International Journal of Social Inquiry

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The debate over recent recorded crime in Turkey
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Bahar, Halil İbrahim; Fert, İsmail
Publication of official recorded crime figures is a new practice in Turkey. The recording of crime figures in a professional and unbiased fashion has led to the publication of a range of tables in the context of crime and criminal justice. Since the first figures were published, in 2004, it has been possible to track increases in crime and this has placed the criminal justice system firmly on the political agenda. The debate over the recorded crime statistics has raged, with the government, the opposition, media and the general public all becoming involved. In the case of society at large it would appear that the fear of becoming a victim of crime has increased. Throughout this debate, law and order has become a political issue. At the same time in Turkey the concept of social support mechanisms is also being widely debated. What role do crime statistics play in the individual’s right to a sense of personal security? To what degree can the figures be considered accurate? This work attempts to pull together the changes in recorded crimes which affect the public for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Specifically murder, theft, all forms of immoral behavior, assault and fraud which, taken together, constitute a significant portion of the recorded crime figures. It will be seen that for some crimes there would appear to have been a dramatic increase. Exactly what is increasing in the measurement of recorded crime in Turkey?
A habermasian approach to the analysis of globalisation processes
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Baker, C. Richard
While the topic of globalisation has been widely discussed in both the academic and popular literatures, there has also been a growing body of work in the accounting literature which has analyzed the challenges and problems posed by globalisation. Many of these articles have been critical of the neo-liberal policies that have resulted in adverse consequences for people living in less developed countries; in particular, the policies and practices of transnational organizations like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization. This paper addresses the topic of globalisation from a somewhat different perspective. We employ a theoretical and methodological framework adapted from Jürgen Habermas to formulate certain constative statements about the topic of globalisation. This effort is seen as a first step towards developing a better understanding about globalisation.
Family structure and differential child abuse: The role of siblings
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Ohlander, Julianne; Chew, Kenneth
The relationship between child abuse and sibling configuration, including the number of siblings, the number of years between siblings, birth order, and the agesex distribution of the siblings, was explored in the context of competing models of child outcomes. Equal probability sampling was used to extract archival child protection histories for 108 multi-child families, at least one of whose children was the reported victim of physical or sexual abuse. Random-effects Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to the resulting observations on 332 children in separate models for physical and sexual abuse. The results suggest that children are safer when they live with numerous, older, or widely spaced siblings, controlling for adult composition and prior victimization. Because perpetrators seek privacy, siblings may deter abuse through routine surveillance. Numerous, older, or widely spaced siblings might increase surveillance.
Globalization and cooperative activity among national labor unions and national environmental organizations in the United States
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Steele, David Foster
This paper examines the cooperative activity between national labor unions and national environmental organizations in the United States on issues associated with globalization. Past researchers have advocated the need for organizations that makeup the labor and environmental movements to work together, but do they? It is hypothesized that globalization issues may be a key factor for cooperative activity between national labor unions and national environmental organizations. The conducted research does find some evidence to support this claim. Industrial labor unions and politically oriented environmental organizations appear to be most active in working together on globalization issues. Associated with working together is the need for organizations to adopt a social justice frame that other organizations can support. The article concludes with a discussion of the importance of permanent, federative arrangements between national labor unions and national environmental organizations.
Female gang members from East Los Angeles
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Vigil, James Diego
East Los Angeles cholas are the female counterparts of the cholos, the latter the street gang members that come from marginal situations and conditions. While there has been little research on female gang members overall, the role of females in the street life is significant. Sisters, girlfriends, and other relatives share the same backgrounds as male gang members but additionally carry on traditions of their own. Female gang cliques sometimes operate alongside the males, but mostly they are auxiliaries to the established gang. Domestic violence plaques the females but they also occasionally participate in street violence. Social life revolves dating, courting, partying, and sexual encounters and here females play a pivotal role. Dress, make-up, and other customs distinguish females from males in the street life that is the gang world.
The degradation of athenian women in the phallicratic polis
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Vasillopulos, Christopher
The rise of hoplite-democracy and the virtual imprisonment of respectable women in the oikos (household) and the more extreme exploitation of all other women for male convenience and pleasure was no paradox of the Athenian conception of freedom. The increase in the power and wealth of Athens implied (in the male-dominated politics of the day) that respectable women, i.e., those who might bear legitimate heirs, had to be kept under close supervision, lest this all-important function be compromised, thereby jeopardizing the all the gains Athens had procured since the victory at Marathon. Self-consciously Athenians related hoplite democracy to their remarkable and sudden success. Equally, they appreciated their vulnerability, individually and politically, to domestic uncertainty. Their remedy was not merely to sequester their wives and daughters, but to degrade women generally. This process was more than an expression of male arbitrariness or an adolescent desire to have women serve male needs, cheerfully, instantly, obediently and without complication. It was seen as essential to the survival of Athens as a political entity. The Phallicratic Polis has twin foundations: (1) the need to deliver effective martial valor at the behest of the polis; (2) the need to secure domestic order, so that the oikos, the most important under-lying social unit of the polis, could protect family succession and property, and ultimately the polis itself.
Globalization, justice and the demonization of youth
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Eisler, Lauren; Schissel, Bernard
In recent years, policy changes implemented by the Canadian government-- including the proportionate reduction of monies spent on health, education, and social programs—have had a direct impact on the youth criminal justice system in Canada. These policy changes have had a direct impact on Canadian youth who are, in many ways, the most disenfranchised citizens in Canadian society. We discuss the evolution of the Canadian youth justice system and the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice System and analyze how public policy and public sentiment work together to legitimate the identification and management of specific groups targeted as problematic. In the end, we theorize on the place that children and youth hold in the global world and argue that global capital creates a context in which the labour of children and youth is vital to global economics but devalued in the eyes of the world. We relate the ideological condemnation of children and youth by the justice system to their exploited place in the global labour market.
Acting together for another world? Anti-globalisation and labour organisations
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Queux, Stéphane Le
This article considers the extent to which the anti-globalisation movement might contribute to a revival of labour politics. The starting point is an awareness that trade unions and anti-globalists do not necessarily see eye to eye so that any assumption that they can readily join forces becomes problematical. Four fault lines are identified in relation to key areas of concern: i) political alternatives; ii) participatory democracy; iii) organic cohesion and inclusion; and iv) the renewal of activism. It is pointed out that while – in the view of leading analysts in this field of inquiry – the anti-globalisation movement does indeed offer a potential source and impetus for a revitalisation, this is no tame option, especially in the context of labour corporatism. However, a sensible shift in the way in which the international trade union organisations have recently been approaching these issues may signal a repositioning of labour as a catalyst of solidarity.
Crimes of globalization: Health care, HIV and the poverty of neoliberalism in Sub-Saharan Africa
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Ezeonu, Ifeanyi
This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on crimes of globalization. Following a broader conceptualization of crime which goes beyond the proscriptions of the criminal law, it argues that the dynamics of market economics has criminogenic (social harm) effects, especially in economically-challenged regions like the sub-Saharan Africa. The paper challenges the hegemony of law in the criminalization process by locating social harm at the epicentre of criminological inquiry.
Prognostics of recidivism for incarcerated juvenile offenders: More evidence
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Mbuba, Jospeter M.; Grenier, Charles E.
Considerable effort has been made in the past to identify reliable predictors of recidivism for incarcerated juvenile offenders, but with mixed results. This study draws extensively on previous research to produce a parsimonious set of reliable predictors from a large pool of potential indicators, using data available from a large sample of dischargees from a secure state facility in the state of Louisiana. Sociodemographic profiles and delinquent histories of 1,319 juvenile offenders released during the 1999/2000 fiscal year were systematically distilled and from a wide array of potential predictors, a multi-method analysis revealed the following as the most reliable predictors of recidivism in the order of significance: offense type, drug use, peer influence, seriousness of the offense, alcohol use, age at first adjudication, and duration of incarceration.
Using social scientific methodological approaches to reducing risk: How the risk reduction approach works with oil and gas faculties
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Ballard, James David; Dilger, Fred C.
The global oil and gas industry is one key target for terrorists with impacts from attacks creating social problems for many societies that produce and use these energy products. This paper offers a methodology by which the risks of terrorism for this industrial segment can be articulated within an organizational context. Identifying the types of attacks that may transpire, the various motives for these attacks and conceptualizing strategies that allow the industry to address the risks of attacks moves the security onus from government to industry, a move that the authors believe is warranted and necessary
The other global drugs crisis: Assessing the scope, impacts and drivers of the trade in dangerous counterfeit pharmaceuticals
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Yar, Majid
This paper deals with a topic heretofore largely neglected in studies of health and social policy, namely the challenge presented by the growing global trade in dangerous counterfeit medicines. Empirically, the scope and scale of this trade is assessed, along with its public health risks and impacts. Analytically, a range of social, political and economic processes are identified as contributing to this problem. These include the impact of on-going neo-liberal globalisation and the emergence of patent regimes that favour the developed over the developing nations. Current anti-counterfeiting policy initiatives, at both national and trans-national levels, are also critically examined. It is argued that such measures are unlikely to be effective unless combined with more radical challenges to the chronic lack of access to safe medicinal drugs in the developing world.
Globalization and the efficacy of national culture: A methodological framework for analyzing the neoliberal state
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Blad, Cory
This essay presents a methodological framework designed to examine the increased utility of national culture as a state legitimation strategy in response to economic protectionist capacity changes resulting from global political economic integration. Based on a reconceptualization of Karl Polanyi’s double movement, the framework enables future empirical research on neoliberal state institutions, while retaining sensitivity to the influence of both global political economic structures and national populations. The methodological strategy is presented in historical comparative context that highlights the integration of national cultural definitions into state institutional agendas as an alternative means to meet national protectionist demands and maintain legitimate authority. The essay concludes with two empirical examples designed to briefly illustrate the potential of the framework and offer suggestions for future application.
The razor’s edge: A review of contiguity in conflict studies and an argument for redefining neighbors
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Cox, Michaelene
Political scientists generally agree that contiguity is a significant predictor of interstate conflict; that is, they observe that it is neighbors that most frequently fight one another. Defining contiguity, however, is an unsettled matter. Still dominating conflict studies is the view that neighbors are those who share physical borders, or spatial delineations, between one sovereign territory and another. Yet an increasingly integrated international system, accompanied with shifting political identities and technological advances in communication and transport, suggest that power relations are more than a function of sheer corporeal distance. To anticipate contemporary interstate relations, therefore, we might tap the potential of constructivist theory to derive new understanding of what it means to be a neighbor.
Tug of war: Opposing views on the processes of globalization
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Roberts, Geoff
The paper examines opposing views in two books on the processes and consequences of globalization: Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat, and Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine. Friedman argues that globalization brings huge advantages when market forces are freed from regulations. Klein argues that where neo-liberal policies have been imposed on struggling disaster. The authors agree that when markets are freed from external constraints trading prospers, but their analyses of the consequences are diametrically opposite. Friedman welcomes globalization as the dawn of a new era for mankind. Klein fears that globalization will lead to greater poverty and armed conflicts will inevitably follow. The authors agree on one point; that worldwide competition for raw materials and markets make military conflicts more likely in the future.
Globalization and the institutional underpinnings of social welfare: An analysis of traditional and emergent theoretical perspectives
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Gonzales, Vanna
Over the course of the 20th Century three approaches to welfare reform—a political economy, a moral economy and a mixed economy approach—informed the way social welfare systems were conceptualized, theorized and studied. Based on differing understandings about the relationship between the state, society, and economy, these approaches have developed alternative, and in some senses competing frameworks for analyzing globalization and its relevance for, and impact on, contemporary social welfare systems in the 21st century. In the discussion that follows, I place each of these approaches in historical context, comparing and contrasting their theoretical contribution to our understanding of the relationship between globalization and welfare reform. I then introduce an emergent fourth approach which stems from a growing body of literature on institutional innovation within the European third sector. In addition to analyzing the distinctive conceptual and analytic contribution of this so-called social economy approach, I draw on insights from contemporary studies of European social enterprises to illustrate the value added of this approach for appreciating the constructive role that emerging welfare networks play in reconfiguring globalizations’ impact on the character and quality of social welfare.
Globalization and empire
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Iadicola, Peter
This paper describes how the forces of the United States Empire are key elements in describing the most recent process of globalization. Empires have always been the key actors in the waves of globalization throughout history. The Empire of the United States of America is not an exception to this history. Military, economic, cultural, and political integration and control from an imperial center are key elements in understanding the forces of globalization in the past and today. This paper describes these forces of globalization as they pertain to the largest and most powerful empire in world history.
Two simple models of nuclear transparency
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Johnston, Roger G.; Maerli, Morten Bremer; Bitzer III, Edward G.; Ballard, James David
The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the concept of transparency. The paper begins by discussing the often-misunderstood nature of transparency and offers an alternative explanation as conceptualized by the authors. In addition, various subcomponents of transparency are introduced and explained. Then two simple, but useful, models are introduced in an attempt to help clarify the way in which the authors view the concept. Both models are based on analogies that draw loosely from the field of optics. The first model employs clouds and refraction whereas the second invokes lines of sight and the transmitting properties of a window. Finally, predictions based on the two models are proposed.
In a time of rapid social change: Organized crime in Asia and the Pacific
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2008) Shaw, Victor
This paper examines organized crime in Asia and the Pacific. First is a historical and contextual review of organized crime and efforts to counter it. Followed is an analysis of major social forces around and behind organized crime, from failure of the state, dysfunction of the economy, advanced communications and transportation, globalization, and the lure of profit, to the power of organization. The third part explores organized crime with respect to its organizational bases, criminal activities, business models, and other essential patterns or characteristics. The paper points out that organized crime thrives on rapid, drastic, and multifaceted social change. Asia and the Pacific, as a dynamic region of expanding economic development, deepening political reform, and sweeping cultural transformation, will have to face and fight organized crime and various other forms of criminality in unprecedented volumes, forms, and complexities.
Global response to terrorism: Alliance of civilizations
(Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2009) Kapucu, Naim; Garayev, Vener; Arslan, Tolga
We have observed several inter - and cross-boundary conflicts through last decades. The recent wave of such conflicts is characterized by the rise of terrorism that overlooks all possible boundaries and respects no international law. The call for an alliance of civilizations in response to intolerance and terrorism requires a committed effort by the international community, both by the state institutions and civil society organizations. These efforts can overcome prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions, and polarization of the international community. This paper addresses dominant narratives in diverse societies, with the aim of providing an effective response to emerging threats to world peace emanating from hostile perceptions that foment violence. The paper discusses cooperation between various initiatives aiming to bridge these divisions in the international community. The paper also presents examples from institutional and civil society practices, from the international community that demonstrates the capabilities and willingness to cooperate for shared values. Alliance of Civilizations movement initiated and organized by Turkey and Spain governments is an example for such a practice from the international community.

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