Book review: German Europe by Ulrich Beck

"German Europe." Ulrich Beck. Polity. March 2013. --- Germany’s power relative to other European states has grown as a result of the Eurozone crisis. Ulrich Beck’s latest book asks whether the country’s dominant position within the European Union means that we’re now living in a German Europe. Professor of Sociology William Outhwaite finds Beck’s book to be rich in ideas, but questions whether the responsibility for austerity policies should be specifically ascribed to Germany

Bourdieu and Postcommunist Class Formation

This article suggests that Bourdieu's model of class, framed in terms of cultural capital and habitus, is particularly valuable in understanding the restoration of capitalism under postcommunist conditions. Following the analyses of Szel�nyi and his collaborators, it is suggested that post-communist managerialism is still strikingly more pronounced than in the West. This and the notion of habitus in particular are perhaps the main elements of Bourdieu's thinking on which we can draw in theorizing postcommunist transition.Bourdieu, Class, Postcommunism

Charge reversal and surface charge amplification in asymmetric valence restricted primitive model planar electric double layers in the modified Poisson-Boltzmann theory

The modified Poisson-Boltzmann theory of the restricted primitive model double layer is revisited and recast in a fresh, slightly broader perspective. Derivation of relevant equations follow the techniques utilized in the earlier MPB4 and MPB5 formulations and clarifies the relationship between these. The MPB4, MPB5, and a new formulation of the theory are employed in an analysis of the structure and charge reversal phenomenon in asymmetric 2:1/1:2 valence electrolytes. Furthermore, polarization induced surface charge amplification is studied in 3:1/1:3 systems. The results are compared to the corresponding Monte Carlo simulations. The theories are seen to predict the "exact" simulation data to varying degrees of accuracy ranging from qualitative to almost quantitative. The results from a new version of the theory are found to be of comparable accuracy as the MPB5 results in many situations. However, in some cases involving low electrolyte concentrations, theoretical artifacts in the form of un-physical "shoulders" in the singlet ionic distribution functions are observed.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure

Environmental offences: finally making the polluter pay?

This update focuses on developments in sentencing for environmental crimes. The imposition of appropriate penalties is crucial, not only to the use of judicial mechanisms for securing access to environmental justice, but also to respect for the polluter pays principle, a keystone of environmental law. There has been long-standing criticism in the UK of the failure of the courts to treat environmental crimes sufficiently seriously when imposing sentences. Fisher et al observed that insufficiently severe sentences, including low levels of fines, undermine the effectiveness of criminal prosecutions, reinforce an attitude of moral ambiguity towards environmental crime and do not produce a deterrent effect. The issues relate to sentencing for both individuals and businesses, though the latter has arguably been the most problematic. Two important facets of this problem have both been addressed this year, through developments in sentencing guidance and in decisions of the Court of Appeal

Improving alpha_QED(M_Z^2) and the charm mass by analytic continuation

The standard determination of the QED coupling on the Z pole is performed using the latest available data for R. The direct application of analytic continuation techniques is found not to improve the accuracy of the value of \alpha(M_Z^2). However they help to resolve an ambiguity in the values of R in the energy region \sqrt{s} < 2 GeV, which, in turn, reduces the uncertainty in \alpha(M_Z^2). Moreover, they provide a sensitive determination of the mass of the charm quark. The favoured solution, which uses the inclusive data for R for \sqrt{s} < 2 GeV, has a pole mass m_c = 1.33-1.40 GeV and \alpha^{-1}(M_Z^2) = 128.972 +/- 0.026; whereas if the sum of the exclusive channels is used to determine R in this region, we find \alpha^{-1}(M_Z^2) = 128.941 +/- 0.029.Comment: LaTeX, 23 pages, 7 eps figures, typos removed, accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Judicial review procedures and access to environmental justice.

A number of separate but related threads have, over the past year, drawn attention to questions about accountability, transparency and accessibility of environmental law in the UK. This country report on the UK provides a summary of some of these issues focusing on: changes to judicial review procedures, complaints about the failure of the UK government to fulfil its obligations under the Aarhus Convention and, more generally, some of the assessments being carried out on the state and future of UK environmental law