Epilogue: International Norms for Nationality: An Elusive Goal?

Netherlands International Law Review -     

An already archived latent fingerprint as a DNA source for STR typing in a murder case

Former studies have shown that even a single skin contact, resulting in a latent fingerprint, can transfer enough DNA for genetic analysis. However, up to now latent fingerprints have usually not been used for DNA typing. In the present case the smeared trace of a hand was found in the suspect's car and archived. As it could not be evaluated in a classical manner, the evidence had to be examined by molecular genetic methods. DNA was extracted and typed in five different STR loci. Based on the yielded results, the significance of the findings is discussed.     

Begrenzte Rationalität und regulatives Lernen in der EG: die Liberalisierung der Elektrizitätsversorgung

The article analyses the liberalization of the EC electricity supply industry. Confronting the intergovernmental approach, the case study is based on the premise that the member state executives act within the limits of a bounded rationality and do therefore not always represent clear and fixed interests in EU negotiations. Taking the examples of France and Germany, it shows that the national positions and preferences may change greatly during the course of the decision making process. While the French positional changes may be reasonably well explained by the intergovernmental approach, the German preference changes are attributed to effects of the EC institutions and negotiations. Institutional principles, policy-concepts and fairness criteria guide member state orientations and behavior and hinder the pursuit of unilateral advantages. Incremental negotiation techniques within the Council induce learning processes and cause reassessments of the domestic situations. Furthermore, the EC decisions may cause behavioral changes which clearly surpass their regulatory content even if they contain extensive flexibilisation mechanisms.     

Childhood Predictors and Mid-Adolescent Correlates of Developmental Trajectories of Alcohol Use among Male and Female Youth

The identification of salient risk factors for alcohol consumption among male and female adolescents is an important topic not only for etiology research but also for designing effective gender-specific alcohol prevention programs for young people. This study examined the extent to which problematic alcohol use trajectories from ages 14 to 18 among male and female youth were related to childhood predictors assessed at age 9 (i.e., impulsivity, academic self-confidence, social problems with peers), socio-demographic variables, and mid-adolescent correlates [i.e., parental use, body mass index (BMI), risky peer context, conduct problems at school, parent–child relationship, somatic complaints]. Data analysis was based on a representative German longitudinal study (1986–1995, n = 1,619, 55 % female). Using growth mixture modeling methodology, associations of childhood predictors and mid-adolescent correlates to distinctive trajectories of alcohol use were examined for males and females separately. For males, a problematic consumption trajectory was associated with poor relationships to parents in adolescence and small community size. For females, low impulsivity during childhood, high BMI, and contact with deviant peers during adolescence predicted problematic as compared to normative alcohol use trajectories. Additionally, high parental alcohol use, low parental educational background, and conduct problems at school during adolescence were common predictors of a problematic alcohol use trajectory in both genders. The results provide insights regarding differences in the gender-typical development of adolescent alcohol use as well as stress the need of gender-specific intervention components along with universal prevention strategies against problematic consumption trajectories.     

The Baltic Republics and the Crisis of 2008–2011

This essay explores how the Baltic republics responded to the crisis of 2008–2011. We argue that while there are significant differences in how the Baltic economies responded to the crisis, these responses not only remain within the neo-liberal policy paradigm characteristic of the region from the early 1990s, but that the crisis radicalised Baltic economies and particularly their fiscal stance. We show that there are a number of unique features in all three Baltic republics' political economies that made such a radicalisation possible. However, these unique features make it almost impossible for the Baltic experience to be replicable anywhere else in Europe.     

Einheit-in-Verschiedenheit

Der Beitrag setzt sich kritisch mit der Debatte um Integration in der deutschen Migrationsforschung auseinander. In Deutschland dominiert eine assimilative Integrationstheorie: Integration sei nur als Assimilation möglich, weil sozialstrukturelle Integration (Chancengleichheit) und kultureller Pluralismus nicht miteinander vereinbar seien (Unvereinbarkeitstheorem). Am Beispiel des klassischen Einwanderungslandes Kanada wird gezeigt, dass das Unvereinbarkeitstheorem eine unzulässige Verallgemeinerung darstellt und dass die interkulturelle Integration nach dem kanadischen Prinzip von Einheit-in-Verschiedenheit einen humanen Mittelweg zwischen Assimilation und Segregation darstellt. Dieses Konzept sucht nach einer ausgewogenen Balance zwischen den gesellschaftlichen Erfordernissen nach sozialer Kohäsion sowie den Interessen der Mehrheit am Respekt vor ihren Grundwerten einerseits und den Bedürfnissen der ethnischen Minderheiten nach Gewährung und Anerkennung sozialkultureller Differenzen andererseits. Am kanadischen Beispiel wird zugleich deutlich gemacht, dass es großer politischer und gesellschaftlicher Anstrengungen bedarf (ethnic diversity mainstreaming), um eine Ethnisierung der Ungleichheitsstruktur einzudämmen.