B. Reviews: general

i. An Historical Atlas of Islam. Edited by William C. Brice under the patronage of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, Leiden, E.J.Brill, 1981. pp.viii, 71 (including 70 col.maps). Gld.120.

ii. Development Planning in an Oil Economy and the Role of the Woman: The Case of Kuwait. By S.M.Al‐Sabah. London, Eastlords, 1983. pp.380.

iii. The Role of the Military in Politics; A Case Study of Iraq to 1941. By Mohammad A.Tarbush. London, Kegan Paul International, 1982. pp.xvii, 285, 2 maps. £14.50.

iv. Syria: Modern State in an Ancient Land. By John F. Devlin. Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press/London, Croom Helm, 1983. pp.xi, 140. £12.95.

v. Estudios Árabes: Revista trimestral sobre asuntos palestinos y el conflicto árabe‐israeli. Vol.1, No.1 (March 1982). Buenos Aires. Fundacion Argentino‐Arabe.

vi. Candid Penstrokes: The Lyrics of Me'ali, an Ottoman Poet of the 16th Century. (Islamkundliche Untersuchungen, Band 66.) By Edith Ambros. Berlin, Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 1982. pp.xxii, 520.

vii. Schejch Nureddin Mehmed Cerrahî und sein Orden (1721–1925). (Islamkundliche Untersuchungen, Band 71). Berlin, Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 1982.     

A Decade of Lost Growth: Economic Policy in Spain through the Great Recession

In 2008 the Spanish economy sank into recession, returning to growth in 2014. This paper explores the policies that were pursued by two successive governments to escape the recession. It comments on one of the most contentious strategies, that of austerity, and underlines the constraints on policy imposed by membership of the European Monetary Union (EMU) and a decentralised state. The Great Recession and accompanying austerity policy were associated with huge social and economic costs. Policy targets on the debt and deficit were not met. This experience, together with the broader sluggish growth in Europe and the political consequences associated with austerity, pointed to the need for a new policy mix.     

Public Procurement Directives in the European Union: A Study of Local Authority Purchasing

Prompted by the Single European Market initiative, virtually all public procurement, except for defence equipment, is now subject to European Union rules which prohibit discriminatory (buy national) purchasing policies. This paper examines the impact of recent procurement Directives on local authority tendering and contract award behaviour (compliance), and considers whether the legislation has been successful in opening-up such public procurement to international competition. Although local authorities are making extensive use of the Official Journal to advertise their requirements, there is evidence that purchasers do not always adhere to the new legislation and it is not obvious that adherence to the legislation is improving. Moreover, an analysis of local authority contract award data for 1993 revealed that almost all contracts were won by domestic firms. However, doubts about the ultimate ownership of such firms and the sourcing of components means that there remains considerable scope for further work.     

Alternative Models of the Future of Negotiation Research

In January of 1999, leading negotiation scholars and practitioners gatheredat Northwestern University for a conference sponsored by the HewlettFoundation. Here, we chronicle a conversation that occurred regardingnegotiation research. Our diverse group consisted of people with backgroundsin social psychology, anthropology, sociology, and clinical practice.We discussed issues surrounding where research takes place (in the lab orin the field), experimental participants (students or practicing professionals),and the ultimate value of research.     

Fraud,extortion and racketeering: The black economy in Northern Ireland

One of the central reasons for the longevity of the terrorist conflict in Northern Ireland is that the main terrorist groups generate support from their ethnic constituencies through their powers of patronage in the informal economy. The terrorist groups have evolved into formalised structures which have been able to amass a sizable amount of dirty money which has been used in part to create an informal welfare network. The paper explains the inadequacies of some accounts of the terrorist groups, examines the links between those groups and the informal economy, and examines the government's recent attempts to combat racketeering. Racketeering will not be eliminated by police action alone.     

Why Should Remorse be a Mitigating Factor in Sentencing?

This article critically examines the rationales for the well-settled principle in sentencing law that an offender’s remorse is to be treated as a mitigating factor. Four basic types of rationale are examined: remorse makes punishment redundant; offering mitigation can induce remorse; remorse should be rewarded with mitigation; and remorse should be recognised by mitigation. The first three rationales each suffer from certain weaknesses or limitations, and are argued to be not as persuasive as the fourth. The article then considers, and rejects, two arguments against remorse as a mitigating factor in sentencing: that the crime, not the offender, is the focus of punishment; and that the truly remorseful offender would not ask for mitigation. The article concludes with a brief consideration of whether a lack of remorse should be an aggravating factor.

The Effects of Majoring in Political Science on Political Efficacy

This study tests, and finds support, for the hypotheses that a student who majors in political science will have stronger feelings of political competence and will be more willing to engage in hypothetical political actions than two peer groups: (a) those who major in other fields and (b) those who show an interest in politics but have not studied it. In a study of 1,083 undergraduates at two different universities, we find that senior political science majors have higher feelings of internal political efficacy than comparison groups and are more willing than their peers or than interested freshmen to say that they would engage in meaningful political action, especially joining organized groups.     

‘What does terrorism look like?’: university lecturers’ interpretations of their Prevent duties and tackling extremism in UK universities

The UK Counter Terrorism and Security Act (2015) (CTSA) calls for a partnership between the government, individuals, organisations and communities to prevent the radicalisation of individuals and to prevent their participation in terrorist and illegal activities. As part of this strategy, universities have a statutory duty placed upon them to remain vigilant to signs of extremism. Based upon 20 interviews with UK university lecturers, the paper examines reactions of the academic community to this governmental mandate. Key to our understanding is the deputisation of lecturers into a security regime and how they perform the duty of identifying and monitoring extremism. Equally, forms of resistance are evident in how lecturers understand their new roles and for universities themselves a conservative approach to risk may be gaining traction. We argue there is confusion around the CTSA based upon the ambiguous language in which it is presented and the conservative and defensive reactions that have subsequently produced concern amongst lecturers and UK universities.