The Empire is dead, long live the Empire! Long-run persistence of trust and corruption in the bureaucracy

Do empires affect attitudes towards the state long after their demise? We hypothesize that the Habsburg Empire with its localized and well-respected administration increased citizens’ trust in local public services. In several Eastern European countries, communities on both sides of the long-gone Habsburg border have been sharing common formal institutions for a century now. Identifying from individuals living within a restricted band around the former border, we find that historical Habsburg affiliation increases current trust and reduces corruption in courts and police. Falsification tests of spuriously moved borders, geographic and pre-existing differences, and interpersonal trust corroborate a genuine Habsburg effect

The Empire is Dead, Long Live the Empire! Long-Run Persistence of Trust and Corruption in the Bureaucracy

Do empires affect attitudes towards the state long after their demise? We hypothesize that the Habsburg Empire with its localized and well-respected administration increased citizens’ trust in local public services. In several Eastern European countries, communities on both sides of the long-gone Habsburg border have been sharing common formal institutions for a century now. Identifying from individuals living within a restricted band around the former border, we find that historical Habsburg affiliation increases current trust and reduces corruption in courts and police. Falsification tests of spuriously moved borders, geographic and pre-existing differences, and interpersonal trust corroborate a genuine Habsburg effect.Habsburg Empire, trust, corruption, institutions, borders

Transforming modern representative democracy via advanced telecommunications: voting from the home, deliberative polling, electronic town meetings, the Internet

We live in a time of great, unique and extremely rapid change. In terms of human communications, we are experiencing a time of profound transformation. And though many predicted this epoch, even envisioned it, it still comes as a surprise. Because as is the case in any transformational era, one gets carried along with the completely unpredictable surge of events and how novel technologies are being used in totally new ways and with wholly unintended consequences

Wie das Habsburger Reich heute in den osteuropäischen Verwaltungen sichtbar ist

Viele Teile Europas wurden über Jahrhunderte hinweg von Großreichen beherrscht. Haben diese Imperien nach ihrer formellen Auflösung ein Vermächtnis im Verhältnis der Bürger zu ihren staatlichen Institutionen hinterlassen? Sascha O. Becker, University of Warwick, Katrin Boeckh, Osteuropa-Institut Regensburg, Christa Hainz und Ludger Wößmann untersuchen, wie sich die Zugehörigkeit zum Habsburger Reich in Osteuropa noch heute auf das Vertrauen der Bürger in staatliche Institutionen und Korruption auswirkt. Vergleicht man Menschen, die heute im selben Land leben, aber diesseits und jenseits der längst verschwundenen Habsburg-Grenze, so haben diejenigen, die auf ehemaligem Habsburger Gebiet leben, mehr Vertrauen in Gerichte und Polizei. Es ist auch weniger wahrscheinlich, dass sie Bestechungsgelder für diese öffentlichen Dienste zahlen. Dies belegt, dass das institutionelle Erbe nicht nur Präferenzen prägt, sondern auch die tatsächlichen Interaktionen zwischen Bürgern und Staat beeinflusst.

Les chemins qui mènent au métier d’archiviste – la formation administrative interne

Depuis 200 ans, les archivistes sont formés en Europe dans des institutions qui leur sont propres. L’École des chartes de Paris, fondée en1821, a inauguré la tradition et posé les jalons pour tous les établissements de formation postérieurement créés. En comparaison, l’École de formation des archivistes de Marbourg est une institution relativement jeune avec un passé d’un peu plus de 60 ans. Elle a été fondée en 1949 comme lieu de formation des archivistes ouest-allemands, puisque l’institut ..

Hydrologic and Agricultural Earth Observations and Modeling for the Water-Food Nexus

In a globalizing and rapidly-developing world, reliable, sustainable access to water and food are inextricably linked to each other and basic human rights. Achieving security and sustainability in both requires recognition of these linkages, as well as continued innovations in both science and policy. We present case studies of how Earth observations are being used in applications at the nexus of water and food security: crop monitoring in support of G20 global market assessments, water stress early warning for USAID, soil moisture monitoring for USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, and identifying food security vulnerabilities for climate change assessments for the UN and the UK international development agency. These case studies demonstrate that Earth observations are essential for providing the data and scalability to monitor relevant indicators across space and time, as well as understanding agriculture, the hydrological cycle, and the water-food nexus. The described projects follow the guidelines for co-developing useable knowledge for sustainable development policy. We show how working closely with stakeholders is essential for transforming NASA Earth observations into accurate, timely, and relevant information for water-food nexus decision support. We conclude with recommendations for continued efforts in using Earth observations for addressing the water-food nexus and the need to incorporate the role of energy for improved food and water security assessment

Pasteurella multocida Involved in Respiratory Disease of Wild Chimpanzees

Pasteurella multocida can cause a variety of diseases in various species of mammals and birds throughout the world but nothing is known about its importance for wild great apes. In this study we isolated P. multocida from wild living, habituated chimpanzees from Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. Isolates originated from two chimpanzees that died during a respiratory disease outbreak in 2004 as well as from one individual that developed chronic air-sacculitis following this outbreak. Four isolates were subjected to a full phenotypic and molecular characterisation. Two different clones were identified using pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) enabled the identification of previous unknown alleles and two new sequence types, ST68 and ST69, were assigned. Phylogenetic analysis of the superoxide dismutase (sodA) gene and concatenated sequences from seven MLST-housekeeping genes showed close clustering within known P. multocida isolated from various hosts and geographic locations. Due to the clinical relevance of the strains described here, these results make an important contribution to our knowledge of pathogens involved in lethal disease outbreaks among endangered great apes

A daily physical activity and diet intervention for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus : a randomized controlled trial

Urbanisation, a sedentary lifestyle and increasing obesity due to westernization and changed eating habits have been identified as independent risk factors for diabetes in the South African population. To establish the effectiveness of a daily walk and diet education intervention program. A randomized controlled trial was performed. The study population consisted of men and women of all races, ages 40 to 65 with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) of duration at least one year attending the Steve Biko Diabetes Outpatient clinic. Patients of all weights were considered. Patients who had an HbA1c > 8 – 9.5% were included in the sample group. Four weekly group classes consisted of education considered essential for ongoing nutrition self-management and physical activity. Yamax pedometers and walk prescriptions based on the average number of steps walked in three days were used. The participants had a follow-up assessment at 16 weeks and one year. The intervention and control groups were compared with respect to changes from baseline, using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with baseline values as covariates. The difference between the intervention and control groups in the change in HbA1c from the baseline was significant at the 16-week follow-up assessment (p=0.041) and in the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol at the one-year follow-up assessment (p =0.047; p =0.014). These results suggest that HbA1c can be improved over a period of four months. More frequent contact with the patients is necessary.http://www.sajp.co.za/index.php/sajpam201

The role of Mental Health Care Act status in dignity-related complaints by psychiatric inpatients : a cross-sectional analytical study

BACKGROUND: Globally interest has grown in promoting the rights of patients, especially psychiatric patients. Two core elements of patients’ rights are the rights to be treated in a dignified manner and to give feedback about services. Psychiatric patients may feel treated in an undignified manner, especially during involuntary hospital admissions. AIM: We explored the relationship between Mental Health Care Act 17 of 2002 (MHCA) status and dignity-related complaints. SETTING: The study was conducted at a specialist state psychiatric hospital. METHODS: We reviewed 120 registered complaints by psychiatric inpatients, retrieved the clinical files, and analysed 70 complaints. Fisher’s exact tests described the relationship between patients’ MHCA status and the frequency of dignity-related or other categories of complaints. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for potential covariates. RESULTS: Most complaints were from single, literate male patients, aged 30–39 years, with mood disorders. Most complainants were admitted involuntarily (60%). Dignity-related complaints (n = 41; 58%) outnumbered nondignity-related complaints (n = 29; 41%). The proportion of dignity-related complaints was higher in involuntary (64%) and assisted (60%) patients than in voluntary patients (44%). Dignity-related complaints were not significantly associated with MHCA status (χ2 = 2.03 and p = 0.36). Involuntary patients were more than twice as likely as assisted and voluntary patients to complain about dignity-related matters (Odds ratio [OR]: 2.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.71; 7.13]; p = 0.16). CONCLUSION: Involuntary patients are more likely to complain about dignity-related matters. Qualitative research is recommended for a deeper understanding of patients’ experiences during admission.http://www.sajpsychiatry.orgPsychiatr