Analysis of cognitive inhibition and flexibility in juvenile delinquents

Executive functions are still developing during adolescence. It is important to analyse if juvenile delinquency is related to a delay in the development of these functions. The objective of this study was to analyse cognitive inhibition and flexibility, two components of executive functions, in juvenile delinquents. Participants were 81 males, 17.46 ± 1.60 years old. Three groups were compared: a juvenile delinquent inmate group (IG), an age-paired group (APG), and an age- and education-paired group (AEPG). A modified Stroop task was used to assess cognitive inhibition and flexibility. The IG and the AEPG (low-education adolescents) had significantly more difficulties than the APG on inhibition; the IG and the AEPG had no significant differences. No group differences were found on flexibility. Since all low-education adolescents have difficulties on inhibition, these difficulties are not an exclusive characteristic of juvenile delinquents. Analysis of cognitive processes in juvenile delinquents must control for education to determine how specific are the difficulties found in these adolescents.     

Leveraging Administrative Data to Better Serve Children and Families

The challenge of complex social issues drives the need for data systems that can connect information across multiple service delivery systems. Integrated data systems provide significant value for needs assessment, program planning, policy decision making, and collective impact evaluation across a range of social issues. This case study describes a mature county‐based integrated data system. The case study has three aims: (1) to highlight the value of integrated data systems to research, (2) to outline common challenges that such initiatives face, and (3) to present several ongoing considerations for the field that could inform policy recommendations to facilitate the use of integrated data. The authors present examples from the experience of developing this integrated data system, including involvement in the design and evaluation of the first county‐level social impact bond. The case study highlights the benefits and limitations of integrated data use in research and the potential to advance evidence‐based social decision making.     

To adapt or to disregard? Parties’ reactions to external shocks

How do parties react to unanticipated events such as external shocks? Do they adapt to the consequences of the external shock or do they disregard them? Using the global financial crisis as an empirical example and testing the expectations for parties’ economic policy shifts in 23 European democracies based on Chapel Hill Expert Survey data, the article demonstrates that government parties react more to an external shock than opposition parties, particularly in countries where the external shock has been more severe. This has implications for a broader literature in comparative politics by fostering the dialogue between the political economy literature on external shocks and the literature on party policy shifts by showing the significant impact exogenous events can have on party positioning.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of the Spanish police force through data envelopment analysis

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the level of effectiveness of the National Police Force in Spain, attempting to show the possibilities that the Data Envelopment Analysis technique offers in this field. Furthermore, we have implemented a two-stage procedure which uses econometric methods to estimate the set of variables which will explain the performance of effective units. The results of our analysis show that there is a high level of investigative effectiveness, which decreases regarding coercive and overall effectiveness. This indicates that although there is logic in the cases solved and the culprits arrested, this cannot be extended, given the level of offences, to the number of cases solved, and to a lesser degree to those arrested for them. The units which are most effective overall are characterized by the solving of crimes against the right to sexual freedom and indemnity and by the arrest of a high percentage of those guilty of other offences.      

New Phase of Energy Cooperation

The "loan-for-oil" agreement and other energy cooperation help shield China and Russia from the global economy’s ups and downs     

政府失灵的又一种救治途径——一种不同于公共选择理论的分析

公共选择理论认为政治市场与经济市场一样,官员也是追求自身利益最大化的"经济人",这与官员作为公共利益的代表存在持久的冲突,并导致政府失灵,进而得出结论是:市场失灵并不是政府干预的充分条件,政府应尽量减少干预,最大限度地约束政府的权力范围。但是笔者以为,对于市场经济已经非常成熟而且官僚制业已达到极致的西方发达国家是适用的而且实践证明是成功的。但对于我国而言,减少干预只是解决问题的一个很小的方面,因为"后发外生型"国家要实现跨越式发展,没有政府的大量干预和推动是不可能实现的。解决问题的关键在于在政府利益与公共利益之间建立起一整套激励共容机制,这样政府利益不仅不会损害公共利益,反而更能促进公共利益。     

A Bloc in Doubt

Six decades after its founding, NATO is gingerly embracing a new vision NATO, which turned 60 on April 4, held its 24th summit in Baden-Baden and Kehl, Germany, and in Strasbourg, France, on April 3-4. In the 60-year history of the military     

论全球化的发展趋势

全球化是一个不以人的意志为转移的历史发展潮流.随着科学技术的进步、市场经济的世界化以及全球性问题的增多,当前全球化的发展正在加速.尽管全球化在经济领域表现得最显著、发展最迅猛,但它决不只仅限于经济领域,而必然要延伸到政治、文化等其它领域中去.