The crisis of European socialism: Searching for a (really) big idea

After the Fall: The Failure of Communism and the Future of Socialism. Edited by Robin Blackburn. London: Verso, 1991. Pp. xvi + 327. £39.95 (hardback); £11.95 (paperback). ISBN 0–360 320–1 and 540–9. (Henceforth, Fall).

Social Democracy in Transition: Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe. Edited by L. Karvonen and J. Sundberg. Aldershot: Dartmouth, 1991. Pp. ix + 321. £35 (hardback) ISBN 1–85521–1114. (Henceforth, Transition).

The Left Unraveled: Social Democracy and the New Left Challenge in Britain and West Germany. By Thomas A. Koelble. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1991. Pp. xii + 162. $34.95 (hardback) ISBN 0–8223–1108–9. (Henceforth, Unraveled).

The Crisis of Socialism in Europe. Edited by Christiane Lemke and Gary Marks. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1992. Pp. x + 253. £37.95 (hardback); £12.50 (paperback) ISBN 0–8223–1180–1 and 1197–6. (Henceforth, Crisis).

Socialist Parties in Europe. By José Maravall et al. Barcelona: ICPS (Institut de Ciències Politiques i Socials), 1991. Pp. 222. NP, ISBN 84–7794–172–6.(Henceforth, Parties).

A History of Social Democracy in Postwar Europe. By Stephen Padgett and William E. Paterson. London and New York: Longman, 1991. Pp. xii 4 + 290. £24 (hardback); £9.99 (paperback) ISBN 0–582–49173–8 and 49174–6. (Henceforth, History).

Is Socialism Doomed? The Meaning of Mitterrand. By Daniel Singer. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Pp. 295. £19.50 (hardback). ISBN 0–195–04925 x. (Henceforth, Doomed).

Moscow and the Global Left in the Gorbachev Era. Edited by Joan Barth URBAN. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1992. Pp. xii + 204. $32.95 (hardback); $14.25 (paperback). ISBN 0–8014–2726–6 and 8008–6. (Henceforth, Moscow).     

Enhancing the cognitive interview with an alternative procedure to witness-compatible questioning: category clustering recall

The Cognitive Interview (CI) is one of the most widely studied and used methods to interview witnesses. However, new component techniques for further increasing correct recall are still crucial. We focused on how a new and simpler interview strategy, Category Clustering Recall (CCR), could increase recall in comparison with witness-compatible questioning and tested if a Revised Cognitive Interview (RCI) with CCR instead of witness-compatible questioning and without the change order and change perspective mnemonics would be effective for this purpose. Participants watched a mock robbery video and were interviewed 48 hours later with either the CI or the RCI. Recalled information was classified as either correct, incorrect or confabulation. Although exclusion of the change order and change perspective mnemonics in the RCI group might have caused a slight decrease in recall during the last interview phases, the RCI group generally produced more correct information than the CI group, with a lower number of confabulations. Further analyses revealed CCR was largely responsible for this increase in correct recall. CCR is a very promising interview technique which allowed the interviewer to obtain more detailed information without additional questions and may have, in certain situations, several practical advantages over a questioning phase.     

Developing a scale to measure the presence of possible prejudicial stereotyping in police interviews with suspects: The Minhas Investigative Interviewing Prejudicial Stereotyping Scale (MIIPSS)

If police interviewers’ hold negative feelings towards certain groups, this may affect how they interview them (either as victims, witnesses or suspects) in that they may not obtain reliable accounts, being the aim of such interviews. The Minhas Investigative Interviewing Prejudicial Stereotyping Scale (MIIPSS) has been developed to assess the level of any investigative interviewers’ prejudicial stereotyping towards suspects. The current exploratory study involved semi-structured interviews with twenty people, who had previously been interviewed as suspects in England and also eight very experienced lawyers. Both their views were measured using the MIIPSS before being subjected to a Guttman analysis. Statistical analyses showed that MIIPSS satisfies the criteria for classification as a valid unidimensional and cumulative scale. Therefore, researchers could use MIIPSS as a tool to measure prejudicial stereotyping in investigative interviews. Interviewers could also use MIIPSS to monitor their own attitudes towards certain groups or individuals suspected of different types of crimes.     

Identification of a disinterred grave by molecular and stable isotope analysis

Confirmation of a potential disinterred grave was sought by GC and GC/MS analyses of lipid extracts of whole soils and white particulate matter. Fatty acid profiles and concentrations determined for three of the soils correlated with the deposition of a large amount of exogenous organic matter, most likely adipocere and/or decomposed body fat. Determination of C_16:0 and C_18:0 fatty acid δ¹³C values by GC/C/IRMS revealed the input to be isotopically distinct from common British domesticated animals, plotting closely to values determined for adipose fat obtained from of a murder victim. By considering the difference between δ¹³C values (Δ¹³C_18:0–16:0) a potential isotopic proxy for identifying the source of adipocere (human) and adipose tissue was proposed.     

The relevance of the evolution of experimental studies for the interpretation and evaluation of some trace physical evidence

In order for trace evidence to have a high evidential value, experimental studies which mimic the forensic reality are of fundamental importance. Such primary level experimentation is crucial to establish a coherent body of theory concerning the generation, transfer and persistence of different forms of trace physical evidence. We contend that the forensic context, at whatever scale, will be specific to each individual forensic case and this context in which a crime takes place will influence the properties of trace evidence. It will, therefore, be necessary in many forensic cases to undertake secondary level experimental studies that incorporate specific variables pertinent to a particular case and supplement the established theory presented in the published literature. Such studies enable a better understanding of the specific forensic context and thus allow more accurate collection, analysis and interpretation of the trace physical evidence to be achieved.This paper presents two cases where the findings of secondary level experimental studies undertaken to address specific issues particular to two forensic investigations proved to be important. Specific pre-, syn- and post-forensic event factors were incorporated into the experimental design and proved to be invaluable in the recovery, analysis and in achieving accurate interpretations of both soil evidence from footwear and glass trace evidence from a broken window.These studies demonstrate that a fuller understanding of the specific context within which trace physical evidence is generated and subsequently collected, as well as an understanding of the behaviour of certain forms of trace physical evidence under specific conditions, can add evidentiary weight to the analysis and interpretation of that evidence and thus help a court with greater certainty where resources (time and cost) permit.     

The Effects of Attribution of Responsibility and Work History on Perceptions of Reasonable Accommodations

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers must provide employees with disabilities reasonable accommodations that will enable them to perform job duties, as long as the accommodations do not financially burden the organization. Two studies were conducted to investigate whether disability origin and/or prior work history impermissibly influence the granting of reasonable accommodations under the ADA. In both studies, participants granted more accommodations for employees whose disability was caused by some external factor than for those whose disability was caused by the employee's own behavior. In Study Two, participants also granted more and costlier accommodations for an employee with an excellent work history than for an employee with an average work history. Implications of the use of extralegal factors in accommodation decisions are discussed.     

The role of forensic geoscience in wildlife crime detection

The increase in both automation and precision in the analysis of geological materials has had significant impact upon forensic investigations in the last 10 years. There is however, a fundamental philosophical difference between forensic and geological enquiry. This paper presents the results of forensic geoscientific investigations of three cases of wildlife crime. Two cases involve the analysis of soils recovered after incidents of illegal badger baiting in the United Kingdom. The third case involves the illegal importation of Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae) into the United Kingdom from the Mediterranean. All three cases utilise the analysis of soils by a variety of physical, chemical and biological techniques. These involve mineral and grain size analyses, cation and anion compositions, pH, organic content and pollen analysis. The independent analysis undertaken by specialists in each of these three main fields conclude firstly, that there is a significant similarity between sediments taken at the crime site at both badger setts and with sediments recovered from various spades, shovels and clothing belonging to suspects and secondly, that the soils analysed associated with the removal of the falcon eggs in the Mediterranean contained characteristics similar in many respects to the soils of the breeding areas of F. eleonorae on the cliffs of Mallorca. The use of these independent techniques in wildlife crime detection has great potential given the ubiquitous nature of soils and sediments found in association with wildlife sites.     

In the Eye of the Storm: The Italian Economy and the Eurozone Crisis

Abstract

The eurozone crisis had a more significant and longer-lasting impact on Italy than on virtually any other member state, with the effects still visible a decade after. The extent of the shock was surprising in view of progress Italy had apparently made in the 1990s in terms of enhancing its capacity to meet the demands of European Monetary Union. The explanation for this traumatic economic experience lies in Italy’s deep, long-term, structural tensions which were placed under severe pressure during the 1990s and which were cracked open by the 2011 sovereign debt crisis. These have had long-standing economic effects as well as political ramifications in terms of a significant change in the Italy–EU relationship.     

Reflexiones sobre la dignidad humana en la actualidad

The concept of human dignity has its origin in ancient Greece, but is enriched in meaning and scope throughout the development of human history. From being a concept linked to social position, to express the autonomy and moral capacity of people, making it the undisputed foundation of human rights. Human dignity has special relevance, as an element to confront and develop standards for social transformations caused by scientific and technological development. In this paper we focus on addressing those concerning the beginning of human life and its end.     

Individual differences in interrogative suggestibility: life adversity and field dependence

Since the turn of the century much research has explored the concept of interrogative suggestibility, with recent research highlighting a sizeable link between the reported experience of negative life events (NLEs) and performance on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 1 (GSS1). The present study sought to reinvestigate the previously found novel relationship, as well as explore the role of field dependence as a possible coping mechanism implemented during interview by such vulnerable interviewees. As expected, highly significant correlations between NLEs and the suggestibility components of the GSS emerged. Field dependence, however, failed to correlate significantly with either NLE or GSS scores. Nonetheless, some additional findings relating to age, NLEs, and shift scores on the GSS were noted, which may help further our understanding of the NLE to interrogative suggestibility relationship. A new group of vulnerable interviewees, who are as yet unrecognized by the police or courts, has also been identified.