Mutual and Self Perceptions of Opposing Advocacy Coalitions: Devil Shift and Angel Shift in a German Policy Subsystem

In political conflicts, actors tend to assume that opponents behave maliciously. This phenomena is part of the “devil shift,” which was introduced in advocacy coalition framework research. We present a multivariate analysis of the perceptions of motives and actions of opposing coalitions in a political conflict and thereby analyze a major dimension of the “devil shift” and of its antonym “angel shift.” The conflict concerning the German infrastructure project Stuttgart 21 serves as a case study. We show that the radicalness of policy‐specific beliefs is the most important predictor for the intensity of mutual misperception in the researched conflict. The results further point to a more systematic inclusion of an actor's deep normative core beliefs in future analyses of distorted perception. Another central finding relates to the importance of the personal environment: actors in the subsystem share the same policy core beliefs with the majority of people in their personal environment.     

Power Sector Reforms and Technical Performance: Good News from an Instrumental Variable Analysis

Over the past three decades, various power sector reforms have overhauled the governance of electricity generation, transmission, and distribution in almost a hundred countries. Have these reforms produced benefits? Using instrumental variables, we improve upon earlier studies and demonstrate that power sector reforms enacted between 1982 and 2008 have both had large positive effects on the availability of generation capacity and reduced transmission and distribution losses. We also show that the positive effects on generation capacity are pronounced in developing countries and that hybrid reforms falling short of privatization and free competition are effective in improving generation capacity in particular. Overall, the results show that these reforms are an effective tool to remove an important constraint on economic growth.     

“9/11 is alive and well” or how critical terrorism studies has sustained the 9/11 narrative

ABSTRACT

This article argues that despite engaging in a powerful critique of the construction of the attacks of 11 September 2001 (or “9/11”) as temporal break, critical terrorism scholars have sustained and reproduced this same construction of “9/11”. Through a systematic analysis of the research articles published in Critical Studies on Terrorism, this article illustrates how critical scholars have overall failed to extricate themselves from this dominant narrative, as they inhabit the same visual, emotional and professional landscape as those they critique. After examining how CTS has reproduced but also renegotiated this narrative, the article concludes with what Michel Foucault would describe as an “effective history” of the attacks – in this case, a personal narrative of how the attacks did not constitute a moment of personal rupture but nonetheless later became a backdrop to justify my scholarship and career. It ends with a renewal of Maya Zeyfuss’ call to forget “9/11”.     

The Change of Power Structure of Sino-US Relation Leading to the Trade Friction?

The outbreak of Sino-US trade friction is the result of the in-depth adjustment of the United States’ political attitude to China，originating from the essential changes in the internal power structure of Sino-US relations. The Sino-US merchandise trade deficit is the inevitable result of the integration of regional industrial chains in East Asia under global value chain, hence with its strong irreversibility. The U.S. timing selection of starting the trade friction against China reflects its strategic thinking. As an important positive force, the role of economic and trade relations as “ballast stone” is weakening, while negative forces such as politics and national security are fermenting, and show a trend of dominating Sino-US relations. To some extent, the outbreak of the Sino-US trade friction is the result of the continuous superposition and accumulating of negative forces towards China in the United States. The “conflicts of civilization” aggravates the imbalance of positive and negative forces in the framework of the Sino-US relation and makes the balance gradually incline to negative forces. Faced with the complexity and longevity of the Sino-US trade friction, this paper puts forward some strategies and tactics to deal with Sino-US trade frictions rationally and objectively based on the perspective of development.     

Individualrecht jedes Wohnungseigentümers gegenüber dem WE-Verwalter auf jederzeitige,bloß durch das allgemeine Schikaneverbot begrenzte Einsichtnahme in die Belege des gesonderten Kontos der Eigentümergemeinschaft nach § 20 Abs 6 WEG 2002

Der WE-Verwalter hat, ausgestattet mit allen Rechten und Pflichten eines Machthabers iSd §§ 1002ff ABGB, nach § 20 Abs 6 WEG 2002 jedem Wohnungseigentümer auf dessen Verlangen jederzeit (§ 1012), also ohne Beschr?nkung auf bestimmte Zeitr?ume oder auf das Vorliegen wichtiger Gründe, Einsicht in die Belege des gesonderten Kontos der Eigentümergemeinschaft (oder des Anderkontos des WE-Verwalters) zu erm?glichen. Dieses Individualrecht wird lediglich durch das allgemeine Schikaneverbot gem § 1295 ABGB begrenzt.     

自侦案件“以事立案”模式论析

检察机关在自侦案件中应当摒弃“以人立案”的做法,并采取“以事立案”的模式,才能符合职务犯罪发案的客观规律,避免初查和侦查工作在衔接关系上的错位,并对自侦工作产生积极的促进效果和作用。要实现从“以人立案”到“以事立案”模式的转变,需要正确处理好立案与破案、立案与撤案和撤案与错案的关系。     

从“先占”看中国对南沙群岛的主权

“先占”是领土取得的主要方式之一,许多国家也有相关的实践。中国是世界上最早发现、开发南沙群岛并对其进行管辖的国家,国际法学家关于“先占”的论述,无疑是中国对南沙群岛拥有主权的重要法律依据。     

Detection of pretreated fingerprint fluorescence using an LED-based excitation system

Abstract:  Optimization of a light emitting diode (LED)-based excitation system for the detection of pretreated fingerprint fluorescence is described. Fluorescent ridges can usually be excited by irradiation with forensic light sources such as xenon arc lamps or quartz-halogen lamps with high-power output and suitable filters. However, they are too expensive for many crime laboratories in smaller organizations. We concentrated on LEDs which have advantages over conventional light sources in that they are simpler and of lower cost, but the power output and quality of each individual LED unit is not sufficient for the detection of weak fluorescent ridges. To resolve this subject, blue and green LED arrays composed of ninety LED units were adopted and suitable low pass filters for them were designed. An experimental system, consisting of blue and green LED arrays with the suitable low pass filters for illumination, high pass filters for viewing, a digital camera and a computer, was tested. The fluorescent images of cyanoacrylate ester fumed/rhodamine 6G stained fingerprint on white polyethylene sheet and weak fluorescent ridges of ninhydrin/indium chloride treated fingerprint on white paper were successfully detected and photographed. It was shown that the improvement of LED beam in intensity and quality can compensate the disadvantages, resulting in well-contrasted images.     

Subsumtionsautomat oder Ersatzgesetzgeber?

Der Beitrag besch?ftigt sich mit jener Rolle, die der Rechtsprechung bezüglich der Weiterentwicklung des ?sterreichischen Wohnrechts zukommt. Er zeigt ua die praktische Bedeutung auf, die der richterlichen Rechtsanwendung und Rechtsfortbildung in diesem Bereich zukommt, thematisiert die Frage, ob es in der wohnrechtlichen Rechtsprechung zu "Grenzverwischungen" zwischen Rechtsanwendung und Rechtspolitik kommt und analysiert charakteristische St?rken und Schw?chen von richterlicher Rechtsfortbildung im Wohnrecht.