Dominant Rail Undertakings under European Competition Policy

Abstract: For the last 30 years, railway transport has been in steep decline within the Community. It is argued that such a decline is not inevitable, but it is partly due to regulatory distortions that favour other transport modes. As a result of the delay in liberalisation, railways lose out in comparison to air and road transport where market opening triggered a restructuring process of the industry much earlier. An important step towards more competition has been taken with a new ‘railway package’, which liberalises rail freight transport from 2003 on. This article gives an overview of recent developments in the sector, including the status quo of liberalisation and the recently adopted legislation. Taking into account recent jurisprudence, it then analyses competition policy issues with a focus on obligations that arise for dominant railway companies under Article 82 EC. The article lastly discusses what structural changes are required to deal with structural obstacles to a competitive European railway market. It is argued that a complete separation of infrastructure operation and transport services would be the solution most compatible with the railway directives and Article 86 EC.     

Grundlagen der Soziologie der Arbeitsflexibilität

First I present some terminological instruments in order to analyze the flexibility of work and to demonstrate how it can be connected with an encompassing theory of society. In the next two steps I sum up the development of the older debate on working-time flexibilization and how it broadened within the dimensions of work flexibility, namely time, qualification and space. Than I shall offer a systematization of different types of flexibility of work, link it with the concept of flexicurity and add some considerations about chains of flexibilization. The article results in further questions concerning the relationship between improvements of economic efficiency and gains in individual autonomy, as well as concerning consequences of a flexible work society.     

Zu den Voraussetzungen der Einverleibung aufgrund eines Erbteilungsübereinkommens

Es liegen keine tragenden Gründe vor, die die von einem Teil der Rsp und Lehre vorgenommene teleologische Reduktion der in § 13 AO nach seinem Wortlaut generell angeordneten Grundbuchssperre nur auf die nach § 10 Abs 1 AO unzul?ssigen Eintragungen rechtfertigen k?nnten.     

Sozialstaatliche Kürzungspolitik in Deutschland: Nur eine Mär? Eine quantitative Gesetzgebungsanalyse 1974–2014

Quantitative analyses on welfare state dynamics have to cope with the “dependent variable problem”, as studies on social spending reach different conclusions than analyses of replacement rate data. This article suggests a way around this problem by presenting results from a fine-grained analysis of welfare state legislation in Germany between 1974 and 2014. We show that the German welfare state has seen both cuts and expansions occur in all decades. Moreover, we show by means of a regression analysis that partisan politics play a role. Supporting the “Nixon-in-China”-thesis, social democratic governments are associated with a higher probability of cutbacks—especially in times of budgetary pressure—whereas expansions are more likely under Christian democratic governments.     

The Electoral Success of Beauties and Beasts

Les prises de positions, les programmes politiques ou encore les résultats précédents des candidats et des partis n'expliquent que partiellement leur succès électoral. D'autres mécanismes, plus simples, jouent aussi un rôle. Dans cet article, nous explorons l'influence de l'attractivité physique sur le nombre de votes de préférence reçus par 744 candidats à l’élection au Conseil national en Suisse en 2007. Le système électoral suisse de scrutin proportionnel avec liste ouverte offre une excellente opportunité d’étudier de tels effets, car les électeurs ne choisissent pas simplement entre partis ou entre candidats, mais également entre candidats au sein du même parti. Nous démontrons un effet robuste de l'attractivité physique sur le nombre de votes de préférence reçus par un candidat. L'effet est aussi important pour les femmes que pour les hommes. Cette influence de l'attractivité est essentiellement liée au fait que les candidats attractifs ont une plus grande probabilité d’être remarqués.     

Die Genossenschaftswohnung in der Exekution

Nachdem der OGH bereits in zwei Entscheidungen die Verwertung eines Kleingartenhauses und einer Genossenschaftswohnung im Konkurs trotz § 5 Abs 4 KO gebilligt hatte, hat er nunmehr in einer neuen Entscheidung die Verwertung einer Genossenschaftswohnung im Exekutionsverfahren – wenn auch mit Einschr?nkungen – für zul?ssig erkl?rt. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die Entscheidung vor und untersucht einige sich hier stellende Folgeprobleme.     

"Theory of Mind" and Executive Functioning in Forensic Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract:  Previous studies in forensic patients with schizophrenia have shown that delinquent patients may outperform nondelinquent patients with regards to "theory of mind" (ToM). Findings were, however, confounded by a lack of control for executive functioning. We examined 33 forensic patients with schizophrenia regarding ToM, intelligence, executive functioning, and psychopathology. Results were compared with a nonforensic schizophrenia sample and a group of healthy controls. Both patient groups performed more poorly on most measures compared with controls. Forensic and nonforensic patients did not differ in task performance. In the forensic group ToM correlated inversely with "excitement" and cognitive symptoms. When "excitement" was covaried out, forensic patients outperformed nonforensic patients with regards to ToM. This study supports the hypothesis that schizophrenic patients with a criminal record are equally impaired in their ability to infer mental states compared with nonforensic patients, but for different reasons associated with a divergent psychopathological profile.