News

PhD thesis written by Jiska Jonas
Victim-offender mediation (VOM) in criminal cases is a growing judicial practice in Europe and abroad. In VOM victim and offender have a conversation in presence of a trained mediator. This process can help victims to recover and offenders to take responsibility, make amends and decrease their risk of reoffending. Despite the demonstrated favorable link between VOM and recidivism, no empirical research exists that has addressed why and how participation in VOM reduces reoffending compared to non-participation. This dissertation aimed to open this ‘black-box’ of victim offender mediation and to unravel how and why participation in mediation is related to a lower risk of reoffending. It examined if participation in Dutch mediation practices is related to a lower risk of reoffending, which psychological change might underly this behavior change and which elements of mediation might explain these outcomes.

How can we help employees to fulfil their potential? And how can we do this in a way that is sustainable for both employees and organizations? Recently, I started a new professorship at the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) at SBE to address these questions, together with various stakeholders in science, policy, and practice. In this blog, I describe why these questions are important, and how a Positive Health approach can help us to answer them.

EDLAB is pleased to announce the 12 new education innovation projects that have received an EDLAB education grant for 2024.

The Department of International and European Law of the Faculty of Law at Maastricht University is looking for an Assistant Professor in EU Law (1.0 FTE), starting from August 15, 2024.

Hormone therapy is an effective treatment for prostate cancer, but also leads to negative side effects, such as an increase in fat mass, and decrease in muscle mass, strength and endurance. Lisanne Houben, physician-researcher, shows that strength training in this group of patients helps to combat these adverse effects of hormone therapy.

Trust in yourself and always think in terms of solutions. The principle of self-help is the most important lesson that Pavlos Liagkas learned during his studies. He is the first in his family to go to university, which was not a given. Pavlos obtained his Bachelor’s degree in his country of birth, Greece, after which he spent a few years working hard to keep his head above water and financially support himself. In the end, he still managed to find a way to pursue a master’s degree programme: Economics and Strategy in Emerging Markets in Maastricht. “The fact that people have faith in me motivates me even more to do my best.”

As part of the Springer Book Series 'Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market', the Open Access book 'Conservation of Contemporary Art: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice' , published by MACCH affiliated researchers Vivian van Saaze and Renée van de Vall, is now available. 

After graduating from Public Policy and Human Development at Maastricht University, she became a librarian at the House of Commons, the lower house of the UK parliament. Here, Georgina Sturge explains what numbers do and don’t mean to policymakers and the public.

Researching the brain is as complex as the brain itself and thus requires an elaborate research infrastructure. EBRAINS aims to create such an infrastructure, enabling scientists to unravel the workings of our brain.

The cause of young-onset dementia is often assumed to be genetic. Researchers from Maastricht University (UM) and the University of Exeter have now identified 15 factors associated with an increased risk of developing dementia at a young age, some of which people can influence themselves.