INFORMAL CONTROL AND ILLICIT DRUG TRADE*

Antidrug legislation and enforcement are meant to reduce the trade in illegal drugs by increasing their price. Yet the unintended consequence is an increase in informal control—including retaliation, negotiation, avoidance, and toleration—among drug users and dealers. Little existing theory or research has explored the connections between informal control and drug trading. This article uses the rational choice and opportunity perspectives to explore the question: How and why does the frequency and seriousness of popular justice—as a whole or for each form—affect the price and rate of drug sales? The proposed theory is grounded on and illustrated with qualitative data obtained from drug dealers. This article concludes by discussing the scholarly and policy implications.     

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF ADOLESCENT DRINKING AND VIOLENCE IN 30 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES*

Cross‐national variation in the effect of alcohol on adolescent violence is examined with survey data from 30 European countries. The data are analyzed using a method that makes it possible to isolate the nonspurious portion of the alcohol–violence relationship in different countries. In addition, multilevel models are used to estimate the effects of region and contextual measures of adolescent drinking on the alcohol–violence relationship. The evidence suggests that drinking has a strong effect on adolescent violence in the Nordic and Eastern European countries but has little or no effect in the Mediterranean countries. In the Mediterranean countries, where adolescents drink frequently but in moderation, the relationship between alcohol use and violence is almost entirely spurious. Findings suggest that the observed pattern is due to regional differences in the tendency for adolescents and their peers to drink to intoxication, as well as in their tendency to become intoxicated in settings where adult guardianship is absent.     

PROMOTING CIVIC CULTURE BY SUPPORTING CITIZENSHIP: WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAKE?

Scholars and policy‐makers alike argue that government efforts to empower citizens and build cohesive communities are integral to the development of a flourishing civic culture, especially within disadvantaged areas. In this paper, we explore this assumption by analysing the impact of different approaches to supporting citizenship in English urban local authorities on levels of political efficacy and social cohesion. Support for citizenship is modelled using primary data drawn from a large‐scale national survey as well as in‐depth case studies, supplemented with relevant secondary data. The findings suggest that local authorities that seek to promote greater understanding of citizenship and democracy can enhance citizens' perceived influence over local decisions, and that this effect is particularly marked in deprived areas. Citizens experiencing high levels of social harmony tend to reside in areas where councils actively seek to reduce disaffection.     

Superdiversity and the Browning of Labour

Superdiversity across Europe has focused attention on the increasing significance of ethnic minorities to electoral outcomes. We use unique Origins software to analyse a sample of minority voters in the May 2014 European elections; drawing on the work of the Ethnic Minority British Election Study (EMBES), we show that the growth of non‐White minorities will combine with a persistent preference for Labour to produce some unexpected consequences. We also compute the different ethnic penalties suffered by minority Labour and Conservative supporters, and demonstrate their likely trend between now and mid‐century. The analysis shows the increased importance of social and cultural factors in determining political preferences, and illustrates the way in which Big Data‐derived tools such as Origins can be used to produce fresh insights.     

Better the Devil: A Response to Gus O'Donnell's ‘Better Government’

Gus O'Donnell's vision of ‘better government’ is presented as a critique of party politics, most specifically the short‐termism, selfishness and incompetence of elected politicians. There are few people better placed than O'Donnell to form such judgements. However, O'Donnell goes much further, by calling into question the legitimacy of the democratic system which gives rise to party politics. His article outlines several mechanisms by which the exercise of power by elected ministers could be constrained by a managerialist accountability framework, without addressing the question of who determines the appropriate framework for ministerial performance. The House of Commons is condemned as ‘too politicised’. O'Donnell also offers substantial praise for apparently ‘depoliticised’ policy‐making processes, overlooking the inherently political constitution of such processes. In doing so, O'Donnell claims to be challenging party politics on behalf of voters/taxpayers, but instead seeks to dismantle any possibility of the public expressing a collective will via the ballot box that might challenge the immutability of the market economy.     

The Youth Crime Problems in the Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea, ironically known as “the Land of the Morning Calm,” has experienced drastic social changes during the past half century.1 Most experts agree that the catalyst for this change has been the country's remarkably swift modernization and urbanization, as Korean society has shifted away from its past agrarian traditions. What has resulted are major conflicts between its culture's traditional values and new values imported from social structures of the industrialized western nations. These conflicts as they relate to juvenile delinquency are the subject of this article.     

BROKEN HOMES AND MIDDLE-CLASS DELINQUENCY:

This research note presents the results of an empirical study that examines the relationship between broken homes and middle-class delinquents known to the juvenile justice system and compares the findings with a recent study that focused on the relationship between broken juveniles homes and self-reported delinquency. A comparison of the two studies reveals that both studies found little or no relationship between broken homes and middle-class delinquency.     

A Critical Analysis of the Changing Concept of Criminal Responsibility

By critically examining the concept of criminal responsibility we learn how the concept has undergone three major transformations. The changes are illuminated by focusing on structural transformations underlying legal theory and changes in the application of legislation and case law. Attention is also directed to the changing rhetoric of legitimation associated with each transformation.     

CORRECTIONAL POLICY AND PUBLIC VALUES

Since 1960, research on various options in correctional policy has emphasiz ‘two basic dimensions: the offender and the community. Under the assumptions that the community and the offender are not separable concerns and that the community is a complex system with many different and conflicting elements, this study examines public values regarding several popular correctional options. Data obtained demonstrate two normative clusters, one concerned with retribution and one with rehabilitation. Examination of the social status of respondents suggests a complex relationship between community structure and norms concerning correctional programs. Recommendations for further research are outlined, as well as for ways that correctional officials could reduce public resistance to the programs favored by officials.