An Expanding Culture of Control? The Municipal Administrative Sanctions Act in Belgium

This article provides an in-depth study of the Act on Municipal Administrative Sanctions 1999 (MAS), which is the first major piece of legislation regulating antisocial behaviour in Belgium. MAS provides municipalities with an instrument to sanction antisocial behaviour and conduct perceived to disturb public order. The article uses Garland’s (2001) thesis on the culture of control to analyse whether MAS has led to increased government control and the exclusion of significant groups of the population. The research is based on a multiple case study in which the application of MAS was analysed over a 25-year period of security policies in Belgium (1985–2010). The Act’s implementation was studied in the two Belgian cities of Antwerp and Liège in order to consider the influence of the Flemish government and the Walloon government, respectively, in this policy area. The article uses insights from this comparison to revisit the culture of control thesis and its limitations in understanding the political competition that exists over the formulation of policies on antisocial behaviour.     

Intellectual and developmental disabilities and Ontario’s forensic inpatient system: a population-based cohort study

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in forensic inpatient beds are both complex and understudied. Previous studies have been limited and largely based on smaller clinical samples. We used data from a population-based cohort of Ontario adults with IDD (H-CARDD cohort, n?=?66,000) to describe their prevalence in forensic inpatient beds during 2005–2015 and compare their demographic and clinical profiles with non-IDD forensic patients. Results show that forensic patients with IDD and without IDD have similar profiles, with the exception that patients with IDD are more likely to have a psychiatric disorder and to be younger, rural, and have high or very high morbidity. Strong support was found for disproportionate admission: individuals with IDD are 12.2% of forensic inpatients but only 0.8% of the general population (d?=?1.57). Support for disproportionate utilization was less dramatic and mixed. Little difference was found in terms of the per cent of longer-stay (treatment) admissions or multiple forensic admissions; however, patients with IDD did have longer number of bed days over 10 years (averaging 220.6 days more, d?=?0.28). A better understanding of the barriers to discharge for individuals with IDD will support implementation of appropriate pathways out of the hospital.     

Agricultural land management and flood risks Interrelations

Recent extreme weather events have resulted in an ongoing discussion on the issues of land use and compensation payments within Austrian agriculture. Building on a functional evaluation system for agricultural lands, the national project ＂agriculture and flooding＂ has as its goal to classify the flood-protection contribution and flood sensitivity of agricultural lands. This, in turn, enables the recommendation of targeted measures for potentially improving flood situations, as well as an estimate of their implementation costs. In addition to the digital soil map, other fundamental sources used for the project are the digital flood risk map, IACS （integrated administration and control system of agricultural subsidies） land-use data and soil properties. The results will contribute to an understanding of the multifunctionality of agricultural lands and the setting of priorities on a regional scale regarding packaged flood-prevention and damage-minimization.     

Political Control and Public Sector Savings: Evidence from the States

The right to access (and ultimately spend)public sector savings is determined by the party which can control the politicaloutcome. This implies that anticipatedfuture changes in the state's controllingpolitical party may systematicallyadversely affect current savings. Extendingthe Life Cycle/Permanent Income model, Ishow that a representative legislator willopt to forgo current saving in favor ofspending when his prospects for futurepolitical control diminish. Estimating apanel data model of 39 states from1973–1995, I find that an actual futurechange in the controlling party of astate's lower house significantly reducescurrent saving.     

The toxicological challenges in the European research project DRUID

Within the epidemiological studies of the integrated European research project DRUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, alcohol and medicines), 13 laboratories from across Europe will analyse whole blood, oral fluid (OF) or urine from the general driving population and injured drivers. To ensure the comparability of toxicological results from the different studies, the collection of samples, analytical methods, target analytes and analytical cut-offs have been standardized for all laboratories involved.Target analytes were selected based on suspected impairing effects and prevalence. Twenty-three drugs are included in the ‘core list’ for which analysis is mandatory: ethanol, amphetamine, MDMA, MDA, MDEA, methamphetamine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, THC, THC-COOH, 6-acetylmorphine, diazepam, flunitrazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, oxazepam, nordiazepam, zolpidem, zopiclone, lorazepam, morphine, codeine and methadone. Additionally, 28 other drugs will be analysed in 1–12 countries.All whole blood samples are collected in glass Vacutainer-type tubes containing sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate. Based on a comparative study of 10 collection devices, it was decided to collect oral fluid using the Statsure™ device. Since only a small sample volume is available (5–10 mL blood and 1 mL oral fluid), all laboratories have to develop methods for simultaneous detection of the target analytes. All laboratories agreed to use either LC–MS–MS or GC–MS in SIM-mode. Proficiency testing for both blood and oral fluid are organized.Analytical cut-offs were established for the core list based on those used in ROSITA-2, SAMHSA cut-off values for oral fluid and recommendations from an expert meeting in Talloires.Because of practical and legal considerations, different sample types are used: whole blood, serum/plasma and oral fluid. Literature on correlation between analyte concentrations in these body fluids is limited, which makes several comparisons of study results difficult: (1) comparison of epidemiological (blood, oral fluid and urine) and experimental studies (serum and plasma) performed in DRUID and (2) comparisons within the epidemiological studies themselves (most countries: oral fluid in road-side survey, blood in hospital studies).A combination of literature findings, new findings from DRUID and semi-quantitative results will likely have to be used to solve these problems.     

The party politics of legislative‒executive relations in security and defence policy

Abstract

The move from territorial defence to ‘wars of choice’ has influenced the domestic politics of military interventions. This paper examines the extent to which both the substance and the procedure of military interventions are contested among political parties. Regarding the substance, our analysis of Chapel Hill Expert Survey data demonstrates that across European states political parties on the right are more supportive of military missions than those on the left. On the decision-making procedures, our case studies of Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom show that political parties on the left tend to favour strong parliamentary control whereas those on the right tend to prefer an unconstrained executive, although with differences across countries. These findings challenge the view that ‘politics stops at the water’s edge’ and contribute to a better understanding of how political parties and parliaments influence military interventions.     

Finding social dilemma: West of Babel, not east of Eden

This paper refracts Gordon Tullock’s The Social Dilemma onto a framework of spontaneous order theorizing, and finds the refraction to work well. The Social Dilemma reveals Gordon Tullock to be a theorist whose conceptualizations are anchored in a societal setting represented better by networks than by fields, and where societal outcomes emerge out of local networked interaction. The theoretical orientation of The Social Dilemma is redolent with spontaneous order themes, including his adoption of a field of vision that looks for social order west of Babel and not east of Eden. The paper also makes some secondary effort to compare The Social Dilemma with James Buchanan’s The Limits of Liberty.     

E-victimization and e-predation theory as the dominant aggressive communication: the case of cyber bullying

ABSTRACT

The paper will focus on the identification of several key criteria in e-discourses via the constitution of e-images of the Anonymous arising from e-medias (Facebook, twitter, Snapchat, WeChat, etc.) with a specific focus on youngsters and their (ab)uses of these communication channels to facilitate digital predation, and so to lead to e-victimization. I will explain the specifics of e-victimization discourse taking into consideration its triadic dimension. I will then be able to conceptualize a dominant e-communication and the e-victimization theory around central ideas of dynamics of violence, gender discrimination and power abuse leading to a semio-sphere with a deep focus on anonymity, exposure, frequency, and insecurity as indicators of collective e-delinquency and proneness to e-victimization.