New Titles from Ashgate

International Family Law
An Introduction
Barbara Stark

ISBN: 0 7546 2341 6
Publication Date: 11/2005
Number of Pages: 288 pages
$124.95/£65.00

International law has become part of everyday family law practice, as lawyers everywhere are confronted with questions regarding the rights of 'mail-order' brides, the adoption of children from other countries, the abduction of children by foreign parents, and domestic violence victims seeking asylum. Indeed, globalization is transforming family law, even as families themselves are being redefined. This book provides a practical overview of such issues and also examines the ways in which culture shapes family law in different countries. It provides students with a useful introduction to challenging, complicated and fascinating issues in international family law. Finally, by incorporating a comparative perspective, it gives readers an opportunity to re-examine their own legal systems.

Enforcing International Law
From Self-help to Self-contained Regimes
Math Noortmann

ISBN: 0 7546 2443 9
Publication Date: 10/2005
Number of Pages: 204 pages
$114.95/£60.00

Until recently, the fundamental link between two basic concepts in international law, namely the right to self-help and the obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means, has been neglected in doctrine and practice. The main issue is that international law traditionally recognizes the right of states to safeguard their own rights by resorting to countermeasures as well as the obligation to settle their disputes by accepted and recognized diplomatic and judicial procedures. Both concepts are based on their own merits, which are assumed to be valid in contemporary international law. It is the primary purpose of this study to determine which rules and principles govern the relationship between the two concepts.

The book's major findings arise from an analysis of scholarly work, supported by examples from five different case studies. Drawing insights from legal as well as political science, it will be a valuable resource for students, academics and policy makers in international law, international relations and related areas.

The Status of the Family in Law and Bioethics
The Genetic Context
Roy Gilbar

ISBN: 0 7546 4545 2
Publication Date: 11/2005
Number of Pages: 278 pages
$109.95/£57.50

Where do a doctor's responsibilities lie in communicating diagnostic and predictive genetic information to a patient's family members? On the one hand, a patient may wish to retain confidentiality while the relatives seek information; on the other, a patient may wish to share the information while the relatives would rather not know. This volume investigates the doctor's professional legal and ethical obligations in the context of these two familial tensions.

The examination is conducted within the liberal-communitarian debate, whereby the two philosophies hold different perceptions of the individual and the relationship he or she has with others. Within this theoretical framework, the book examines the approach taken by English medical law and ethics to the communication of genetic information to family members. Legally, the focus is on tort law and the law of confidentiality. Ethically, it concentrates on the approach taken by the bioethical literature, and more specifically by codes of ethics and professional guidelines.

Making Knowledge Visible
Communicating Knowledge Through Information Products
Elizabeth Orna

SBN: 0 566 08562 3
Publication Date: 08/2005
Number of Pages: 212 pages
$124.95/£65.00

This ground-breaking book opens up new territory for knowledge and information management.

The only way we can make what we know visible to other people is by putting it into Information Products - the products, in any medium, where users meet the information they need, and gain access to the knowledge of others.

Without them, little business would get done inside organizations or between them and the outside world. They are essential for the flow, exchange, application, and preservation of information and knowledge.

This is the first book to make the case for the proper recognition of information products by organizations. It shows how they should support business objectives and processes and be incorporated into information strategy and information architecture; illustrates the value they can both add and subtract; identifies the full range of stakeholders in them; and argues that a triple alliance of information management, information systems/IT, and information design is critical for successful information products.