Law enforcement and political change in post-civil war Nigeria

The impact of law enforcement on political change may be observed in three sets of attitudes by groups and individuals: national consciousness, that is the acceptance of the nation as a meaningful identity symbol; class consciousness, that is identification with a class against other classes; and legitimacy, that is the acceptance of the state as a rightful source of commands. A discussion of general theories of law enforcement and their impact on these attitudes, and of politics and the police in post-civil war Nigeria leads to the conclusion that the police, by the manner in which they enforce the laws, do have an effect on legitimacy orientations, though a weak one. Law enforcement agencies do not contribute significantly to the creation of social and political changes but reflect changes that arise and are fought out in other spheres of societal life.     

Whither (or Wither) the Euro? Labour and the Single Currency

New Labour has always claimed consistency in its euro policy, yet its position has undergone significant modification since Blair became party leader: early enthusiasm has given way to uncertainty. Labour's shift is commonly ascribed to political factors. This article argues the primacy of economics. Labour has a better understanding of Europe's importance to Britain than perhaps any post-war administration but, as its euro policy demonstrates, its 'new' approach to Europe is substantially a traditional one.     

A policy framework for surface water and shallow groundwater allocation,with special reference to the Komadougou Yobe River Basin,northeast Nigeria

The Hadejia and Jama'are rivers rise on the Basement Complex of Kano and Bauchi States, and on entering the area underlain by sedimentary rocks, they lose most of their water in their passage through Jigawa, Yobe and Borno to Lake Chad. Water resource developments on the Hadejia branch are now so far advanced that effectively the entire flow is consumed before the confluence, where the river changes name to the Yobe. These developments have taken place in the absence of a coherent, integrated water management policy, either nationally, for the river basin, or at a local level. The Jama'are tributary is so far undeveloped, although this is unlikely to remain so for much longer. In this article proposals for an analytical framework for water allocation policy in the river basin are made, together with an analysis of the characteristics of the major existing water-using activities. The article argues, not for a particular water allocation policy, but for clarity and transparency in the development of such policy by the relevant authorities in Nigeria.     

Developing a new scoring method to evaluate human decomposition in a humid,continental (Dfb) climate in Quebec

The published literature shows a lack of methods to evaluate the patterns and extent of decomposition of human remains and to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI) in humid, continental (Dfb) climates such as Quebec. The aim of this study was to address this gap in the current knowledge base by providing the first observations from human corpses studied under controlled conditions in Quebec. A 12-month study was conducted at the site for Research in Experimental and Social Thanatology; the first human taphonomy facility in Canada. Six human donors with known time of death were deposited across spring (n = 1), summer (n = 3), and autumn (n = 2) 2021. The lack of suitability of the total body score method to evaluate the extent of decomposition at the facility prompted the development of a new scoring system based on the macromorphoscopic changes observed. The scoring system was applied to the donors to evaluate decomposition throughout seasons. All donors followed comparable decomposition trajectories, regardless of the season of deposition. Eighty-five percent of taphonomic patterns appeared in the first 25 experimental days or 5000 Kelvin accumulated degree days (350 ADD). Extensive desiccation of tissues was observed at a median of 21 experimental days across donors, resulting in a plateau within decomposition with no extensive skeletonization. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published report of experimentally observed desiccation in such a form in a Dfb climate. This study provides new data on the types of decomposition patterns to expect in forensic investigations in southern Quebec and comparable climates.     

A systematic review of the literature comparing male non-serial sexual killers and sexual aggressors: examining homogeneous and heterogeneous characteristics of these groups

ABSTRACT

This systematic review considers what is known about the characteristics of sexual killers and sexual aggressors. The aim was to identify which characteristics have consistently been shown to be similar (homogeneous) and which are different (heterogeneous) across these two groups. Ten studies, including approximately 300 sexual killers, were analysed. Only studies where the samples were directly compared and where sexual killers were male, predominantly non-serial and perpetrated against adult female victims were included. Results indicate that levels of loneliness and anger appear to be more prevalent in the sexual killer sample while mental health disorders, criminal history, family structure and history of sexual abuse as well as some crime scene behaviours seem to be similar across the two groups. The results of this review have also highlighted some methodological problems inherent to these types of studies and these issues are discussed from the perspective of improving research on these crimes.     

The emotional intelligence of adult sex offenders: ability based EI assessment

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that sex offenders are deficient in several areas of emotional functioning such as empathy, emotional perception, emotional management and interpersonal functioning. It is unclear, however, whether sex offenders display a general deficit in emotional functioning or whether their emotional deficits are specific to the circumstances in which offences occur. The present study aimed to provide a broad assessment of the emotional functioning of sex offenders by assessing their emotional intelligence (EI) using an abilities-based emotional intelligence test. Nineteen sex offenders, 18 non-sex offending prisoners and 19 controls were administered the Perception, Assimilation and Management branch subtests from the Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). The results indicated that the sex offenders were not significantly different than the control group, as assessed by these three branches of the MSCEIT. The results lend support to the suggestion that the emotional deficits displayed by sex offenders may be offence-specific. Implications for the use of the MSCEIT in sex offending populations and the role of EI in relapse prevention programmes are discussed.     

Book review

Aspects of Development and Underdevelopment. By Joan Robinson. Cambridge‐Cambridge University Press (Modern Cambridge Economics), 1979. Pp. x + 146. Hardback £7.95, paperback £2.50.

From Modernization to Modes of Production: a critique of the sociologies of development and underdevelopment. By John G. Taylor. London: Macmillan, 1979. Pp. xii + 335. Hardback £12, paperback £4.95.

Theories of Underdevelopment. By Ian Roxborough. London: Macmillan, 1979. Pp. xii + 175. Hardback £10, paperback £3.95.

Development Administration: Concepts, Goals, Methods. By George F. Gant. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1979. Pp. xii + 343. $21.50.

Developing Country Debt. Edited by Lawrence G. Franco and Marilyn J. Seiber. New York: Pergamon Press, 1979. Pp. xi + 309. £20.

The Lending Policy of the World Bank in the 1970s: Analysis and Evaluation. By Bettina S. Hürni. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1980. Pp. xvi + 173. $20.

The World Bank and the Poor. By Aart van de Laar. Boston, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1980. Pp. xii + 260. $15.

The New Authoritarianism in Latin America. Edited by David Collier. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979. Pp. v + 456. Hardback £15.10, paperback £3.65.

The Political Economy of Peru 1956–78: Economic development and the restructuring of capital. By E. V. K. FitzGerald. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979. Pp. xi + 360. £17.50.

Scarcity and Survival in Central America. By William H. Durham. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1979. Pp. xvii + 209. £14.50.

Peasants and Poverty: A Study of Haiti. By Mats Lundahl. London: Croom Helm, 1979. Pp. 699. £19.95.

The Rational Peasant: The Political Economy of Rural Society in Vietnam. By Samuel L. Popkin. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979. Pp. xxi + 306. £9.

The Economy of Kenya: the Kenyatta Era. By Arthur Hazlewood. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979. Pp. x + 231. Hardback £9, paperback £4.95.

Chinese Education in Transition: Prelude to the Cultural Revolution. By Julia Kwong. Montreal: McGill‐Queen's University Press, 1979. Pp. xi + 207 $13.95.

Hydropolitics of the Nile Valley. By John Waterbury. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1979. Pp. xii + 301. $20.

The Volta River Project: A Case Study in Politics and Technology. By David Hart. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1980. Pp. 142. £7.50.

Economic Development, Cities and Planning: The Case of Bombay. By Nigel Harris. Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1979. Pp. vi + 93. £5.15.

Sociological Analysis of the Working of Small Farmers Development Agency. By Mumtaz Ali Khan. Simla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study, 1978. Pp. x + 175. Rs. 32.

Planning for Basic Needs in Kenya: Performance, Policies and Prospects. By Dharam Ghai, Martin Godfrey and Franklyn Lisk. Geneva: International Labour Office, 1979. Pp. x + 167. £5.

Women in Rural Development: the People's Republic of China. By Elisabeth Croll. Geneva: International Labour Office, 1979. Pp. 61. Paperback, £3.75.