A Study of Fatal and Nonfatal Hangings

Approximately 50% of all suicides performed worldwide are strangulations. This article presents options for the medicolegal examination of hanging. The pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical pictures of victims are discussed. Examples of the process of diagnosis and expert conclusions are given. This article is intended for physicians and forensic pathologists. The literature focusing on asphyxia by strangulation is reviewed. Data from Vilnius Hospitals and the State Forensic Medicine Service concerning strangulations performed between 2012 and 2014 are analyzed and include the findings of 5650 autopsies (36% asphyxia) and 4 survived victims. The predominant symptoms were neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory symptoms. After asphyxia, patients should consult by a psychiatrist, ophthalmologist, gastroenterologist, and endocrinologist. A ligature mark was the most observable sign of asphyxia by neck strangulation. Only complications in the poststrangulation period were treated. Mechanical asphyxia must be identified as the main injury in the clinical diagnosis and encoded as ICD‐10.     

Finanzmarktwächter: Über die Synchronisation von Politik und Ökonomie

From the perspective of an actor-centered theory of differentiation, the article explores how political decisions and developments in a financialized economy are temporally coordinated. For the purpose of answering this research question, the paper develops a four-dimensional heuristic model capable of capturing societal differences regarding time. By sketching the concept of a “hybrid organization”, it models an arena in which such differences may be bridged. Assuming this theoretical perspective, the paper examines the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in order to scrutinize how and to which extent the targeted synchronization of politics and finance is achieved. This qualitative organizational study shows that the BaFin accomplishes its function only to a limited degree: Global flows of capital and bureaucratic provisions erode its leverage as a supervisor of the financial market, and the accelerated dissemination of financial derivatives make it look like a lethargic authority. Thus, from a sociological point of view further structural alterations at the interface of the political and economic sphere are required in order to lower the risk of economic crises and post-democratic developments.     

Time to Discuss: Data to Crunch or Problems to Solve? A Rejoinder to Robert Thomson

Testing the insights from qualitative case studies (Falkner et al. 2005 Falkner, G., Treib, O., Hartlapp, M. and Leiber, S. 2005. Complying with Europe. EU Harmonisation and Soft Law in the Member States, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) in quantitative models is a challenging task (see Thomson 2007). This article argues that in political science, our evaluation standards for quantitative analyses need to go far beyond the sophistication of calculations. They should include the quality of assumptions imputed, of data used, and of reasoning as to the political – as opposed to statistical – significance of regressions. When presenting statistical findings that counter solid qualitative work, scholars therefore are under an obligation also to present reasoned arguments for their case, taking into full account the qualitative findings on processes and mechanisms unveiled in these empirical studies.