Romeo Asiminei

Romanian Diaspora and Its Presidents

The turnout in Europe has experienced a continuous deterioration over the last two decades. Absenteeism causes are many and complex: Lack of trust in politicians, lack of trust in public policies, lack of interest, lack of political culture are some of these causes. In some countries, like in Romania, migration is an important variable when discussing the turnout. Large numbers of migrants are working all over the world but they are still registered in the in country’s electoral rolls. The probability that migrants have any interest and/or resources to go to vote in the host countries is relatively low. However, the last elections in Romania were characterized by an increase in the diaspora’s intensity of electoral activity. This paper is focusing on two directions of analysis: the political asset and the electoral asset of Romanian diaspora in the context of post-communist presidential elections. The political asset is understood as political participation. The electoral asset is understood as the distribution of votes to the electoral competitors. In this context the paper explores a series of variables and raises a series of hypothetical questions: “Is the diaspora vote a competent one?” and “What is the impact of the votes cast from abroad on the election outcomes?”

Children of Prisoners: Their Situation and Role in Long-Term Crime Prevention

Studies suggest that maintaining family ties can help reduce the likelihood of reoffending, and that while parental imprisonment can increase a child’s likelihood to offend, positive responses to the situation can aid the children’s well-being, attitude and attainment. Drawing on findings from the EU-funded COPING Project on the mental health of children of prisoners, this chapter explores the factors that aid a child’s ability to cope with parental imprisonment and the actions that different stakeholders can take to support them. It identifies some of the mental health impacts at different stages of parental imprisonment, the roles played by non-imprisoned parents/carers and by schools, and suggests options for further clarifying the factors that help and hinder children of prisoners in the short and long term.