Galton's Two Papers on Voting as Robust Estimation

The relationship between voting and robust estimation was discussed by Francis Galton in 1907. His two papers in Nature are discussed and reprinted.     

Does the minimum drinking age affect traffic fatalities?

Since the mid-1970s numerous states have raised their minimum legal drinking age in an effort to reduce alcohol-related traffic accidents. This study examines determinants of a variety of traffic fatality rates at the state level for 1978, with particular attention to drinking age and drinking experience. The legal drinking age has no perceptible influence on fatalities, but inexperience in drinking is an apparent risk factor independent of age. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of higher drinking ages as a safety policy tool probably has been overstated.     

Photographic Image Comparison of Vegetation

Images and videos are common types of evidence in crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis. Images may be taken by the suspect and/or by crime scene investigators and may serve as crucial elements in forensic laboratory analysis. Forensic photographic image comparison is the process of comparing one or more objects or persons in photographs/images when at least one image is known to be related to a crime. The forensic examiner usually compares the images in order to determine whether or not an association between the exhibits in the images can be made. This paper proposes an extension to the currently prevalent photographic image examination method. The extension introduces comparison of landscape and vegetation over time. It is revealed that similarities between images may still be found between the period of time the suspect photograph was taken and the period the crime scene investigator took the photograph from the same area. In this case report, two suspects to be involved in growing a marijuana field were arrested by the police. The forensic experts were asked to examine images taken by the crime scene investigators and to compare them to the images found in the suspects’ phones. They then tried to determine whether the suspects could be linked to the specific locations. While applying techniques derived from morphological comparison methodologies, the plants at the scene provided significant additional information. A tree trunk, branches, and twigs on a hedge in the photographs revealed specific individual characteristics that led the examiner to reach a conclusive decision.     

Attention as a Valuable Resource

Keeping up with the news and monitoring public affairs are typically considered civic obligations. Yet there is a great deal of competition for people’s limited attention. Some studies explore when people tune in to the news and what sorts of public affairs content attract our time, but these topics warrant more research. Scholars concerned with the news media’s political role must better understand what leads people to the news in the first place. The practical import of this work is pronounced in an era where news organizations struggle to make ends meet. The purpose of this essay is to categorize what we know about what motivates people to tune in to news and then to propose a research agenda for analyzing attention to public affairs content.     

The Implications of Endemic Corruption for State Legitimacy in Developing Nations: an Empirical Exploration of the Nigerian Case

There is an extensive literature on the ramifications of corruption for economic growth, as well as for democracy. Largely unexplored, however, is how corruption works to lessen government legitimacy and empower violent anti-state movements. In this article, the perception of corruption in Nigeria is considered. Noting that Nigeria must suppress the violent extremist group Boko Haram in order to continue to govern the nation, the connections between Nigerian perceptions of corruption and support for the movement are treated. Until this research, however, there existed no empirical evaluation of this relationship. Using analysis of a survey of over 10,000 Nigerians accomplished in 2012 and 2013, we show that issues of state illegitimacy and endemic corruption have contributed to Nigeria’s present security crisis by fomenting support for non-state violent actors.     

Gender Justice or Gendered Justice? Female Defendants in International Criminal Tribunals

Recent scholarship has given increasing attention to studying women’s involvement in conflict and mass violence. However, there is comparatively less discussion of the experiences of women as actors and perpetrators in conflict, and limited discussion of women as defendants in international criminal tribunals. This article explores this under-researched area. By analysing legal materials from the cases of six female defendants, this article investigates the extent to which legal discourses are shaped by stereotypes regarding femininity, conflict and peace. It identifies three gender narratives—mothers, monsters and wives—used in relation to female defendants, which highlight the incompatibility of femininity with violence, and deny women’s agency in political and military contexts. Thus, this article concludes that female defendants in international criminal tribunals are viewed through gendered lenses, and discussed in accordance with gendered themes. This gendered justice is problematic, as it reinforces patriarchal gender stereotypes, and may hinder attempts to facilitate gender justice.