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Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Wen Zeng, Changqing Yao and Hui Li

Science and technology policy plays an important role in promoting the development of economic and social development in China. At present, the research on science and technology…

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Abstract

Purpose

Science and technology policy plays an important role in promoting the development of economic and social development in China. At present, the research on science and technology policy is mainly focused on the basic theories and some quantitative research. The analyses for contents of massive science and technology policies are relatively less. This paper makes use of semantic technologies to extract and analyze the relatively important information from massive science and technology policies. The purpose of this paper is to facilitate users to quickly and effectively obtain valuable information from the massive science and technology policies. The key methods and study results are presented in the paper. The study results can provide references for further study and application in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presented the analysis model and method for science and technology policy in China. The terms and sentences are the important information in the science and technology policy. The study adopted the technology of natural language processing to analyze the linguistics characteristics of terms and combined with statistical analyses to extract the terms from Chinese science and technology policy. Then, the authors designed an algorithm, calculated and analyzed the important sentences in Chinese science and technology policies. The experiments were run on the Java test platform.

Findings

This paper put forward the analysis model and method for science and technology policy in China. The study obtained the following conclusions: term extraction of science and technology policy: the paper analyzed characteristic of terms in Chinese science and technology policy and designed a method of extracting a term that was suitable for the science and technology policy. The calculation of important sentences for science and technology policy: the paper designed an algorithm and calculated the importance of the sentences to obtain valuable information from the massive science and technology policies.

Research limitations/implications

In our methods, there are some defects to be improved or solved in the future. For example, the precision of algorithm needs to be improved. The significance of this paper is to propose and use the analysis model to process Chinese science and technology policy; we can provide an auxiliary tool to help policy beneficiaries. Enterprises and individuals can be more effective to extraction and mining information from massive science and technology policy and find the target policy.

Practical implications

To verify the effectiveness of the method, the paper selected the real policies about the new energy vehicles as experimental data; at the same time, the paper added uncorrelated policies. It used the proposed analysis model of science and technology policy to calculate and find out the relatively important sentences. The results of study showed that the proposed method can obtain better performance. It verified the validity of this method. The model and method have been applied to actual retrieval system.

Social implications

The proposed model and method in the paper have been applied to actual retrieval system for users.

Originality/value

The paper proposed the new analysis model and method to analyze science and technology policies in China. The presented model and method are a new attempt. According to the experimental results, this exploration and study are valuable. In addition, the idea and method will give a good start for improving information services of massive science and technology policies in China.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1985

Brian A. Roper

Of all social relations the withdrawal of individual liberty by the State is arguably the most discussed and the least understood. Although there has latterly been an increasing…

Abstract

Of all social relations the withdrawal of individual liberty by the State is arguably the most discussed and the least understood. Although there has latterly been an increasing interest in the issue of crime, relatively little attention has been paid to the consequential issue of punishment and especially to its most severe manifestation (in many cultures), imprisonment.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1998

Ralph Henham

The aim of this article is to examine those philosophical and structural factors which have been responsible for shaping sentencing policy for economic crime in the UK and to…

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine those philosophical and structural factors which have been responsible for shaping sentencing policy for economic crime in the UK and to analyse some key decisions of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) in this area.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Mahmoud Marzouk

The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate risk disclosure (CRD) practices and determinants in the annual reports of Egyptian listed companies during the 2011 political…

1502

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate risk disclosure (CRD) practices and determinants in the annual reports of Egyptian listed companies during the 2011 political crisis (uprising) in Egypt.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis of the annual reports of a sample of non-financial listed companies representing different industry sectors was conducted to investigate attributes and factors underlying their risk disclosures.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that companies disclosed more monetary, future and good risk information. The results show a positive and significant relationship between company size and the level of CRD, a positive but insignificant relationship between the extent of CRD and some company-specific characteristics: industry type, profitability and cross-listing, and a negative and insignificant relationship between corporate reserves and the level of CRD.

Research limitations/implications

A larger sample size would be needed for greater generalization of the findings. This study extends the literature on CRD by examining CRD practices at a time of current and ongoing crisis. However, more research is needed to examine variations in CRD practices before and after the 2011 political crisis.

Practical implications

The results could be used by information users, companies and the capital market authority to inform policy-making and tighten regulations to improve CRD. Recommendations are made for improving the quality and informativeness of risk information.

Originality/value

It is important to investigate CRD practices, considering the dearth of research, particularly in emerging capital markets and during crises, when companies are exposed to more, especially uncontrollable, risks. This study fills a void in literature by examining CRD practices during the 2011 political crisis in Egypt.

Details

Journal of Applied Accounting Research, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0967-5426

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2007

Emily Potter, Andrew Cashin, Lynn Chenoweth and Yun‐Hee Jeon

Australia, like other western nations, is experiencing a new trend within its prison population ‐ the ageing inmate. This ‘greying’ of the population presents a unique challenge…

326

Abstract

Australia, like other western nations, is experiencing a new trend within its prison population ‐ the ageing inmate. This ‘greying’ of the population presents a unique challenge for the correctional environment. Specific needs of this population may not be well met within a correctional facility due to the physical environment layout and surroundings, restricted health service access and unaccommodating facilities and programmes. This is compounded by limited visits from family and friends. This paper outlines some of the general needs of the older male inmate and the difficulties this poses for correctional and health services. Current international initiatives and programmes used to address the ageing population’s needs are briefly examined, as are the implications for Australian and international correctional and health services wishing to implement such schemes. The applicability of Government Legislation, pertaining to the standards of care in the community, to correctional aged care programmes and facilities is discussed.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 21 September 2012

Morag MacDonald, Robert Greifinger and David Kane

3791

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2006

Johanna E. Foster and Rebecca Sanford

The purpose of this paper is to apply a feminist perspective to the crisis in prison higher education in the US by exploring whether gender shapes access to on‐site…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply a feminist perspective to the crisis in prison higher education in the US by exploring whether gender shapes access to on‐site, non‐occupational college programs in state prisons differently for women than for men.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilized a content analysis of official US state departments of correction websites and an email survey of state directors of education.

Findings

Findings show that while both women and men had little access to on‐site, non‐occupational college programming in the 2005‐2006 academic year, women in state prison had slightly greater access than men.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretical implications of the findings include the importance of focusing a gender lens on correctional education programming, as well as the importance of extending analysis beyond gender alone towards an analysis of the intersections of gender, race, and class inequalities on access to prison higher education.

Practical implications

Practical implications include the identification of an emergent educational justice movement in the USA, and the presentation of exploratory data on the current college‐in‐prison programs useful for progressive activists, policymakers, correctional education administrators, equity scholars, and others interested in organizing around democratic access to postsecondary correctional education.

Originality/value

As there is little current research on college‐in‐prison programs in the US, and less on the gendered dimensions of program access, the paper makes an original valuable contribution to several literatures.

Details

Equal Opportunities International, vol. 25 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0261-0159

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2018

Christine L. Arazan

Prior studies of criminal sentencing have largely focused on individual-level predictors of sentencing outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of a variety…

Abstract

Purpose

Prior studies of criminal sentencing have largely focused on individual-level predictors of sentencing outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of a variety of theoretically derived community measurements of social threat and disadvantage on the criminal sentencing of convicted felons. This analysis permits an evaluation of whether legal ideals such as equality before the law and policy goals of equal treatment for like offenders are achieved.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examines data of individuals sentenced in the state of Florida and community level measurements of racial and ethnic threat and community disadvantage. Hierarchical generalized linear model is used to analyze the effect of these measures on the dichotomous in/out imprisonment variable, and standard hierarchical linear regression analysis is used to model the continuous dependent variable of sentence length.

Findings

The results provide support for the racial threat perspective though not for ethnic threat nor community disadvantage. The findings and their implications are discussed in terms of theory, research and policy.

Practical implications

Racial disparity in criminal justice practices is receiving increasing public and policy attention, as evidenced by the growing Black Lives Matter movement. Regarding sentencing, racial disparity remains a major research and policy question. While the current research and theoretical literature on sentencing is not conclusive, it is clear that race matters. As a result, racial disparity in sentencing needs to be a priority in subsequent “transitional criminology” efforts between researchers and policy makers to identify, explain and ultimately predict exactly how race impacts sentencing, and how to reduce it as a consideration from sentencing.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a growing body of literature that examines the social context of punishments by using several community level measurements of threat and disadvantage, while modeling the two-step sentencing outcome of imprisonment and sentence length.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 4 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Mai Sato and Mike Hough

– The purpose of this paper is to report results from a rape trial reconstruction in Ireland.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report results from a rape trial reconstruction in Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach

A studio audience of 100 members of the Irish public were selected to attend a TV programme by the Republic of Ireland’s national broadcasting organisation. This involved the examination of the sentencing of a rape case. The audience’s sentencing preferences were measured at the outset, when they had been given only summary information about the case, and later, when full details had been disclosed.

Findings

Previous research examining changes in public attitudes to crime and punishment has shown that deliberation, including the provision of new information and discussion with others and experts, tends to decrease public punitiveness and increase public leniency towards sentencing. An experiment in Ireland, however, showed that providing information does not invariably and necessarily moderate punitive attitudes. This paper presents the results, and offers some explanations for the anomalous outcome.

Research limitations/implications

The pre/post design, in which the audience served as their own controls, is a weak one, and participants may have responded to what they took to be the agenda of the producers. Due to the quality of the sample, the results may not be generalisable to the broader Irish population.

Practical implications

Policy makers should recognise that the public is not uniformly punitive for all crimes. There is good research evidence to show that the apparent public appetite for tough punishment is illusory, and is a function of the way that polls measure public attitudes to punishment. Sentencers and those responsible for sentencing policy would benefit from a fuller understanding of the sorts of cases which illicit strong punitive responses from the public, and the reasons for this response. However any such understanding should not simply translate into responsiveness to the public’s punitive sentiments – where these exist. Innovative survey methods – like this experiment – which attempt to look beyond the top-of-the-head opinions by providing information and opportunities for deliberation should be welcomed and used more widely.

Originality/value

There have been limited research studies which reports factors which may increase punitiveness through the provision of information and deliberation.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2010

Michael Levi

The purpose of this paper is to generate data on sentencing within a framework that enables clearer understanding of the sentencing policy options.

1446

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to generate data on sentencing within a framework that enables clearer understanding of the sentencing policy options.

Design/methodology/approach

Descriptive statistics on sentencing, and the relationship of this to principles of sentencing and sub‐types of fraud/organised crime offenders.

Findings

Fraud cases seldom attract severe sanctions where, as in the case of frauds against the EU, there are institutional victims and no apparent systemic risk, despite the prevalence and incidence of such frauds and the high value to offenders.

Originality/value

Data on sentencing fraud not readily available, placed within a framework of the purposes and effects of sanctions on different sorts of fraudster.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

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