ijcs

IJSC

Macroeconomics and Drug Use: A Review of the Literature and Hypotheses for Future Research
Pages 41-54

Thomas Nicholson, David F. Duncan, Gregory Ellis-Griffith and Akihiko Michimi

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2016.05.04

Published: 26 April 2016

 


Abstract: Despite more than a century of drug prohibition, problems of addiction and drug abuse continue to be major global public health and criminal justice concerns (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2015). It has long been obvious that many of these problems are entwined with other economic and social issues. The editors of The Economist, in reporting evidence of a decline in drug use in the UK, speculated on the impact of the concurrent economic slowdown and commented that, “few academics have studied the link between drug use and macroeconomic performance, and what work exists is inconclusive” (Drug use and abuse: The fire next time, 2011). The goal of this paper will be to examine the work that exists on this topic and to propose a set of hypotheses to be tested in future studies.

Keywords: Economics, recession, unemployment, drug use, drug abuse.
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IJSC

Violence among the Youth in Turkey: An Assessment of General Strain Theory
Pages 55-6788x31

Özden Özbay

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2016.05.05

Published: 26 April 2016

 


Abstract: Most tests of criminological theories have been carried out in the western world, especially the United States. Agnew developed a General Strain Theory and claimed that it could account for deviance/crime in the developing countries. However, the support for the theory was generally mixed at best. The goal of this study is to examine the major theses of general strain theory in relation to youth violence in Nigde, a small city in central part of Turkey. The data came from a random sample of 974 students drawn from the lists of the university students at Nigde University (N= 12,514). Data were analyzed by using logistic regression analysis. The present study focused on three important research questions: Is the influence of strain on violence positive, Is the impact of strain on violence is mediated by anger, and Is the effect of strain on violence moderated by some criminal and non-criminal copings? The results indicated that few strain variables had direct positive impacts on violence. Anger had positive effect on the dependent variable. Few interactions between the strain and coping variables were observed. In short, the overall results gave a limited support for the three major arguments of general strain theory.

Keywords: General strain theory, Violence, Crime, Deviance, Youth, Turkey.
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IJSC

Communication and Collaboration between School and Family for Addressing Bullying
Pages 99-10488x31

Panagiotis J. Stamatis and Eleni N. Nikolaou

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2016.05.09

Published: 25 May 2016

 


Abstract: School and family are the main socializing agents for children. Therefore, effective communication and collaboration between these contexts is essential, although sometimes there are barriers to school-family partnership, particularly when they try to play a more active role in the educational process. It is widely recognized that parent involvement in school has successful contributions to student school outcomes. Moreover, It is crucial for addressing effectively bullying, as it is a problem student behaviour in Greek society as well.

In this context, the present research aims to explore teachers' views about family-school communication and collaboration regarding the extent to which they address effectively bullying. 150 primary education teachers from public schools in Rhodes participated in this research, which conducted in 2015. Results show that teachers endorse the importance of school-family collaboration for addressing bullying. In addition, they consider this collaboration important, as it has an important influence on children's attitudes to school, and their behaviour in school environment. Furthermore, they suggest that school-family collaboration may improve students' social skills, which can enhance their emotional development and reduce their social isolation from the peer group. Finally, they assert that school-family collaboration can empower children's relationship with their parents and teachers, and in the long term it can contribute in enhancing their school achievement.

Keywords: Bullying, school-family collaboration, communication, school climate.
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IJSC

Ethical Assumptions: A Criticism against Modern Pragmatism
Pages 68-7488x31

Maximiliano E. Korstanje and Geoffrey Skoll

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2016.05.06

Published: 26 April 2016

 


Abstract: The advent of neoliberalism in the early 1970s marked a new age for ethical practices. Although pragmatism as an approach to ethics pre-dated neoliberalism, the neoliberal approach to political economy ushered in a new kind of pragmatism, owing little to Jeremy Bentham, even less to the American philosophical pragmatists Charles S. Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. Today’s pragmatism has permeated the penal systems of the central countries of the world capitalist system. A new ethics emerged, a neopragmatism. Acts came to be judged by their effects and not by the motives that led to the actions. This altered the doctrine of Abrahamic religions, and led to the disappearance of forgiveness as a moral good.

Keywords: Pragmatism, Forgiveness, Crime control, Securitization Process.
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IJSC

Editorial: Adjustment of Learners’ Violent Behaviour in a School Context
Pages i88x31

Petro van der Merwe

Published: 25 May 2016

 


Editorial
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