Indeed, historic resilience in this economically powerful state is being tested as never before in this recession, prompting concern that fundamental changes in the state's economy, combined with a tightening welter of restrictive voter initiatives on legislative decisions about spending and taxing, are thrusting California into an era of long-lasting austerity.
4 5 These include the development of guidelines on blood usage promoting restrictive transfusion strategies and initiatives for using alternatives to transfusion (eg, cell salvage techniques; improvements in the education and training of clinical staff prescribing blood; the provision of mechanisms for reviewing blood use with feedback of data to clinicians).
Similar concerns were reported in a study undertaken in Ireland. 3 Some participants in our study felt that the referral criteria for the 2-week waiting-time initiative were too restrictive.
"Data requirements for the citizens' initiative are far too restrictive," said Jorgo Riss, the European director for Greenpeace.
In Europe and North America, such initiatives have led to restrictive legislation that, according to some commentators, may endanger public health goods [ 4, 16, 17].
"Although, new trade-restrictive and distortive policy initiatives have been implemented since the start of the crisis," the document says, "a widespread and systemic escalation of protectionism has been prevented".
The DNC has, in turn, launched an initiative aimed at educating voters on the restrictive laws.
Less than two months after voters narrowly rejected an initiative that would have given Switzerland the most restrictive asylum laws in Europe, the Swiss government has signed an agreement aimed at curbing frivolous applications for political asylum.
The immediate opportunities and rewards from bringing millions of Africans on the internet -- albeit on a restrictive basis -- far outweigh the potential "side effects" of initiatives like Mr. Zuckerberg's Free Basics.
This results from restrictive planning laws and the general failure to build houses, not from any initiative on the homeowner's part.
