scholarly journals Actors, Targets, and Guardians: Using Routine Activities Theory to Explore the 2008 Decision to Prorogue Parliament in Canada

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-94
Author(s):  
Johannes Wheeldon

While a number of scholars have offered a variety of constitutional critiques and political analyses for the 2008 prorogation of Parliament, to date no comprehensive theoretical exploration has been attempted. In addition to the widespread agreement that the use of prorogation to avoid a potential non-confidence vote was problematic, some have acknowledged that efforts to undermine the role of Parliament in Canada have become routine. Combined with the role nationalistic tensions played in justifying such a profound departure from the principles of responsible government, this paper accepts and better explicates the view that the 2008 decision to prorogue Parliament constituted a ‘harm.’ Using Routine Activities Theory it explores the events before during and after prorogation based on the confluence of a motivated actor, a suitable target, and the lack of a capable guardian. While this theory frames past events in a new way, of specific value is how the theory can be used to begin to chart a course to correct what has been called a dangerous constitutional precedent.

2021 ◽  
pp. 026839622110278
Author(s):  
Sixuan Zhang ◽  
Dorothy Leidner ◽  
Xin Cao ◽  
Ning Liu

Extant research on the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying pays little attention to the role of perpetrator traits in influencing workplace cyberbullying, as well as the unique occurrence context that distinguishes workplace cyberbullying with juvenile cyberbullying, workplace bullying, and adult cyberbullying in general. To fill these gaps, we consider the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying under the theoretical lens of the general theory of crime and routine activities theory. We build a model incorporating low self-control, a widely discussed perpetrator trait in criminology theories, with three types of routine activities representing the unique occurrence context for workplace cyberbullying--mWork, boundary spanning in ESM, and proactive email checking. We tested our model with 2025 employees in the U.S.. Our findings demonstrate that low self-control and the three routine activities are strong motivators for workplace cyberbullying. Our findings further show that the effect of low self-control on workplace cyberbullying is amplified by the three routine activities. The study contributes to our understanding of why workplace cyberbullying occurs and offers potential implications for managers interested in reducing incidences of workplace cyberbullying in their organization.


Author(s):  
Michael Arntfield

Existing research on cyberbullying has consistently overlooked the role of victims in online offending, as well as victim behaviour as both a facilitator and predictor of digital predation. This article offers an interdisciplinary critique of existing research and proposes a new framework of cybervictimology—traditional victimology in the context of cyberactivities. The framework points to cyberbullying as being best explained by Cohen and Felson’s (1979) routine activities theory of crime. Because one of the main criteria of “traditional” corporeal bullying is repetition, the routine activities of victims in social media environments are key facilitators in the bullying process; they serve as advanced indicators of victimization in a space where anti-social behaviour is comparatively tolerated—and even celebrated—in the absence of suitable guardianship. La récherche actuelle sur cyberintimidation a souvent négligé le role des victimes en cas de les crimes engagé en linge, et aussi les compartements de victimes comme faciliateurs et prédicteurs de predation numérique. Cet essai offre une critique interdisciplinaires de la récherche et propose un noveau cadre de cybervictimologie—le victimologie tradionnel en cas de les activités en ligne. Le cadre proposé indique que cyberintimidation est mieux expliqué par le ‘routine activities theory’ proposé par Cohen et Felson (1979). Parce que l’un des principaux critères de cyberintimidation traditionnel est repetition, les activities discret des victimes dans les environments des médias sociaux sont les principaux facilitateurs de cyberintimidation dans les environments en ligne où le compartement déviant est souvent toléré et encore célèbre en l’absence de la tutelle apprpriée.


2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damen Ward

In early colonial politics, decisions about lower court jurisdiction often reflected competing ideas about the relationship between different parts and functions of government. In particular, court structure and jurisdiction could be seen as having important implications for the role and power of the governor. Appreciating the importance of jurisdiction as a way of defining, and arguing about, the distribution and exercise of political and legal authority in the colonial constitution allows connections to be drawn between different elements of settler politics in the 1840s and 1850s. The closing of the Court of Requests by Governor Grey in 1848, and the decisions of the Supreme Court judges in subsequent litigation, provide examples of this. Debate over the role of the governor in emerging systems of representative and responsible government after 1852 contributed to lower court jurisdiction remaining politically significant, particularly in relation to Māori.  This is shown by considering parliamentary debates about the Stafford ministry's 1858 proposals for resident magistrates' jurisdiction over "native districts". The politics of jurisdiction were part of wider contests about the establishment and consolidation of particular political and institutional relationships within the colonial constitution. This multi-faceted construction of government authority suggests a need to reconsider elements of Pākehā colonial politics and law.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6772
Author(s):  
Michele Malaguarnera ◽  
Tiziano Balzano ◽  
Mari Carmen Castro ◽  
Marta Llansola ◽  
Vicente Felipo

Cognitive and motor impairment in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) are mediated by neuroinflammation, which is induced by hyperammonemia and peripheral inflammation. GABAergic neurotransmission in the cerebellum is altered in rats with chronic hyperammonemia. The mechanisms by which hyperammonemia induces neuroinflammation remain unknown. We hypothesized that GABAA receptors can modulate cerebellar neuroinflammation. The GABAA antagonist bicuculline was administrated daily (i.p.) for four weeks in control and hyperammonemic rats. Its effects on peripheral inflammation and on neuroinflammation as well as glutamate and GABA neurotransmission in the cerebellum were assessed. In hyperammonemic rats, bicuculline decreases IL-6 and TNFα and increases IL-10 in the plasma, reduces astrocyte activation, induces the microglia M2 phenotype, and reduces IL-1β and TNFα in the cerebellum. However, in control rats, bicuculline increases IL-6 and decreases IL-10 plasma levels and induces microglial activation. Bicuculline restores the membrane expression of some glutamate and GABA transporters restoring the extracellular levels of GABA in hyperammonemic rats. Blocking GABAA receptors improves peripheral inflammation and cerebellar neuroinflammation, restoring neurotransmission in hyperammonemic rats, whereas it induces inflammation and neuroinflammation in controls. This suggests a complex interaction between GABAergic and immune systems. The modulation of GABAA receptors could be a suitable target for improving neuroinflammation in MHE.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Macneil ◽  
Ziheng Liu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain progress, or the lack of it, in achieving workplace gender equality goals prescribed by affirmative action regulation by using concepts from soft regulation and organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach The research design is a longitudinal study (2002-2012) of a critical case, that of a single large organization in the male-dominated steel manufacturing, distribution and mining industries. The case focusses on the evidence about organizational learning to be found in that organization’s reports to government on its activities to promote workplace gender equality. Findings While other factors play a role, the apparent failure of the soft regulation to generate a significant shift in gender equality outcomes may also be attributed to ineffective organizational learning, demonstrated by the absence of systematic reflection within the organization on how to improve workplace gender equality, and the lack of firm targets and external benchmarking. Research limitations/implications Self-reported data may be overstated or incomplete. More research is needed to confirm the nature of the specific learning processes occurring within organizations. Practical implications Absent the advent of hard sanctions in workplace gender equality regulation, the responsible government agencies may find it valuable to focus on ways to encourage target organizations to develop competence in organizational learning. Social implications More effective gender equality regulation may change organizational policy and practice and improve work opportunities for women. Originality/value Rather than concluding that the only alternative, when soft regulation is unsuccessful, is hard regulation, this paper shifts the focus to ways that soft regulatory processes might be improved to strengthen their effect.


2020 ◽  
pp. 135481662094904
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Nan Hua

Hotel guests are more likely to be targeted by criminals than local residents, and the hotel business is particularly vulnerable to various crimes. This study investigates whether guests prefer to stay at luxury hotels when in insecure neighborhoods to reduce the risk of victimization. Using monthly property-level data from 352 hotels between 2010 and 2014 in Houston, Texas, we estimate a series of econometric models to investigate the impact of crime. Results suggest that hotel class moderates the effect of crime on lodging performance, and high-end hotels are less influenced by crime incidents. For luxury hotels, this effect is further moderated by the lodging market structure of vicinity such that the effect is smaller for luxury hotels in a more concentrated market. Lastly, this study carefully addresses theoretical implications that confirm the routine activities theory framework as well as practical implications that suggest measures and strategies handling various impacts related to crime and hotel class studied herein.


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