Protecting parliamentary democracy in “plague” times: Accountability and democratic institutions during the pandemic

The spread of COVID-19 has not only placed strains on public health and the economy. It has presented challenges to the constitutional structure and the continuing requirement that parliaments within the Westminister system of government be able to operate. In such systems, the continued legitimacy of government action and accountability for those actions rests and must remain with the elected chamber of Parliament. At the same time, COVID-19 precludes normal gatherings of parliamentarians for proceedings. This article briefly explores the constitutional necessity for continued parliamentary scrutiny, the various forms such proceedings have taken to date and the application of parliamentary privilege to such proceedings.     

Risk and Protective Factors for Peer Victimization in Adolescents with ADHD

ABSTRACT

Youth with ADHD are more at-risk for peer victimization than their typically developing peers, and may not be benefiting from current interventions. Thus, we sought to examine risk (i.e., anxiety, depression, and forms of aggression) and protective (i.e., social skills and social acceptance) factors for peer victimization in this group. Participants were 123 young adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, who were attending grades six through eight. We found that relational aggression (i.e., excluding others from activities) and anxiety symptoms were among the strongest risk factors for victimization. Anxiety symptoms were associated with victimization over and above depressive symptoms. Social acceptance buffered risk conferred by the risk factors. Future work is needed to investigate the degree to which the relations among internalizing symptoms and victimization differ in youth with ADHD relative to typically developing youth, and assess causality of the relations.     

Religious Protection from Populist Violence: The Catholic Church and the Philippine Drug War

Populists often demonize outgroups while undermining institutions that protect citizens against the abuse of state power. Under these conditions, how can vulnerable communities protect themselves? We argue that actors coupling a normative commitment to human rights with the local organizational capacity to intervene can systematically reduce victimization. Focusing on the Philippine Catholic Church in the country's ongoing “drug war,” we identify five potential mechanisms producing protection. Directly, these actors can raise attention, offer sanctuary, or disrupt enforcement, while indirectly they can shrink vulnerable populations and build local solidarity. We evaluate this argument with a mixed-method research design. A new dataset of over 2,000 drug war killings throughout Metro Manila shows that neighborhoods with a Catholic parish experience approximately 30% fewer killings than those without. Original interviews with clergy and laity in these parishes support both direct and indirect mechanisms, with strongest evidence for attention raising and building community solidarity.     

Civic Education,Political Discussion,and the Social Transmission of Democratic Knowledge and Values in a New Democracy: Kenya 2002

How does civic education affect the development of democratic political culture in new democracies? Using a unique three‐wave panel data set from Kenya spanning the transitional democratic election of 2002, we posit a two‐step process of the social transmission of democratic knowledge, norms, and values. Civic education first affected the knowledge, values, and participatory inclinations of individuals directly exposed to the Kenyan National Civic Education Programme (NCEP). These individuals became opinion leaders, communicating these new orientations to others within their social networks. Individuals who discussed others’ civic education experiences then showed significant growth in democratic knowledge and values, in many instances more than individuals with direct exposure to the program. We find further evidence of a “compensation effect,” such that the impact of civic education and post‐civic education discussion was greater among Kenyans with less education and with lower levels of social integration.     

Alister Miskimmon,Ben O’Loughlin and Jinghan Zeng,eds., One Belt,One Road,One Story? Towards an EU-China Strategic Narrative

Journal of Chinese Political Science -     

The theologies of transparency in Europe: the limits and possibilities of ‘fusion’ in the EU transparency regime

• The consideration of a transparency regime for the European Union has stimulated considerable response from the Brussels lobbying community. Somewhat predictably, the responses have congregated about two poles: one represented by a strident group of reform activists calling for complete openness with a strong legal component, the other taking a minimalist self‐regulatory approach to the most fundamental issues. The basic positions of the competing sides seem to be immovable; embraced with all the fervour of religious ‘true believers’. At first blush the possibility for a meaningful compromise seems remote. However, the submissions may offer a limited way forward based on a fusion of principles held by many on both sides of the issue.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Screening tablets for DOB using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

2,5,-Dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine (DOB) is of particular interest among the various "ecstasy" variants because there is an unusually long delay between consumption and effect, which dramatically increases the danger of accidental overdose in users. Screening for DOB in tablets is problematic because it is pharmacologically active at 0.2-3 mg, which is c. 50 times less than 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) and makes it more difficult to detect in seized tablets using conventional spot tests. The normal Raman spectra of seized DOB tablets are dominated by the bands of the excipient with no evidence of the drug component. Here we report the first use of on-tablet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to enhance the signal from a low concentration drug. Raman studies (785-nm excitation) were carried on series of model DOB/lactose tablets (total mass c. 400 mg) containing between 1 mg and 15 microg of DOB and on seized DOB tablets. To generate surface-enhanced spectra, 5 microL of centrifuged silver colloid was dispensed onto the upper surface of the tablets, followed by 5 microL of 1.0 mol/dm(3) NaCl. The probe laser was directed onto the treated area and spectra accumulated for c. 20 sec (10 sec x 2). It was found that the enhancement of the DOB component in the model tablets containing 1 mg DOB/tablet and in the seized tablets tested was so large that their spectra were completely dominated by the vibrational bands of DOB with little or no contribution from the unenhanced lactose excipient. Indeed, the most intense DOB band was visible even in tablets containing just 15 microg of the drug. On-tablet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a simple method to distinguish between low dose DOB tablets and those with no active constituent. The fact that unique spectra are obtained allows identification of the drug while the lack of sample preparation and short signal accumulation times mean that the entire test can be carried out in <1 min.     

An empirical investigation of insanity defense attitudes: exploring factors related to bias

This study's primary aim was to evaluate factors that influence attitudes toward the insanity defense in a sample of 578 college undergraduates. In addition to a comprehensive demographics survey, participants completed the Insanity Defense Attitude Scale-Revised (IDAS-R) and the Attitude Toward the Death Penalty (ATDP) Scale. Favorable attitude toward capital punishment and misperceptions about overuse of the insanity defense were related to negative attitudes toward the insanity defense. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that possessing a favorable attitude toward capital punishment was the most robust predictor of a negative attitude toward the insanity defense. These findings provide valuable information about factors that create and maintain biases against the insanity defense and suggest areas of inquiry that could aid attorneys in selecting unbiased jurors.