TIME TRENDS AND AGE TRENDS IN ARRESTS AND SELF-REPORTED ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR*

National estimates of time trends and age trends in self-reported illegal behavior in the United States are compared with corresponding figures for arrests. The self-report data are from Monitoring the Future, an annual national survey of high school seniors. The analysis of time trends covers 1975 through 1985 for a sample of over 3,000 respondents per year, studied at a constant age. The analysis of age trends covers ages 17 through 23 for samples of 300 to 1,200 per year. Both self-report and arrest measures reveal substantial declines in illegal behavior throughout this age span, with the exception of arrests for assault. Both methods also indicate that rates of assault increased from 1975 through 1985, a finding that has not previously been reported. Time trends for other offenses were erratic.     

THE PRACTICE OF CONTRACTING IN PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS: TRANSACTION COSTS AND RELATIONAL CONTRACTING IN THE IRISH SCHOOLS SECTOR

This paper explores the practice of contracting in public private partnerships (PPP). Focusing on the first Irish PPP to provide secondary schools, it draws on perspectives from transaction cost economics and socio‐legal theory. It finds that the ex ante contractual setting was undermined by pushing forward with the PPP before conducting an adequate level of project appraisal. It explores the experiences of key stakeholders in the ex post contracting stage and concludes that the conduct of contracting practice was not characterized by the shift to relational contracting expected under PPP. Whereas this approach to contractual governance did not hinder the development of broadly trusting relations between the client and contractor, this was not manifest in terms of relations between the contractor and schools. A significant degree of conflict was evident in some schools‐contractor relations, something which can be attributed to sources of transaction costs, including incomplete information, bounded rationality and uncertainty.     

The leadership dilemma: Examining the impact of strong leaders on parties

Party leaders are often regarded as crucial to a party's success. Successful leaders tend to be big personalities who dominate their party's organisation, policy development and electoral campaigns. But does that control come with a price? We test to see if such leaders damage their parties in the medium term. This happens because strong leaders might be ceded too much control of the party organisation, policy and electoral strategy. We specifically hypothesise that political parties will go through a period of leadership instability and electoral decline after strong leaders step down. Using a dataset with elections under party leaders in nine countries over a 25-year period, and a qualitative case study, we find some evidence for the theory, which should prompt further research of the question.