INTERNET CONTENT REGULATION: Concerns from a European User Empowerment Perspective about Internet Content Regulation: an Analysis of some recent Statements — Part I

This article, to be published in two parts, explores the debate between the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Centre for Democracy and Technology about regulation on illegal and harmful content on the Internet. The authors intend to analyze the method, interests and limits of the self regulatory model proposed by the European institutions, bearing in mind the users’ empowerment perspective.     

L'imaginaire éthique des répondants du réseau gouvernemental québécois en matière d‘éthique

Sommaire: Existe‐t‐il des dispositifs en éthique gouvernementale qui ne relèvent pas de la logique propre à la déontologie, comme c'est la tendance chez les pays membres de I'ocde? Dans le cadre d'une recherche financée par le secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du gouvernement du Québec, il nous a été possible d'explorer un dispositif appelé« Réseau des répondants en éthique ». À I'analyse des réponses obtenues lors d'une enquête de type terrain, nous avons constaté qu'il y avait concordance entre la définition que les répondants donnaient de l'éthique (conception très majoritairement auto‐régulationniste) et la perception qu'ils avaient du rôle qu'ils devaient jouer. Nous avons aussi fait la démonstration qu'il y a une rupture dans l'imaginaire éthique des répondants par rapport à la tendance hétéro‐régulationniste. Une des causes de ce changement de mentalité proviendrait du fait que les consultants en éthique du Québec ont adopté un modèle de réflexion éthique faisant bien la distinction entre l'éthique et la déontologie. Abstract: Countries of the oecd have established “codes of conduct” for public servants. Do these codes have a determining effect on how ethics are applied? Our research project, funded by the Secretariat du Conseil du Tresor of the Government of Quebec, allowed us to explore what is called the Réseau des répondants en éthique, a network of ethics consultants. When we analysed field survey responses, we found a parallel between the ways the network respondents defined ethics (a primarily self‐regulated conception) and how they perceived the roles they were expected to play. We also found that there is a disjunction between the respondents' perception of ethics and the trend of regulation‐by‐others. One of the causes of this change in mentality would appear to be that Quebec's ethics consultants have adopted an ethical reflection model that distinguishes between ethics and codes of conduct.     

Bridging the ideological space: A cross‐national analysis of the distance of party switching

Scholars have investigated the characteristics of volatile voters ever since the first voter surveys were carried out and they have paid specific attention to the role of political sophistication on vote switching. Nevertheless, the exact nature of this relationship is still unclear. With increasing volatility over the past decades this question has furthermore grown in relevance. Is the growing unpredictability of elections mostly driven by sophisticated voters making well‐considered choices or is the balance of power in the hands of unsophisticated ‘floating voters’? Several scholars have argued that even under conditions of increasing volatility switching is still mostly confined to changes to ideologically close parties. Most researchers, however, have used rather crude measures to investigate this ‘leap’ between parties. To advance research in this field, this article directly models the ideological distance bridged by volatile voters when investigating the link between political sophistication and volatility. This is done using Comparative Study of Electoral systems (CSES) data that encompass a broad sample of recent parliamentary elections worldwide. Results indicate that voters with an intermediate level of political knowledge are most likely to switch overall. When taking into account the ideological distance of party switching, however, the confining impact of political knowledge on the vote choices made is clearly dominant, resulting in a linear decrease of the distance bridged as voters become more knowledgeable.     

An exploratory study of child molesters' relationship patterns using the core conflictual relationship theme method

This study examined the relationship patterns of N = 20 child molesters (CM) using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method. The relationship patterns of the CMs were compared with those of a control group of N = 20 subjects from an out patient counseling service. Results showed that CMs had significantly less wish to be controlled, hurt, and not responsible than the control group. No significant difference was found between both groups for the CCRT response of other component (RO). For the response of self (RS) component, results indicated that CMs reported more relationship episodes in which they felt respected and accepted and self-controlled and self-confident. The authors suggest that these interactions could be indicators of the CMs'attempts to attribute blame to others and present themselves as victims. It is also suggested that CMs may have core issues involving autonomy and control.     

Cathartic effect of suicide attempts not limited to depression: a short-term prospective study after deliberate self-poisoning

The cathartic effect of suicide is traditionally defined as the existence of a rapid, significant, and spontaneous decrease in the depressive symptoms of suicide attempters after the act. This study was designed to investigate short-term variations, following a suicide attempt by self-poisoning, of a number of other variables identified as suicidal risk factors: hopelessness, impulsivity, personality traits, and quality of life. Patients hospitalized less than 24 hours after a deliberate (moderate) overdose were presented with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression and Impulsivity Rating Scales, Hopelessness scale, MMPI and World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire (abbreviated versions). They were also asked to complete the same scales and questionnaires 8 days after discharge. The study involved 39 patients, the average interval between initial and follow-up assessment being 13.5 days. All the scores improved significantly, with the exception of quality of life and three out of the eight personality traits. This finding emphasizes the fact that improvement is not limited to depressive symptoms and enables us to identify the relative importance of each studied variable as a risk factor for attempted suicide. The limitations of the study are discussed as well as in particular the nongeneralizability of the sample and setting.     

Does the ‘Monitorial Citizen’ Exist? An Empirical Investigation into the Occurrence of Postmodern Forms of Citizenship in the Nordic Countries

Various authors have claimed that in contemporary Western societies postmodern concepts of citizenship are becoming more prevalent. A new generation of 'critical citizens' are said to be more critical of the political system and less likely to participate in conventional politics, but they remain strongly interested in politics and social life. Michael Schudson has developed the concept of a 'monitorial citizen', who is interested in politics, has high levels of political efficacy and turns to political action if needed, but stays outside the traditional political organizations. Based on the European Social Survey (2004), this article investigates whether this type of citizenship actually occurs in Scandinavia. While the authors find that this form of citizenship is present in the Nordic countries, the characteristics of this group do not fit the theoretical expectations. In Scandinavia, 'monitorial citizens' do not have exceptionally high education levels and their trust in traditional political institutions remains quite elevated. The authors discuss the reasons why the concept of 'monitorial citizens' does not seem to flourish all that well in the Nordic countries, and what this implies for the theoretical debate about the political consequences of this postmodernization process.     

How important are the cognitive skills of teenagers in predicting subsequent earnings?

How important are teenagers' cognitive skills in predicting subsequent labor market success? Do cognitive skills pay off in the labor market only for students who go to college? Does college benefit only students who enter with strong basic skills? These questions are often parts of current policy debates about how to improve the earnings prospects for young Americans. This paper addresses these questions using two longitudinal data sets with earnings information from the mid‐1980s and early 1990s. It shows that the same evidence can be used to support the claim that cognitive skills are important determinants of subsequent earnings, and that the effect of cognitive skills is modest. It also shows that while some evidence indicates that college pays off more for students who enter with strong cognitive skills than for students who enter with weaker skills, the bulk of the evidence does not support this conclusion. © 2000 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.