Conceptualizing and Measuring Collaborative Networks

Walter J.M. Kickert, Erik-Hans Klijn, and Joop F. M. Koppenjan, eds., Managing Complex Networks: Strategies for the Public Sector (London: Sage Publications, 1997). 206pp., $41.95 paper, ISBN: 0-7619-5548-8.
Myrna P. Mandell, ed., Getting Results through Collaboration: Networks and Network Structures for Public Policy and Management (Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 2001). 275 pp., $89.95 hard, ISBN: 1-56720-455-4.
Robert Agranoff, and Michael McGuire, Collaborative Public Management: New Strategies for Local Governments (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003). 219 pp., $26.95 paper, ISBN: 1-58901-018-3.     

Development of the supernormality scale-revised and its relationship with psychopathy

Abstract:  The current research addresses the psychometric and diagnostic qualities of the Supernormality Scale-Revised (SS-R), a self-report measurement. Supernormality is defined as the tendency to systematically deny the presence of common symptoms (e.g., intrusive thoughts). In study 1, the SS-R was administered to forensic patients ( n  = 63), psychiatric patients ( n  = 26), honestly responding students ( n  = 26), and students instructed to fake supernormality ( n  = 20). Findings indicated good test–retest stability, and adequate internal consistency. Furthermore, the SS-R showed overall good predictive and convergent validity. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy was excellent (sensitivity and specificity being 0.80 and 0.92, respectively). In study 2, 115 (healthy) controls and 32 forensic patients completed the SS-R and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) ( J Pers Assess 1996; 66 :488), an instrument measuring psychopathy. Results showed again that the SS-R is a reliable and valid instrument. However, supernormality was not related to psychopathy as measured by the PPI.     

The Use of Liquid Latex for Soot Removal from Fire Scenes and Attempted Fingerprint Development with Ninhydrin*

Abstract: Throughout the United States, clearance rates for arson cases remain low due to fire’s destructive nature, subsequent suppression, and a misconception by investigators that no forensic evidence remains. Recent research shows that fire scenes can yield fingerprints if soot layers are removed prior to using available fingerprinting processes. An experiment applying liquid latex to sooted surfaces was conducted to assess its potential to remove soot and yield fingerprints after the dried latex was peeled. Latent fingerprints were applied to glass and drywall surfaces, sooted in a controlled burn, and cooled. Liquid latex was sprayed on, dried, and peeled. Results yielded usable prints within the soot prior to removal techniques, but no further fingerprint enhancement was noted with Ninhydrin. Field studies using liquid latex will be continued by the (US) Virginia Fire Marshal Academy but it appears that liquid latex application is a suitable soot removal method for forensic applications.     

Europeans and their money: Explaining public support for the common European currency

Abstract. Using public opinion surveys conducted in the member states of the European Union, this paper seeks to provide a systematic understanding of public support for the EMU project and European–level monetary policy authority. We develop models of support for EU monetary policy that incorporate a utilitarian component and elements of multilevel governance that is emerging within the EU. These models are tested at the aggregate level of survey respondents. The results show that variations in attitudes to the common currency are driven by collectively–based considerations of the costs and benefits associated with the common currency project as well as the interaction of European–level politics and the domestic politics of the member states.     

Two further comments on Durkheim's Le Suicide

It appears that the publications of Goldney and Schioldann (2000, 2001a,b, 2002) touched a chord, namely, the quality of the basic literature of contemporary suicidology and the usage of certain words and concepts. This paper adds two comments to this discussion. The first comment focuses on the usage of "altruistic," "egoistic," and "anomic" suicide. The second is a comment on the reception of Le Suicide.     

Discursive Ethics as Constitutional Theory. Neglecting the Creative Role of Economic Liberties?

Habermas' discourse theory stresses the autonomy of public deliberation transcending the spontaneous emergence of private networks of legal relationships between individuals. Only the public discourse which is detached from the inertia of overlapping practical forms of coordination can refer to the ideally designed social work of legitimated interpersonal relationships. The democratic constitution is regarded as a legal institutionalization of the priority of the public forum of discourse. Conceptions related to classical liberalism would question the cognitive potential of public deliberation, and even deny its productivity as a normative frame of reference for (post‐)modern societies which are confronted with the challenge of uncertainty and the continuous process of self‐transformation.     

The Interdependence of U.S. Troop Deployments and Trade in the Developing World

The relationship between political conflict and trade has contributed to a riveting discussion in international relations about whether trade produces conflict, or whether conflict itself reduces trade. Most studies proxy "the flag" using militarized interstate disputes (MIDs). However, extensions of "the flag" might well obtain in environments short of MIDs. A more general way to proxy the flag is troop deployments. The deployment of military troops is an essential element of foreign policy. Using panel data for 126 developing countries from 1965 to 2002 and a two-stage least square approach, this essay investigates the relationship between trade and United States troop deployments. We find that trade and troops have a nonrecursive relationship: trade follows the flag and troops follow trade. Given the increased insecurity in the world today, the results are timely and reinforce previous research about the reciprocal relationship between the flag and trade.     

Building Social Cohesion Through Intergroup Contact: Evaluation of a Large-Scale Intervention to Improve Intergroup Relations Among Adolescents

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Past research has found intergroup contact to be a promising intervention to reduce prejudice and has identified adolescence as the developmental period during...