A note on the status of discretion in police research

“Discretion” holds an unrivaled position at the core of the notional inventory employed in the study of criminal justice generally and policing particularly. Efforts to systematically define the term have been irregular and its status in the empirical literature is an ambiguous one. While spoken of as a quantitative aspect of the policing which influences behavior, measurement is rarely addressed. After sketching problems in present formulations, discretion is recast in terms of perceived job autonomy and an outline of two general constructs is contributed in hopes of renewing consideration of the potential relevance of the concept for police theory and research.     

Law enforcement information sharing: A Florida case study

Many attempts have been made over the last several decades to improve communication among law enforcement agencies. This article is a case study of a “low-level” data sharing project in Florida that could serve as a national model. The Florida Law Enforcement Data Sharing Consortium is a partnership between the University of Central Florida and more than one hundred law enforcement agencies. It offers an inexpensive, yet technically advanced alternative to the proprietary data sharing model. Its distributed architecture was endorsed by the Markle Foundation, the 9/11 Commission, and the 2004 National Security Act. Civil liberties concerns raised by this and other types of data sharing projects are discussed.     

A mesolevel comparative approach to maxi and mini strategies of public enterprise reform

Large-scale privatization is an unfamiliar area of public policy. The practice and study of property reforms and privatization needs to include mesolvel phenomena such as laws, regulations, institutions and standard operating procedures. There has been little comparative analysis of privatization programs around the world. The author argues that analysts should compare the most immediately relevant institutional environment of the enterprise. Conceptually, this mesolevel system is situated between the firm and the macroeconomy. This system of action is especially fruitful for cross-national comparisons of privatization programs because it is at this level that privatization strategies are designed. The problem for Eastern Europe and for less-developed countries is lack of experience with the relatively light economic regulation that characterizes industrial countries. Government leaders must also decide how much effort to devote to privatization of state-owned enterprises and how much to fostering private sector investment in new firms. Ernest J. Wilson, III is affiliated with the National Security Council, Washington, D.C.     

Political Institutions and Economic Performance: The Effects of Accountability and Obstacles to Policy Change

Numerous analyses have been conducted on how political institutions affect economic performance. In recent years the emphasis has been on a causal logic that emphasizes institutional obstacles to policy change, such as those presented by multiple veto points. This has especially been the case when it comes to the important question of how political institutions influence governments' responses to exogenous economic shocks. We make the case for a substantial broadening of focus and show that when it comes to a major type of exogenous shock, a forced exchange-rate devaluation, variations in the breadth of accountability of the chief executive are more robustly associated with the post-shock growth recovery than variations in obstacles to policy change. We first argue that the size of the winning coalition will be positively associated with growth recoveries following forced devaluations. We then use a newly developed measure of the size of the winning coalition to test our claim. Our statistical analysis is based on a study of the responses of 44 countries to forced exchange-rate devaluations in the late 1990s.     

‘I Wasn’t Really Bonded with My Family’: Attachment,Loss and Violence among Adolescent Female Offenders

This study analyzes the role of trauma and disrupted attachments in the development of adolescent girls’ violent behavior. A grounded theory approach was applied to the narratives of 24 young women (age 13–16 years old) who were adjudicated and remanded to custody for an assault or robbery. Three types of loss were inductively derived from the data (death of a loved one, physical absence, and psychological unavailability) as were two categories of violence (in the home and in the community). Findings suggest that extensive losses and violent experiences disrupted the young women’s attachment to their caregivers, and these experiences were disregarded or inadequately addressed. Detachment and the absence of supportive others left the young women poised to engage in a variety of maladaptive behaviors including violence. Theoretical and programmatic implications are discussed.     

Building brands through alternative brand contact communications

Abstract

For many customers and consumers, the brand ‘is the product’. Managers and marketing specialists therefore consider branding as a key strategic tool used to create awareness, reputation and build the organisation's image. The brand image results from contacts that stem from both the marketing and communications domains. To develop a synergistic brand identity all levels of consumer interaction or contact with the brand must be addressed and not only those delivered through planned marketing communications efforts. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the theory underlying the perceived nature and role of alternative brand communication contacts, within the context of the outside-in integrated brand contact approach in the South African marketing and communications industry. Certain propositions will be formulated to serve as stimuli that can be used to critically assess the inclusion of alternative brand communications techniques as an extra function of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). Suggestions for future research will be offered.

Vir baie verbruikers en kliënte is die handelsmerk die ‘produk’. Bestuurders en spesialiste in bemarking beskou die handelsmerk dus as 'n kern strategiese wapen wat aangewend word om bewuswording en reputasie te bou en die organisasie se beeld te vestig. Die handelsmerkbeeld het sy oorsprong in kontak wat uit beide die bemarkings- en kommunikasiedomeine voortvloei. Die ontwikkeling van die handelsmerkidentiteit op 'n sinergistiese wyse vereis dat alle vlakke van kontak en interaksie met die handelsmerk aangespreek word. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om 'n oorsig te gee van die teorie wat die aard en rol van alternatiewe handelsmerk kommunikasie-kontakte, in die konteks van die uitwaartse-in, geïntegreerde handelsmerk kommunikasie in die Suid Afrikaanse bemarkings- en kommunikasie-industrie, onderlê.