bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
APPLICATION OF A NORMALIZATION METHOD FOR DETERMINING J‐R CURVES IN GLASSY POLYMER PVC AT DIFFERENT CROSSHEAD SPEEDS
Authors: Che M. , Grellmann W. , Seidler S. , Landes J. D.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— A new single‐specimen testing method, the normalization method with the so‐called LMN calibration function, based on the load separation principle and function calibrations from an individual test record, was used to construct J‐R curves directly from load versus load‐line displacement records without any additional on‐line crack‐length monitoring equipment. The research was done on CT‐specimens of a glassy polymer PVC at different crosshead speeds ranging from 0.01 to 50 mm/min. The J‐R curves evaluated from the normalization method are in good agreement with those from the conventional multiple‐specimen testing method in the whole range of the tested crosshead speeds. The results demonstrated the applicability of the normalization method for developing J‐R curves at different crosshead speeds in PVC. The crack initiation J‐integral values, J0.2, showed a two‐regime dependence on the crosshead speeds in the tested crosshead speed range.
THE INFLUENCE OF AGEING AT INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURES ON THE MONOTONIC STRESS‐STRAIN BEHAVIOUR AND FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF A DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL
Authors: Iturgoyen L. , Anglada M.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The mechanical behaviour of the duplex stainless steel AISI 329 has been investigated for ageing times up to 15,000 h at 475, 425, 375, 325 and 275°C. The study has concentrated on changes in the monotonic stress‐strain behaviour and fracture toughness as a function of ageing temperature and time. It is shown that the tensile behaviour of the steel changes strongly due to ageing. A large increase in yield strength and reductions in ductility and fracture toughness are observed. The deformation hardening behaviour of the aged steel is explained by using a model based on a modified rule of mixtures. Finally it is shown that the higher toughness of aged duplex stainless steels, in comparison with ferritic stainless steels aged under the same ageing conditions, may be associated with the increase in crack growth resistance induced by ductile ligaments of austenite which bridge the crack faces.
THE INFLUENCE OF LOADING RATE ON HYDROGEN INDUCED CRACKING OF MICRO ALLOYED STEELS
Authors: Alvarez J. A. , Gutiérrez‐Solana F. , González J. J.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— Since the degradation effect due to environment on the cracking of materials depends on time, the loading rate has an important influence on the parameters that characterise its behaviour. This work analyses the effect of loading rate on the resistance to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) of two microailoyed steels, E690 and E500. Monotonic loading tests were performed on precracked CT samples using a slow strain rate machine. Tests were done under constant displacement rate varying from 4.1 × 10–7 m/s to 8.2 × 10–10m/s on the two steels that were cathodically charged with hydrogen at different current densities (1, 5 and 10 mA/cm2) to obtain different hydrogen concentration levels inside the material.

Based on an analytical study, the initiation conditions for cracking as well as the crack propagation rates were determined in each case, and analysed as a function of K1. An extensive fractographic SEM study has been performed to help in the analysis of the different zones of behaviour obtained as an effect of loading rate, for each material and environmental condition used.
DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS TO INVESTIGATE RESIDUAL STRESSES AND FATIGUE LIFE IMPROVEMENT BY A SURFACE TREATMENT
Authors: Freddi A. , Veschi D. , Bandini M. , Giovani G.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The careful design of experiment (DOE) technique has been utilized to analyze the residual stress state and to investigate the fatigue life improvement of a material (nitriding steel) subjected to thermal and mechanical treatment.

Nitriding treatments have been performed on several specimens which have been subsequently shot‐ peened, varying the main parameters controlling the process. The design of experiment method has been accomplished in order to evaluate the influence of the main shot‐peening parameters on the distribution and values of the residual stresses close to the surface, and also in order to estimate the influence of these parameters on fatigue resistance.
FATIGUE AND FRACTURE IN POLYACETAL RESINS
Authors: Lazzeri A. , Marchetti A. , Levita G.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— The fatigue behaviour of polyoxymethylene (POM) of different molar mass (6.1 × 104–1.5 × 105) was studied at stress levels from 35 to 50 MPa (about 55 and 75% of the yield strength, respectively). It was found that cyclic loadings promoted bond breaking of the polymeric chains which considerably reduced the molar mass both in the crack tip region of cracked specimens and in the bulk in the case of uncracked samples. This process probably included the formation of reactive radicals which subsequently favoured the formation of microvoids that weakened the material. The static fracture toughness of fatigued samples decreased on increasing the stress level, the process accelerating as the cyclic loads approached the yield strength. As a result of material modifications during the tests the low molar mass resins did not exhibit stable crack propagation.
SOME USEFUL FORMULAE FOR MONTE CARLO SIMULATIONS RELATING TO THE WEIBULL AND TO THE EXPONENTIAL PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
Authors: Pieracci A.
Published: April 2007

Abstract— This paper develops some useful formulae relating the estimated and the actual values of the parameters of the Weibull and of the Exponential Probability Distribution functions. These formulae simplify the calculations for Monte Carlo simulations executed for the estimation of some reference statistics, for instance, the reliability function. The reduction of the calculation is possible because of the reduction of the possible values that the parameters of the random numbers generating function should assume. In some cases of the reliability function, only one Monte Carlo simulation is necessary for a given data sample amplitude. An explanation is made of the use of these formulae when estimating the reliability function.
Immunizing Foreign Exchange Contracts Against Swap Rate and Volatility Risks
Authors: Garman Mark B.
Published: April 2007

Swap rate risk, also called the problem of' “maturity gaps,” originates from foreign currency holdings whenever the involved contracts have differing maturities. Such differing maturities give rise to a sensitivity of the portfolio values with respect to the “swap rate,” or differential between the relative interest rates in two countries. Volatility risk, which typically affects only currency contracts having asymmetric payoffs (such as currency options), gives rise to a sensitivity of portfolio values with respect to changes in the exchange rate volatility. In this article we show how currency portfolios may be immunized, or made insensitive, to both swap rate risk and volatility risk, in the sense of Macaulay's (1938) classical treatment of interest rate risk. The European currency option contract is the primary subject of our discussion, since we show that both ordinary forward contracts and other complicated currency contracts are equivalent to suitable combinations of European currency options.
Foreign Acquisitions in the United States and the Effect on Shareholder Wealth
Authors: Cakici Nusret , Hessel Chris , Tandon Kishore
Published: April 2007

The research presented here indicates that foreign acquisitions in the United States in the form of mergers, have resulted in abnormal returns to targets of nearly 22 percent, a figure not much higher than in domestic mergers. Sell‐off abnormal returns have averaged nearly three percent, substantially higher than the average 0.7 to 1.66 percent in the domestic case. We find that merger abnormal returns have been substantially higher in our first subperiod (1982–84) than in the second (1985–87). For selloffs, our results are reversed‐abnormal returns have been higher in the second subperiod. In cross‐sample tests, we find the Japanese paying the highest merger premiums/abnormal returns, while the sell‐off abnormal returns are highest when Germans are the buyers. We also find significant differences across industry samples but not across combination type samples. We do not find a significant relationship of these abnormal returns to the firm's accounting and financial variables.
An Empirical Examination of Foreign Exchange Market Efficiency: Applying the Filter Rule Strategy to Intra‐Daily DM/$ Exchange Rates
Authors: Kwok Chuck C. Y. , Van de Gucht Linda
Published: April 2007

Testing the existence of excess filter rule trading profits is one of the weak‐form tests of market efficiency. Using intra‐daily Deutsche mark/U.S. dollar exchange rate data from February 1985 to August 1989, this study applies the x' statistic in Sweeney (1986) to examine whether significant excess filter rule profits exist. The results show that many combinations of in and out filters generate significant x' statistics. Among them, in and out filters around 0.05–0.1 % generally lead to the highest excess filter rule profit. Furthermore, the performance of the filters remains stable when the sample period is broken down into three equal subperiods. Such findings indicate that there may be inefficiency in the intra‐daily Deutsche mark/U.S. dollar market. An investor may earn excess profit in this market by applying the filter rule strategy.
Value Added and Corporate Control in the U.S.
Authors: Bannister James W. , Riahi‐Belkaoui Ahmed
Published: April 2007

This paper examines the ability of value added to assess the differences between target firms and their industries and to explain target firms' abnormal returns during the takeover period. In a sample of 234 completed takeovers over the period 1977 to 1989, takeover targets have lower value added to total assets ratios than other firms in their industries in the year preceding the year in which the takeover is completed. Target firm abnormal returns observed during the takeover period are positively related to the difference between target Firm and average industry value added to total assets. This suggests that while acquired firms are on average underperformers, acquiring firms value the access to, and possibly the ability to redistribute, the resources of target firms.
Environmental Factors Influencing Mergers and Acquisitions in Japan
Authors: Cooke T. E.
Published: April 2007

The purpose of this paper is first to dispel the myth that mergers and acquisitions do not occur in Japan and secondly to highlight the major environmental factors that influence such corporate reorganisations. The main influences discussed include corporate culture and Japanese enterprises, the government as a regulator, the regulatory agencies, and institutional influences. These issues are of importance because not only have they featured in trade negotiations between Japan and the West but also in highlighting to financial managers those factors that are crucial to the outcome of corporate reorganisations in Japan.
International Differences in GAAP and the Pricing of Earnings
Authors: Pope Peter F. , Rees William P.
Published: April 2007

This study investigates the information content of two alternative accounting earnings measures constructed under U.K. and U.S. GAAP. The analysis is based on the 20‐F SEC filings by U.K. domiciled companies having ADRs listed in the U.S. The research design involves testing the association between U.K. stock returns and alternative accounting numbers. The evidence suggests that, for the sample examined, U.K. GAAP earnings changes have incremental information content after controlling for U.S. GAAP earnings changes, but that earnings levels measured under U.S. GAAP have some independent incremental information content after controlling for U.K. GAAP earnings. The results are consistent with GAAP adjustments having a significant transitory component. The empirical results display explanatory power which is broadly consistent with previous work and the GAAP earnings adjustments add marginally to the ability of earnings to explain returns.
Sovereignty, Separation and Risk Premiums
Authors: Burnie David A.
Published: April 2007

This study investigates the risk premia of Canadian debt issuers in the U.S. capital markets under conditions of sovereignty stress. In particular, the impact of separatist activity is considered. The incidence of separation news around the sale of debt issues is associated with a specific increase in the proceeds yield or cost to the issuer, but not the market yield. Debt issues by Quebec parties within the separation news event window had an added cost. The added cost is estimated at more than 0.56% to the issuer or about $1.30 million per average $230.77 million issue. These costs are additional fees that are paid to the investment banking syndicate, but these do not increase the yield to the investors. Brown, Durbin and Evans (BDE) recursive residuals tests support the hypothesis of structural changes over time in the pricing process. Debt issues from other countries facing political risk may be priced in a similar manner.
Return and Risk Premium Seasonalities in three Emerging Asian Markets: Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan*
Authors: Cheung Yan‐Leung , Ho Richard Yan‐Ki , Wong Kwok‐Fai
Published: April 2007

In this study, we find that seasonal return patterns differ from that implied by risk premiums in three emerging Asian markets; namely, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan. Positive January seasonal returns are found in the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets, while positive February seasonal returns are also found in Taiwan. These findings suggest that investors should place their money in these markets during January but not for the months of June and December in Korea, and for the months of May and November in Taiwan. Corporate managers should also be aware of the need to adjust for such seasonal variations when they use market data to evaluate the risk premium or required rate of return for projects in these markets. The results also show that the size effect may also be priced in some of these markets.
The Commercial Valuation of Danubius A Study of the Privatization Process in Hungary
Authors: Borda Maria R. , Saudagaran Shahrokh M.
Published: April 2007

As former East Bloc countries attempt to move from state‐controlled to market economies they are privatizing their economic enterprises in large numbers. Privatization generally requires the valuation of erstwhile government‐owned assets. This has definite accounting and financial reporting implications particularly if the business entity hopes to attract capital from abroad. Foreign investors are likely to insist on financial information in a form that meets internationally acceptable norms before they provide capital to these businesses. This article looks at the case of a Hungarian company that has privatized recently. It describes the process from the managers' initial decision to ‘go public’ to the final issuance of the shares. It highlights certain practices that, while unusual by Western standards, are important components of the privatization process in Hungary. The Hungarian experience is of particular interest to other former East Bloc countries since Hungary is several years ahead of them on the road to privatization. Lessons learned from the Hungarian experience could assist them better manage their privatization programs. It provides financial managers and academics useful insights into the innovative vehicles for going public that are being developed by countries that have traditionally been perceived as being backward in their accounting and finance practices.
The Information Content of Productivity Measures: an International Comparison*
Authors: Kim Jee Hong , Joo In Ki , Choi Frederick D. S.
Published: April 2007

This study examines whether, and to what extent, productivity information is used by the market and whether it is useful as a predictive measure. To see if nationality has any bearing on these issues, we examine the information content of productivity measures in Japan, Korea and the United States. While correlations between security returns, productivity changes and unexpected earnings are not uniform across our sample countries, our findings suggest that productivity, as a performance metric, merits greater attention by financial managers and security analysts. The substitution of productivity in place of short‐run earnings could very well be the key to enhanced performance in today's environment of global competition.
American Civil Service at Home and Abroad
Authors: Glenny W. J.
Published: April 2007

This article has been based entirely on published reports, and the writer has asked me to make and appeal to our American readers, to which I gladly assent, that they might not only furnish the Journal with material to correct errors and supply omissions in an article which the writer feels may be based on possibly incomplete information, but also to submit a view of the recent changes in the American Civil Service at home and abroad, from a closer angle than that of an observer at a distance.‐Editor.
Book Reviews
Authors: BRIDGES  , STRANG  , SELF PETER , SIM A. W. S. , BERRINGTON HUGH , TIPPING D. G. , WISEMAN H. V. , CRICK BERNARD , STEWART A. B. , STOWE K. R. , NAIRNE P. D. , ABEL‐SMITH B. , GREGORY R. G.
Published: April 2007

Book Reviews in This Article:

John Anderson, Viscount Waverley

Sir John W. Wheeler‐Bennett. Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1962. Pp. 430. 45s.

British Foreign Policy: The Process of Readjustment 1945‐1961. F. S. Northedge.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Sir John Winnifrith.

Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Sir James Crombie.

The Legislative System John C. Wahlke, Heinz Eulau, William Buchanan and Leroy C. Ferguson.

Government and Industry in Britain. J. W. Grove.

Committees: How they work and how to work them. Edgar Anstey.

Committees. Phyllis Bentley.

The Nature of Politics. J. D. B. Miller.

Further Studies in Hospital and Community. MKenzie, Weir, Richardson, Mair, Harnett, Curran and Ferguson.

Interviewing in the Social Services. Elizabeth de Schweinitz and Karl de Schweinitz.

Staff Relations in the Civil Service: The Canadian Experience Saul J. Frankel.

Economics of Public Health Burton A. Weisbrod.

The Derbyshire Miners J. E. Williams.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: LONG ERNEST , MACKENZIE W. J. M. , BLOOD HILARY , CHESTER D. N. , SELF PETER , HANSON A. H. , MADDICK HENRY , TICKNER F. J. , WISEMAN H. V. , MARSHALL GEOFFREY , COLLINS E. A. , SARGENT JOHN
Published: April 2007

Book Reviews in This Article:

Nationalization: A Book of Readings Edited by A.H.Hanson.

Papers in Comparative Public Administration Edited by Ferrel Heady and Sybil L.

Yesterday's Rulers By Robert Heussler.

Cases in Indian Administration By Ram Saran, M.A.Muttalib, A.Avasthi, P.Prasad and P.R.Dubhashi.

Establishment of the Heavy Electrical Plant at Bhopal By S.S.Khera.

Economic Planning and Town Expansion By John H.Dunning.

London 2000 By Peter Hall.

The Industrial Management Pool: an Indian Administrative Experiment By H.K.Paranjape.

Administration and Economic Development in India Edited by R.Braibanti and J.J. Spengler.

Democracy, Decentralization and Development By Henry Maddick.

Local Government by Committee By Chetakar Jha.

Foundations of English Administrative Law: Certiorari and Mandamus in the Seventeenth Century By Edith G. Henderson.

Control of Public Expenditure in India By A.Premchand.

The Fundamentals of Management By W.S. Barry.
Book Reviews
Authors: PLAYFAIR EDWIN , LESLIE S. C. , HANSON A. H. , FRERE K. H. B. , SPRATLING F. H. , WALKER GILBERT , MUNBY D. L. , WISEMAN H. V. , SHARPE L. J. , ORFORD J. W. , GROVE J. W. , DODD C. H. , PARRIS H.
Published: April 2007

Book Reviews in This Article:

The Treasury.

Sunshades in October. Norman Macrae.

Economic Planning in France. John Hackett and Anne‐Marie Hackett.

Administering the Atom for Peace. J. E. Hodgetts.

Managing a Transport Business. W. S. Barry.

The Transport Problem. C. D. Foster.

Transport and Public Policy. K. M. Gwilliam.

The Railways and the Nation. A. J. Pearson.

Four Cities: A Study in Comparative Policy Making. Oliver P. Williams and Charles R. Adrian.

City Politics. Edward C. Banfield and James Q. Wilson.

Simplifying Office Work. Oliver Standingford.

The American Federal Executive. W. Lloyd Warner, Paul Van Riper, Norman H. Martin and Orvis F. Collins.

The Modernization of Administration in the Near East. W. Hardy Wickwar.

Sir John Simon, 1816‐1904, and English Social Administration. Royston Lambert, MGibbon & Kee.
Ways of Thinking and Ways of Doing
Authors: REDCLIFT NANNEKE
Published: April 2007

Naila Kabeer, Reversed Realities: Gender Hierarchies in Development Thought

Margaret Snyder and Mary Tadesse, African Women and Development: A History

Marianne Marchand and Jane Parpart (eds) Feminism, Postmodernism, Development

Nabil F. Khoury and Valentine Moghadam (eds) Gender and Development in the Arab World. Women's Economic Participation: Patterns and Policies
Assessing Person‐Organization Fit in Personnel Selection: Guidelines for Future Research
Authors: Karren Ronald J. , Graves Laura M.
Published: April 2007

In response to theory and research suggesting that positive individual and organizational outcomes are associated with person‐organization fit, there is growing interest in the use of personnel selection practices to achieve fit between individuals and organizations. Research is needed to confirm the value of assessing applicant‐organization fit in the selection process and to test alternative approaches for measuring the match between applicants and organizations. This article provides guidance for future research on the assessment of applicant‐organization fit. Criteria for assessing applicant‐organization fit are indentified and four techniques for assessing fit are then evaluated in the light of these criteria. In addition, the article identifies issues that should be addressed in future research on applicant‐organization fit.
The Practical Effects of Bias on Compensable Factor Weights in Job Evaluation: A Policy‐Capturing Experiment
Authors: Deckop John R.
Published: April 2007

Subjects (n=64) were shown videotapes of actors portraying incumbents of three jobs, then they completed job evaluation forms for two of them and indicated what they felt these jobs should be paid relative to the third. Job evaluations using the compensable factor weights determined in policy‐capturing analyses were then conducted. Results of the job evaluations depended on whether effects of job type and gender bias on compensable factor weights were controlled. Failure to control for these biases produced a pronounced effect on job classification decisions. The estimate of this effect was three to four pay grades. Implications for the determination of weights in job evaluation plans are provided.
The British Army Recruit Battery Goes Operational: From Theory to Practice in Computer‐Based Testing Using Item‐Generation Techniques
Authors: Collis J.M. , Tapsfield P.G.C. , Irvine S.H. , Dann P.L. , Wright D.
Published: April 2007

The British Army Recruit Battery (BARB) was commissioned in 1986 by the Army Personnel Research Establishment (APRE) under a mandate from the Directorate of Army Recruiting as part of a programme of strategic research. Item‐generation from computer algorithms and computer delivery of the battery are the two fundamental building blocks of the BARB system and they are described in detail. In addition, reports of the psychometric properties of the battery and the results of validity studies are provided. A true score model of reliability is outlined and its utility demonstrated by comparing predicted reliabilities against operational test–retest reliabilities.
Evaluations of Tests Used for Making Selection and Promotion Decisions
Authors: Kravitz David A. , Stinson Veronica , Chavez Tracy L.
Published: April 2007

Participants (N= 212) rated the fairness, job relevance, appropriateness, and invasiveness of 16 tests that could be used to select or promote people into production or management positions. Fairness, job relevance and appropriateness were highly correlated, and were combined to form a composite evaluation scale. Evaluations and invasiveness ratings varied among the 16 tests, with the most positive ratings given to interviews and work samples and the most negative ratings given to astrology, graphology and polygraphs. Evaluations of four tests were affected by the position (manager vs. production worker). Evaluations of 11 tests and invasiveness ratings of two tests were affected by respondent experience with the test. Respondents who had experienced the tests evaluated them more positively and considered them to entail a smaller invasion of privacy. Responses were not affected by whether the test was to be used for selection versus promotion decisions.
Moderating Effects of Processing Objective, Question Order and Delay on Memory and Judgement
Authors: Ostrognay Gabrielle M. , Langan‐Fox Janice
Published: April 2007

The performance appraisal process makes many demands on a manager's cognitive abilities as there are a number of competing requirements. For instance, recalling performance information after a long period of time, determining training needs, ascertaining future objectives, etc. The processing objective present at the time of observation may also influence whether evaluations are made ‘on‐line’ or are ‘memory‐based’. Some research has found that the rating instrument may moderate memory and judgement by making certain information salient (Ilgen, Barnes‐Farrell, and McKellin 1993; Lichtenstein and Srull 1987; Woehr and Feldman 1993). While some studies have investigated both rating and recall order and processing objective, none have investigated both of these factors in relationship to time delay and the influence of impressions that were not directly related to performance. It has been suggested that the tendency to recall impressions of others rather than specific behaviour that lead to these impressions increase over time (DeNisi, Cafferty and Meglino 1984; Kozlowski and Ford 1991; Murphy and Balzer 1986). This study sets out to examine the influence of three variables, information processing objective, order of recall and rating and time delay on the relationship between memory and judgement and the various models important to these processes (DeNisi, Cafferty and Meglino 1984; Woehr and Feldman 1993; Hastie, Park and Weber 1984; Williams, Cafferty and DeNisi 1990). The experiment was a 2 × 2 × 2 between subjects factorial design with three independent variables with 187 students from various disciplines. Support was found for the model of performance appraisal by DeNisi et al. (1984) in that overall evaluations influenced dimensional ratings when a time delay was introduced. However, the hypothesized effect of recall/rating order was in the opposite direction to that expected, indicating that there were additional factors that influenced the relationship between memory and judgement.
Defining, measuring and talking about poverty: the case of Finland
Authors: Sipilä J.
Published: April 2007

Scholars have always disagreed about the definition and measurement of poverty. This article looks at these issues in the light of Finnish poverty research. The chief target of the methodological criticism is the use of equivalence scales or units of individual consumption in the comparison of individual people's disposable income. The main argument against this method is that it tends to be based on the implicit assumption that “people with low incomes need less money”. Another major concern is to demonstrate the key significance of the empirical definition of poverty. Different methods of calculation single out very different groups of poor people Furthermore, part of the poor people are excluded from all conventional definitions.
Child welfare services in the United States and Sweden: different assumptions, laws and outcomes
Authors: Barth R. P.
Published: April 2007

The child welfare systems in Sweden and the United States were dramatically reformed beginning in the early 1980s. After 10 years, the different results of these reforms are quite striking. These child welfare systems have different methods for preserving families in crisis; different assumptions about the roles of birth parents, foster parents, and adoptive parents; and different goals for children who will not go home. Each of these areas is explored and recommendations made for re‐examining child welfare services in both countries.
On the notions of disability and handicap
Authors: Nordenfelt L.
Published: April 2007

In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH). In addition to a nomenclature and a classification, this publication contains a set of elaborate definitions of the central concepts in the area. This conceptual structure has been the focus of intensive critical discussion during the last decade. In 1989, a special society, the Canadian Society for the ICIDH, presented an alternative characterization of the concepts. This article attempts to continue this discussion by deepening the analysis concerning, in particular, two aspects of disability and handicap: first, the idea of normality contained in the WHO classification; second, the idea of context dependence, which is a special focus of the Canadian group. As a result of this discussion, the author presents an alternative set of definitions of the notions of disability and handicap.
Democracy and poverty: The implementation of social reforms in the countries of central and eastern Europe
Authors: Dellenbrant J.Å.
Published: April 2007

Why has the political and economic transformation in Russia and central and eastern Europe been accompanied by deteriorating living standards? Many of the reform programmes have contained social elements, but these have been neglected in the implementation process. Certain barriers to change – mental, cultural, political and economic – have made the implementation difficult. Russia and central and eastern Europe have to pass through a problematic dual transformation, from authoritarianism to democracy and from centrally planned economies to market economies. Experiences from Latin America show that such transitions are virtually impossible. The social results from the transformations in central and eastern Europe have been disappointing, which has been documented by scholars in this field. Nevertheless, if the political and economic transformation processes continue, the prospectes for the future are relatively bright. But there is also a negative scenario with authoritarianism and civil war as endpoints. A more cautious transition to a market economy might improve social welfare and living standards.
Migration and welfare
Authors: Ginsburg B. E.
Published: April 2007

Migrants accout for an increasing proportion of unemployed people in Europe, and their economic position is deteriorating in many countries. Non‐European refugees face the biggest risk of unemployment and welfare dependence. This, in turn, affects their health and wellbeing. Assessing and meeting the need for health care and social welfare for these vulnerable individuals is a challenge to health care, social services and to the public in host countries. Mainstream facilities should be the base, but transitional culturally sensitive programs may have many advantages as complements. Ethnically specific public services should not be regarded as a privilege for certain groups but as a measure to protect minorities from hidden discrimination. There is great complexity in migratory flows as well as in the responses of recipient countries. This generates opportunities for comparative research programs focusing on intercultural encounters and adaptation processes. Joint effort are essential to initiate collaborative research.
The poverty line and subsistence minimum in Latvia
Authors: Doblniece S.
Published: April 2007

This article gives a picture of the difficulties of defining poverty and setting up a poverty line in a post‐communist country in the period of transition to democracy and a market economy. The ongoing processes are linked with the deterioration of living standards and wellbeing of the population. The government has attempted to protect the population socially, accepting a subsistence minimum and later a crisis subsistence minimum. It is difficult to argue that the activities of the government have been successful and helped much in improving the living standards of the population of Latvia.
Social change and stress in Estonia
Authors: Kutsar D.
Published: April 2007

The article attempts to assess social stress in Estonia at this time of transformation. The hypothesized model of social stress is based on the stress and coping model of Lazarus & Folkman and Borden and is applied as a frame of reference to the investigation. One thousand adult respondents from the Household Budget Survey were involved in the survey in March and April 1993. The factor analysis revealed 4 factors that determined coping with stress: frustration, passivity, happiness and future orientation. Cluster analysis of the respondents confirmed that 41% of the men's and 30% of the women's samples represented groups of risk of higher levels of distress. The findings provide support for the hypothesized model of social stress and indicate that multiple social change is the central source of stress for people living in Estonia.
Easy target and moral panic: the Law on Drug Addiction No. 162 of 1990
Authors: Cottino A. , Quirico M.
Published: April 2007

In industrialized societies the war against drugs tends to develop into a war that concretely strengthens control by the state over potentially dangerous classes. This is also true for Italy. In 1988, Bettino Craxi, now under investigation for a series of serious crimes, but at the time the powerful leader of the Socialist Party, launched a crusade against drugs. After about 18 months of moral panic campaigns, Law No. 162 was passed. Its ideological keystone is the section forbidding the personal use of narcotic or psychotropic drugs. Its officially declared objectives are to reduce the drug trade, to increase access by drug addicts to the services and, of course, to reduce the number of deaths by overdose. The available evidence, however, does not prove that these objectives have been reached. Rather, the true motivations must be sought elsewhere: in the attempt by the political class to regain legitimacy and thus consensus.
Making ends meet: perceptions of poverty in Sweden
Authors: Halleröd B.
Published: April 2007

During the era after the Second World War, Sweden has built a welfare system based on labor market participation and income maintenance. Low unemployment and decent wages are supposed to guarantee people a labor market income or income maintenance, which in turn should provide a proper standard for everyone. However, a rapid increase in unemployment and economic problems have made the future of the Swedish welfare state more uncertain than ever. These circumstances have, among other things, led to the suggestion that Sweden should abandon the income maintenance policy and create a social policy system with the more limited ambition of guaranteeing everyone a minimum income. In that case, one central question must be answered: what constitutes a decent minimum income in today's Sweden? Where should we draw the poverty line under which people will not be forced to live? These questions are central in the current debate. The consensual poverty line method is used in this article to derive a poverty line relevant for today's Sweden. The results shows that more than every fifth household has an income below the consensual poverty line. That is, they have an income that most Swedes would argue is too low to make ends meet. The level of the consensual poverty line was compared with the National Board of Health and Welfare's guidelines for social assistance. The consensual poverty line was shown to be more generous to small households and the norm for social assistance was more generous to larger households. Finally, the expenditure for guaranteeing all Swedish household a minimum income equal to the consensual poverty line was estimated: more than SEK 25 billion per year. The results in the article casts serious doubt on the ability of the Swedish welfare state to secure a decent income to all citizens.
War‐wounded refugees in Sweden
Authors: Hermansson A.‐C. , Carlsson V. A. , Hörnquist J. O. , Thyberg M.
Published: April 2007

Sixty‐one newly arrived war‐wounded refugees were interviewed about their background and flight while treated at the Medical Center for Refugees, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden. They came from 9 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Spinal cord injuries, nerve lesions, amputations and fractures were the most frequent injuries. The group was heavily burdened with regard to factors that might be of significance for wellbeing and integration in Swedish society: torture (51%), imprisonment (49%), loss of kin in war (62%), difficulties while growing up (54%), little or no schooling (48%), not having made the decision to flee oneself (46%) and having to leave the family behind (90%). This study is a first step in a longitudinal research project to shed light upon the situation of war‐wounded refugees on arrival in Sweden and after 2 years.
Social work education: state of the art
Authors: Cox D.
Published: April 2007

In assessing the appropriateness of contemporary social work education to its context, the article assumes that social work practice and education must relate to its social reality. The article argues that, since the 1970s, that reality has changed in relation to the role of the welfare state, perceptions of economic growth and the independence of the state. As a result, the roles of civil society, the community and welfare personnel have changed, with implications for social work. At the same time, the earlier tendency of social work to avoid the major social issues of the day is no longer appropriate, and the article outlines five major issues needing to be addressed by social work. In conclusion, the article presents four options that social work education should, as a total profession, address, if the profession is to play the roles demanded of it by its contemporary social reality.
Women's pensions in Sweden
Authors: Ståhlberg A.‐C.
Published: April 2007

This article analyses the effect of the Swedish pension rules on women's and men's pensions. This is done on the basis of an empirical analysis of a representative sample of the population. The study indicates that the rules are least advantageous for women in typical low‐wage occupations. I also relate different people's pension benefits to what they have had to pay into the pension system in the course of their working lives. My calculations show that female low‐wage earners probably have to pay more for their pensions than other groups.
Lessons on community social services from the great Hanshin earthquake
Authors: Ioka B.
Published: April 2007

This article describes crucial lessons learned on community social services from the great Hanshin earthquake, including negative and positive aspects. The Hanshin quake brought about the biggest urban disaster Japan has experienced since the Second World War. The character of the disaster problems and response measures differed from the emergency stage (in the aftermath of the quake) to the relief stage (roughly until the end of March 1995) and the restoration and reconstruction stage (thereafter).
Families and donor insemination: the views of semen donors
Authors: Daniels K. R. , Ericsson H.‐L. , Burn I. P.
Published: April 2007

One of the consequences of donor insemination for the semen donor is that he becomes a member of two families: his own family in which he has a genetic and social connection with his offspring; and the family of the recipient couple, in which he has a genetic connection to the offspring, but usually no social connection with either the offspring or the recipient couple. This article challenges the dominant view that donor insemination as a practice of mainly medical or legal importance by looking at the attitudes of donors to both their own family and the family to which they have contributed their genetic material. Results are presented concerning who donors have told about their donation, who they think should be told, whether they think recipient couples should tell their donor insemination offspring about their conception, and concerning their opinions about factors that are considered in matching donors with recipient fathers.
Prediction of outcome in coerced and voluntarily treated alcoholics
Authors: Gerdner A. , Bodin L. , Söderfeldt B. , Berglund M.
Published: April 2007

The study concerns multivariate prediction of the short‐term outcome of alcoholism in a coercive treatment setting in Sweden. One hundred and twenty‐one patients (87 men, 34 women) with a mean age of 41 (range 26–63) years attended a 5‐week program. They were for the most part severely alcohol‐dependent and socially unstable. Compulsorily committed patients (n‐32) were less socially stable but did not differ from the voluntary patients (n=89) in the type of drugs abused. Nine months (mean) after treatment, a follow‐up was performed by mailing questionnaires to the patients and to the referring social workers. The improvement data in the questionnaires were checked with other data. Data on alcohol abuse were available for 116 (96%) of the patients; 55% improved. Of these, 13% had remained entirely abstinent. Using multivariate logistic regression, participation in a self‐help group and first‐time admission were found to be significant factors for overall improvement, while having a family and more than primary education were significant for abstinence. Compulsory commitment to treatment was not related to the short‐term drinking outcome. Undergoing voluntary treatment and having previous treatment experience were significant factors for participation in self‐help groups.
Allocating limited health care resources – the tragedy of patient relations with the mass media
Authors: Berg J. E.
Published: April 2007

The allocation of limited resources for social welfare purposes, including health care, may be distorted by publicity in the mass media. Acting on behalf of a personified welfare customer, the results of the media coverage may instead be distortions in the distribution of resources. An actual case and stylized examples are used to indicate that the willingness to pay for health care depends on the distance between customer and decision‐maker. The role of the mass media in serious medical treatment decisions is then discussed.
Aging and social welfare in transition: the case of the United States
Authors: Parrott T. M. , Reynolds S. L. , Bengtson V. L.
Published: April 2007

In the United States at the end of the twentieth century, government policies regarding elderly people appear to be in transition. In part this reflects the traditional American ambivalence between radical individualism and collective assistance ‐ especially in the form of tax‐supported public welfare provided through government agencies ‐ for those unable to earn or save for their own support. But in part this reflects new concerns about the growth of welfare “entitlements” for elderly people and the presumed “generational inequity” of public support for the aged at the expense of funds for children and young families. We review 1) the changing demography of the United States elderly population, 2) the complex and ambivalent history of welfare policy in the United States and 3) the evidence for tensions and conflicts between older and younger Americans in the context of politicized “generational inequity” debates, with special attention to changing government health care policies. We conclude that in American society, particularly in terms of federal assistance to the aged, there is considerable public support for current policy measures, and ‐ contrary to the predictions of many ‐ it is not likely that there will be dramatic policy changes in the near future.
Getting a head start: early provision of day care among municipalities in Norway
Authors: Reitan T. C.
Published: April 2007

Municipal day care services for children in Norway have experienced two important reforms: the introduction of the Kindergarten Act in 1975, and the introduction of preschools for 6‐year‐olds in 1991. Focusing on the relationship between environmental inputs and policy outcomes, this article attempts to identify characteristics influencing the propensity towards early provision of day care in the municipalities. Applying logistic regression, service‐specific factors show the greatest importance, as opposed to more general municipal features. The political system, in terms of high female representation and low representation from the Christian Democratic Party, the Center Party, and the Progress Party in local councils, seems responsive to the proportion of children, the percentage of women working full time, and average net income per capita. The persisting importance of gender‐specific variables is discussed – suggesting different interpretations of the results in relation to the feminization of politics.
Knowledge, interests and the many meanings of evaluation: a developmental perspective
Authors: Albæk E.
Published: April 2007

The problems addressed by evaluation research and practice are the problems that emerged in the efforts to form, consolidate, and reform the modern welfare state. Each of these problems are linked with stakeholders with divergent and often conflicting interests. One of the major characteristics of the history of evaluation research has been efforts to develop evaluation theory, design and methodology that are responsive to the knowledge interests of different stakeholders.
Gender differences in the behaviour and life circumstances of alcoholics' spouses
Authors: Zetterlind U. , Berglund M.
Published: April 2007

Ten spouses of female alcoholics and nineteen spouses of male alcoholics were studied concerning coping behaviour, hardship and psychiatric symptoms. In many respects, male and female spouses had similar characteristics of hardship and coping behaviour. Female spouses, however, compared with male spouses, had a tendency (p<0.1) towards more avoidant coping behaviour and more reported symptoms of depression (p<0.05), obsession/compulsion (p<0.05) and hostility (p<0.1). Forty per cent of the male spouses reported a current or previous drinking problem compared with 16% of the female spouses. In the female group the avoidant coping style was related to depressive, obsessive/compulsive and hostility symptom scores. Hardship symptoms were not related to coping style or mental symptoms.