The Institutional and Psychological Foundations of Natural Resource Policies

Abstract

The pressures of political interests which drive the resource curse are well-understood. But ordinary citizens are usually cast both as the innocent victims of this process, and as the potential solution if only governments could be made more accountable to them. This paper draws upon recent developments in social psychology to discuss the formation of mass opinions on two aspects of resource ownership. One is the spatial assignment of ownership between local and national claims, which has been a significant cause of conflict. The other is the assignment of revenues between current consumption and future investment, which has usually been excessively biased towards the former. I suggest why, in the absence of an active government communications policy to offset them, known psychological biases may interact with resource discoveries to generate mass opinions which contribute to these problems.     

The radical right in Romania: Political party evolution and the distancing of Romania from Europe

Increasingly, European radical right parties have capitalized on citizen dissatisfaction with the European Union institutions. As a new EU member, to what extent have supporters of the radical right in Romania turned away from Europe? I evaluate this question by tracking the evolution of radical right parties in Romania. I find that supporters of the radical right in Romania are generally do not support or do not trust the EU. The Greater Romania Party is well-positioned to expand its electoral base in the foreseeable future if it can widen its appeal to those Romanians who are ambivalent to the EU.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Society’s</Emphasis> Books of Note

Society’s Books of Note

Society’s Books of Note September/October 2010     

Employer Liability for Employee Sexual Harassment: A Judicial Policy-Making Study

Since 1964 and 1972 when Congress passed key legislation concerning sex discrimination, the courts have been left to fashion policies on sexual harassment in employment. In 1998, the Supreme Court issued four major decisions in this area, one dealing with suits against school districts, one involving same-sex discrimination, and two pertaining to the application of common law to employer liability in sexual harassment cases. The ruling in the first case is at odds with the others, suggesting that Congress may need to intervene. The other three pose a series of complex issues that could benefit from congressional action and administrative guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Court's rulings have answered some legal questions, but posed others that will produce extensive litigation in coming years.     

The Examining Magistrate’s Function and Involvement in Investigative Matters

This article gives a brief overview of the division of roles during the investigative stage between Court, Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and Police. It explains the role either an Examining Magistrate or an Investigative Judge plays in Croatia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, presenting his/her functions and involvement in criminal investigation and especially focussing on which actions require his/her approval.     

Job burnout among narcotics investigators: An exploratory study

In exploring the relationship between narcotics investigators and job burnout in the United States, a sample of 115 East San Francisco Bay police officers from five law enforcement departments was drawn. Three subgroups (current narcotics investigators, former narcotics investigators, and patrol officers) were used in the survey. The findings indicate that current narcotics investigators had significantly higher burnout scores than the comparison groups on most dimensions of burnout. Both former narcotics officers and patrol officers had similar burnout scores. Conclusions reached were that: (1) narcotics officers experienced a greater degree of job burnout while in the assignment; (2) this burnout was directly attributed to the working environments of the narcotics officers; and (3) burnout decreased once an officer left the assignment. Administrative and managerial implications for dealing with job burnout are discussed along with suggested techniques for dealing with, and minimizing, job burnout among narcotics officers. Future research issues are identified.