A Review of: “Rogelio Alonso. The IRA and Armed Struggle.”

ABSTRACT

In the conceptual literature on terrorism, there is no shortage of answers to the question: “What is terrorism?” Indeed, the terrorism literature has been heavily criticized for a deluge of definitions. And yet the booming quantitative terrorism literature generally examines a narrow set of “what is terrorism?”: how country-level factors explain variation in the number of terrorist attacks. This article demonstrates the variety of ways in which scholars currently operationalize terrorism and compares them to the ways it could be operationalized. I replicate studies using alternative operationalizations of terrorism to examine the consequences of the terrorism literature’s collective bet to focus on attack counts at the country level. Finally, I discuss the implications of the narrow set of operational choices with an eye towards how a greater variety of approaches would produce a more robust research agenda.     

The history of devolution of powers to local authorities in South Africa: The shifting sands of state control

Urban waste services in Portugal have historically been provided together with other services, such as the water services. Despite the lack of discussion on this subject in the literature, some questions have been raised about the gains, in terms of efficiency, of this policy. Following a recent and robust partial nonparametric frontier model, based on order-α, we intend to evaluate the presence of economies of scope in the Portuguese waste sector. Furthermore, we also estimate the economies of scale using the traditional data envelopment analysis. The results show the absence of economies of scope between waste and water (and wastewater) services. In addition, we identify the presence of economies of scale in smaller municipalities. These outcomes might be useful for policy and decision makers in further reforms.     

Methods of Choice in Completed Suicides: Gender Differences and Review of Literature

Abstract:  Suicide is an important public health hazard worldwide. A 4-year retrospective study from January 2000 to December 2003 was conducted to identify the favored methods in realized suicides among males and females in the west coastal region of India. During the study period, a total of 539 cases of suicidal deaths were autopsied. Males were predominantly affected (male: female—1.9:1). The age of the victims ranged from 13 to 90 years in males (mean = 40.1 years, median = 37.0 years) and 15 to 85 years in females (mean = 36.6 years, median = 32.0 years). Most favored method of suicide amongst males and females was hanging (36.9%, n  = 199) followed by poisoning (34.7%, n  = 187). Male dominance was apparent for each method of suicide except for self-immolation. Males were relatively more likely to use hanging and poisoning while females were more likely to prefer drowning and self-immolation as methods of suicide. Relatively younger females (mean   = 33.0 years, median = 32.0 years) preferred hanging as a method of suicide when compared to males (mean = 42.4 years, median = 40.0 years). Among females, significantly younger females resorted to hanging when compared to older females who preferred drowning. On investigating the various theories proposed for choice of suicide methods in males and females in different regions we conclude that preference of method of suicide in men and women is complexly determined. In this region, availability, accessibility, popularity, and socioacceptability seem to be the major determinants in the choice of methods among males and females rather than violence associated and lethality of the method. Females were as likely to use lethal and violent methods as males in this region.     

法律发现——司法过程中使用的一种法律方法

在传统法学研究方法中,阶级分析方法、比较研究方法、演绎推理等方法是经常使用的主要研究方法,近些年来,随着人们对法学方法论研究的深入,法律逻辑分析、法律推理等方法已越来越广泛的被人们所采纳。然而,在司法过程中被人们经常运用的法律发现方法却很少引起人们的广泛关注。在传统的司法过程中,人们往往比较注重法律解释和法律推理方法,而对法律发现方法却被人们所忽视。实际上在司法过程中确实存在着法律发现方法,它不仅是法律方法之一,而且在司法过程中起着重要的作用。     

大学管理新制度的阐释与实现途径探讨

本文主要探讨"党委领导、校长负责、教授治学、民主管理"大学管理制度的主旨和导向,内涵和功能,以及实现的途径。其实行和实现,首要的是要界定各自的职责权限,关键的是要规范议事程序和规则,基础的是要对其组成结构作科学的设计和架构,并加强对领导班子成员行政素质的培养,提高领导班子的办学治校能力。     

从侦查方法到侦查方法论:侦查学理论研究的必由之路

侦查方法论是关于侦查方法的学问或理论。侦查方法论可分为两个基本层次,第一层次是侦查方法论的原则或原理,它构成侦查方法论体系的理论基础,并对各种侦查方法的适用发挥着整体性的导向功能;第二层次是各种侦查方法,它构成侦查方法体系的主干部分,在解决各类案件时发挥作用。侦查方法论对侦查实践及侦查学学科发展有着不可替代的特殊价值。     

Interviewing serious offenders: Ms. Egghead meets Mr. Gumshoe

Organised crime, due to its intricate nature, is a very challenging as well as less accessible research field. Although difficult to conduct a methodical research on this topic, organised crime, nevertheless, offers a unique opportunity to utilise an interdisciplinary research methodology. This paper describes (multiple) triangulation as an appropriate method for researching the role of culture in the advancement of ethnic Albanian organised crime groups in Europe. Triangulation, for the purpose of the described project, has been used to obtain confirmation of findings through convergence of different perspectives. Interviewing offenders is one of the research methods more thoroughly explained in this paper. The paper too explores some advantages of snowball technique used for interviewing less accessible research subjects. It also discusses various dilemmas, security-related or not, researchers are faced with when intending to interview serious offenders.

呼唤中国人文社会科学的原创性——“中国问题与理论原创”高层学术论坛综述

如何面对中国自己的问题走向理论原创,摆脱当前理论界依附西方问题和嫁接中西理论的所谓"创新泛化"现象,如何深化理论原创的一些难点和疑点、并将理论原创落实到实践层面,告别理论界空谈理论创新的现象,是本论坛讨论的热点话题。会议汇集文、哲、法各界著名学者讨论人文社会科学共同的基本观念和思维方式的"中国化改造"问题,在学术界尚属首次。会议提出的"中国人自己的理想生活图景"、"中国式的独立观、自由观等观念的建设"、"中国理论原创的前提需要做哪些工作"等命题,使本次论坛收效显著。     

工会理论政策研究的地位与作用论纲--兼论全国总工会理论政策研究的方向与方法

工会理论政策研究性质,首先是政治理论政策研究,又是经济理论政策研究,同时也是社会理论政策研究.改革开放以来,尽管中国工会理论政策研究已有相当成就,但就不断深化的改革事业以及工会运动的客观需求而言,其作用还是相当的不足或滞后.加强和改善工会理论政策研究,是实现工会工作市场化的基础和前提.全总的理论政策研究应该具有实践的前导性和理论政策的敏锐性,还应该实现学科化和社会化.