bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phonological representations in deaf children: the importance of early linguistic experience
Authors: Leybaer Jacquelin
Published: March 2003

It is argued that the development of phonological representations in deaf children does not necessarily depend on auditory speech experience, neither at the perception nor at the production level. Instead, this development depends upon early experience of an input in which all phonological contrasts are well specified, independently of input modality. This is argued on the basis of the studies investigating phonological and morpho‐phonological abilities of profoundly deaf children early exposed to Cued Speech. The paper is concluded with some speculations about the effect of early exposure to CS on the development of language specific processes housed in the left‐hemisphere.
Expected Survival in the Cox Model
Authors: Nielsen Bent
Published: March 2003

The survival in a group of patients is calculated using a Kaplan–Meier curve and the hypothesis that the survival can be predicted by a specified Cox hazard is studied. This Cox hazard is obtained from a previous study of similar patients. A simple test of the hypothesis is constructed by comparing a suitable average of the individual predicted survival curves with the observed survival. Three averaging procedures are presented; “direct adjusted survival curve”, “Bonsel’s survival curve” and “expected survival curve”. Consistency and asymptotic distribution properties of the comparisons are discussed.
Likelihood Analysis of the I(2) Model
Authors: Johansen Søren
Published: March 2003

The I(2) model is defined as a submodel of the general vector autoregressive model, by two reduced rank conditions. The model describes stochastic processes with stationary second difference. A parametrization is suggested which makes likelihood inference feasible. Consistency of the maximum likelihood estimator is proved, and the asymptotic distribution of the maximum likelihood estimator is given. It is shown that the asymptotic distribution is either Gaussian, mixed Gaussian or, in some cases, even more complicated.
Partial Least Squares: A First‐order Analysis
Authors: Stoica Petre , Söderström Torsten
Published: March 2003

We compare the partial least squares (PLS) and the principal component analysis (PCA), in a general case in which the existence of a true linear regression is not assumed. We prove under mild conditions that PLS and PCA are equivalent, to within a first‐order approximation, hence providing a theoretical explanation for empirical findings reported by other researchers. Next, we assume the existence of a true linear regression equation and obtain asymptotic formulas for the bias and variance of the PLS parameter estimator
Product‐limit Estimators and Cox Regression with Missing Censoring Information
Authors: McKeague Ian W. , Subramanian Sundarraman
Published: March 2003

The Kaplan–Meier estimator of a survival function requires that the censoring indicator is always observed. A method of survival function estimation is developed when the censoring indicators are missing completely at random (MCAR). The resulting estimator is a smooth functional of the Nelson–Aalen estimators of certain cumulative transition intensities. The asymptotic properties of this estimator are derived. A simulation study shows that the proposed estimator has greater efficiency than competing MCAR‐based estimators. The approach is extended to the Cox model setting for the estimation of a conditional survival function given a covariate.
The Efficiency of Simple and Counter‐matched Nested Case‐control Sampling
Authors: Borgan Ornulf , Olsen Espen F.
Published: March 2003

This paper presents a study of the performance of simple and counter‐matched nested case‐control sampling relative to a full cohort study. First we review methods for estimating the regression parameters and the integrated baseline hazard for Cox's proportional hazards model from cohort and case‐control data. Then the asymptotic distributional properties of these estimators are recapitulated, and relative efficiency results are presented both for regression and baseline hazard estimation.
Asymptotic Bias in Parameter Estimation of AR‐Processes Using Recursive Least Squares with Exponential Forgetting
Authors: Arvastson L. , Olsson H. , Holst J.
Published: March 2003

The recursive least squares technique is often extended with exponential forgetting as a tool for parameter estimation in time‐varying systems. The distribution of the resulting parameter estimates is, however, unknown when the forgetting factor is less than one. In this paper an approximative expression for bias of the recursively obtained parameter estimates in a time‐invariant AR(na) process with arbitrary noise is given, showing that the bias is non‐zero and giving bounds on the approximation errors. Simulations confirm the approximation expressions.
Data Driven Rank Test for Two‐Sample Problem
Authors: Janic‐Wró Alicja , Ledwina Teresa
Published: March 2003

Traditional linear rank tests are known to possess low power for large spectrum of alternatives. In this paper we introduce a new rank test possessing a considerably larger range of sensitivity than linear rank tests. The new test statistic is a sum of squares of some linear rank statistics while the number of summands is chosen via a data‐based selection rule. Simulations show that the new test possesses high and stable power in situations when linear rank tests completely break down, while simultaneously it has almost the same power under alternatives which can be detected by standard linear rank tests. Our approach is illustrated by some practical examples. Theoretical support is given by deriving asymptotic null distribution of the test statistic and proving consistency of the new test under essentially any alternative.
A Note on the Absolute Continuity and Singularity of Polya Tree Priors and Posteriors
Authors: Draghici L. , Ramamoorthi R. V.
Published: March 2003

In the context of Polya tree processes, we obtain conditions for the prior and posterior to be mutually absolutely continuous, as well as conditions for the prior and posterior to be mutually singular.
Non‐parametric Estimation for the Location of a Change‐point in an Otherwise Smooth Hazard Function under Random Censoring
Authors: Antoniadis Anestis , Gijbels Irene , Macgibbon Brenda
Published: March 2003

A non‐parametric wavelet based estimator is proposed for the location of a change‐point in an otherwise smooth hazard function under non‐informative random right censoring. The proposed estimator is based on wavelet coefficients differences via an appropriate parametrization of the time‐frequency plane. The study of the estimator is facilitated by the strong representation theorem for the Kaplan–Meier estimator established by Lo and Singh (1986). The performance of the estimator is checked via simulations and two real examples conclude the paper.
Simplified Estimating Functions for Diffusion Models with a High‐dimensional Parameter
Authors: Bibby Bo Martin , Sørensen Michael
Published: March 2003

We consider estimating functions for discretely observed diffusion processes of the following type: for one part of the parameter of interest we propose to use a simple and explicit estimating function of the type studied by Kessler (2000); for the remaining part of the parameter we use a martingale estimating function. Such an approach is particularly useful in practical applications when the parameter is high‐dimensional. It is also often necessary to supplement a simple estimating function by another type of estimating function because only the part of the parameter on which the invariant measure depends can be estimated by a simple estimating function. Under regularity conditions the resulting estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal. Several examples are considered in order to demonstrate the idea of the estimating procedure. The method is applied to two data sets comprising wind velocities and stock prices. In one example we also propose a general method for constructing diffusion models with a prescribed marginal distribution which have a flexible dependence structure.
Approximate Inference for the Factor Loading of a Simple Factor Analysis Model
Authors: Wong A. C. M. , Wu J.
Published: March 2003

We study a factor analysis model with two normally distributed observations and one factor. Two approximate conditional inference procedures for the factor loading are developed. The first proposal is a very simple procedure but it is not very accurate. The second proposal gives extremely accurate results even for very small sample size. Moreover, the calculations require only the signed log‐likelihood ratio statistic and a measure of the standardized maximum likelihood departure. Simulations are used to study the accuracy of the proposed procedures.
Asymptotic Likelihood Based Inference for Co‐integrated Homogenous Gaussian Diffusions
Authors: Kessler Mathieu , Rahbek Anders
Published: March 2003

In this paper we consider inference for a multivariate Gaussian homogenous diffusion which is co‐integrated, i.e. admits a representation in terms of stable relations (ergodic diffusions) plus Brownian motions. We show that inference on co‐integration rank (the number of stable relations) in continuous time can be based on existing asymptotic distributions from discrete time co‐integration analysis. Likewise the asymptotic distributions of the co‐integration parameters are shown to be mixed Gaussian. Special attention is given to the parametrization of the drift terms. It is shown that the asymptotic distribution of the co‐integration rank test statistic does not depend on the level of the process as a result of the chosen parametrization.
Statistical Issues in Macroeconomic Modelling*
Authors: JANSEN EILEV S.
Published: March 2003

The paper describes the influx of mathematical statistics in economics. It focuses on an approach to macroeconometric modelling which is based on fundamental statistical concepts like the joint distribution function of all observable variables for the whole sample period. The methodology relies on valid conditioning and marginalization of this function in order to arrive at tractable subsystems, which can be analysed with statistical methods. Two case studies—the modelling of the household sector and of wages and prices in the Norges Bank RIMINI model—highlight this.
Abelian and Tauberian Theorems on the Bias of the Hill Estimator
Authors: SEGERS JOHAN
Published: March 2003

The bias of Hill's estimator for the positive extreme value index of a distribution is investigated in relation to the convergence rate in the regular variation property of the tail function of the common distribution of the sample and the corresponding tail quantile function. Based on the theory of generalized regular variation, natural second‐order conditions are proposed which both imply and are implied by convergence of the expectation of Hill's estimator to the extreme value index at certain rates. A comparison with second‐order conditions encountered in the literature is made.
Estimation in a General Repair Model Based on Left‐truncated Data
Authors: GÄRTNER MATTHIAS
Published: March 2003

We consider a repairable system with general repairs introduced by Last & Szekli (1998a). Apart from simple special cases this model leads to a strong dependency among the observed failure times. Our aim is to estimate the underlying failure time distribution and its cumulative hazard given that the failure process has been observed up to the nth failure. We use non‐parametric estimators of Kaplan–Meier and Nelson–Aalen type. We prove strong uniform consistency of the estimators as n tends to infinity. Further results on weak convergence are derived. Neither stationarity nor mixing conditions are required.
Unified Conditional Frequentist and Bayesian Testing of Composite Hypotheses
Authors: DASS SARAT C. , BERGER JAMES O.
Published: March 2003

Testing of a composite null hypothesis versus a composite alternative is considered when both have a related invariance structure. The goal is to develop conditional frequentist tests that allow the reporting of data‐dependent error probabilities, error probabilities that have a strict frequentist interpretation and that reflect the actual amount of evidence in the data. The resulting tests are also seen to be Bayesian tests, in the strong sense that the reported frequentist error probabilities are also the posterior probabilities of the hypotheses under default choices of the prior distribution. The new procedures are illustrated in a variety of applications to model selection and multivariate hypothesis testing.
The Danish Election 1998
Authors: Nielsen Hans Jørgen
Published: March 2003

The article analyzes the Danish national election in March 1998. Jdged from the aggregate figures, Denmark has stabilized. Net volatility was moderate, ‘bloc’ volatility was close to zero, and despite forecasts of a non‐socialist victory, the Social Democratic‐led government managed to continue. Further, in the 1990s, the periods between elections have been close to the maximum four years. Therefore, the old picture from the 1970s of Danish politics as highly unstable and as extremely volatile is now outdated. Quite the contrary at the level of individual voters. Close to a third shifted from one party to another, and even among voters who did not shift, a substantial proportion had considered voting for another party. Individual voter mobility seems to be a result of weak voter differentiation between different parties, and not a result of protest and outspoken dissatisfaction. Whatever the explanation, individual volatility is an omen of possible future instability: There is no guarantee that different voter movements will always balance out.
Notes Toward a Theory of Multilevel Governing in Europe
Authors: Scharpf Fritz W.
Published: March 2003

The complexity of the multilevel European polity is not adequately represented by the single‐level theoretical concepts of competing ‘intergovernmentalist’ and ‘supranationalist’ approaches. By contrast, empirical research focusing on multilevel interactions tends either to emphasize the uniqueness of its objects, or to create novel concepts – which are likely to remain contested even among Europeanists and have the effect of isolating European studies from the political‐science mainstream in International Relations and Comparative Politics. These difficulties are bound to continue as long as researchers keep proposing holistic concepts that claim to represent the complex reality of the European polity as a whole. It is suggested that the present competition among poorly fitting and contested generalizations could be overcome if European studies made use of a plurality of simpler and complementary concepts, each of which is meant to represent the specific characteristics of certain subsets of multilevel interactions – which could also be applied and tested in other fields of political‐science research. Four distinct modes of multilevel interaction in the European polity are described –‘mutual adjustment’, ‘intergovernmental negotiations’, ‘joint‐decision making’, and ‘hierarchical direction’– and their characteristics are discussed by reference to the criteria of problem‐solving capacity and institutional legitimacy.
Budget Procedures and the Size of the Budget: Evidence from Danish Local Government
Authors: Blom‐Hansen Jens
Published: March 2003

This paper analyzes procedural influences on budgetary outcomes in Danish local government. By analyzing local governments the study can remedy two shortcomings of most procedural budget studies. The first is that most studies analyze national budget procedures, which means that only a limited and quite heterogeneous number of cases can be analyzed. The second and more fundamental shortcoming in most studies is the lack of a distinction between political institutions and budget institutions. Although this distinction is difficult to establish for empirical analysis at the national level, it is immediately clear when dealing with local governments. The paper tests a number of hypotheses on procedural influences. It finds that budget institutions have no certain effects on budget outcomes in the preparatory phase. However, in the implementation phase budget institutions seem to matter.
Footing in bilingual play
Authors: Cromdal Jakob , Aronsson Karin
Published: March 2003

In Goffman's classic paper (1979), bilingual code‐switching was seen as a prototypical device for accomplishing shifts in footing. Yet his work has not informed research on code‐switching to any great extent. The present study of primary school children's play interaction in an English‐Swedish school setting combines a sequential approach to code‐switching with an analysis of footing (cf. Auer 1984), extending prior work in showing that code‐switches often involve subtle shifts of footing, both in terms of production formats and participation frameworks. Code‐switches were employed as important rhetorical and dramaturgic play devices, e.g. when contextualizing changes of addressee and shifts of frame (e.g. serious, nonserious). In contrast to earlier, often speaker‐centered work, reception is discussed in‐depth in the present analyses, and it is shown that footings are truly interactional achievements.
Real language phonology: Optimality Theory meets sociolinguistics
Authors: Pennington Martha C.
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

April McMahon (ed.), Change, Chance, and Optimality
The Evolution of Technical Efficiency in the Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sector, 1973–1985
Authors: Sheehan Maura
Published: March 2003

This paper uses a stochastic frontier production function approach to measure technical efficiency in firms in Northern Ireland. Firm level census of production panel data were used to examine how efficiency in firms changed over the period 1973–1985. Once estimates of efficiency were made, the causes of inefficiency based on characteristics of firms were examined. The results indicate that efficiency in Northern Ireland has improved significantly over‐time. The largest increases in efficiency were in indigenously owned firms. The results suggest that many Northern Ireland owned firms were ‘catching‐up’ in terms of efficiency with foreign owned firms over the period.
The Effect of Further Training on Wage Growth in West Germany, 1984–1992
Authors: Georgellis Yannis , Lange Thomas
Published: March 2003

In this paper, we use data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel (GSOEP) to examine the effect of further training on wage growth in West Germany for the period 1984 to 1992. After controlling for the endogeneity of the training participation decision and the presence of unobserved fixed effects, we estimate a wage growth equation which reveals that further training positively affects wage growth. However, significant differences regarding the effectiveness of further training exist between male and female workers. Our results complement the findings of previous studies supporting the view that further training enhances gender inequality in the German labour market.
Arbitrator Decision‐Making in the Transfer Market: an Empirical Analysis
Authors: Speight Alan , Thomas Dennis
Published: March 2003

This paper analyses data generated by the annual round of arbitrated settlements of disputed transfer fees for end‐of‐contract players in the English Football League. Using information on final‐offers of the disputant clubs and data on a variety of player and club characteristics we analyse arbitrated fees and final‐offers, and the relative importance of final‐offers and case facts in fashioning outcomes. Our analysis suggests that a large proportion of the variation in settlements can be accounted for by certain case facts rather than a mechanical compromise of final‐offers, with the latter receiving a relatively low weight. In general, our findings are consistent with the view that conventional arbitration systems generate little useful information in terms of final‐offers from the disputant parties.
Short‐Termism and the Dangers of Prior Announcement of Policy When There is Hysteresis in Trade and Competitiveness
Authors: McCausland W. David
Published: March 2003

It has been suggested recently that, in the presence of non‐zero entry costs and where there is sluggish adjustment, ‘over‐shooting’ of the real exchange rate and ‘short‐termist’ behaviour by firms may exacerbate hysteresis effects in trade and the real exchange rate. The purpose of this paper is to show that, in special circumstances, hysteresis effects may in fact be reduced in these circumstances. In other words, short‐run volatility of the real exchange rate and short‐sighted behaviour may actually dampen trade and exchange rate hysteresis. Furthermore, by pre‐announcing policy, governments may actually worsen hysteresis effects in trade and the real exchange rate.
Takeovers, Joint Ventures and the Acquisition of Resources for Diversification
Authors: Thompson Steve
Published: March 2003

This paper explores the influence of acquisition costs on the choice between the takeover and joint venture modes of obtaining the resources required for diversifying expansion. It uses the conditions created by privatisation in the UK utility sector as a natural experiment to examine the determinants of mode choice across groups of firms with unusually homogeneous opportunity sets. The empirical design is able to incorporate acquirer, target and geographical market variables as explanatory factors in mode choice. It is shown that the form of diversifying expansion adopted is highly sensitive to the anticipated costs of using the acquisition process.
The Endowment Effect and Expected Utility
Authors: Morrison Gwendolyn, C.
Published: March 2003

The endowment effect, which is well documented in the contingent valuation literature, alters people’s preferences according to a reference point established in an elicitation question. In particular, the utility that people place on a bundle is both a positive function of the quantities of the goods comprising the bundle, and a negative function of any loss (real or hypothetical) that the elicitation question asks them to incur. Biases such as this have lead some to reject the contingent valuation method as a means of quantifying costs and benefits in favour of other methods of preference elicitation such as standard gambles. But, most preference elicitation methods used by economists require people to express their preferences for one good in terms of their willingness to forego some of another good. Consequently, it is reasonable to expect that, and prudent to check whether, an endowment effect is also evident in other methods of preference elicitation such as von Neumann‐Morgenstern’s standard gambles. Internal inconsistencies in the standard gamble method from the experimental economics literature and from a study into the value of non‐fatal road injuries are shown to be evidence that an endowment effect is also at work in standard gambles.
Rates of Return on Plant and Machinery in the Regions of the UK, 1968‐1991
Authors: Harris Richard I.D. , Andrew Barry P.
Published: March 2003

This paper provides an update of an earlier study undertaken by one of the authors and extends the analysis by modelling the determinants of rates of return, using an appropriate cointegration based approach. A second major extension was to test formally whether rates of return have been converging over time. The results from testing for convergence show that there is little evidence of catch‐up, either because long‐run convergence already existed during this period, or because there was divergence (away from the East Anglia\South East region). With regard to what determines rates of return, the peripheral regions were generally more responsive to changes in total factor productivity than were the ‘southern’ regions. Similarly, ‘capital deepening’ resulted in larger responses in the peripheral regions. In contrast, the impact of a change in labour’s share in value‐added on rates of return had no obvious spatial pattern. Our results also indicated that the largest source of interregional differences in rates of return was regional differences in the underlying determinants, rather than differences in model elasticities per se. Of the changes in the underlying determinants, increases in capital deepening over the period were predominant.
European and North American Sports Differences(?)
Authors: Fort Rodney
Published: March 2003

Past comparative work argues that the differences between European and North American sports dramatically outweigh any similarities. This paper explores the arguments that fans, sports organizations, and team objectives are different in the two regions and offers a set of questions that must be answered if, indeed, the opposite is not true. In addition, insights gained from the overriding similarities are offered concerning competitive balance, life after the Bosman decision, broadcasting, and league structure in Europe. European sports are far from any tragic end, but directors of sports organizations have seen the handwriting on the wall, economically speaking. They are about to live in lively times.
Persistence of Capacity Shortage and the Role of Adjustment Costs
Authors: Driver Ciaran , Meade Nigel
Published: March 2003

This paper finds that plant capital constraints on output in UK industry tend to persist for surprisingly long periods, reflecting a slow response of capital investment. The paper examines the conventional view that this response pattern may be explained by cost of adjustment. Using UK time‐series data for a small number of industry groups, it is shown that the observed dynamics of capital constraints (capital shortage) are not fully explained by a quadratic adjustment cost model or by alternative forms of adjustment cost.
Macroeconomic Fundamentals and Exchange Rate Credibility. Further Evidence on the Italian Experience from a Regime‐switching Approach
Authors: Tronzano Marco
Published: March 2003

This paper explores the links between exchange rate credibility and macroeconomic fundamentals with reference to the Italian experience during the first half of the 90’s. The analysis relies on a nonlinear framework emphasizing shifts between credible and not credible states, and assuming a significant degree of persistence in the above regimes. We detect a significant influence of a cumulative loss in external competitiveness and of real output dynamics on devaluation expectations. While supporting the cautious monetary policy stance taken by monetary authorities during the transition phase following Italy’s re‐entry in the EMS, our evidence suggests that structural supply‐side policies will become crucial, in the years ahead, to ensure a credible and lasting permanence of Italy inside the EMU.
Optimal Volume of Environmentally Damaging Trade
Authors: Kohn Robert E. , Capen Peter D.
Published: March 2003

It is controversial whether international trade enhances or degrades the global environment. In this model, environmental quality, as measured by biodiversity, is damaged by the consequences of trade, which include the commercialization of natural habitat, pollution and bioinvasion. However, there are also benefits of trade. When both countries internalize the external costs of production and trade, measures of environmental quality may be higher or lower as a consequence of trade, but there is always, unambiguously, less trade the more environmentally damaging it is.
The Policy Implications of Economic ImbalancesScottish Economic Society Royal Bank of Scotland Annaual Lecture, 2001
Authors: Barker Kate
Published: March 2003

In this paper, I argue against the view that widening economic imbalances necessarily imply that the conjuncture is deteriorating, and more specifically against concluding that the UK imbalances, at the end of 2001, were clearly unsustainable. The term imbalance is in any case too widely used, and it is important to distinguish between stocks and flows, and therefore between an unsustainable level of debt and an unsustainable growth of debt. Policy–makers should be very reluctant about seeking to correct imbalances, as there is little certainty over what the ‘right’ level of debt, or current account, is at any particular time.
New Evidence on the Politics and Economics of Multiparty Cabinets Duration
Authors: Carmignani Fabrizio
Published: March 2003

A Proportional Hazards Specification for cabinet duration data is estimated by mean of a flexible parametric approach. The hazard rate is found to be significantly affected by the majority status, the degree of fragmentation and ideological homogeneity of the coalition, the stability and the polarisation of the legislature and the time horizon at the moment of cabinet formation. Interesting innovative results concern the higher stability of cabinets supported by coalitions ideologically closer to the median party and/or left–oriented. The overall state of the economy also has a role. Graphical evidence suggests that the underlying distribution of duration data might be a Gompertz distribution.
Conceptualising State‐Controlled Resort Islands for an Environment‐Friendly Development of Tourism: The Maldivian Experience
Authors: Domroes Manfred
Published: March 2003

The Maldives host a sophisticated and competitive international tourist industry which has replaced fishing as the dominant economic activity. With their rich tropical reef ecosystems and the abundant biodiversity of their marine environment, a total of 86 uninhabited islands had been converted into Resort Islands by the end of 2000. Resort Islands are equipped with comprehensive facilities for accommodation, food, recreation and leisure. They are also strictly reserved for foreign tourists and guarantee complete privacy. This gives the benefit of averting conflicts of acculturation with local islanders. In the arena of impacts on the physical environment, however, the consumptive leisure lifestyle of the tourists has been harmful to the Resort Islands as seen in sewage, garbage and waste pollution, as well as reef destruction and beach erosion. While the government of the Maldives takes great effort to harmonise tourism and the environment, the growth of mass tourism in the last 20 years has engendered grave environmental impacts. For future sustainable development of the Resort Islands, the tourists' environmental awareness must be increased to promote greater responsibility for the protection of the fragile coral and reef ecosystems of the Maldives.
Time out and Worlds Apart: Tradition and Modernity Meet in the Time‐Space of the Gravesweeping Festivals of Hong Kong
Authors: Kenworthy Teather Elizabeth
Published: March 2003

This paper focuses on Hong Kong's Gravesweeping Festivals, Qingming and Chongyang. The practices carried out in urban cemeteries at these Festivals are over two thousand years old, and represent “time out” from modern “clock time”. They are examined in the context of Giddens' (1985) reworking of Hägerstrand's time‐space geography, and of Douglas' (1966) discussion of pollution. It is suggested that the cemeteries are regarded as dangerous places because they represent liminal spaces. Giddens' dimension of span enables a distinction to be made between, on the one hand, the long‐established cultural significance of the grave, and, on the other, the recentness of the urban cemetery. The dimension of form(redefined from Giddens' original concept), applied to some details of cemetery landscapes, reveals the “worlds apart” of the non‐material worlds of the spirits and of fengshui. By considering the Festivals in the light of Giddens' dimension, character, it emerges that the Gravesweeping Festivals are, as they have been for centuries, firmly embedded in Hong Kong's social system, where routines of ancestor veneration continue to renew and strengthen the family bonds that are at the heart of Confucian values. Furthermore, their continued observation may well represent practices that are of deep ontological significance to the predominantly immigrant community of Hong Kong.
Globalisation, Regionalisation and Local Voices: The Asian Development Bank and Rescaled Politics of Environment in the Mekong Region
Authors: Hirsch Philip
Published: March 2003

Globalisation is manifested in the Mekong Region both through processes and discourses that reflect the ideology of a borderless world allowing easy passage of capital and commodities, and through resistance to such processes in an increasingly transnationalised civil society movement. However, more immediately significant supranational integrative agendas take the form of regionalisation, a process that has received less attention but which raises analogous concerns of re‐scaled governance. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been a catalysing force for regionalisation amidst a host of regional processes and initiatives; as such it has found itself the object of critique as an institution and through the specific projects it has supported that have impacted on local communities and ecosystems. Meanwhile, local and NGO voices associated with the emergence of a vibrant civil society in Thailand and nascent civil society responses in neighbouring countries have challenged claims on resources made in the name of national development and regional integration.

This paper considers some key issues of re‐scaling resource and environmental politics in the Mekong Region, and the extent to which challenges have been recast from national to regional development agendas. Politics of environment are shown to exist as a general rather than exceptional response to the region’s development direction, and it is suggested that equitable and sustainable development increasingly needs to address simultaneously the re‐scaling and reconfigurations of power in both environmental politics and the “infrapolitics” of environment. The paper is illustrated with case studies of dams in Laos and Thailand.
The Girls’ Home, Bangkok, Thailand: Developing Thoughts on Democracy
Authors: Bristol Graeme
Published: March 2003

This paper describes an exercise with children in the implementation of housing rights. Based on the argued opinion that housing rights cannot be exercised without participation and that participation without knowledge is pretence, a Kids and Architecture programme was initiated with a group of 40 children — displaced from homes in the Klong Toey slum in Bangkok — at a girls’ home run by the Human Development Foundation (HDF). The programme, developed in two phases and involving students from the King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), School of Architecture, set about to teach these children some of the elements of architecture so that they could participate in the design of their own housing. From this experiment a number of conclusions are drawn about the implementation of housing rights and about the teaching of architecture, both to children and architecture students.
Maternal Interactive Style Across Contexts: Relations to Emotional, Behavioral and Physiological Regulation During Toddlerhood
Authors: Calkins Susan D. , Smith Cynthia L. , Gill Kathryn L. , Johnson Mary C.
Published: March 2003

Sixty‐five mothers and their 24‐month‐old toddlers were observed in a series of laboratory procedures designed to assess relations between maternal interactive style and emotional, behavioral and physiological regulation. Emotional regulation was assessed by examining the child’s behaviors (aggression, distraction, object focus) when confronted by three emotion‐eliciting tasks. Behavioral regulation was measured by examining children’s ability to comply to maternal requests and to inhibit behavior during a delay task. Physiological regulation was derived from children’s cardiac vagal tone responses to emotionally‐arousing situations. Maternal interactive style was assessed by examining mothers’ strategies for child behavior management (negative controlling, positive guidance) during three mother‐child tasks. Maternal behavior was related to regulation in each of the three domains. Negative maternal behavior was related to poor physiological regulation, less adaptive emotion regulation, and noncompliant behavior. Positive maternal behavior was correlated with compliance, but not with any of the physiological or emotional measures. These findings are discussed in terms of the adaptive value of self‐regulation in early development, and the importance of identifying the causal relations between maternal behavior and child regulation.
The Importance of Sex‐of‐Stimulus Object: Age Trends and Sex Differences in Empathic Responsiveness
Authors: Olweus Dan , Endresen Inger M.
Published: March 2003

The main goals of the study were to examine age trends and sex differences in empathic responsiveness, particularly empathic concern for others in distress. It was based on four cohorts of Norwegian students aged 13 to 16, comprising a total of 1193 boys and 1093 girls. The key measurement instrument was a partly new questionnaire on empathic responsiveness in which sets of items were differentiated according to sex‐of‐stimulus object. The empirical analyses showed convincingly that differentiation of the items with regard to sex‐of‐stimulus object was of critical importance for the discovery of the age trends that were present for boys and girls. Girls showed the most straightforward development, with an increase over age in empathic concern towards both girl and boy stimuli. The boys evinced a similar developmental pattern with regard to girls as stimuli but showed a clearly deviating, decreasing trend in emphatic concern for other boys in distress. Failure to consider sex‐of‐stimulus object is probably the main explanation for the inconsistent results previously reported for developmental trends in empathic responsiveness from age 11. In addition, and in agreement with previous research, we found very marked sex differences, with a strong predominance of low‐empathic boys and a similarly marked predominance of high‐empathic girls. Finally, the empirical analyses indicated the meaningfulness of partly separating out another facet of empathic responsiveness, i.e. empathic distress in which the emotional reaction is assumed to be more oriented toward the self than to the other, while the opposite is true of empathic concern. The results are discussed within an evolutionary perspective.
Intergenerational Continuities and Their Influences on Children’s Social Development
Authors: Putallaz Martha , Costanzo Philip R. , Grimes Christina L. , Sherman Dana M.
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the recent efforts by psychologists to explore intergenerational continuities and their influences on children’s social development. A primary criterion for inclusion in the review was use of three generations of subjects represented in the research, although two generation studies were included to supplement or expand upon the conclusions drawn from three generation studies. The following domains of research were reviewed: (1) literature regarding the repetition of child abuse across generations, (2) research examining the intergenerational continuity of attachment status, (3) investigations of the continuity of parenting and childrearing behavior parents experienced with their own parents, (4) research examining intergenerational continuities in parenting involving non‐human primates, and (5) investigations of intergenerational continuities in both peer and sibling relationships. Across all literatures reviewed, evidence was found for intergenerational continuity with gender of parent affecting results. Two primary mechanisms for transmission appear to be cognitive schemas of relationships and modeling. A paradigm is proposed describing possible means of intergenerational transmission of influence on the social development of children.
Acculturation and Psychological Functioning in Asian Indian Adolescents
Authors: Farver Jo Ann M. , Bhadha Bakhtawar R. , Narang Sonia K.
Published: March 2003

The objective of this exploratory study was to understand how Asian Indian immigrant families adjust to U.S. culture by examining factors that influence acculturation preferences or styles and how these styles may be associated with their children's psychological functioning, as measured by self‐esteem and academic performance. 85 U.S.‐born Asian Indian adolescents (45 girls; 40 boys) and one of their immigrant parents completed questionnaires about family demography, self‐identification, acculturation, and religiosity. Adolescents also completed a self‐perception profile. Results showed parents and adolescents had similar styles of acculturation. However, adolescents were more likely to self‐identify as ‘Indian‐American’ than were their parents. For both adolescents and their parents, integrated and assimilated acculturation styles were related to family SES, years of U.S. residence, and religiosity scores. Adolescents who had an integrated acculturation style had higher GPAs and higher scores on the self‐perception profile than did adolescents who were separated or marginalized. The findings lend tentative support for an integrated style of acculturation in promoting positive outcomes for first generation Asian Indian adolescents.
Adolescents’ Sibling Relationship and Friendship Experiences: Developmental Patterns and Relationship Linkages
Authors: Updegraff Kimberly A. , McHale Susan M. , Crouter Ann C.
Published: March 2003

The goal of this study was to compare developmental changes in adolescents’
relationship experiences with their siblings versus with their best friends and to
determine whether individual differences in adolescents’ sibling experiences
were associated with differences in friendship experiences. Participants included
179 firstborn‐secondborn adolescent sibling pairs (N = 358). At the onset
of the study, firstborns averaged 15 years of age, and secondborns, 12.5 years of
age. Siblings were interviewed individually about their relationship experiences
during home interviews each year for three consecutive years. Analyses focused on
two relationship dimensions: emotional intimacy and control. Adolescents reported
more intimacy with friends than with siblings and more control with siblings than
with friends. In the face of these overall patterns, developmental changes in both
firstborns’ and secondborns’ reports of intimacy differed across relationships,
with sibling intimacy increasing and friendship intimacy decreasing; declines were
evident in these two relationships in the case of control. Associations between sibling
and friendship experiences were more apparent for control than for intimacy and for
secondborns as compared to firstborns. Discussion focuses on the conditions underlying
connections between adolescents’ interpersonal relationship experiences.
Manageable Discord: Fraud and Resistance in the Social Security System
Authors: Dean Hartley , Melrose Margaret
Published: March 2003

This article presents findings from a study of the attitudes and beliefs of social security claimants engaged in benefit fraud. The basis for a taxonomy of such claimants is outlined, drawing upon concepts of reflexivity and anxiety. This is compared and contrasted with other theoretically‐drawn taxonomies, one relating to workplace crime, the other to the consumption of social care services. Finally, the article considers whether benefit fraud is intelligible as resistance to social control. It is argued that benefit fraud represents a conservative form of resistance. Benefit fraud does not signify a “culture” of resistance, so much as a “manageable” form of rule‐breaking.
Criminal Policy and the Eliminative Ideal
Authors: Rutherford Andrew
Published: March 2003

Any study of the uses of elimination is necessarily an excursion into the darker regions of criminal policy. The eliminative ideal strives to solve present and emerging problems by getting rid of troublesome and disagreeable people with methods which are lawful and widely supported. Much of this article provides a historical overview of some of the most significant episodes of the potent and perennial pull of elimination, notably Britain’s use of Australia and the island of South Andaman, France’s involvement in New Caledonia and Guiana, and Russia’s reliance upon Siberia. Rather more detailed attention is given to Germany between 1933 and 1938. This first phase of German concentration camps brought together many elements of the eliminative ideal, including an ever‐widening range of perceived internal enemies, but also the lip‐service paid by the authorities to legality and public legitimacy. Finally, reference is made to contemporary developments in California and, at least by implication, to Britain. The eliminative ideal sits all too comfortably with contemporary pressures for social exclusion and, invariably, its most explicit and brutal expression is to be found within the realm of criminal policy.
Canadian Non‐Profits in Crisis: The Need for Reform
Authors: Miller Chris
Published: March 2003

This paper examines recent changes in the relationship between the Canadian state, at both federal and provincial levels, and those non‐profit organizations concerned with social welfare. The 1995 federal budget marked a turning point for Canadian non‐profit organizations as the federal transfer payments to the provinces were simultaneously restructured and reduced. This, in turn, meant that provincial funds flowing to non‐profit organizations would also be cut, or terminated, and restructured as service contracts continued to replace grants. This followed a review of government funding to non‐profit agencies initiated the previous year and came on top of a growing critique of non‐profits as unaccountable, unrepresentative, professionalized, "special‐interest" groups, who used public funds largely to sustain themselves, and pursued causes that should not be subsidized by government. At the same time non‐profit organizations were increasingly expected to provide core social welfare services not only on the basis of "more for less" but also through charging for their services and increased corporate and individual fund‐raising. All of these events took place in the context of the election to government, in 1993, of the Liberal Party, that had previously been strongly identified with the advance of a Canadian social agenda but now chose to adopt its conservative predecessor’s deficit reduction strategy through public expenditure cuts. For many Canadian commentators, such events have thrown non‐profit organizations into crisis and during the past two years there have been attempts to bring together the diverse interests within the sector and build a stronger sense of identity and voice. However, there is also a strong argument to suggest that the vulnerability of such non‐profit organizations has resulted, in part, from their over‐dependence on government during the previous twenty‐five years and the absence of a strong popular base. This paper explores the changing relationships between the Canadian state and non‐profit organizations, and highlights what could be very similar dilemmas for their UK counterparts as government increasingly looks to non‐profits to fulfil what has during the postwar period been its service‐providing role.