RSS 1.0Social Sciences, Geography, Policing and Law
Sub-communities within this community
Collections in this community
Recent Submissions
-
The evolution and implementation of Norway’s ultimate penalty: An exceptional approach to life imprisonment?Though formal life sentences have been abolished in Norway, forvaring (post-conviction indefinite preventive detention) – a type of informal life sentence – can be imposed on individuals convicted of certain offenses who are considered to be at high risk of future offending. While great attention has been paid to Norway as an “exceptional” penal outlier globally, there is a notable lack of comprehensive knowledge about its indefinite penal sanction. Drawing on extensive historical research and legal and policy documentary analysis as well as leveraging a unique national dataset on the total forvaring population, this article provides the first international in-depth assessment of the evolution and implementation of Norway’s ultimate penalty. In so doing, it highlights significant disparities between policy ambitions and current practice and questions the extent to which the sanction of forvaring can be considered an “exceptional” approach to life imprisonment. It is argued that the development and growth of this type of informal life sentence can be seen as the epicenter of the impact of a more punitive ideology in Norway, emphasizing the need to move away from the concept of penal exceptionalism to better understand the full spectrum and practice of Norwegian and Nordic penality.
-
People and pets: Good for each other?Editorial for special issue on relationships between people and their companion animals.
-
Are we witnessing a revolution of the Italian citizenship regime? Postscript to the special issueWhile we were completing this special issue, in spring 2025, three possible changes to the Italian citizenship law developed that could lead to a deep transformation in the way Italian citizenship has been historically ruled and produce multiple effects on the citizenship/mobility nexus. We therefore felt the need to acknowledge them through adding this collective post-script, even if it is too early to provide a comprehensive in-depth analysis.
-
Reimagining the World Wildlife Gallery, Kendal Museum: A Community Engagement and Reinterpretation ProjectFounded in 1796, Kendal Museum is a small public museum in the northwest of England. The museum’s collections reflect both the social history of the area and the connections between the district and the wider world. Particularly significant, in this respect, is the museum’s “World Wildlife Gallery,” a permanent display of hundreds of taxidermy animal and pinned insect specimens, arranged thematically by continent in “naturalised” dioramas. In 2023/2024 Kendal museum began a project to “reimagine” the World Wildlife Gallery, through engagement with regular museum visitors and the local community more broadly. Project and Community Officer, Ila Colley; local artist and community contributor Lavinia Haslam; academic and researcher Joe Rigby, and friend of the museum and contributor to a recent reinterpretation of the museum’s geological collection, Peter Lincoln, reflect on their experiences of the “Reimagining the World Wildlife Gallery” (RWWG) project.
-
Perceived Changes in Sexual Interest and Distress About Discrepant Sexual Interest During the First Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Country Assessment in Cohabiting Partnered IndividualsDue to COVID-19 pandemic, different restrictive measures in terms of physical distancing and lockdowns have been introduced in most European countries, affecting all facets of social life. Currently, little is known about how partnered individuals perceive changes in their sexual life during this complex emergency. This study explored retrospectively assessed changes in sexual interest for one’s partner and levels of distress related to perceived sexual interest discrepancy during the first phase of the pandemic in a large-scale online sample of partnered individuals (n = 4813; Mage = 38.5 years, SD = 10.74) recruited between May and July 2020 in seven European Union countries and Turkey. We also examined the possible role of approach/avoidance motives for sex in reported changes in sexual interest and associated distress. Most participants (53%) reported no change in their sexual interest during the pandemic, followed by those who reported an increase (28.5%). The pattern was similar across the eight countries. Distress about discrepant sexual interest, which was only weakly related to changes in sexual interest, was significantly associated with relationship quality and emotional closeness with a partner, coping with and worrying about the pandemic, and specific motivation for sex. In contrast to avoidant and relationship-focused approach motivation, ego-focused approach motivation was related to stable sexual interest during the pandemic. The current study contributes to the understanding of the link between sexual interest and complex emergencies. Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the reported experiences and perceptions are prone to change.
-
The finer details? The predictability of life outcomes from Big Five domains, facets, and nuancesAssociations between personality traits and life outcomes are usually studied using the Big Five domains and, occasionally, their facets. But recent research suggests these associations may be driven by the items (reflecting personality nuances) chosen to measure these traits. Using a large dataset (N = 6126), we examined associations with 53 self-reported outcomes using domains, facets and items (markers for nuances), training and validating models in different sample partitions. Facets better predicted outcomes than domains (on average, 18.0% versus 16.6% of variance explained), but items provided the most accurate predictions (on average 20.9%). Removing domain and facet variance from items had no effect on their predictive validity, suggesting that outcome-related information was often in items' unique variances (i.e., nuance-specific). Item-based prediction also showed the highest discriminant validity. These observations, replicating previous findings, suggest that personality traits' valid associations with outcomes are often driven by narrow personality nuances.
-
Assessing the role of the oil market in rising food prices: Strategic implications for food security in Gulf Cooperation Council countriesThis study examines the relationship between oil prices and food prices, with a focus on key agricultural commodities in the United States, including corn, soybeans, wheat flour, meat, and milk. Using a regime-switching cointegration approach, the research investigates both the long-term and short- term dynamics of oil’s impact on food prices. The findings indicate that oil prices exert an asymmetric influence on the food market. While oil prices play a relatively limited role in determining certain production costs, particularly for meat, compared to other economic factors, they nonetheless hold strong predictive power for food price forecasts. Notably, any short-term disequilibria in prices prompt a rapid adjustment back to equilibrium, contributing to market stability. The study suggests that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which rely heavily on food imports, can leverage their energy resources to alleviate the inflationary pressures in food markets resulting from global demand increases. A key long-term strategy involves investing in energy-intensive agricultural technologies, such as desalination for water supply and controlled-environment agriculture (e.g., greenhouses), underscoring the need for strategic foresight and comprehensive planning in agricultural investments.
-
Changes in Intimacy and Sexuality During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis of Data from a Survey on Partnered Individuals in Eight European CountriesThis qualitative study explores experiences of intimacy and sexuality during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic of 3357 participants from Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, and Turkey. Data were collected through open-ended questions within a survey on sexuality during the pandemic. Based on a reflexive thematic analysis three themes occurred. The first theme No change was described by 41% when summarizing their sex life during the pandemic. The second theme Positive change was experienced by 25%, and the third theme Negative change by 21%. An overarching theme then emerged as: “Still the same trajectories, but the pandemic could be a catalyst for improved or worsened sex- life.” For those intimate partnered individuals who already had problems with intimacy and sexuality before the COVID-19 pandemic it seemed to remain the same or deteriorated throughout the pandemic. For those with positive experiences of intimacy and sexuality before the COVID-19 pandemic it remained the same or improved throughout the pandemic. These findings are relevant for researchers and clinicians in developing preventive and supportive interventions in the context of crisis and social isolation.
-
The ways of the world? Cross-sample replicability of personality trait-life outcome associationsResearch in (mostly) Western samples has indicated that personality domains’ associations with life outcomes are replicable but often driven by their facets or nuances. Using three diverse samples (English-speaking, N=1,232; Russian-Speaking, N=1,604; Mandarin-speaking, N=1,216), we compared personality trait-outcome associations at domain, facet, and nuance levels, both within and among samples. Trait-outcome associations were at least moderately consistent among samples for all trait-hierarchy levels (average intraclass correlations = 0.64 to 0.74). Nuances provided the strongest predictive accuracy, both within and among samples. Trait-outcome associations were higher among English-speakers than Mandarin and Russian-speakers. Our observations suggested moderate generalizability among diverse samples, with nuances providing unique and replicable information. This offers potential to improve understanding of trait-outcome patterns.
-
Building a bridge over turbulent waters: an equality impact assessment co-production approach to developing an environmental justice framework for the UK and beyondThere is increasing recognition that the environmental crisis places disproportionate burdens on already marginalised communities. It is also increasingly clear that environmental sustainability policies can increase inequality if not accompanied by broader policy measures to address inequalities. To seek to address these environmental inequalities, it is vital that the communities most impacted are at the centre of providing just environmental solutions that don’t further disadvantage them. Thinking beyond the silos of disciplines and creating better nexus between inclusive approaches, equality legislation and the environment is key to addressing climate injustice and environmental inequalities. This paper details findings of research underpinned by an innovative interdisciplinary approach undertaken by the authors in 2023. This distinctive approach has provided an evidence base to develop a novel co-produced Environmental Justice Framework for the public and private sector across a sub-region of the UK. Underpinned by existing theory and practice around equality impact assessments (within the UK context), environmental justice and co-production principles, the authors present a Framework which encourages a new interdisciplinary justice centred approach to environmental sustainability decision making. It is argued that this approach (which encourages context based application) could be usefully developed to provide a globally accessible framework for environmental justice.
-
Measuring the Semantic Priming Effect Across Many LanguagesSemantic priming has been studied for nearly 50 years across various experimental manipulations and theoretical frameworks. Although previous studies provide insight into the cognitive underpinnings of semantic representations, they have suffered from small sample sizes and a lack of linguistic and cultural diversity. In this Registered Report, we measured the size and the variability of the semantic priming effect across 19 languages (N = 25,163 participants analyzed) by creating the largest available database of semantic priming values based on an adaptive sampling procedure. We found evidence for semantic priming in terms of differences in response latencies between related word-pair conditions and unrelated word-pair conditions. Model comparisons showed that inclusion of a random intercept for language improved model fit, providing support for variability in semantic priming across languages. This study highlights the robustness and variability of semantic priming across languages and provides a rich, linguistically diverse dataset for further analysis.
-
An IPA Study Exploring the Lived Experiences of Young People and their Perceptions of High School Bullying, and Societal ViolenceBackground and Context: the motivation of this thesis was to conduct a qualitative exploration on the lived experiences of bullying of high school students, and whether they considered this a factor in future societal violence. Methods: the methodology was Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), with data gathered using semi structured interviews, later transcribed and analysed to find emerging themes. Participants were recruited using academic posters (see appendix M). Two participant information sheets were provided for young people and guardians, offering details about the project. Participants: the participants were (n=6) with ages ranging from 13-16 years, selected from three separate high schools in the United Kingdom. Three of the participants were cis boys, and the other three participants were cis girls. Findings: bullying is an individual experience, which can occur in primary and high schools, and is repetitive. Consequently, the participants reported being subjected to name calling and hitting, which has implications for mental health. Verbal and physical bullying can affect future verbal and physical violence, with grudges influencing violence towards bullies. Rational thinking can become impacted, with potential violence used in relationships. Violence may be used to prevent bullying from reoccurring, and to regain power and control. Future measures which may prevent future societal violence, including greater interventions and awareness in academic institutions, bullying to be considered within criminalisation, with institutions erected specifically to help victims. Conclusions: cybercrime and cyberbullying should be considered by practitioners, and researchers. Interventions should be used to effectively by school staff to gain justice for pure-victims and bully-victims, with training in mental health and bullying needed. Schools should reintegrate pure-bullies into the school system, with bullying prevention and intervention programmes encouraged. Grudges require attention from researchers and practitioners working with pure-victims and bully-victims. A lack of empathy from future intimate partners may lead to verbal violence in intimate relationships. Practitioners should consider emasculation and racial abuse from bias-based bullying as possible precursors to societal violence. Societal violence may be enacted through self-righteous reasoning, and bullying may require criminalisation. Posttraumatic growth should be considered, with school bullying viewed as a social justice issue.
-
People and pets in the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis: Identifying trends in the intake, adoption and return of companion animals during times of uncertaintyPet ownership is the most common form of human–animal interaction (HAI), is prevalent worldwide and confers benefits for the health and wellbeing of humans. Here, we examined a large set of anonymised data from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to identify trends in the intake, adoption and relinquishment of companion animals in England and Wales before and during times of uncertainty, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis (COLC). We employed an interrupted time series (ITS) design which controls for pre-existing trends by comparing observed outcomes post-intervention with those expected if the intervention had not occurred. Nearly 200,000 animals were taken in by the RSPCA and over 140,000 animals were adopted or released over the four-year period from 2018 to 2022. When controlling for the brief closure of RSPCA sites, fewer dogs and cats were taken in and adopted during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic, and the intake and adoption of animals were lower during the COLC than before. A downward trend in the return of animals was observed, and the principal reasons for return were problem behaviours, owner unpreparedness and a change in circumstances. Our ITS analysis also permitted forecast predictions to be made which could prove helpful to the RSPCA.
-
Space-time estimation of built-up landscape of Ilorin Metropolis, NigeriaThis paper assesses the spatiotemporal dynamics of the built-up environment in Ilorin, Nigeria, and appraises the landscape changes between 1986 and 2020. The study used information from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) with remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as major analyses instruments. Employing the Markov model and artificial neural networks (ANN), particularly multilayer perceptron (MLP) models, the study predicts future land loss surrendered to urbanization processes. The study employed Landsat 4–5, 7, and 8 images of Ilorin administrative areas for five epochs: 1986, 1996, 2006, 2016, and 2020 for land cover monitoring. The Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) and ArcGIS software were utilized for image classification, enhancement, processing, analysis, and land use map production. Calculations of land consumption rate (LCR) and land absorption coefficient (LAC) revealed increased land consumption from 3757.23 ha in 1986 to 15,925.17 ha in 2020, with a fluctuating LAC influenced by historical events and specific government policies measured by different regimes. The land development index (LDI) indicated urban expansion trends, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach encompassing environmental, social, economic, and institutional dimensions for sustainable development in Ilorin.
-
Disenfranchised griefThis is an teaching exercise to help students to understand the concept of “disenfranchised grief” originally coined by Doka in 1989. Learners will explore how grief which is incurred through loss can be unacknowledged and not recognised leading to disenfranchisement of self and others (Corr, 1999; Cesur-Soysal & Ari, 2022). The exercise hopes to promote person-centred values along with empathic and non-judgmental listening skills as well as develop learner’s self -awareness, helping them to see grief from their own and other people’s perspectives. Drawing on further work from Doka (1999 & 2017) social and cultural contexts of loss will be explored. We will then explore how we might enfranchise people’s grief by validating and acknowledging their experiences.
-
Side preferences in human dyads when walking: the influence of country, threat, handedness, and sexIn several species, lateral position preferences have been observed in pair mates, mother–infant dyads, and during agonistic interactions. This research examined side preferences in human dyads in an observational study and survey. We observed 1236 male–female pairs walking in the UK and found a bias for males to walk on the right side of the pair, which did not depend on hand-holding, or walking during daylight or darkness. The survey measured side preferences in 798 participants (398 left-handed, 411 right-handed), from the UK (402) and USA (396). Participants chose a side to walk when walking with their partner, or alone, in various threatening/non-threatening scenes. Threat did not influence preference in walking couples, but males, when passing a threatening stranger, preferred the best combat side for their handedness. Country and handedness also influenced preferences. Left-handers preferred the left side and right-handers preferred the right side, and USA participants exhibited a more rightward preference than UK participants. The pattern of preference for each country was equivalent, showing independent influences of handedness and cultural learning. Overall, the results suggest that males and females prefer the side that allows their dominant hand to be on the outside of the dyad.
-
Developing research collaborations and building capacity in palliative and end-of-life care in the North West Coast of England: the PalCaRe-NWC partnershipBACKGROUND: The North West Coast area of England (Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and South Cumbria) has high palliative care need (third highest prevalence in England) and historically low recorded National Institute for Health and Care Research research activity (second lowest research recruitment rate in England). To stimulate research activity, a new research partnership was formed to support and encourage palliative care research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research from January 2022 until June 2023. OBJECTIVES: To develop a sustainable palliative care research partnership infrastructure across the North West Coast. To work with palliative care providers, patients and the public, and research staff to further understand local barriers and facilitators to palliative and end-of-life care research, and develop and implement solutions to these barriers. To build capacity in palliative and end-of-life care research through the mentorship of emerging research leaders and share expertise across organisations. To facilitate the development of high-quality research grant applications. ACTIVITIES: Phased activities were planned and actioned throughout the funded period to develop and embed an active palliative care research partnership across the region. These included: a survey and working groups to rapidly identify current local barriers to research and their sustainable solutions; individual and group support activities to build research capabilities and capacity; development and submission of high-quality, clinically relevant research proposals to the National Institute for Health and Care Research and other funders. RESULTS: Survey participants (<i>n</i> = 293) were mainly from clinical settings (71%), with 45% being nurses. While around three-quarters of participants were not research active, most wanted to increase their involvement. Key barriers identified from both the survey and working groups (<i>n</i> = 20 professional participants) included: lack of organisational research culture and capacity (including prioritisation and available time); research knowledge (including skills/expertise and funding opportunities); research infrastructure (including collaborative opportunities across multiple organisations and governance challenges); and patient and public perceptions of research (including vulnerabilities and burdens). Based on these findings, the partnership is working with national stakeholders to develop user-friendly resources to facilitate hospice-based research. Three action learning sets, that met several times (<i>n</i> = 15 staff), and two networking events (<i>n</i> = 78 participants) took place to facilitate collaboration and research capacity building. Eleven research grant applications totalling £5,435,967 were submitted as a direct result of partnership activities between January 2022 and June 2023. Limitations: Survey and working group findings and resulting activities represent the views and needs of staff within a particular United Kingdom geography and had limited public representation. CONCLUSIONS: Funding to support partnership work has been demonstrated to be effective in pump-priming research activities, leading to successful research grant submissions and building research capacity. However, consideration is needed about how to maintain partnership work, embed in local organisations and further develop work across non-traditional stakeholders such as hospices and social care providers if ongoing funding is unavailable. FUTURE WORK: North West Coast Clinical Research Network has provided short-term funding (July 2023-March 2024) to enable and sustain the expansion of Palliative Care Research Partnership North West Coast.
-
Temperature testing climate action: what are the impacts of social and economic factors on local climate action in the UK?Introduction: Social and economic factors influence human behaviour at the individual and community levels. This study examines how variables such as sense of community, well-being, income, and deprivation impact climate-action behaviours. It provides an initial investigation into behaviours as ‘actions’ taken by people, individually and with their communities, under different social and economic conditions. Answering the primary research question, ‘Do social cohesion and socio-economic indicators impact climate action at the individual and community levels?’. Material and Method: A convenience sample of 105 participants from the UK was obtained for this study, comprising 84 online responses and 21 in-person responses. Independent variables representing social cohesion included well-being (WHO-5) at the individual level and sense of community (Brief Sense of Community Scale) at the community level. Socioeconomic position was assessed using income (bands) and deprivation (Indices of Multiple Deprivation). Each of these were grouped in accordance with the scale, and a MANOVA was conducted to analyse the effects of these groups against the dependent variables of individual and community climate actions. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that the sense of community groups and income groups significantly impacted climate action. Univariate tests of between subjects effects indicated that the effect of sense of community was only significant on community climate action and post-hoc fishers LSD revealed the high sense of community group was varying from Low and Moderate sense of community. Income was found in post hoc analysis to have no significant differences between income groups. Wellbeing and Deprivation groups did not have an impact on climate action Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of fostering a high sense of community through needs fulfilment, belonging, influence, and connection, to promote sustainable climate action behaviours and move towards a Net Zero Society. Sense of community as a social cohesion indicator, emerged as a key driver and the piece recommends collaborating with communities to track real-time behavioural and social change. Limitations of the research are the sample size and localised geography, yet it is argued that a place-based approach is needed in future social cohesion and climate action research.
-
Eligibility of athletes with a difference in sex development in elite sport: Opinions of national, elite and world class athletesThere have been limited studies allowing key stakeholders the opportunity to voice their opinions on DSD athlete participation in elite sport. The purpose of this study was to survey athletes eligible to compete in the female category regarding DSD athletes' inclusion. This study surveyed national, elite and world class athletes (n = 147) competing in the female category regarding their opinions on the eligibility of DSD athletes in elite sport. The study compared current and retired Olympic sport athletes, elite versus world class athletes and current Olympic sport versus current Olympic‐recognised sport athletes. Most athletes believed that it was an unethical requirement to medicate in order to comply with eligibility regulations (67.2%). Overall, athletes did not support a separate category for DSD athletes, an opinion most strongly held for precision sports (69.5%) and a majority believed their participation in the female category was fair (54.4%, precision sports). This opinion was more commonly held by Olympic‐recognised sport than current Olympic sport athletes, particularly for sports heavily reliant on physical capacity (61.1% vs. 20%). More current Olympic sport athletes believed that the eligibility of DSD athletes for the female category was unfair, compared to Olympic‐recognised sport athletes. Athletes agreed that sports federations could be doing more to make sport more inclusive for DSD athletes (82.2%), with only 8.2% believing such athletes were treated fairly. After reviewing these novel results, the athletes' voice (in combination with scientific evidence) should be utilised to create appropriate policies that align with the collective values of athletes.
-
Towards equity? Advancing rural consideration in flood risk managementFlood risk management (FRM) in England and Wales predominantly follows a utilitarian approach guided by cost–benefit analysis, with a corresponding focus on urban areas. This approach has been criticised for being unjust, as it neglects vulnerabilities that cannot be readily monetised, resulting in some of the most vulnerable flood‐affected communities being excluded from FRM provision. This issue is especially pronounced in rural areas. Ironically, rural communities are often overlooked despite many contributing to the protection of urban settlements. In response to increasing research on social injustices in FRM and policy calls for more equitable approaches, greater consideration of rural flooding is required. Using the River Severn catchment as a case study, this paper employs a questionnaire survey of 176 rural residents to gather perspectives on their engagement with FRM agencies. Their responses were then discussed with FRM organisations active in the region through interviews. The combined perspectives of rural communities and FRM organisations reveal challenges and opportunities for achieving just consideration of rural areas in FRM. The findings emphasise the need for a more inclusive approach to FRM in the River Severn catchment and offer valuable lessons for other rural areas in the United Kingdom and beyond.
