A decision problem of long-term economic planning

The model described in the present paper has been worked out to approximate a concrete problem of national economic planning. The problem presented itself in the daily practice of the National Planning Board of the Hungarian People's Republic in the course of a planning project carried out with the aim of laying the foundation of the national economy's long-term development.     

A multicriteria model for regional economic planning

Regional economic planning presents a challenge to local government administrators and planners. One of the most difficult aspects of regional planning is the treatment of multiple and sometimes conflicting goals. This paper presents a multicriteria modeling approach for regional planning. More specifically, it presents goal programming models for a typical regional planning problem which involves multiple projects, revenue sources, and priorities for goals.     

Methadone-related deaths in Norway

IntroductionThe use of methadone in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) is potentially associated with a number of adverse effects and the risk of fatal toxicity. Increased methadone availability may lead to an increase in methadone-related deaths. We have investigated methadone-related deaths in Norway over the period 2000–2006.Materials and methodsMethadone-positive samples over the period 2000–2006 were identified from forensic toxicological investigations, and demographic and toxicological data were retrieved. The cases were cross-linked with the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and regional OMT registers.ResultsA total of 312 individuals had died after taking methadone over the period 2000–2006, predominantly men with a mean age of 36. In 85% of cases (n = 264), the deceased had died of a methadone-related intoxication, most often in combination with other drugs, including benzodiazepines, cannabis and other opioids. Only 22% of the deceased had been in OMT at the time of death. A larger proportion of OMT patients had died of causes other than intoxications compared to those not in OMT (30% vs. 8%, respectively), most commonly related to disease.ConclusionsOne methadone-related death occurred, on average, every week over the time period investigated. Only 22% of the deceased were registered in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) programs. The findings underline the need to control diversion of medication from OMT programs.     

挪威民事诉讼程序改革

挪威在过去的十几年里采取了一系列非常广泛的民事诉讼改革措施，既包括制度上的改革也包括民事诉讼程序方面的改革。挪威民事诉讼改革的基本目标与欧洲其他国家进行的民事诉讼改革大体相同，主要是为了满足广大公众不断增加的司法需求，更加有效率地保证司法公正。挪威民事诉讼改革的动因并不是因为公众对法院所发挥的作用存在广泛不满，只是法院意识到自己受制于公众讨论以及期望，并在很大程度上法院比以往更加受到大众传媒的审视，在公共费用支配方面受到越来越严格的要求。     

Political Refugees' Violence in Norway

This paper is an attempt to explain why male refugees committed acts of violence in exile in Norway. Three cases, two homicides and one rape case, are presented together with the men who committed them. It is argued that violence occurs as a consequence of a combination of precipitating factors pertaining to the history and biography of the informants. The historical and biographical factors, such as war, refugee experiences and mental illnesses, work in combination with more immediate contextual factors which pertain to the refugees' subsequent experiences in Norway, such as social isolation, lack of treatment, alcohol abuse and precarious living conditions. The main hypothesis is that violent acts may be committed when somebody has been exposed to an intolerable amount of physical and/or psychic pressure and as a means of regaining control. Furthermore, Bourdieu's concept of habitus is a tool in the analysis of the men's violent acts.     

Post-release Employment and Recidivism in Norway

Objectives

Investigate the transition from prison to employment and the relationship between post-release employment and recidivism.

Methods

We use a sample of every person released from Norwegian prisons in 2003 (N?=?7,476), and they are followed through 2006 with monthly measures. We estimate the time to recidivism using discrete time survival models, conditioning upon both pre-release characteristics and post-release time-varying covariates (employment, educational enrollment and participation in labor market programs).

Results

The majority of former inmates were employed at some point in our data window, but it took approximately 30?months for 30% of them to become employed. The hazard of recidivism is substantially lower (0.12, p?<?.001) when former inmates are employed compared with unemployed, although observable individual characteristics can account for a large share of this association (0.50, p?<?.001, after adjustment). The negative association between employment and recidivism remains when controlling for other post-release statuses. Although post-release employment periods are associated with a lower risk of recidivism for all categories of principal offence, the magnitude of the association varies. The association is smaller for those receiving social benefits.

Conclusion

The findings are consistent with theories suggesting that employment reduces the risk of recidivism.