Willem Schinkel
Discipline or Punishment? The Case of the Dutch Prison
Abstract
The goals of
resocialization and reintegration that keep appearing in
policy statements on the prison system in The Netherlands are
critically reviewed in this contribution by means of a
comparison with daily prison practice. A picture of the modern
Dutch prison is sketched with the use of interviews and
excerpts from letters. It would appear that in practice a lack
of effort exists towards reintegration and resocialization.
This difference between the practice of prison and the theory
of policy and politics can be captured in a Durkheimian
perspective. Lack of genuine resocialization shows an
exclusion of the criminal, and this exclusion is brought forth
by means of the discourse on resocialization, which, in its
very formulation, excludes the criminal from 'society' a
priori. This exclusion is strengthened by means of two
mechanisms of social control: (1) the systematic discursive
separation of an 'inside' and an 'outside' of society, as
becomes apparent in political and popular discourse; and (2)
an association of the criminal with the perverse and radically
different.
Max Haller
Europe and the Arab-Islamic World. A Sociological
Perspective on the Socio-cultural Differences and Mutual (Mis)Perceptions
between Two Neighbouring Cultural Areas
Abstract
This
paper investigates the mutual perceptions and misperceptions
between Europe and the Arab-Islamic world. Based on a
sociological theory of collective identity formation, a
typology and set of hypotheses are developed in the first
section concerning the relations between countries and
cultures in the world; these are seen as being dependent on
inequality in their level of socio-economic development, and
on the similarity or difference of their culture and their
political systems. In the second and third section, these
principles are applied to an analysis of the self-concepts and
the mutual perceptions between Europe and the Arab-Islamic
world. Here, it is first investigated whether fundamental
differences exist in basic value orientations between Europe
on the one hand, and Islam and the Arabic world on the other,
and in the value orientations of Christians and Muslims in two
selected countries. In the third section, the mutual
perceptions of these two culture areas are investigated. It is
shown that--despite a lack of fundamental differences in value
orientations--significant misperceptions exist, particularly
of the Arab-Islamic culture and societies in Europe. They are
related to colonial history, religious-cultural differences,
and inequalities in levels of development. Further reasons for
the misperceptions and perspectives for their correction after
the terrorist attack in New York in 2001 are outlined in the
final section.
Nick Tyler
Practical Expereience of Public Participation: Evidence
from Methodological Experiments
Abstract
This paper discusses
the general principles underlying the proper participation of
the public in decisions which affect a community. The paper
begins with a brief consideration of the philosophical and
political rationale for including the public in these
decisions. These are then considered in terms of what is
needed in a public participation process in order to ensure
that it is fair, helpful and cost effective for all people
involved. The paper then describes two examples where
experiments in public participation were set up to test these
principles. Finally, the application of these outcomes in
other circumstances is considered. Thus the paper will discuss
the processes of public participation and deliberation, the
potential for decision-making processes in general and the
problems associated with these approaches.
Ian Forbes
Perceptions of Cutting Edge Research in UK Social Sciences
Abstract
Research that is
deemed to be at the 'cutting edge' occupies a privileged
position within the academic community. It enjoys the highest
status and is very attractive to funding agencies. This
article explores the possible meanings of the term 'cutting
edge' and the descriptive and evaluative uses to which it is
put in the social sciences. The views of significant academic
gatekeepers on current developments in UK social science are
presented. Included are estimations of the amount of research
output that deserves the 'cutting edge' sobriquet, along with
specific examples of areas, issues and types of cutting edge
research. New developments are identified, and judgements are
collated in relation to globalization, gender and
postmodernism. The emergent ingredients of cutting edge
research are enunciated and analysed, and the article
concludes with comments on the practical value of the concept.
Brigitte Unger and
Martin Zagler
Institutional and Organizational Determinants of Product
Innovations
Abstract
This paper analyses,
estimates, and compares four prototypic models of innovation,
from a simple technological model to an elaborated
institutional model that includes financial, organizational
and technological variables. The comparison of the four models
shows that institutions, in particular the national system of
innovation, and organizations matter. Networks and information
flows from different economic actors add to the explanatory
power and give the best model fit. The empirical analysis is
based on the second Community Innovation Survey Studies (CIS
II) of the European Union.
