			Home About us Contact

Protection Policy (protection + policy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	22%

Selected Abstracts

Can macroinvertebrate rapid bioassessment methods be used to assess river health during drought in south eastern Australian streams?

FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008
PETER ROSE
Summary 1Despite significant concern about drought impacts in Australia, there have been no broad-scale studies of drought effects on river health. A severe and prolonged drought has been acting on many streams in south eastern Australia over the past decade. EPA Victoria has undertaken rapid bioassessment (RBA) of over 250 stream reference sites since 1990, providing an opportunity for a before-after-control-impact investigation of drought related changes to macroinvertebrate indices and water quality. This study uses data from 1990 to 2004 to critically evaluate the effectiveness of using RBA methods and indices, which were designed for assessment of human impacts, for monitoring streams during drought. 2Reference stream sites across Victoria (those with minimal anthropogenic disturbances and repeatedly sampled) were classified as being ,in drought' or ,not in drought' using the Bureau of Meteorology's rainfall deficiency definition. Four biological indices (SIGNAL, EPT, Family Richness and AUSRIVAS) were calculated for combined autumn and spring samples for edge and riffle habitats for the selected sites. 3General linear models and paired t -tests were used to detect drought related changes to index and water quality values at state-wide and bioregional scales. Changes in taxa constancy were examined to determine which taxa were sensitive to or benefited from drought conditions. Frequency of site failure against biological objectives specified in the State Environment Protection Policy (Waters of Victoria) (herein termed ,SEPP WoV') before and during drought was also examined to detect changes in a management context. 4Few significant changes in index values were detected for riffle habitat samples. Rates of failure against biological objectives were similar before and during drought for riffle samples. In contrast, edge habitat AUSRIVAS and SIGNAL scores were significantly reduced at the state-wide scale and most indices showed significant declines in the lower altitude forests, and foothills and coastal plains bioregions. 5Generally, more pollution tolerant, lentic taxa replaced sensitive and flow-requiring taxa in edge samples during drought. In contrast, there were few reductions in the taxa of riffle samples during drought. However, many pool preferring, but pollution sensitive taxa occurred more frequently in riffle areas. Hence, the riffle community began to resemble that of pools and edges. This was attributed to decreased flow and increased ,lentic' habitat opportunities in riffles. 6Detection of a drought effect was confined to the edge habitat and site failure could be assigned to drought and anthropogenic impacts, in conjunction or alone. The riffle sampling protocol was resistant to detection of drought effects as samples were only taken when sufficient water was present within this habitat. Therefore, biological changes at sites not meeting policy objectives for riffle habitats can be attributed to anthropogenic rather than drought impacts. [source]

Sensitivity analysis of the moments of the profit on an Income Protection Policy

APPLIED STOCHASTIC MODELS IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, Issue 1 2010
Isabel Maria Cordeiro
Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to perform a sensitivity analysis where we quantify and analyse the effects on the mean of the profit on an Income Protection policy and two risk measures of changing the values of the transition intensities. All the calculations carried out are based on a multiple state model for Income Protection proposed in Continuous Mortality Investigation Committee (Continuous Mortality Investigation Reports 1991; 12). Within this model, we derive a formula for the mean of the profit, which enables to evaluate it more efficiently. In order to calculate the two risk measures we use the numerical algorithms for the calculation of the moments of the profit proposed by Waters (Insurance: Mathematics and Economics 1990; 9:101,113). We carry out the sensitivity analysis considering two different situations: in the first situation, we update the premium rates used to calculate the moments of the profit, according to the changes in the values of the transition intensities; in the second one, we do not update the premium rates. Both analyses are of practical interest to insurance companies selling Income Protection policies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Making Child Protection Policy: The Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 3 2008
Clare Tilbury
Internationally as well as in Australia, public inquiries have become one of the dominant means of scrutinising child protection services. As such, inquiries have become a policy mechanism for defining the problem of child abuse, and developing possible solutions. This article examines the 2004 Crime and Misconduct Commission Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Foster Care in Queensland. It discusses both the problems and potential of public inquiries in promoting positive change in a contested policy field like child protection. [source]

Sensitivity analysis of the moments of the profit on an Income Protection Policy

Between reform and inertia: Bolivia's employment and social protection policies over the past 20 years

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR REVIEW, Issue 3 2009
Fernanda WANDERLEY
Abstract. With the coming to power in 2006 of Evo Morales' Movement Toward Socialism, Bolivia entered a new stage in its history: a period of ambitious political and economic reform aiming to transcend the neo-liberal development model in place since 1985 and to renew the State on the basis of its new Constitution, drawn up in 2008. Against this background, this article examines changes in labour law and social protection during the 1980s and 1990s and takes stock of the challenges of implementing a development strategy focusing on full employment and equity. [source]

Safe Harbors or Free Frontiers?

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 2 2003
Privacy, Transborder Data Flows
This article explores the issues surrounding the harmonization of privacy or data protection during the last 30 years. It begins with a history of the conflict over transborder data flows and then proceeds to analyze current national and regional policy debates about the feasibility of policy solutions to address problems that are integral to global communications and economic networks. Ongoing discussions between the European Union and the United States over Safe Harbor Principles provide data for exploring these issues. The article concludes with an analysis of whether harmonization of privacy and data protection policies is likely to evolve through existing processes and institutions. [source]

Changing structures: Necessary but not sufficient

CHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 4 2007
Kate Skinner
Abstract Moves are afoot across the UK to change the mechanisms for managing local inter-agency child protection policy and practice. This is being achieved through the development of Safeguarding Boards in England and Wales and guidance on Child Protection Committees that took effect from August 2005 in Scotland. Following our review of one Scottish Child Protection Committee (the SCPC), we are concerned that these changes focus almost exclusively on structure and pay scant attention to process and relationships. The study we undertook was an in-depth evaluation of the functioning of the SCPC and used a range of qualitative methods. The main findings were that the size of the committee, its coverage of three local authority areas, and its patterns of working meant that some aspects of its work were highly developed and effective, such as the guidelines and multi-agency training, while others, such as links with practice and the management of information systems, were poor. Considering these findings in the light of systems theory suggests that improving the effectiveness of child protection committees, and similar bodies, may need to be based on greater attention being paid to issues of authority, trust and negotiation among their members. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Child protection policy perspectives and reform of Australian legislation

CHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 4 2004
Ann Farrell
Abstract Legislative responsibility for child protection has become a major theme in the international human rights arena and a major policy issue within early childhood education and care. This paper examines child protection policy and legislation in Australia and measures that are being employed to safeguard children and childhood within contexts that are seen as increasingly risky. Juxtaposing perspectives on child protection and child liberation, it examines the protective responsibilities speci,ed in legislation in the context of predominantly adult agendas. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]