Introduction

This paper presents the results of the first two longitudinal historical cradle-to-grave datasets constructed in Australia: the Aboriginal population of the state of Victoria, reconstituted backwards using genealogical research and vital registrations, 1835–1930; and an impoverished European population born at the Melbourne Lying-In Hospital, 1857–1900 and traced until 1985. It investigates the hypothesis that the health transition in indigenous people was different from that of the dominant non-indigenous population. Both of these studied sub-populations were highly stressed, resulting in high infant mortality and persistent tuberculosis mortality. The Aboriginal population suffered the additional burdens of racism and social exclusion, even though after the passage of the 1886 ‘Half-Castes Act’, the majority of Aboriginal Victorians were legally ‘white’. The impact of that legislation and the systematic exclusion of Aboriginal Victorians from federal entitlements in the twentieth century sent the Aboriginal health transition into reverse. The contrasting fates of poor whites and ‘unofficial blacks’ during the health transition demonstrate the health burdens of inequality and racial discrimination, and reveal that ‘the gap’ in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is a historical product of long-term government policy and exclusion from citizenship and its entitlements.     

The Impacts of Different Regulatory Regimes on the Effectiveness of Public Procurement

The combination of two reforms in Russia, reform of public-sector entities and of public procurement, enables us to estimate the results of a transition from rigid to more flexible regulations in public procurement (PP). We consider two public universities in 2011–2012. The procurements of one university were regulated by rigid Federal Law during the entire period; the procurements of the other university were regulated by Federal Law until June 2011 and then by a more flexible regulation. Using the difference-in-differences methodology, we assess how the transition to this new regulation affects the main PP parameters. We show that more flexible regulation leads to a decline in bid competition but improves contract execution.     

The Restriction of Judicial Investigative Remand in Russia: The Role of Cultural Values in Citizen Acceptance and Perceived Fairness

In 2001, the Russian Criminal Procedure Code was substantially reformed and replaced the 1960 Criminal Procedure Code of the RSFSR. One major reform element was a revocation of the trial judge's authority to remand a case for additional investigation, which had been allowed by the Soviet criminal procedural code. Our study examined citizen support for limiting the judge's remand authority. A self‐report survey was administered to a representative sample of the Russian Federation (N=1,640) during the summer of 2006. Structural‐ equation modeling was used to analyze the results. Two research hypotheses were evaluated: 1) citizens with a collectively‐oriented value system would reject the reform as unfair, and 2) those with individualistically‐oriented values would perceive it as fair; both were validated. More than one‐half of respondents (62.3%) reported the reform as unfair. Collective social values still prevail in Russian society and influence citizen support for the adoption of adversarial criminal procedural reforms. However, we also found individualistic values are increasing in younger age groups and among males.     

Body scanners versus privacy and data protection

In recent history, the world has experienced dramatic events which have had a substantial effect on the balance between human rights protection and security measures. Body scanners installed at airports are intended to protect our lives. But at the same time they have a serious impact on privacy and data protection. The international legislation allows limiting people’s rights and freedoms, but only if it is in accordance with the law and is proportionate and necessary for national security, public safety and for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. Do body scanners respect these principles? The article examines the current situation, its background and future prospects. It discusses and analyzes the key terms and legal instruments, problems, disputes and proposed “safeguards”. The work concludes by pointing out the unlawfulness of current regimes and sets forth perspective on the possible solutions.     

Russian PNR system: Data protection issues and global prospects

The usage of Passenger Name Record (PNR) for security purposes is growing worldwide. At least six countries have PNR systems; over thirty are planning to introduce them. On 1 December 2013, a Russian PNR system will be implemented. But enhanced collection of personal data leads to increased surveillance and privacy concerns. Russian authorities state that passengers' rights will be respected, but a closer look at the Russian regime reveals a number of critical points. From a global perspective, the Russian regime is only one of many PNR systems, including new ones to come in the future. Apparently, for the majority of them, similar challenges and problems will apply. At the same time, for the EU, with its strict data protection requirements, PNR requests by third countries (i.e. non-EU countries) create conflicts of laws. In order to resolve them, the EU concludes bilateral PNR agreements. However, the current deals, especially the one between the EU and the USA, involve a number of weaknesses. Accepting the latter, and having a pending proposal on the EU PNR system, the EU has weakened its position in negotiations with third countries. How will the EU deal with the Russian as well as with all the future requests for PNR? This paper provides legal analysis of the Russian PNR regime, pointing out common problems and giving prognosis on the global situation.     

Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Moscow,Russia

This study examines attitudes towards violence against women among the populace in Moscow, Russia using data drawn from the Moscow Health Survey. Information was obtained from 1,190 subjects (510 men and 680 women) about their perceptions of whether violence against women was a serious problem in contemporary Russia, and under what circumstances they thought it was justifiable for a husband to hit his wife. Less than half the respondents thought violence was a serious problem, while for a small number of interviewees there were several scenarios where violence was regarded as being permissible against a wife. Being young, divorced or widowed, having financial difficulties, and regularly consuming alcohol were associated with attitudes more supportive of violence amongst men; having a low educational level underpinned supportive attitudes among both men and women. Results are discussed in terms of the public reemergence of patriarchal attitudes in Russia in the post-Soviet period.     

Justice Concerns Can Feed Nationalistic Concerns and Impede Solidarity in the Euro Crisis: How Victim Sensitivity Translates into Political Attitudes

We investigated how victim sensitivity and news media exposure conjointly contribute to the formation of political attitudes in the context of the euro crisis. Study 1 (N = 208) showed that observer-sensitive individuals were more likely and victim-sensitive individuals were less likely to support solidarity with countries in need of financial support. These correlations were mediated by affective components of political attitudes, namely nationalistic concerns, resentment about and empathic concerns with debtor countries. In Study 2 (N = 51), using a pre–post within-subjects design, we showed that framing the euro crisis in an ‘exploitation frame” (compared to a ‘solidarity frame’) in news media reports was more likely to trigger nationalistic concerns and, consequently, decrease support of solidarity in victim-sensitive individuals compared to their less victim-sensitive counterparts. These results are in line with the SeMI model and previous findings that victim sensitivity is linked to fear of being exploited in intergroup relations.     

Suicide in the Greek penal system and the problem of various limitations in relevant studies

Suicides in prison are not merely self-destructive acts or a "cry for help." They reflect the inherent need for freedom and the repercussions of imprisonment. SPACE statistics on suicides in prison reveal a rate above 10 per 10,000 in 10 European countries, 4 of which have a rate above 20. Greek data do not appear in all SPACE statistics. This fact has stimulated the present paper. Unpublished data obtained from the Greek Ministry of Justice reveal that Greece belongs to the group of countries with a rate below 10 in 1995 (the year of SPACE statistics). However, the suicide rates fluctuated widely in Greece from a low rate of 3.2 per 10,000 prisoners (convicted, on remand, or hospitalized) in 1982 to the incredibly high rate of nearly 40 in the year 1979 (11 suicides, 10 of which occurred in prison hospitals). A review of the literature indicates that various limitations mentioned in relevant studies lie in the unreliability of data (doubts about the validity of official statistics, missing data in archives, missing files on the victims, suicide in juvenile institutions not always recorded separately, etc.). The research emphasizes the importance of improving suicide statistics (recording, clearing up the incidents of deaths that are recorded without specification of cause, etc.) in order to plan and enforce suicide prevention and intervention strategies that seem to "work" in a particular milieu and are not debatable (e.g., the use of "suicide proof" cells).