Manners of Killing and Rituals in Apulian Mafia Murders*

Abstract: The Apulian (South of Italy) territory saw the birth of a criminal organization called Sacra Corona Unita (SCU, United Holy Crown) which transformed the rules of traditional mafia organizations. This work examined 83 victims of the SCU between 1980 and 2000. The bodies were mainly of SCU members and in some cases, of police and law enforcement officers and other citizens caught in the crossfire. Some of these were discovered; thanks to the collaboration of “repented” SCU members who became police informers. The condition of the bodies varied in relation to the date and manner of killing. In some cases anthropometric research methods were necessary. In 73% of the cases, lesions of the head were the only marks left on the body. In conclusion, the existence of some social aspects connected with the symbolisms and membership rites that characterized the origin, evolution, and decline of the SCU is stressed.     

Introduction to Special Section: Quantitative Approaches to the Measurement and Analysis of Female Empowerment and Agency

This special issue presents four novel applications of quantitative methods to address measurement and analytical issues in the appraisal of female empowerment and agency. The methods presented comprise mixed methods, dominance analysis and structural equation models. The use of these methods is illustrated with empirical applications in Cambodia, India, Mali, and Turkey.     

France in ten slices: An analysis of aggregate data

Many causal relationships cannot be detected by national averages, whether based on regression analysis of aggregate data or on survey data, because the local social context explains an important part of the variance. An analysis by deciles of aggregate data shows the great territorial diversity of social contexts in France. The unit of analysis is the French canton. The 2,450 cantons are distributed by deciles of such variables as religious practice, social structure, and vote. In the second part, six extreme deciles are analysed: the most leftist part of France, the most rightist, the most industrialized, the most agricultural, the most devout, and the most irreligious. For a country with such a territorial diversity, generating a polymorphism of parties, the national averages based on aggregate data or on survey data are largely fallacious, particularly those concerning the causal relationships. Slicing in deciles is the most efficient method for analysing aggregate data     

The effects of university-level policies on women’s participation in academic patenting in Italy

The Journal of Technology Transfer - A growing stream of the academic literature has investigated the factors that hamper the participation of women researchers in patenting and commercialization...     

Political support and tax reforms with an application to Italy

In 2001 the Italian government introduced a personal income tax reform to be implemented in successive phases. In 2004 taxes were reduced to all income levels with higher gains for low-income and high-income individuals than for middle-income ones. A large debate arised. This paper explores the political economy reasons under this tax reform, mainly the attempt of the government to attract the uncertain voters (swing voters). A probabilistic voting model is introduced to capture the importance of swing voters. The model predicts that the average personal income tax rate tends to be lower for groups of lower income, higher preference for leisure and containing more politically mobile voters (swing voters). However, data from Italian polls show that, while the tax reform was a good strategy to attract swing voters, the specific design of the reform, which favored high-income and low-income individuals, but not the middle class, was not the more appropriate strategy.     

Frequency assessment of SNPs for forensic identification in different populations

Allele frequencies for 16 previously described autosomal SNPs were tested in 1020 unrelated individuals originating from three different continents (Africa, Asia and Europe). The populations analyzed included Africans from Benin Gulf (180), Asians from Mongolia (160) and Europeans from Italy (680).     

X‐ray Powder Diffraction for Characterization of Raw Materials in Banknotes

We report about the X‐ray powder diffraction characterization of crystalline materials used to produce genuine and counterfeit banknotes, performed with a single‐crystal diffractometer that permits fast and nondestructive measurements in different 0.5‐mm sized areas; 20‐euro denomination genuine banknotes were analyzed, and results were compared with counterfeit banknotes. The analysis shows that the papers used to print real banknotes are composed, as expected, of cotton‐based cellulose and titanium dioxide as crystalline additive, but different polymorphs of TiO₂ for different emission countries are evidenced. The counterfeit banknotes are composed of cellulose based on wood pulp; moreover, an unexpected significant quantity of TiO₂ was found to be mixed with calcite, indicating that the paper employed by forgers is not simply a common low‐cost type. The crystalline index and intensity ratios between the peaks attributable to cellulose and fillers can provide additional information to trace back paper suppliers for forensic purposes.     

Commons as possessions: The path to protection of the commons in the ECHR system

The ‘commons’ is not mentioned in the texts of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (P‐1). This essay argues that ‘possessions’ — which does appear in the latter — should be interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to protect commons against national governments' undue interferences. The argument comprises two parts. First, we analyse the polysemic term ‘possessions’ to show how the current understanding of this category is marred by flawed assumptions and by false dichotomies. Then, we propose an ‘ecological’ construction of legal relationships between subjects and objects. We find support in the ECtHR case law on Article 8. We argue this approach should be extended to Article 1 P‐1: once disentangled from possessive individualism and market paradigms, ‘possessions’ encompass the commons and the category offers a solid legal basis toward the justiciability in Strasbourg of privatisations.