Social Capital and Community Participation in Post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for Policy and Practice

This article argues that the social capital framework used by development agencies in community-driven development projects in post-Soviet countries may not be adequate for analysing conditions affecting community participation. Research in Armenia shows that the availability of social capital in a community may not necessarily translate into participation. The governance environment plays a key role in affecting the nature and forms of community participation and in shaping local institutions in Armenia. The research argues against the ‘cultural’ view of institutional change, which presumes that the main barriers to participation are posed by cultural factors, such as interpersonal trust and the ‘mentality’ of post-Soviet citizens. Development interventions that focus on building social capital as a means to promote community participation may not be effective without addressing broader structural factors affecting participation.     

Comparison of transmission and internal reflection infrared spectra of cocaine.

Comparing the infrared transmission spectrum of cocaine HCl to its attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectrum has raised questions about the use of ATR spectra for forensic drug analysis. Whenever infrared spectra are collected using different modes or sample preparation methods, small variations in peak intensity ratios or peak positions are possible. These variations in infrared spectra are small and do not interfere with qualitative analysis, but they can cause confusion when unrecognized as normal effects of the different spectroscopic techniques. Comparison of the absorption and ATR spectra of cocaine hydrochloride illustrates the type of differences that can be expected. These differences are explained by the fundamental differences in the collection techniques. For the best quantitative results, only spectra collected by the same technique should be compared.     

Where Russian Online Nationalists Go When Their Communities are Banned: A Case Study of Russian Nationalism

Abstract

This article presents the results of a case study of the online community Russian Nationalism, one of the most popular Russian nationalists’ online communities on VKontakte in 2012–2016. The article aims to find out where network leaders and common members of nationalist online groups closed on the Russian Internet go and in which thematic communities they continue their activity. Russian Nationalism members’ personal profiles and friendly links on VKontakte were used as data sources. The metrics of social network analysis were used to study Russian Nationalism’s network structure. The study showed that the ban of a massive extreme right nationalist online group leads to an increase in the number of smaller shelter groups that retain their ideological basis, but abandon the clearly expressed hate speech; members of a banned nationalist group flow to groups whose content is both close (militaristic, cultural, and historical) and far (everyday) to the extreme right. The content of the latter can transform in line with the nationalist ideology. The case study of Russian Nationalism shows a high potential for diffusion of extreme right nationalist ideas in the Russian network space, which manifests in their ability to penetrate other thematic and ideological areas of public discourse.     

Longitudinal Associations between Internalizing Symptoms,Dispositional Mindfulness,Rumination and Impulsivity in Adolescents

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Mindfulness has been associated with fewer negative mental health symptoms during adolescence, but fewer studies have examined longitudinal associations between...     

Electoral Realignment and Economic Change Among Brazil's “New Middle Classes”

Luiz Dulci, Um salto para o futuro. Como o governo Lula colocou o Brasil na rota do desenvolvimento [A jump to the future: how the Lula government has put Brazil on the route of development]. São Paulo: Fundação Perseu Abramo, 2013. 123 pp.; paperback R$25. Marcelo Neri, A nova classe média: O lado brilhante da base da pirâmide [The new middle class: the shining side of the base of the pyramid]. Rio de Janeiro: Saraiva, 2011. Abbreviations, figures, tables, graphics, bibliography, 280 pp.; paperback R$40. Marcio Pochmann, Nova classe média? O trabalho na base da pirâmide social brasileira [New middle class? The work at the base of the Brazilian social pyramid]. São Paulo: Boitempo, 2012. Bibliography, 128 pp.; paperback R$36. André V. Singer, Os sentidos do lulismo. Reforma gradual e pacto conservador [The senses of Lulismo: gradual reform and conservative pact]. São Paulo: Cia. das Letras, 2012. Tables, notes, bibliography, index, 280 pp.; paperback R$31.     

Drugs Around the Corner: Domestic Drug Markets and Violence in Colombia and Mexico

Over the past decade, drug consumption has increased in Colombia and Mexico, countries traditionally concerned with drug production and trafficking. Governments and observers have associated this growth with spikes in violence. Drawing on drug consumption surveys and fieldwork in four cities, this study argues that contrary to this perception, there is no automatic connection between domestic drug markets and violence. Violence depends on whether large drug‐trafficking organizations (DTOs) control low‐level street dealers and on whether those DTOs have a market monopoly at the local level. When dealers are independent, violence might be sporadic, but when DTOs control dealers, violence can explode (given competition between DTOs) or implode (if one organization holds a monopoly). Control over dealers provides DTOs not only income but also informants and armed muscle. This article also shows that domestic drug markets are not new, and have grown incrementally in the past two decades.