“Special” Communiqué Issued by the Belgian Marxist Terrorist Group, “Communist Combatant Cells” (CCC)

This section of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism is dedicated to the reprinting of selected, translated terrorist communiqués that provide insights into the mindset, worldview, or operational thinking of a group. In terms of communiqués, this section employs the following typology of terrorist communiqués. There are three types of terrorist communiqués: attack, strategic, and special. Attack communiqués are issued to claim responsibility for an attack, explain the target selected, and provide the political rationale for attacking the target. A strategic communiqué is a longer document that is issued to provide strategic direction or commentary on political events, issues, and developments relevant to the group's cause and constituency. It can be used to explain changes of strategy or reinforce the strategic direction of the group. The special communiqué is similar to the attack communiqué in that it is event-driven but addresses non-attack events like anniversary dates, hunger strikes, elections, deaths of leaders, ceasefires, issuing threats or warnings, annual progress reports, issuing apologies, and so on. All three communiqués are issued publicly and intended to influence various audiences.     

The growth effects of sport franchises,stadia, and arenas

This paper investigates the relationship between professional sports franchises and venues and real per capita personal income in 37 standard metropolitan statistical areas in the United States over the period 1969 to 1994. Our empirical framework accounts for the entry and departure of professional football, basketball, and baseball franchises; the construction of arenas and stadia; and other sports related factors over this time period. In contrast to other existing studies, we find evidence that some professional sports franchises reduce the level of per capita personal income in metropolitan areas and have no effect on the growth in per capita income, casting doubt on the ability of a new sports franchise or facility to spur economic growth. We also find evidence that results obtained from estimating reduced‐form relationships, a common practice in the literature, are not robust to alternative reduced‐form specifications. © 1999 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

The growing commercialism of zoos and aquariums

Although the mission of zoos and aquariums (species preservation, exhibition, education, and research) has not changed, the weights attached to their multiple goals and the means to accomplish them have. In particular, these institutions have undertaken costly programs to preserve endangered species. Through an examination of alternative revenue sources we demonstrate that institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) have experienced no change in the structure of demand. Although more money could be raised through higher admission fees, these institutions have not exploited this alternative to full advantage, despite the Reagan-era tax rate reductions that resulted in fewer donations. Almost all the limited subsidies zoos and aquariums receive come from local governments; federal subsidies (through the Endangered Species Act) have been allocated to purchase critical habitat in the wild. Zoos and aquariums have turned increasingly to ancillary commercial activity such as food service and gift shops.     

Commercialism in nonprofit social service associations: Its character,significance, and rationale

This article examines the commercial practices and sales income of national nonprofit social services associations in the United States. The associations span the fields of youth services, health charities, community and recreation services, and advocacy programs for older Americans and children. The commercial ventures of these associations reflect an important trend in the non-profit social services sector, which has implications for taxation, financing,and regulatory policies. The conceptual framework that defines nonprofit organizations as multiproduct economic organizations helps illuminate the relationship of commercial sales to the pursuit of the mission. In general, the commercial initiatives of the associations examined are not solely revenue-producing ventures in that they make direct contributions to the mission as well; indeed, pains are taken by association leaders to avoid activities that would damage their associations’ abilities to pursue their missions. Statistical analysis of the sales revenues of local affiliates of one association—the Jewish Community Centers Association—demonstrates that losses of external income from grants and contributions stimulate sales income whereas increases in memberships expand the markets within which these organizations can generate revenue from user fees.     

The competitive incentives of vertically integrated local exchange carriers: An economic and policy analysis

The U.S. Congress passed sweeping telecommunications reform legislation in 1996 that will enable the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) to enter the interLATA long-distance market once certain conditions are met. This legislation empowers the state public service commissions, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department to determine collectively when RBOC entry into interLATA long-distance markets satisfies the public interest. This article reveals that as long as RBOC long-distance market shares remain below certain critical levels, the RBOCs do not have the incentives (despite having the opportunity) to discriminate against their downstream competitors. These findings suggest that a public policy focused exclusively on eliminating the opportunity to discriminate may needlessly delay RBOC entry into interLATA markets and thereby deprive consumers of the benefits of enhanced competition.     

Drug booms and busts: poverty and prosperity in a Nicaraguan narco-barrio

Abstract

The income generated by the drug economy can often be substantial for the different parties involved, even at the lowest rung of this illicit trade. Yet the drugs trade is also a notoriously volatile activity, meaning that drug-related prosperity is highly prone to boom-and-bust cycles. Drawing on ongoing longitudinal ethnographic research in urban Nicaragua, this article explores the consequences of the cyclical nature of the drugs trade, tracing its unequal patterns of capital accumulation, as well as what happened to those who benefited from the drug economy when it became more exclusive and then subsequently moved on elsewhere.     

Personality traits and individual feeling of national pride in South Korea

Given the lack of studies on the relationship between personality and national pride, this study represents the first attempt to examine the impact of the Big Five personality traits on individual feeling of national pride in South Korea. The data for this study are obtained from the Korean General Social Survey (KGSS) of 2011 and 2012. The empirical evidence consistently shows that extraversion and agreeableness are significantly associated with individual feeling of national pride. Specifically, people who report elevated levels of extraversion and agreeableness are more likely to display a strong feeling of national pride. Contrary to theoretical expectations, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience are not associated with individual feeling of national pride. Overall, the findings lend some support to the view that personality traits exert a significant influence on individual feeling of national pride and suggest that except for contextual factors, psychological factors also offer some explanatory power for individual feeling of national pride.     

The things a man once saw (and was): an appreciation of Richard Quinney

Richard Quinney ranks among the noted criminologists of the twentieth century, especially among progressives. He is also a photographer of note, drawing on scenes from his native Wisconsin to reflect his deep inner life. Things once seen, published in 2009 by Borderland Books, is a 40‐year retrospective of his photographic work. It is a deeply religious work that celebrates the requirements of life lived by a “radical realism”. In June 2009 Doctor Quinney was presented with the Sullivan–Tifft Vanguard Award at the annual meeting of the Justice Studies Association.