‘Sexurity’ and its effects in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Newly recognised as a threat to global peace and security, sexual violence in conflict is now a fixed item on international security agendas. This marks significant progress for women, gender equality and the integrity of peace programmes. Our aim here, however, is to reflect upon the risks that inhere in this accomplishment. Through the concept of ‘sexurity’, a tripartite amalgam of the securitisation of sexual violence, the sexualisation of security, and the language of crisis, we outline the adverse effects of tethering sexual violence to security. This article concerns itself with the material and symbolic effects of ‘sexurity’ for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It first outlines ‘sexurity’ and the context of its emergence before, drawing on fieldwork in eastern DRC, the second part underlines the effects of ‘sexurity’ for the country.     

A report of the 2000 and 2001 paternity testing workshops of the English speaking working group of the international society for forensic genetics

During the last 10 years, the English Speaking Working Group (ESWG) of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) has once a year arranged a Paternity Testing Workshop in which blood samples as well as a questionnaire concerning laboratory strategies were distributed to the participating laboratories. In 2000 and 2001, paper challenges were included in the workshops. Here, we present the results of the 2000 and 2001 Paternity Testing Workshops. The numbers of participating laboratories were 33 (2000) and 36 (2001). A total of 36% (2000) and 31% (2001) of the laboratories submitted typing results of variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) investigated with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single locus probes (SLPs). A total of 91% (2000) and 86% (2001) submitted typing results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based systems. Typing errors occurred in 0.3% of the submitted PCR-based results in 2000 and in 0.1% in 2001. The results of the paper challenges showed a high degree of variation in the formulas used for calculation of the weight of evidence of rare events such as inconsistencies or possible silent alleles. The majority of the laboratories used the same formulas for calculations of frequently occurring events.     

The influence of standards and patents on long-term economic growth

The Journal of Technology Transfer - Formal standards codify knowledge. Next to patents representing the generation of innovative knowledge, standards can hence be used to proxy the diffusion of...     

Patenting of Research Results Related to Genetic Resources from Areas beyond National Jurisdiction: The Crossroads of the Law of the Sea and Intellectual Property Law

The conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction has attracted increasing attention from international fora over the last 15 years. A particular issue that is currently debated surrounds the regime for research activities related to biological resources from areas beyond national jurisdiction. This article considers the implications of patenting the research results of such activities in the context of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It concludes that policy clarification is needed in order to ensure that any regime for bioprospecting in areas beyond national jurisdiction provides incentives for researchers and prospectors to continue uncovering the mysteries of the deep oceans, including through the issuance of patents, while at the same time ensuring a fair sharing of the benefits of research results with all States.     

WorldWideWhale.Globalisation/Dialogue of Cultures?

This article questions the assumption that globalisation has fostered cultural dialogue. In order to understand how globalisation has specifically impacted the sphere of the cultural, it starts by examining the way cultural practises are transformed in its wake. Does globalisation yield new, global forms of culture? To address this conundrum, this article takes the example of a cultural movement that has sought to project itself on a global scale, the anti-whaling culture, exploring both its origins and the distinctive cultural forms it has constituted. It then raises anew the question of dialogue: what of the dialogue between this global anti-whaling movement and local cultures where whaling still occurs? And how does such 'global culture' negotiate with demands for cultural diversity?     

Fiscal rules,fiscal outcomes and financial market behaviour

Since the outbreak of the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis, a range of fiscal policy measures have been adopted at the European Union (EU) and national levels that have given rise to claims of a significant reinforcement of fiscal policy constraint. Given the prominence and reinvigorated political appeal of fiscal rules in the EU and beyond, it is disconcerting how little we actually know about the link between fiscal rules, budgetary outcomes and market behaviour. In this research note, the aim is to take stock of the existing literature and challenge its contribution to the current policy debate on the merits of fiscal rules. Specifically it will focus on problems linked to endogeneity, measurements and contextuality.