T-Test for Terrorism: Did the Introduction of Proportional Representation Reduce the Terrorist Threat? A Time-Series Case Study of Algeria and Northern Ireland

Can electoral reform lead to a reduction in the number of terrorist incidents? Economists have shown that the introduction of constitutional institutions such as courts in the early eighteenth century had a direct effect on investment. Could there be a similar link between the introduction of proportional representation (PR) electoral systems and a reduction in the number of terrorist attacks? Previous studies using cross-sectional data have found a negative correlation between the presence of PR-electoral systems and the number of terrorist incidents. However, earlier studies were based on aggregate figures, not on time-series data. They did not provide a direction that could be used to measure the possible effect of the introduction of PR. This research note addresses this problem. Using a paired samples t-test it is possible to show that the introduction of proportional representation in Northern Ireland and Algeria led to a marked reduction in the number of terrorist attacks. The note thus adds strength to earlier studies

An investigation into the role of place attachment within extreme sport tourism

Extreme sport participation is a growing phenomenon, both in terms of active and passive consumption. Nevertheless this growth is not mirrored in the academic literature where a clear dearth in research into extreme sport tourism consumption is evident. The conceptualisation of sport tourism is of a unique interaction of three components, namely: activity, people and place, although some argue that the role of place is unclear. Place, within a tourism context, is concerned with the destination within which the tourist activity takes place and is linked to attachment and destination loyalty. As the role of place within sport tourism is ambiguous, it is similarly unclear as to what constitutes attachment within sport tourism consumption. This study in responding to calls for research within the context of extreme sports seeks to identify the factors which influence attachment within an extreme sport tourism context. The study is based on the 2014 Isle of Man TT motorcycle race and contributes to the wider understanding of the components of attachment. From this study we propose the development of a theoretical model for researchers who wish to better understand the role of place within an extreme sport tourism context

“Oops I did it again!” Cameron and the Britney Spears model of constitutional reform

Constitutional change in the UK has progressed haphazardly in recent years, and with the benefit of hindsight many of the changes might be considered imprudent or ill-thought through. Matt Qvortrup argues that “Oops, I did it again”, the 2000 hit by pop princess Britney Spears could be a leitmotif in constitutional reforms undertaken by successive governments since the 1970, and possibly even before

The planned independence referendum in Eastern Ukraine is unconstitutional and anti-democratic

Separatists in Eastern Ukraine are planning to stage an independence referendum in Ukraine this weekend, despite criticism from the international community. With comparisons to international comparisons held in a number of other states, Matt Qvortrup considers the democratic credentials of the vote. He argues that holding a referendum now represents the majority attempting to impose its views on the minority, and that a vote on Eastern Ukraine’s future should only take place once there has been a negotiated settlement among all parties in the region

The puzzle of double referendums in the European Union

If voters are asked to vote twice on the same issue in a single year, why might they initially reject the proposal but then vote to approve it the second time? This has happened three times in EU referendums (Denmark on the Maastricht Treaty in 1992–93 and Ireland on the Nice Treaty in 2001–02 and the Lisbon Treaty in 2008–09). No work has yet compared all six of these referendum campaigns. I focus on the campaign strategies of the Yes and No sides and investigate whether campaigners act differently in the second campaigns. Based on fieldwork in Denmark and Ireland, 38 in-depth interviews with campaigners and public opinion data, I show that the Yes campaigners learned from their mistakes and changed their campaign strategies in the second rounds. Not only did they secure guarantees from the EU to neutralize the No side's arguments; they also used more emotional campaign arguments in the second campaigns

DUT som didaktisk felt:en empirisk analyse af didaktiske temaer i perioden 2006-2013

Artiklen foretager en systematisk kategorisering og analyse af de bidrag, som har været bragt i Dansk Universitetspædagogisk Tidsskrift (DUT) fra 2006-2013. Formålet er at undersøge, hvilke didaktiske temaer tidsskriftet har været optaget af og at diskutere mulige implikationer for universitetspædagogikkens funktion i forhold til at bidrage til undervisernes didaktiske viden. Analysen viser, at bidragene altovervejende er optaget af metodespørgsmål, og inden for denne kategori stort set udelukkende har beskæftiget sig med handlingsorienterede og/eller dialogiske undervisningsformer. The paper presents a systematic categorization of 115 papers published in the Danish Journal for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (DUT) from 2006 to 2013. The aim is to explore which didactic topics the journal deals with and how it contributes to Danish research into teaching and learning. The categorization shows that most of the contributions deal with teaching methods. A subsequent analysis shows that the contributions almost exclusively address active and social teaching methods (teaching as experience and teaching as interaction)