Statistics show that the increase in the number of refugees to Germany since 2015 was accompanied by an increase in xenophobic hate crimes. We deduced rivaling predictions from intergroup contact and intergroup threat theories that could explain the occurrence of xenophobic hate crimes. By combining structural data of the 402 German districts with the 2015 police crime statistics, we found evidence to support our predictions that aligns with intergroup contact theory: the higher the proportion of foreigners in a district, the lower the prevalence of xenophobic hate crimes. Our analyses further show that the prevalence of xenophobic hate crime attacks was positively related to the total prevalence of registered criminal offenses in a district and was higher in eastern German districts.

This paper traces the question of whether there is a growing process of rationalization underlying drug policy and drug treatment, in the sense of the “McDonaldization” thesis established by Ritzer (2000). Taking Germany as an example, there is some evidence that endeavors to achieve enhanced efficiency may actually lead to a lack of rationality. Here we explore the historical background of this McDonaldization process as it relates to drug policy and treatment in Germany. Is it possible to escape from the “irrationality of rationality,” that is, the intense efforts directed at efficiency in drug treatment?

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<B>Fragestellung:</B> Der Artikel skizziert einige zentrale Beobachtungen einer Regionalstudie zur offenen Drogenszene in Frankfurt (Main). </P><P> <B>Methodik:</B> Die Studie ist Teil eines komplexen Monitoring-Systems, das darauf abzielt, Drogengebrauchstrends zu verfolgen. </P><P> <B>Ergebnisse:</B> Neben der Präsentation einiger auffälliger Veränderungen innerhalb der offenen Drogenszene seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre (Alterung der offenen Drogenszene, bemerkenswerter Anstieg des Crackkonsums und – offensichtlich hiermit korrespondierend – Reduktion des intravenösen Drogengebrauchs) stellt der Artikel eine Methode zur Schätzung der Population der offenen Drogenszene zur Diskussion. Dies vergleichsweise einfach handhabbare Schätzverfahren basiert auf Angaben der Interviewpartner zu Überdosierungserfahrungen, die in Beziehung zu den in den Frankfurter Konsumräumen dokumentierten Überdosisfällen gesetzt werden.

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