Language territorial regimes in multilingual ethnic territorial autonomies

Ethnic territorial autonomy (ETA) is an institutional way to ensure simultaneously the integrity of the state and the rights of ethnic minorities through preferential policies in certain ethnically sensitive spheres. Language preferential policies differ greatly across multilingual ETAs and can be analyzed through the concept of “language territorial regime” (LTR). In this paper, we examine LTRs along two dimensions: (1) the scope of state regulation of language use and (2) the way language rights are perceived and used. The first considers the depth and universality of state regulation of language use – “strong” or “weak.” The second concerns whether the community’s approach to language rights is symbolic or pragmatic. The combination of these two dimensions allows the categorization of LTRs into four main classes: “strong parting-regime,” “strong pooling-regime,” “weak pooling-regime,” and “weak parting-regime.” A comparison of South Tyrol, Vojvodina, and Wales allows conceptualizing LTR as a system of de jure institutional arrangements of linguistic issues and practice of self-organization and perpetuation of multilingual communities.     

“The War Will Come to Your Street”: Explaining Geographic Variation in Terrorism by Rebel Groups

Geographic variation in rebels’ use of terrorism is not well understood. This article explains the use of terrorism in civil conflict through examining geographic variation in terrorist attacks across first–level administrative regions. Two explanations are tested using data on 47 groups in 21 countries: that terrorism is intended to punish supporters of counterinsurgency efforts or to destabilize regions of the country that are both outside of rebels’ military reach and have substantial grievances against the regime. Results show that terrorism is most prevalent in national capitals and regions that are more deprived. The findings suggest that rebel groups face multiple incentives for violence beyond zones of direct military confrontation with the government, using both highly visible attacks against the center of power and attacks intended to geographically expand the rebellion. The findings imply maximizing public service provision and minimizing economic inequality may reduce the breadth of rebels’ potential expansion.     

The election trap: the cycle of post-electoral repression and opposition fragmentation in Lukashenko's Belarus

Recent work on competitive authoritarianism has not explored the full consequences of electoral participation for opposition movements. While prominent work argues that the government must employ a mix of side-payments and repression to fragment opposition to its rule, Belarus’ history since the ascension of President Alexander Lukashenko in 1994 shows that the opposition has been repressed after most parliamentary and presidential elections without any substantial co-optation. I argue that electoral contestation and subsequent post-electoral repression have led to the Belarusian opposition's fragmented state. This state is grounded in competition for foreign aid, which creates a need among Belarusian opposition leaders to demonstrate their ability to mobilize support through campaigns. Invariably, successful opposition leaders emerge as the principal challengers to the regime, leading to their arrest or exile. Repression then fosters division within anti-government movements and restarts the cycle for new aid-seeking parties and leaders. A quantitative test establishes that repression concentrates in post-electoral periods and a qualitative assessment shows that opposition fragmentation stems from the arrest or exile of opposition leaders. The empirical findings provide contrasting evidence to work on co-optation in autocracies while suggesting an adverse effect of foreign democracy assistance around the world.     

Selected legal aspects concerning the regulation of trusts and private foundations in the Russian federation

The authors are the first contributors from the Russian Federationand introduce the reader to Russian legal concepts which incorporatethe idea of the Anglo-Saxon trust as well as the private foundationand discuss how foreign trusts and foundations are perceivedby the Russian legislator.     

Exports and productivity of Russian firms: in search of causality

This paper uses a census of Russian manufacturing firms to study the relationship between exports and productivity at the firm level. The period studied, 1996–2002, implies that the results are affected by the Russian financial crisis of 1998. Exporters are shown to be more productive and larger than non-exporters, seemingly an effect of more productive firms self-selecting into the export market, rather than learning effects. But learning effects are significant among new entrants. Additionally, in examining the effect of the direction of exports on productivity, the finding is that the difference in the productivity level of firms exporting to the OECD and the CIS is insignificant.

Neurobiological determinism: human freedom of choice and criminal responsibility

Several authors have argued that criminal behavior is generally caused by neurobiological deficits. This assumption not only questions the concept of free will and a person's responsibility for his or her own actions but also the principle of guilt in criminal law. When critically examining the current state of research, it becomes apparent that the results are not sufficient to support the existence of a universally valid neurobiological causality of criminal behavior. Moreover, the assumption of total neurobiological determination of human behavior and the impossibility of individual responsibility are characterized by both faulty empiricism and methodical misconceptions. The principle of relative determinism and the analysis of the offender's behavior at the time of the offense thus remain the central and cogent approach to the assessment of criminal responsibility.     

Urteil ohne Klage – eine Anomalie des Gesetzes?

Im Zuge der überarbeitung der Bestimmungen über die Zwangsversteigerung von Liegenschaften durch die EO-Nov 2000 wurden auch die Bestimmungen über die Versteigerung einer gemeinschaftlichen Liegenschaft in den §§ 352 bis 352c EO neu gestaltet. Die Neuregelung der Verteilung des Meistbots gem § 352c EO wirft allerdings eine Reihe von Fragen auf. Der folgende Beitrag skizziert den Ablauf des Verteilungsverfahrens, beleuchtet den Gegenstand und das Ziel des Verteilungsverfahrens sowie die Frage des Kostenersatzes.