Analyzing the Psychological and Social Contents of Evidence—Experimental Comparison between Guessing,Naturalistic Observation,and Systematic Analysis

To improve inferences about psychological and social evidence contained in pictures and texts, a five‐step algorithm—Systematic Analysis (SA)—was devised. It combines basic principles of interpretation in forensic science, providing a comprehensive record of signs of evidence. Criminal justice professionals evaluated the usefulness of SA. Effects of applying SA were tested experimentally with 41 subjects, compared to 39 subjects observing naturally (naturalistic observation) and 47 subjects guessing intuitively intuitive guessing group. After being trained in SA, prosecutors and police detectives (N = 217) attributed it a good usefulness for criminal investigation. Subjects (graduate students) using SA found significantly more details about four test cases than those observing naturally (Cohen's d = 0.58). Subjects who learned SA well abducted significantly better hypotheses than those who observed naturally or who guessed intuitively. Internal validity of SA was α = 0.74. Applying SA improved observation significantly and reduced confirmation bias.     

The Influence of Aid Changes on African Election Outcomes

Many African democracies experience highly variable aid flows. This article examines the influence of aid changes on presidential incumbent advantage in Africa. Aid changes influence the odds of incumbents winning reelection, with aid increases helping incumbents, but this effect is only present when the aid change occurs in the year before an election. Aid changes in earlier or later time periods have no influence. Case studies of elections in Ghana and Malawi reveal causal mechanisms linking aid changes to incumbent advantage and support the finding that aid changes have a limited window of influence.     

Breaking the Mould? Roy Jenkins’ ‘Radical Centre’ and British Social Democracy in the ‘New Hard Times’

Social democratic politics in Britain requires compelling answers to three animating questions that Roy Jenkins posed in his landmark 1979 Dimbleby lecture. Firstly, how can the British system of democracy be reformed to develop a culture of political participation and pluralism that leads to more equitable economic and social policies? Secondly, how can the centre‐left and left unite to forestall long periods of Tory dominance in electoral politics, thereby avoiding calamities such as the 2016 referendum on EU membership? And, thirdly, how can a flourishing intellectual ecosystem be cultivated on the progressive left that generates radical ideas for economic and social reform, recognising the importance of concerted dialogue between political traditions? This article revisits Jenkins’ 1979 lecture by considering the prospects for ‘breaking the mould’ of British politics in the ‘new hard times’ of Brexit and ‘permanent austerity’.     

Strange bedfellows: Federal systems and performance management

This paper offers the first link between models of the measurement and management of performance and the dimensions of governance arrangements in federal systems. Four ideal type approaches to governance in federal systems are correlated against four ideal types of measuring and managing performance. The paper develops a model that will support empirical research examining reform trajectories where evolving systems of federalism require evolving systems to manage performance in joint arrangements between levels of government.     

Is Turkey the ‘Continuing’ State of the Ottoman Empire Under International Law?

Netherlands International Law Review - This paper examines whether Turkey should be considered under international law as the ‘continuing’ state of the Ottoman Empire or whether it...     

The evolution of federalism studies in Canada: From centre to periphery

Abstract: Over the past decade, there have been a number of studies that seek to evaluate the state of federalism studies in Canada. The general conclusion seems to be that, while federalism continues to be an important part of the scholarly literature, there is a decline in the study of the traditional areas of federalism, a small number of federalism studies come from scholars in Quebec, and a relatively small number of studies are by female scholars. However, these analyses are based on a single, somewhat limited source of data, the reflections of a single scholar, or a review of a small number of Canadian scholarly journals. In this article, the authors combine a large quantitative assessment of relevant publications dealing with Canadian federalism with a brief qualitative assessment of the state of the federal studies from researchers active in the field. Their research supports some of the earlier conclusions but also suggests that, in recent years, federalism is, very often, a contextual or explanatory factor not the principal object of study. Moreover, there are potentially two Canadian scholarly traditions on federalism, one written in French and the other in English, with far too little engagement between them. Sommaire: Au cours de la dernière décennie, un certain nombre d'études ont tenté d'évaluer l'état de la recherche sur le fédéralisme au Canada. La conclusion générale semble être que, même si le fédéralisme garde un place importante dans les publications savantes au Canada, on note une baisse dans la recherche portant sur les domaines traditionnels du fédéralisme, une faible proportion d'études sur le sujet étant réalisées par des universitaires au Québec, et un nombre relativement faible d'études étant entreprises par des femmes universitaires. Cependant, ces analyses reposent sur une seule source de données, quelque peu limitée, les réflexions d'un seul universitaire, ou sur un examen d'un petit nombre de revues savantes canadiennes. Dans le présent article, les auteurs combinent une importante évaluation quantitative de publications pertinentes portant sur le fédéralisme canadien avec une brève évaluation qualitative de la nature des études sur le fédéralisme entreprises par des chercheurs actifs dans le domaine. Leur recherche appuie certaines des conclusions antérieures mais laisse également entendre que, ces dernières années, le fédéralisme est très souvent un facteur contextuel ou explicatif plutôt que le principal sujet mis à l'étude. De plus, il pourrait fort y avoir deux traditions canadiennes de recherche sur le fédéralisme, une écrite en français et l'autre en anglais, et trop peu de relation entre elles.     

Urban Governance And Policy Networks: On The Urban Political Boundedness of Policy Networks. A French Case Study

The paper analyses the changes within two policy domains in one French city. The aim is not so much to demonstrate the role of policy networks but to stress the importance of their articulation within a given political space. The paper does not conclude on the emergence of a new type of network governance but rather shows how urban political élites have deliberately encouraged the formation of policy net-works in Rennes. That strategy makes sense in their attempt to strengthen an urban collective actor. Policy networks therefore should not be analysed autonomously as their impact is largely shaped by the interest and collective goals of the existing regime of governance in Rennes.