With the recent rise and fall of IS, academics and policy makers around the world are expressing concerns about the fate of children of former foreign fighters. Will they follow in their parents’... Show moreWith the recent rise and fall of IS, academics and policy makers around the world are expressing concerns about the fate of children of former foreign fighters. Will they follow in their parents’ footsteps? In this paper, we argue that in light of this discussion, the intergenerational transmission of extreme beliefs deserves a research agenda of its own. The transmission of extreme ideologies, such as extremism and cultism, constitutes a unique topic, not previously captured in traditional transmission studies. The concepts commonly used in popular media, such as ‘brainwashing’ and ‘indoctrination’, similarly fall short when trying to understand this phenomenon. Instead, a multidisciplinary approach centered around the concept intergenerational transmission is proposed. We present some of our preliminary literature findings on this topic, and consider their relation to broader theoretical frameworks. We conclude with several considerations and suggestions for future research, to better understand the intergenerational transmission of extreme ideologies in all its complexity. Show less
Off-the-books employment following release from prison Prior re-entry studies used administrative data to conclude that post-release employment rates are low. These studies may however... Show moreOff-the-books employment following release from prison Prior re-entry studies used administrative data to conclude that post-release employment rates are low. These studies may however underestimate ex-prisoners’ labour market participation as especially ex-prisoners are expected to work off-the-books. A prison record might for instance create a legal ban on certain occupations, pushing them towards the informal labour market. This study combines administrative with interview data to examine the prevalence and relative importance of informal employment among former prisoners in the Netherlands (N = 738). Multiple measurement strategies show that a substantial part of these men work off-the-books. About forty percent of these workers rely on it as their primary source of income, but many combine it with a formal job or social benefits. These findings raise concern and show that many post-prison jobs currently do not come to the attention of scholars or governmental organizations. Show less
Homicide followed by the suicide of the perpetrator often leads to shock and incomprehension. It has been suggested that media reporting on such cases could lead to an imitation effect. This... Show moreHomicide followed by the suicide of the perpetrator often leads to shock and incomprehension. It has been suggested that media reporting on such cases could lead to an imitation effect. This article describes the nature and incidence of homicide-suicide in the Netherlands in the period 1992-2014. In addition, it assesses whether a copycat-effect can be established due to media reporting. Results show that homicide-suicides occur on average nine times per year. Intimate partner homicide-suicide and child homicide-suicide are the most frequent types of homicide-suicide. Even though several temporal clusters could be observed during the period of study, there are insufficient indications to confirm a copycat-effect. This may be attributed to the heterogeneous and multifaceted nature of this phenomenon, lacking one single potentially ‘contagious’ cause. Show less
Schellen, M. van; Poortman, A.R.; Nieuwbeerta, P. 2010
