 0.11-0.83, P = 0.01). Post-operative pain VRS was lower in CSL30 than CSL10 at 48 h (mean difference 0.56, 95 % CI 0.04-1.09, P = 0.036). Patients in CSL30 reported shoulder tip pain less frequently than those in CSL10 (30.4 vs. 43.9 % of assessments, P = 0.03, OR 0.58) but reported wound pain more frequently 39.0 vs. 24.2 %, P = 0.01, OR 2.0). Indices of pulmonary function did not differ between groups at any time. Liberal compared to restrictive administration of i.v. crystalloid is associated with a clinical modest reduction in pain. Pulmonary dysfunction was not increased with liberal fluid administration.

Perioperative management of an elderly patient of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy for knee arthroplasty and the role of peripheral nerve blocks

This case report exemplifies how the anaesthetic technique of general anesthesia with continuous bilateral femoral nerve block for bilateral knee arthroplasty was well chosen for the management of perioperative complications in an elderly patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). A 69-year-old female patient of HOCM was scheduled for bilateral total knee replacement. Echocardiography revealed severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with peak systolic gradient of 56 mmHg. The surgery was conducted under general anaesthesia with invasive monitoring and bilateral continuous femoral nerve blocks for postoperative analgesia. Postoperatively, she developed pulmonary oedema due to the liberal administration of fluids. This complication was successfully managed without interrupting the management of pain. Management of patients with HOCM for noncardiac surgery requires knowledge of variable presentation of two forms of disease. Also, this case report highlights the practical advantage of continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB)s over epidural anaesthesia.

Etomidate for critically ill patients. Con

Etomidate is an imidazole-derived hypnotic agent preferentially used for rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia because of its favourable haemodynamic profile. However, 11β-hydroxylase inhibition causes adrenal insufficiency with potentially fatal consequences in specific populations. We review the arguments against the liberal administration of etomidate in critically ill, and especially septic, patients. This review considered only high-quality and prospective studies with a low risk of bias. Three major effects have been observed with the clinical use of a single dose of etomidate. First, independent of the clinical setting, etomidate causes adrenal dysfunction via 11β-hydroxylase inhibition ranging from 12 to 48 h, making the drug unsuitable for use in elective interventions. Second, in a systematic review with meta-analyses, including 3715 septic patients, the relative risk of death with etomidate was 1.22 (95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.35). Based on this statistically significant and clinically relevant increase in mortality, a single dose of etomidate has to be avoided in patients with septic shock. Third, in small randomised controlled trials, a single dose of etomidate in trauma patients was associated with an increased incidence of pneumonia (56.7 vs. 25.9% in controls), prolonged intensive care stay (6.3 vs. 1.5 days) and prolonged hospital stay (11.6 vs. 6.4 days). Based on these randomised controlled trials, the use of etomidate should be avoided in unstable trauma patients. Midazolam and ketamine are two valid alternatives with similar intubation and haemodynamic conditions as etomidate but without its adverse effects. Therefore, for safety reasons, etomidate should be avoided in the critical conditions of sepsis and trauma.

Lessons from liver transplantation

Lessons from liver transplantation

Perioperative goal-directed fluid therapy: grand progress and controversy

Fluid therapy is one of the most controversial topics in perioperative management. Current perioperative fluid therapy is largely based on concepts developed restricted and liberal perioperative fluid administration in the late 1950s and 1960s. However, there are increasing reports of perioperative excessive intravascular volume leading to increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. The concept of individualized goal-directed therapy in surgical patients seems to be an important component for optimization of perioperative fluid management in high-risk surgical patients.

“Rediscovery”, “Reinvigoration” and “Redefinition” in Perpetuity: Australian Engagement with India 1983–2011

For the past twenty‐five years Australia's bilateral relationship with India has been typified by an ongoing process of “rediscovery”, irrespective of whether Labor or Liberal administrations have steered foreign policy. This article explores the reasons why this might be the case by analysing Australia's foreign policy approaches to India spanning the period 1983 to 2011. It interrogates various Labor and Liberal strategies that have been mobilised to “reinvigorate” the relationship and searches for reasons why they have only been partially successful in strengthening Australia's rapport with India. The authors draw upon discussions with strategic affairs editors of India's major daily newspapers and current affairs journals to gain insights into Indian impressions of Australia from a political and foreign policy perspective.

Volksbildungskalender. Jeremias Gotthelfs Redaktion des ›Neuen Berner-Kalenders‹ im Kontext.

Jeremias Gotthelf authored the six annuals of the ‚Neuer-Berner-Kalender‘, one of the most important calendar projects of German-speaking Switzerland in the 19th century. With him the calendar becomes a medium of popular education, which follows in the footsteps of the enlightenment of the people. The article considers the calendar reform project of Bern in its political, pedagogical, and pastoral contexts. In the liberal administration of the Bern regeneration period a governing function was attributed to the calendar, comparable to the mentality of government as promulgated by Michel Foucault.

La institucionalización de la actividad científica en Colombia. Estudio de un caso fallido

This article examines the country’s attempts to socialize the natural sciences by creating the Escuela Normal Superior de Colombia (Colombian Teachers’ College) during the liberal administration of President Alfonso Lopez Pumarejo, which was known as the “Revolution in Progress”. It argues the process was aborted with the disappearance of the school, an institution regarded by many historians as a milestone in the country’s modernization.

Liberal Leviathan or Imperial Outpost? J. S. Furnivall on Colonial Rule in Burma

AbstractJ. S. Furnivall, in his influential account of the impact of British rule in Burma 1824–1948, argues that British officials laid down a Liberal administration that exposed the colony to market forces, monetized the economy and devastated communities. However, there is little evidence that British administrators actually thought in Liberal terms: they relied heavily on institutions inherited from the Burmese monarchy, and when they introduced new administrative methods these were drawn from other parts of British India and only indirectly influenced by Liberalism. Furnivall's view of the ideological origins of British administration, in turn, distorts his reading of the impact of British rule, as illustrated by recent work on the pre-colonial economy showing that it was in fact more monetized and commercialized than he claims. If his account of the pre-modern economy is not viable, Furnivall's claims about the impact of British colonialism in Burma demand re-evaluation.

Presidential Politics Meets Regulatory Complexity: An Empirical Study of EPA's Hazardous Air Pollutant Rules Under Clinton and Bush II

With the growing centralization of power in the Executive Branch, just how deeply do Presidential politics trickle down into the hundreds of rules promulgated annually by the agencies, particularly highly complex and technical rules? There is strong evidence that at least in the case of highly controversial rules, Presidents are heavily involved. Yet for the rest, the evidence of meaningful political oversight is slim to nonexistent. In this study we examine whether Presidential Administrations make a significant difference in how the EPA responds to and interacts with stakeholders in the course of developing publicly important rules that regulate air toxic emissions. We hypothesize that rules that are highly complex and technical, but are also publicly significant, will tend in the aggregate to fall under the political radar and be relatively impervious to changes in Presidential Administration. Indeed, the influence of industry in this informationally intensive and thus largely politically insulated area may be even greater under more liberal administrations because the public interest groups may tend to be more complacent in overseeing and challenging agency action. Our results generally support these predictions. Based on docketed information, the Clinton Administration entertained more than twice the number of informal contacts, including meetings, with industry than the Bush II Administration. It also weakened rules, presumably in response to industry comments, more often than the Bush II administration. However, there was some evidence that Presidential politics mattered. The Bush II Administration rejected comments to strengthen a rule nearly twice as often as the Clinton Administration. And while the Clinton Administration did appear more receptive to industry than Bush II, it was also more receptive to informal communications with all types of stakeholders, including public interest groups. Thus, the Clinton EPA’s large number of contacts with industry may simply be a procedural preference for more contact with all stakeholders. In general, our results suggest that further empirical study of the infiltration of Presidential politics into the daily rulemaking work of agencies is warranted. There is large gap between the abstract theory of the Unitary Executive and its practical implications for the bulk of the rules promulgated by the agency.

Low-dose Spinal Anesthesia with Low-dose Phenylephrine Infusions for Cesarean Delivery: Better but Not Necessarily Best

Low-dose Spinal Anesthesia with Low-dose Phenylephrine Infusions for Cesarean Delivery: Better but Not Necessarily Best