Social Media as a Leverage Strategy for Open Government: An Exploratory Study

Social media are regarded to be a cornerstone for addressing the open government challenge that public administration faces. However, scientific knowledge about how social media can leverage open government is limited. Therefore, this study applies a mixed-methods research proceeding to develop a conceptual framework for the strategic use of social media concerning open government initiatives. The study concludes that social media applications can be strategically applied to foster open government and to improve citizen–government interaction. From the findings, strategic recommendations for open government-related social media adoption are developed and practical advice for responsible public managers is given.     

Individual and organizational consequences of employee-determined flexibility in shift schedules of police patrols

This paper determines the impacts of employee-determined flexibility (self-rostering) within police patrol shiftwork systems. The study is based on a cross sectional online survey with police patrol officers from one state of the Federal Republic of Germany (n = 927). The results show that pure employee-determined flexibility on the one hand leads to a good compatibility of shiftwork with social life (individual consequences). On the other hand, it is associated with a loss of work-related social structures and drawbacks concerning work-climate, leadership, as well as reciprocal trust and support (organizational consequences). In contrast, these findings are almost reverted under the traditional Four Shift Groups System which does not provide any self-determined elements. However, a Five Shift Groups System with an employer determined basic roster and some employee determined flexibility provides comparable positive results as the full flexible system considering work–life-balance, but does not share its significant negative effects on social community at work as well as disadvantages regarding leadership.     

Sammelbesprechung: Gerechte Eugenik oder das Ende aller Moral? Zu Jürgen Habermas: Die Zukunft der menschlichen Natur. Auf dem Weg zu einer liberalen Eugenik?; Allen Buchanan/Dan W. Brock/Norman Daniels/Daniel Wikler: From Chance to Choice. Genetics & Justice

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Severe Sexual Sadism—An Underdiagnosed Disorder? Evidence from a Sample of Forensic Inpatients

Abstract:  Severe sexual sadism is a disorder of sexual preference that focuses on humiliation and subjugation of the victim, sometimes causing grievous injury or death. Sexual sadists pose a particular risk. However, the diagnosis as such is unreliable and prevalence estimates vary. In a sample of male high-security forensic inpatients who had committed sexual offenses, we found two-thirds of sexual sadists had not been identified as such prior to commitment. Possible reasons for missing the diagnosis are many fold. Present data support the notion that unrecognized sexual sadists more closely resembled non-sadistic sex offenders than accurately diagnosed sadists. In particular, initially unrecognized sexual sadists had less severe previous convictions, less vocational training, and experienced a less supportive upbringing than their correctly identified sadistic counterparts. The latter, in contrast, more often reached media coverage through their offense(s). We conclude that severe sexual sadism is likely an underdiagnosed, yet forensically highly relevant disorder.     

Social security and intergenerational redistribution: A generational accounting perspective

This paper is concerned with the analysis of intergenerational redistribution in a pay-as-you-go financed social security scheme. Instead of annual fiscal indicators, we apply generational accounts to calculate the intertemporal effects arising from a projected aging process. As a case study, the institutional settings and the parameterization of our model refer to the conditions found in Germany in 1989. Additionally, the intergenerational impacts of the German 1992 Pension Reform Act are taken into account. Our findings suggest that the major reform measures affect the distribution of the demographic burden between future and presently living generations. However, the burden is shifted in favor of the generations currently alive, thereby contradicting the explicit political intentions and aggravating the situation for future generations.     

Isomeric fluoro-methoxy-phenylalkylamines: a new series of controlled-substance analogues (designer drugs)

An impressively large number of clandestinely produced controlled-substance analogues (designer drugs) of amphetamine with high structural variety have been encountered in forensic samples in recent years. The continuous designer drug exploration and their widespread consumption results in an increasing number of reports regarding abuse and intoxication. This study presents the analytical properties of a series of new fluoro-methoxy-substituted controlled-substance analogues of amphetamine. Three ring positional isomeric fluoroamphetamines, two isomeric fluoromethoxyamphetamines, two N-alkyl 4-fluoroamphetamines, and one 4-fluorophenylbutan-2-amine were identified and differentiated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gas chromatography-infrared spectroscopy (GC-IR). The regioisomeric 2-, 3-, and 4-fluoroamphetamines and the regioisomeric fluoro-methoxyamphetamines show virtually identical mass spectra so that this method is insufficient to discriminate between these closely related compounds. The mass spectra of the acetylated compounds allowed a differentiation of the 4-fluoroamphetamine from its regioisomeric 2- and 3-fluoroamphetamines. The gas chromatographic properties of the three regioisomeric fluoroamphetamines and their acetylated and trifluoroacetylated derivatives are also so similar that a complete separation of these compounds could not be achieved under GC-MS conditions. The two isomeric compounds 5-fluoro-2-methoxyamphetamine and 3-fluoro-4-methoxyamphetamine on the other hand showed significant different gas chromatographic retention times so that a separation was uncomplicated. The trifluoroacetylation of these compounds proved to be an effective method for their mass spectral differentiation. Gas chromatography-infrared spectroscopy and 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance allowed an unequivocal differentiation of all studied regioisomeric fluoroamphetamines and fluoro-methoxyamphetamines.