Our concern in this article is corporate civic elite organizations and their role in social production and urban policy in the United States. Recent urban literature has suggested that the power and influence of CEO organizations has declined and that there has been some disengagement of corporate elites from civic efforts in many urban areas. Yet while these trends and their likely consequences are generally acknowledged, relatively little empirical research has been conducted on the nature and extent of the shifts in corporate civic leadership and on how these shifts have affected the civic agendas of central cities and metropolitan regions. In this study we obtain data from 19 large metropolitan areas in order to more systematically examine shifts in corporate civic leadership and their consequences. Our results suggest that the institutional autonomy, time, and personal connections to the central cities of many CEOs have diminished and that the civic organizations though which CEOs work appear to have experienced lowered capacity for sustained action. These trends suggest that while many CEOs and their firms will continue to commit their time and their firms' slack resources to civic enterprises, the problems they address will differ from those tackled in the past. We discuss the important implications these shifts have for the future of corporate civic engagement in urban problem solving and for the practice of urban governance.

Purpose -This study explores the similarities and differences of legal responses to older adults who may be at risk of harm or abuse in the UK, Ireland, Australia and the United States (US).Design -The authors draw upon a review of elder abuse and adult protection undertaken on behalf of the Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland. This paper focuses on the desk top mapping of the different legal approaches and draws upon wider literature to frame the discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different legal responses.Findings-Arguments exist both for and against each legal approach. Differences in defining the scope and powers of Adult Protection Legislation in the UK and internationally are highlighted.Limitations-This review was undertaken in late 2013; whilst the authors have updated the mapping to take account of subsequent changes, some statutory guidance is not yet available. Whilst the expertise of a group of experienced professionals in the field of adult safeguarding was utilised, it was not feasible to employ a formal survey or consensus model.Practical implications-Some countries have already introduced APL and others are considering doing so. The potential advantages and challenges of introducing APL are highlighted.Social implications -The introduction of legislation may give professionals increased powers to prevent and reduce abuse of adults, but this would also change the dynamic of relationships within families and between families and professionals.Originality-This paper provides an accessible discussion of APL across the UK and internationally which to date has been lacking from the literature.

This paper reports the findings from research conducted with older people in Northern Ireland which investigated whether their needs for legal information and advice were being met. One of the unique aspects of the research involved investigating the potential of the internet as a possible source for advising older people in relation to legal problems. The findings suggest that online legal information may frequently assist older people in identifying potential answers to their legal questions, but may not be an adequate substitute for personal communication and advice. The research also highlights the need for professionals to work together to meet the needs of older persons for legal advice and to safeguard their interests. Such 'joined up' approaches are particularly important, for example at the point of dementia diagnosis, where information sharing between health and social care professionals may significantly promote the legal and welfare interests of older people at a vulnerable point in their lives. This paper therefore turns to work by university-based legal clinics in the United States, such as the Elder Law Clinic at Pennsylvania State University, where social work or healthcare professionals, lawyers and law students collaborate to support older people in their search for resolution of legal problems.