Self-enforcing norms and efficient non-cooperative collective action in the provision of public goods

We show how norms can solve the distributional conflict inside a group in an anarchic environment and yield efficient coordination of collective action in a conflict with an external competitor. The equilibrium of the fully non-cooperative game with finite horizon has two interesting features. First, one of the players assumes a central role that resembles the role of the ??big-man?? in some primitive stateless societies. Second, the group members?? contributions to collective output and the payments from the big-man to these members seemingly look like reciprocal behavior, even though they are driven by narrowly selfish preferences.     

Forensic psychiatric expert witnessing within the criminal justice system in Germany

In recent years, the number of occupied beds in German forensic–psychiatric hospitals has continued to rise. Diversion refers to the removal of offenders from the criminal justice system at any stage of the procedure and court proceedings. There are no specific diversion programs in Germany but diversion does in fact happen via legal regulations that are based on the construct of legal responsibility. The assessments of responsibility as well as risk are the core tasks of forensic–psychiatric expert witnessing in Germany. Recommendations of an interdisciplinary working group serve as a guide to operationalize this forensic–psychiatric task. These recommendations list formal minimum requirements for expert reports on the question of criminal responsibility and risk assessment as well as minimum standards regarding content and in writing the report.     

An evaluation of expert reports with regard to adherence to current quality standards

In early 2008 the penal system of Lower Saxony established a specialised department responsible for risk assessment regarding all prison inmates in that state. The department generates approximately 200 risk assessment expert reports per year, mainly on questions such as the inmates' aptitude for social therapy, relaxation of imprisonment conditions, and transfer to an open prison. Prof. Dr. Konrad and Dr. Heering (from the Charité's Institute for Forensic Psychiatry) have been accompanying the work of this department scientifically for at least 2 years by offering a scientific exchange and by reviewing random samples of the risk assessments and verifying the application of current standards. It is of particular interest to examine which methods are used and which topics are discussed with the inmates during the exploration for risk assessment expert reports, whether or not standardised risk scales are applied, and finally which conclusions are drawn from the results of the exploration and the information which could be gathered from court and prison files.     

Patriotism, taxation and international mobility

Patriotic citizens intrinsically prefer living in their native country compared to living in the Diaspora. In this paper, we analyze the consequences of such a “patriotic lock-in” in a world with international migration and redistributive taxation. One implication is that countries with more patriotic populations are associated with higher redistributive taxes. We then combine ISSP survey data with OECD taxation data and provide empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis. Our results provide a word of caution: the Treasury’s inherent interest in patriotic taxpayers may strengthen the political push for patriotism in an age of globalization and increased mobility.     

Verfassungsvergleichung durch Verfassungsgerichte – Funktion und Methode

Die Rolle der Verfassungsvergleichung durch Verfassungsgerichte scheint in Zeiten der Europäisierung und der Globalisierung stetig zuzunehmen. Um eine bessere Einschätzung dieser Entwicklungen vorzunehmen, sind normative und vergleichungswissenschaftliche Grundlagen der Verfassungsvergleichung zu analysieren. Neben methodischen Überlegungen ist die Bedeutung der organisatorischen Umsetzung von Verfassungsvergleichung hervorzuheben. Für das Engagement der Verfassungsgerichte im internationalen Verfassungsdialog ist die Herstellung von Transparenz erforderlich.     

Anxiety in prisoners today.

Models based on modern theories of anxiety were used to develop a hypothesis concerned with the relationship of anxiety and/or the tendency to aggressive behavior and the tendency to depressive reactions in prisoners. Anxiety, aggression and depression scales were the instruments used in this study. Special emphasis was placed on the question as to whether there is a quantitative difference in anxiety and aggression in non-working as compared with working prisoners. Significant differences were found between working and non-working prisoners with regard to anxiety and depression. A difference was also calculated for the parameter of reactive aggression. In the following the far-reaching implications of these results for penological practice and perspectives for further studies are discussed.