This historical study deals with the deployment and the effectiveness of observers in the former Yugoslavia. The intervention started small, but the number of observers from the European Community... Show moreThis historical study deals with the deployment and the effectiveness of observers in the former Yugoslavia. The intervention started small, but the number of observers from the European Community Monitoring Mission (ECMM) and particularly the number of United Nations Military Observers (UNMOs) grew substantially during the war. The variety of their tasks and the growing number of observers seem to indicate that they played an important role. However, there was initially little clarity about how they were deployed, how this deployment evolved and how effective the observers really were. In this study, effectiveness is a key concept, which involves not only taking a closer look at the results achieved by this category of military personnel, but also comparing those results with the investments their efforts required. This makes it possible to analyse and weigh the 'costs' and 'benefits' of their deployment. Based on the results achieved by observers in the former Yugoslavia and the investment this required, conclusions can be drawn about their effectiveness. In short, the observer operations on the Balkans could be described as complex, multi-faceted and high-risk. How justifiable was it to deploy observers in a conflict at the high end of the spectrum of force? Show less
In criminology, measuring recidivism is a well-known method of establishing the preventive effect of penal interventions. There are measurements of this kind dating from as early as the 19th... Show moreIn criminology, measuring recidivism is a well-known method of establishing the preventive effect of penal interventions. There are measurements of this kind dating from as early as the 19th century. Recidivism studies have been conducted in the Netherlands too, but the earliest we know of stem from the 1970s. Due to developments in public sector fund accounting methods, interest in reconviction rates is now again on the increase. The Dutch government is looking for clear indicators to gauge the success of implemented policy measures. In the area of penal law recidivism, or rather the absence thereof, is readily embraced as a valid and efficient outcome indicator. Under what circumstances do recidivism statistics provide proof of the efficacy of policy interventions? And how can this construct best be measured? In the Netherlands there is no tradition of recidivism research. The methods used in past evaluation studies vary widely, the measurements were predominantly small-scale, and most studies were conducted at a time when the penal interventions under investigation were still at a developmental stage. Recidivism research in the Netherlands has lacked a sound methodological basis and there is consequently no comprehensive view on the outcome of penal interventions – until recently, that is, since the WODC has meanwhile developed a ‘Recidivism Monitor’. This is a project in which reconviction rates of virtually all offenders who have come into contact with the Dutch judiciary are routinely computed. The development of this instrument and its applications in evaluation research form the central themes of this dissertation. Show less
