Determinant Factors of Satisfaction with Public Services in Spain

The concept of marketing has evolved significantly, as have its applications in various sectors, including services. Diverse opinions have been expressed for and against the use of marketing techniques in public administration. In this paper, we present a conceptual and methodological review of the main contributions made by marketing to the public sector, measuring variables and related concepts that determine public satisfaction with public services. These elements, termed key drivers of opinion, were measured by reference to the information provided by the Spanish Sociological Research Centre (CIS), and provide an alternative way to display and analyse the data of interest, through perception models and figures using multivariate factor analysis. In this study, the components or factors containing the main drivers of opinion were found to be, on the one hand, commitment to efficient service, and on the other, user convenience.     

From Cali to Rotterdam: Perceptions of Colombian cocaine traffickers on the Dutch port

This article explores thesubjective perceptions of Colombiantraffickers on the port of Rotterdam. Iidentify those factors that, from theirperspective, make Rotterdam (and theNetherlands) a low-risk area for cocaineimport into Europe. It is argued here thatwhile economic factors and human resourceshave a central impact on their keydecisions, law enforcement risks tend to besecondary or to vary very much regardingactor and type of intervention. The articleis based on my recently completedethnographic (PhD) research on Colombiansinvolved in the cocaine business in theNetherlands, and on my current research oncocaine smuggling through the port ofRotterdam.     

The Constitution's Gift? A Deliberative Democratic Analysis of Constitution Making in the European Union1

Abstract: Our aim in this article is to consider whether the Union's deliberation over and decision‐making on constitutional norms, can contribute to render it more democratic. From a normative perspective, the way a constitution is forged has deep implications for its democratic legitimacy. In light of recent events, we consider how procedural changes in constitution‐making might contribute to rectify the Union's democratic deficit. To do so we first develop a thin model of constitution‐making based on the central tenets of deliberative democracy. Through this we seek to outline how a legitimate constitution‐making process will look from a deliberative democratic perspective. Second, we distil out some of the core characteristics of the Intergovernmental Conference (hereafter, IGC) model and assess this against the normative model, to establish the democratic quality of the IGC model. Third, we assess the current Laeken process by means of spelling out the central tenets of this mode of constitution‐making, and we assess it in relation to the normative standards of the deliberative model. In the fourth and final step, we consider what contribution constitution‐making might make to the handling of the EU's legitimacy deficit(s). We find that the Laeken process, in contrast to previous IGCs, was explicitly framed as a matter of constitution‐making. It carried further the democratization of constitution‐making, through its heightened degree of inclusivity and transparency. However, when considered in relation to the deliberative‐democratic model, it is clear that the Laeken Constitutional Treaty cannot be accorded the full dignity of a democratic constitution. The Constitutional Treaty can however lay the foundations for We the European people to speak.     

DNA databases for criminal investigation purposes: technical aspects and ethical-legal problems]

Advances in DNA technology and the discovery of DNA polymorphisms have opened up the possibility of creating data bases of individuals' DNA for criminal investigation purposes. In many European countries laws are being drawn up or have been passed to regulate such data bases. In Spain theres is a need for an urgent ethical and legal debate on ther appropriateness. The article is divided into two parts. In the first, the authors discuss the technical principles underlying these data bases. In the second, they set out their legal and ethical views on regulation in Spain.     

Controlling Administrative Discretion Promotes Social Equity? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Although social equity has been a formal pillar of public administration for decades, identifying mechanisms through which public officials inadvertently reproduce unfair conditions remains a relevant topic. In particular, it is important to understand how the habits and practices of street‐level bureaucrats may result in an unjust allocation of public resources. This article provides evidence on how the administrative discretion conferred on school principals may result in an efficient but unfair condition regarding the allocation of students across schools, thus undermining social equity. By exploiting a natural experiment, we are able to provide reliable evidence on how controlling administrative discretion decreases the segregation of students based on their socioeconomic status.     

Productivity spillovers through labor flows: productivity gap,multinational experience and industry relatedness

The Journal of Technology Transfer - Labor flows are important channels for knowledge spillovers between firms; yet competing arguments provide different explanations for this mechanism. Firstly,...