bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shifting Identities and Transcultural Psychiatry
Authors: Miyaji Naoko T.
Published: March 2007

Transcultural psychiatry needs new theories and methodologies to address a postmodern, postcolonial and creolizing world. This article argues for the need to direct attention towards clinicians’ shifting identities and fluid cultures, which significantly influence psychiatric practice. The impact of shifting identities on clinical work is explored using the author’s experience with two cases involving domestic violence. In the course of this exploration, key concepts of cultural psychiatry such as ‘culture’ and ‘family’ are contexualized and reconceptualized. Sensitivity to our own positionality in global as well as local power dynamics is essential to reinvigorate transcultural psychiatry.
Validity of the CIDI Probe Flow Chart for Depression in Chinese American Women
Authors: Hicks Madelyn Hsiao-Rei
Published: March 2007

This article presents observations on the function and validity of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) 2.1 in a study of major depression in Chinese American women. CIDI symptom items for depression had good apparent validity and acceptability. However, CIDI probe flow chart (PFC) ‘clinical significance’ criteria appeared to underidentify cases of major depression if they occurred in China, or in deprived conditions within the U.S. and other developed countries. Validity of the CIDI PFC was affected by social, political and cultural factors. Patterns of bias are discussed and related to assumptions underlying the PFC regarding resource availability, help-seeking and the expression of distress.
Towards a Researcher–Advocacy Model for Asylum Seekers: A Pilot Study Amongst East Timorese Living in Australia
Authors: Silove Derrick , Coello Mariano , Tang Kristina , Aroche Jorge , Soares Maria , Lingam Rajini , Chaussivert Marc , Manicavasagar Vijaya , Steel Zachary
Published: March 2007

During the 24-year Indonesian occupation of East Timor, widespread human rights abuses led to the flight of political dissidents to neighboring countries. We report a pilot study assessing a ‘Researcher– Advocacy’ model among East Timorese asylum seekers residing in Australia. The aim was to combine elements of advocacy, quantitative and qualitative research, and strategic assistance in a program of engagement with this marginalized group. Thirty-three consecutive asylum-seeker clients attending a newly formed clinic participated in the study, representing a quarter of the known population of asylum seekers from East Timor living in Sydney at the time. High levels of trauma including torture and other human rights abuses were recorded. Respondents also reported a wide range of resettlement and adaptational difficulties, particularly relating to their uncertain residency status. Eighty percent met criteria for one or more psychiatric disorder. The wider benefits of the study included the extension of services to a group that previously had shown a reluctance to seek assistance for traumatic stress, the engagement of the exile community as a whole, and building the capacity to respond both in Australia and in East Timor to the humanitarian emergency of 1999. Scientific limitations of the model included the labor-intensive nature of the program, the small and selective sample recruited and incomplete data collection.
Language, Culture and Psychopathology: Conceptual and Methodological Issues
Authors: Westermeyer Joseph , Janca Aleksandar
Published: March 2007

In recent years, the World Health Organization has developed scheduled interviews in order to make psychiatric diagnoses that are comparable across languages and cultures. These scheduled interviews include the technician-administered Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the psychiatrist-administered Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN). Work on these interview schedules in numerous languages has demonstrated the importance of lay terminology in eliciting the presence of psychiatric symptoms and in assessing their severity. Lay terminology regarding subjective experiences and perceptions is strongly tied, through language, to cultural values, attitudes, norms, beliefs, and customs. In this review article, we outline critical concepts and methods regarding psychopathology, language, and culture. General concepts relevant to these matters are defined and discussed: e.g. denotation, connotation, various types of equivalence in translated materials, specificity of terms, and reporting threshold in relation to symptom severity. In addition, methods for ensuring equivalence of words, items, and instruments across languages and cultures are presented: e.g. methods of translation, back translation, bilingual test-retest, re-norming, and re-validating. Other assessment topics related to culture and psychiatry include confidentiality, choice of a language for assessing multilingual patients, methods of eliciting certain psychological experiences (e.g. hallucinations, delusions), culturally taboo topics, and cultural nuances regarding mental status examination.
Suicide in Small-Scale Societies
Authors: Tousignant Michel
Published: March 2007

This review summarizes reports on suicide in small-scale societies, especially the Pacific islands and Papua New Guinea, and shows how Durkheim's theory does not fit contemporary data. Suicide existed long before radical acculturation and its relationship to social change is complex. Contagion seems to play a role at the village level. Official statistics are usually not valid when compared to field studies with thorough enquiry into causes of death. Recent reported increases in rates of suicide may be partially due to better data collection. Suicide in small-scale societies is not associated with a process of social alienation as in urbanized societies and the presence of psychiatric illness is less evident. In these settings suicidal behaviour is more often characterized by a process of reparation, and its implicit goal is often to regain personal or family dignity rather than a simple act of revenge.
Beliefs about the Efficacy of Religious, Medical and Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Depression and Schizophrenia among Women from Different Cultural–Religious Groups in Great Britain
Authors: Loewenthal Kate Miriam , Cinnirella Marco
Published: March 2007

In a semi-structured interview study we examined the views of 59 adult women from five cultural–religious groups in Britain (black Christian, white Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim) on the efficacy of different forms of help for depression and schizophrenia. We compared the perceived effectiveness of religious help with psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. Religious factors were viewed as more important for depression than for schizophrenia. Of the possible religious interventions, prayer was most often seen as helpful. Between-group differences are described. Religious factors were clearly seen as important in managing mental illness, and this has implications for help-seeking and adherence.
Review : Nappy rash: its causes, prevention and treatment
Authors: Anderson Hohanne L.
Published: March 2007

■ Most infants experience nappy rash between 7 and 9 months

■ Skin wetness, increase in skin pH and the presence of faecal enzymes are the primary factors associated with skin breakdown

■ Nappy rash is preventable

■ Treatment of nappy rash is often based on trial and error

■ Useful preparations include barrier creams, antibacterials, antifungals and steroids depending on the severity and extent of rash
Intergroup Perceptual Accuracy Predicts Real-Life Intergroup Interactions
Authors: Li Qiong , Hong Ying-Yi
Published: March 2007

The present research sought to demonstrate the link between the way groups perceive each other’s value and the quality of relations between the groups. Specifically, two studies examined how Hong Kong students and Mainland Chinese students perceived each other’s value endorsements and how such perceptual accuracy related to their intergroup relations. Study 1 showed that the Mainland group (as the minority group in this setting) was more accurate in perceiving the value endorsements of the outgroup than was the Hong Kong group (as the majority group). In addition, intergroup perceptual accuracy was a function of intergroup perceptual projection, the tendency to assume that the other’s feelings or reactions were similar to one’s own feelings or reactions. Study 2 indicated that the perceptual accuracy of the outgroup was positively associated with the quality of social interactions with outgroup members. Implications with regard to intergroup perceptions and intergroup interactions were discussed.
Reflexive Historical Sociology
Authors: Szakolczai Arpád
Published: March 2007

This paper attempts to reassess the standard sociological canon and sketch the outlines of a new approach by bringing together a series of thinkers whose works so far have remained disconnected. Introducing a distinction between classics and background figures who were crucial sources of inspiration, it shifts emphasis to the late, reflexive works of Durkheim and Weber. These are sources for two types of reflexive sociology: historical and anthropological. The main background figures of reflexive historical sociology are Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Freud, while its protagonists include Foucault, Elias, Voegelin, Borkenau, Mumford, Ariès and Koselleck. A short introduction will be given to the four main fields of interest within the approach: the reconstructive histories of subjectivity, of forms of thought, of forms of knowledge, and of closed space and regulated time.
The Sociology of Critical Capacity
Authors: Boltanski Luc , Thévenot Laurent
Published: March 2007

This article argues that many situations in social life can be analyzed by their requirement for the justification of action. It is in particular in situations of dispute that a need arises to explicate the grounds on which responsibility for errors is distributed and on which new agreement can be reached. Since a plurality of mutually incompatible modes of justification exists, disputes can be understood as disagreements either about whether the accepted rule of justification has not been violated or about which mode of justification to apply at all. The article develops a grammar of such modes of justification, called orders of worth ( grandeur), and argues that the human capacity for criticism becomes visible in the daily occurrence of disputes over criteria for justification. At the same time, it is underlined that not all social situations can be interpreted with the help of such a sense of justice, which resides on a notion of equivalence. Regimes of love, of violence or of familiarity are systematically distinct from regimes of justification.
Labour Standards and WTO : a New Form of Protectionism
Authors: Dasgupta Amit
Published: March 2007

The paper attempts to explore the implications of introducing a non-trade issue like labour standards into the trade agenda. It argues that the moral or humanitarian arguments are quickly picked up by labour and trade lobbies because it is a convenient manner of camouflaging the 'real' or 'core' motivation, which the paper asserts is a new form of protectionism. Studies have suggested that withdrawing the children from the work force may in fact disadvantage them. Moreover, child labour is only one aspect of labour standards and conveniently, issues such as collective bargaining appear to be ignored when talking about labour standards.

This paper suggests that competition against imports from low wage economies is the prime motivation behind raising the issue of labour standards (i.e., child labour) and insisting on its inclusion in the trade agenda. There will be increasing pressure not only at WTO Sessions but also through domestic legislation as is evidenced in the case of the US and the EU. Developing country delegations need therefore to be well prepared when the stage is set for Seattle Part II.
Trade Policy Reforms in South Asia and Australia-South Asia Trade: Intensities and Complementarities
Authors: Bandara Jayatilleke S. , Smith Christine
Published: March 2007

Although trade between Australia and the SAARC region has been quite low, it has been growing in recent years with progressive trade liberalization in Australia as well as in the SAARC region, but the potential for further expansion has not been extensively explored. The objective of this article is to analyze trade flows between Australia and SAARC countries using trade intensity index and the revealed comparative advantage index (RCA) to identify potential areas for further expansion of Australia's trade into the region. Our analysis of trade flows also demonstrates that there is a high level of trade complementarity between Australia and member countries of SAARC. This study reveals that there is an untapped potential for Australia to increase its exports to South Asia, based on these com plementarities.
The Dialectics of Place and Space
Authors: SLACK ROGER S. , WILLIAMS ROBIN A.
Published: March 2007

This article takes a social learning perspective to examine the development of a community information service in terms of the changing computer interfaces used and their relations to a variety of more or less competing discourses around the related concepts of community, access and service. We show how both the enthusiasm of internet proponents and the pessimism of writers such as Castells does not take account of the complex interplay of local and global concepts of what the information society can be. Taking a sceptical middle course between, we show how some of the debates around the `information society' elide some crucial distinctions in the development of community information services. Through an ethnographic analysis we show how these discourses have been worked out in struggles around the development of appropriate interfaces for a community information service.
What's the Point of Using Computers?
Authors: FACER KERI , SUTHERLAND ROSAMUND , FURLONG RUTH , FURLONG JOHN
Published: March 2007

Despite the column inches and policy statements dedicated to arguing that young people need to use computers, very little is known about the reasons why young people themselves might value and acquire computer expertise. Drawing on a survey of 855 children and 16 detailed case studies of children's use of computers at home this article explores the influence of software design, family discourses, peer group culture and gender identity on children's perception of the potential uses and benefits of ICT expertise. The article goes on to argue that young people value and acquire computer expertise primarily in order to achieve practical objectives and in relation to the construction of (gendered) peer group identities. Given these findings the article questions the continued emphasis in educational policy on the acquisition of decontextualized information and communications technology (ICT) `skills' within a rationale of future relevance to the workplace.
`Like Immigrants'
Authors: Ribak Rivka
Published: March 2007

This article explores the father-son-computer triangle in an attempt to shed light on the role of the machine in the articulation of male identity in particular, and family relationships in general. The article outlines a framework for the investigation of families and domestic communication technologies, arguing that the study of identity construction through the medium must be accompanied by a study of the relationships around the medium; and that men and boys need to be (re)incorporated into the work on the human-machine problematic. Drawing on an analysis of the discourse of three families that were observed and interviewed in the course of one year, the article proposes that the notion of computer expertise and the sense of dependence are key for the construction of fatherhood and masculinity vis a vis the home computer, and points to the metaphor of immigrants' language acquisition, which was offered by one of the fathers, as capturing the complexity of contemporary paternal emasculation.
Show Concessions
Authors: ANTAKI CHARLES , WETHERELL MARGARET
Published: March 2007

Making a show of conceding by using a three-part structure of proposition, concession and reassertion has the effect - in contrast to other ways of conceding - of strengthening one's own position at the expense of a counter-argument. This three-part structure can be also exploited so as to carry the battle to the enemy, as it were, and make the concession do more offensive work. We detail three such ways: Trojan Horses where the speaker imports a caricature of the opposition into the conceded material; stings in the tail, where the speaker specifically overturns the concession they have just made in the original claim; and cheapeners, where the speaker works pragmatically to devalue even a positive endorsement of the opposition's case. In all their variety, what marks the concession as being hearably in the speaker's own interest is the robust, normative three-part proposition - concession - reprise structure. It is available for use in supporting or demeaning any position, whether mundane or explicitly ideological.
On Rhetorical Ricochet: Expressivity of Nominalization and Da in Japanese Discourse
Authors: MAYNARD SENKO K.
Published: March 2007

This article investigates the grammatical aspects of nominalization and the Japanese da predicate as critical strategies for realizing the effect of what I call `rhetorical ricochet' in Japanese discourse. The study explores the expressive function of the nominal/nominalizer and da in 28 imaginary letters appearing in asahi Shimbun as well as a literary text ( Yukiguni) along with its English translation ( Snow Country). I conclude that the combination of a certain kind of nominal/nominalizer (i.e. the koto `event' type) and the da predicate reinforces the topic-comment relationship, through which the rhetorical ricochet effect is realized. This article draws from theories on rhetoric and discourse functionalism, and the concept of shared perspectives, in particular.
Community Crime Prevention in Britain:
Authors: HOPE TIM
Published: March 2007

Based on recent examples from Britain, this article seeks to explore some strategic policy issues involved in developing an approach to `community crime prevention'. The term `community crime prevention' may serve a useful purpose if it emphasizes the importance of the context of crime-preventive action; particularly, as a framework for action which establishes the necessary social preconditions through which individual criminal motivation or behaviour can be changed, or crime-related harms reduced, through everyday, routine practice. The article, first, outlines some ways in which social context affects crime and its control in residential locales and, second, summarizes recent research into the distribution of crime and safety in British communities. Lastly, it sketches three different governmental strategies for crime reduction: the promotion of the private control of crime; the `weeding' of crime from communities; and the building of a new institutional order.
Looking to the Future
Authors: Marsland Louise
Published: March 2007

Developments in the organization of work generally, and in learning disability nursing specifically, suggest an increased impetus for the provision of career guidance. Such support, to enable nurses to develop fulfilling careers, may benefit both recruitment and retention. This article presents findings from a Department of Health funded study of nurses' careers. Two hundred and twenty-five learning disability nurses completed a questionnaire at qualification, which included questions about career guidance received during the pre-registration diploma course. Three aspects of guidance were investigated: information and advice received about applying for a first job, continuing education, and career pathways; discussions about career planning; and awareness of strategies to inform career planning. Findings indicate that a substantial proportion of learning disability diplomates did not receive guidance about many aspects of career planning and that considerable unmet demand existed. The need for career development programmes is discussed.
Partnerships, Advocacy and Independence
Authors: Mir Ghazala , Nocon Andrew
Published: March 2007

Partnership, advocacy, independence and empowerment are key principles that underpin current policy and practice development in the field of learning difficulties. The extent to which these principles are helping to shape better services for people from minority ethnic communities is discussed. Empowerment implies involvement, control and the ability to make choices. This study highlights the invisibility, conflict and barriers many people with learning difficulties and their carers experience in their interactions with service providers. The need to take particular account of diverse cultural values and meanings when seeking to provide services that are appropriate to people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds is highlighted. Findings are based on a review commissioned by the Department of Health to accompany the White Paper Valuting People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century.
Two Ways to Think About Justice
Authors: Miller David
Published: March 2007

This paper contrasts universalist approaches to justice with contextualist approaches. Universalists hold that basic principles of justice are invariant — they apply in every circumstance in which questions of justice arise. Contextualists hold that different principles apply in different contexts, and that there is no underlying master principle that applies in all. The paper argues that universalists cannot explain why so many different theories of justice have been put forward, nor why there is so much diversity in the judgements that ordinary people make. Several strategies open to universalists are considered and found to be wanting. Contextualism is defended against the charge that it cannot explain why contextually specific principles are all principles of justice, the charge that it can offer no practical guidance when principles conflict, and the charge that it inevitably collapses into a form of conventionalism.
Global or North American?
Authors: Baruch Yehuda
Published: March 2007

This article examines the possible impact of the geographical origin of scholars on the propensity of their papers to be published. In particular, the publication acceptance rate of non-North American (NA) scholars for top management journals is compared with that of NA scholars. The article is based on an analysis of the geographical location of 1948 authors of 1091 articles published by seven top management journals, located within NA (Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Group and Organization Management) and outside NA (Organizational Studies, Human Relations, Journal of Organizational Behavior). The results indicate that strong under-representation, perhaps a bias, does exist. The discussion examines factors that might impact this phenomenon and offers some ideas and guidelines to balance this.
Making Sense of Alzheimer’s Disease in an Intergenerational Context
Authors: Smith André P. , Kobayashi Karen M.
Published: March 2007

An appraisal of cultural values and life history events is necessary to fully understand the ways in which family members interpret the significance of cognitive symptoms and make decisions about accessing clinical services for a relative in the early to moderate stages of dementia. This article presents a case study of a nisei (secondgeneration)-headed Japanese Canadian family in which the father was referred for clinical evaluation at a dementia clinic and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This case study identifies the traditional issei (first-generation) Japanese Canadian values of filial obligation and shame and awareness of the father’s life history as salient mediators in family members’ interpretations of dementia symptoms. Furthermore, a discussion of the role of the clinical evaluation in arbitrating between divergent interpretations of the nature of the father’s disruptive behavior among family members is included.
Rawls in the Nordic Countries
Authors: Føllesdal Andreas
Published: March 2007

The impact of Rawls's work in the Nordic countries has been wider than expected. The first section identifies some legal, political, and cultural features that would lead us to expect little interest in Rawls's work: Scandinavian legal realism, the social democratic welfare state regimes, and pervasive ethnic and cultural homogeneity. The second section gives an overview of the reception of Rawls's work, both in the academy and in public fora, on the basis of extensive but not exhaustive searches. The third section offers some conclusions and speculates that Rawlsian contributions - and political philosophy in general - will increase, largely due to Europeanization. Appendix 1 provides bibliographical information about first translations and presentations of Rawls's work starting with the 1955 article `Two Concepts of Rules'. Appendix 2 lists appeals to Rawls's work in the academy and the public sphere, ranging from the substantive principles of Justice as Fairness stated in 1971 through the Law of Peoples (1999). Neither appendix claims to give exhaustive accounts.
Organizational Culture Change Through Action Learning
Authors: Nilson Glenn E.
Published: March 2007

The Problem and the Solution. Many people talk about culture change in organizations, but what exactly is meant by this? This chapter lays out the components of organizational culture and culture change through action learning, as well as how the components relate to practice
Critical Reflection as a Response to Organizational Disruption
Authors: Brooks Ann K.
Published: March 2007

The Problem and the Solution. Organizations going through radical change seem to invite questioning of their fundamental assumptions, values, and beliefs as a step toward achieving deep change. Yet little is known about whether or not such questioning actually takes place, how it can be facilitated, and what conditions are needed to support it This study, in a Baby Bell company that was undergoing divestiture, found that some employees did think critically and that this sometimes led to dilemmas, "punishments," and challenges to the organiza tion's leadership Strategies that helped employees develop critically reflective thinking included exposure to different perspectives, liberal arts courses, open ended assignments, modeling, encouragement of questioning, honest feedback, and participation in policymaking and policy implementation
Preparing Human Resources for the Global Economy
Authors: Marquardt Michael J. , Sofo Francesco
Published: March 2007

The Problem and the Solution. The tensions of culture, politics, and dis tance inherent in the global economy and globalization have created tremendous challenges for the HRD field In developing the human resources of the global company, six aspects must be managed determining global competencies, global recruitment, global training and development, managing the overseas experience, global career paths, and recognizing, rewarding, and retaining global employees
Psychological and Environmental Factors Associated with Partner Violence
Authors: FOA EDNA B. , CASCARDI MICHELE , ZOELLNER LORI A. , FEENY NORAH C.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a brief summary of the literature on variables associated with cessation or continuation of partner violence with the aim of generating two conceptual models: psychological and environmental. Toward this goal, the authors first examine existing theoretical models of women's influence on partner violence. Second, they review psychological and environmental variables associated with women's influence on partner violence. To capture the richness and complexity of factors involved in partner violence, the two models include multifaceted constructs such as psychological difficulties, resilience, and partner violence. The conceptual models are designed to provide a framework for developing research that will enhance the understanding about women's influence on the course of partner violence and, in turn, will inform interventions aimed at helping women reduce violence in their lives.
Nursing Home Staffing Adequacy: Nurses Speak out
Authors: Mohler Martha M.
Published: March 2007

The issue of nurse staffing has gained nationwide attention. This article describes one government response and the opportunity for nurses to influence government action. It also serves as an example of the actions that nurses may take to influence the government: collaboration with colleagues, letter-writing to policy makers, and professional association involvement.
The Nursing Shortage: Not Just a Problem for Nursing
Authors: Slomka Jacquelyn , Fulton Jane , Fitzpatrick Joyce J.
Published: March 2007

Various factors can be cited that contribute to the current nursing shortage. In this article, the authors present reasons for the shortage that have less to do with the numbers of nurses and patients and more to do with the structures and processes imbedded in health care delivery today. Factors that are discussed include the business model of health care and entrenched interests within the health care system. The authors recommend that health care professionals, nurses, and physicians unite to promote change within the healer-patient relationship that forms the moral foundation for care providers.
Factors Influencing Organized Political Participation in Nursing
Authors: Cramer Mary E.
Published: March 2007

This study addresses the issue of organized political participation in nursing. The conceptual framework is the civic voluntarism model (CVM) of Verba, Schlozman, and Brady, which posits that three factors influence organized participation: (a) having the engagement (motivation), (b) having the resources (wherewithal), and (c) having networks of recruitment (cues to action and requests). Multiple discriminant analysis showed that the CVM and its influencing factors and dimensions were useful in predicting nurses’ organized participation. Resources and engagement were found to be the most important influencing factors, whereas networks of recruitment were less important. Rank ordering of each influencing factor’s dimension was used to develop a parsimonious list of predictors specific to nurses. Free time and personal efficacy were found to be the two most significant dimension predictors of nurses’ organized participation. Suggestions and strategies for building organized participation are made based on results of this study.
Thermoplastic Coated Carbon Fibers for Textile Preforms
Authors: Allen L.E. , Edie D.D. , Lickfield G.C. , Mccollum J.R.
Published: March 2007

A continuous process for producing prepreg from carbon fiber and thermoplastic matrix is described. After the tow has been spread using a pneumatic device, the process utilizes a fluidized bed to apply thermoplastic powder to the bun dle. Finally, direct electrical heating of the coated fiber tow melts the polymer on the individual fibers, creating a uniform and extremely flexible prepreg. The efficiency of the process was evaluated during initial trials in which a thermoplastic polyimide, LaRC-TPI, was applied to T-300, 3K (3000 filament) carbon fiber tow. The physical properties of unidirectional composite specimens fabricated from this prepreg were measured, and the matrix uniformity and void content of the samples was deter mined The results of these evaluations are detailed and discussed
Low-Density SRIM-Non-Glass Reinforced Polymer Composites for Automotive Interior Applications
Authors: Kuyzin G.S. , Schlotterbeck D.G. , Kent G.M.
Published: March 2007

The development of Structural RIM (SRIM) is progressing world wide with glass fiber as the predominant material for reinforcement Having the ad vantages of low cost and the ability to provide high-strength, glass has been used or suggested for use m such automotive composite structures as doors, firewalls, floor pans, front body structures, frame members, interior trim panels, impact beams, mounting posts, pillars, radiators, roof tops, seating structures, sparewheel covers, and specialty body modification panels. Although aramid fiber and carbon fiber have been used extensively throughout the acrospace industry as a low weight alternative to glass, there has been slow acceptance of nonglass reinforcements by the automo tive industry due largely to cost. However, with renewed interest m automotive fuel economy requirements, there have been numerous inquiries about nonglass, nontra ditional reinforcements.
The Effect of All-mail Elections on Voter Turnout
Authors: SOUTHWELL PRISCILLA L. , BURCHETT JUSTIN I.
Published: March 2007

Proponents of all-mail elections argue that this type of election facilitates participation such that elevated levels of turnout occur. The research tests this assumption by analyzing 48 statewide elections from the state of Oregon. This analysis suggests that the all-mail format is a major stimulus to voter participation, second only to the impact of a presidential contest.
The Behavioral Component of Changing Partisanship
Authors: Howell Susan E.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the impact of prior voting behavior on future party identification using the CPS 1972-74-76 Panel Study. The probability of changed partisanship increases with the occurrence of defection among Republicans and Democrats, and with the occurrence of one-party voting among Independents. However, most partisan change is not preceded by nonreinforcing behavior. Several alternative models are offered which fit many of the remaining changers. The behavioral patterns that accompany the adoption of Independence are different from the patterns accompanying the adoption of partisanship in a manner confirming the notion of two dimensions in the party ID measure, partisanship and Independence.
Executive-Legislative Power Relationships
Authors: Bernick E. Lee , Wiggins Charles W.
Published: March 2007

The governor of a state is often seen as the "chief legislator" running rough shod over a helpless legislature. The current research sought to determine if legislators thought there was an imbalance of power between the chief executive and the legislature. The data were gathered from a mail survey of state senators in eleven diverse states. Surprisingly, there was widespread agreement that there was an acceptable balance of power between the legislature and the governor. Selected political and institutional variables were used in an attempt to explain the variations in perceptions but with virtually no success. Our analysis was also unable to detect any single reason for legislators responding as they did. Finally, we conclude that if lawmakers acquiesce or relinquish some of their power to the governor, it may be because they choose to do so.
Social Stratification, Nondecision-Making, and the Study of Community Power
Authors: Stone Clarence N.
Published: March 2007

The nondecision process can best be studied by viewing power as having a strategic dimension and as operating at three levels. A nonpluralist approach treats the public and private sectors as highly interdependent and assumes that a wide range of social resources and community activities are politically relevant, though not always manifestly so. Given that social resources are unequally distributed among different social strata, we have good cause to consider how behavior in the power arena might be affected by the distribution of resources and the structure of the situation. We can hypothesize that the scope and extent of efforts made by various strata are influenced by the amounts of resources possessed, opportunity costs, likelihoods of success, and immediacy of costs and benefits at stake. Thus, while those who are disadvantaged might in the abstract be motivated to work for system change, we can see that their concrete circumstances could dictate otherwise. We can therefore hypothesize further that imbalances in social resources contribute to sets of arrangements through which those imbalances are protected rather than challenged politically. These arrangements can be categorized and analyzed as elements in a nondecision process.
Legislators as Budget Initiators and Lobbyists
Authors: Wanat John , Burke Karen , Snodell Marilyn
Published: March 2007

Little attention has been paid to the legislator as lobbyist and budget initiator. To assess this role, we have analyzed additions to the 1981 budget of three agencies by the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Data were taken from testimony of outside witnesses, members of Congress, and agency personnel. Staff were also interviewed. Members of Congress were active in initiating funding that would benefit constituents. They were also generally successful in this lobbying role. Nonlegislative witnesses were usually not able to secure budget add-ons unless legislators as lobbyists concurred with their requests. Specific requests by witnesses fared better than general ones.
What Makes Rabbit Run?
Authors: Fishman Ethan
Published: March 2007

This article deals with one aspect of the political imagination that has been neglected by modern political scientists, namely, the use of literature to make essentially political points. It demonstrates that John Updike's Rabbit trilogy is properly read as a fictional representation of Alexis de Tocqueville's classic Democracy in America. Updike's stories reveal that the anomie, alienation, and mediocrity predicted as consequences of democracy by Tocqueville 150 years ago have become concrete dilemmas facing contemporary Americans in their daily situations and experiences.
Partisanship in the Appropriations Process
Authors: Lowery David , Bookheimer Samuel , Malachowski James
Published: March 2007

The incremental budgeting literature has long suggested that the appropriations process is largely nonpartisan in character, a conclusion that is often, inappropriately we believe, based on Fenno's (1966) findings in Power of the Purse. We systematically reexamine Fenno's interpretation of partisanship as a supplement to the dominant mstitutional roles that govern appropriations politics. Analysis of variance tests of the Fenno data provide strong support for the conclusion that partisanship plays an important-if secondary— role in budgetary politics.
Flashlight Coverage
Authors: Graber Doris A.
Published: March 2007

Content analysis of the early evening national newscasts on ABC, CBS, and NBC from July 1985 to June 1987 reveals that the New Federalism has failed to focus national media attention on state issues. State news was extremely sparse, spotlighted a small number of states, and lacked political substance. Disaster, crime, and trivia stories prevailed. A parallel content analysis of state news covered by the New York Times indicates that newsworthy political stories were plentiful so that much better coverage of this important aspect of American politics was possible. When population is used as a yardstick of political significance, the concerns of midwesterners received the least attention while the Pacific region dominated in television as well as in print news. Compared to news broadcasts in the seventies, media attention has shifted from the Northeastern and New England regions to the West and Southwest, possibly contributing to the economic decline of Rust Belt states. State news coverage during presidential campaigns suggests ways for increasing coverage at other times.
Democratic Justice
Authors: Rhodes Susan L.
Published: March 2007

How much influence do citizens have over government decisions? One way in which scholars have attempted to answer this question is by assessing the correspondence between public opinion and public policy. Past research has found that, sometimes, mass attitudes and government outputs have moved together, but these studies did not control for other factors which might cause policy change. This article tests a multivariate model describing the behavior of policy outputs in one substantive area over time. A simultaneous equation model of prison admissions, releases, and rated capacity is developed and its parameters estimated using time-series data from California for the period from 1946 through 1980. Two indicators of public preferences, the percentage of national poll respondents favoring capital punishment and the proportion of the vote for governor cast for the Republican party candidate, are found to exert significant effects on correctional policy outputs.
Candidates, Issues, Horse Races, and Hoopla
Authors: Sigelman Lee , Bullock David
Published: March 2007

The rise of television as Americans' primary news source has often been decried as a blight on representative democracy. In this article the authors outline three interpretations of media coverage of presidential campaigns. The authors dismiss the first of these (the "vast wasteland" interpretation) because it assumes, contrary to much existing evidence, that there is a fundamental difference between television and the print media in campaign coverage. The authors then undertake a content analysis of newspaper coverage of the presidential campaigns of 1888,1908, 1928, 1948, 1968, and 1988 as a test of the two remaining interpretations. According to the "videostyle" interpretation, television has revolutionized presidential campaigns and the way campaigns are covered. By contrast, the "the more things change ... " interpretation holds that, while television may have altered the style of presidential campaigns, it has not changed the substance of campaign coverage, which focused on hoopla and the horse race rather than on serious issues long before the arrival of television. The content analysis indicates some changes during the post-World-War-II era that are consistent with the "videostyle" interpretation, but over the full course of the last century these changes have been of quite a limited scope, consistent with the "the more things change ... " interpretation.
What You Use Still Depends On What You Have
Authors: Moon David
Published: March 2007

This article extends earlier work on the effects of information on the vote choice decision. The general model predicts that voters at higher levels of information will use more cues to vote choice and will relate them together more cohesively than those at lower levels. More specifically, those at high levels of information will be more likely to rely on issues as a determinant of their vote choices. Earlier work showed support for this hypothesis in the 1976 presidential election. The results presented here show that, although there are significant differences in how cues to vote choice are used across elections, the pattern of differences across information levels persists across the five elections between 1972 and 1988.
Federal Agencies and the Supreme Court
Authors: Sheehan Reginald S.
Published: March 2007

This article examines differences in support among federal agencies appearing before the Supreme Court. The author reports that there are significant differences in levels of support, among the agencies, when we control for agency type and the directionality of the agency's decision over time. The findings of the analysis indicate that the Supreme Court is more likely to support agencies that are independent in nature and perform a quasi-judicial role in the bureaucracy. Although executive type agencies are supported to a high degree, they are significantly less likely to be supported when compared with independent agencies. Examining the success of agencies over time, the author also finds that the success of federal agencies is dependent on the directionality of the agency's decision and the ideology of the Court. The Warren Court was more likely to support an agency when its decision was liberal than when it was conservative, whereas the Burger Court responded in an opposite manner. The conclusion from this analysis is that the policy values of the Court have a significant impact even in the area of agency policy.
Partisan Transformation of the Federal Judiciary, 1869-1992
Authors: Zuk Gary , Gryski Gerard S. , Barrow Deborah J.
Published: March 2007

Time series analytic models are developed to evaluate institutional and political factors affecting the president's ability to appoint same-party members to the federal courts over the period 1869-1992. Controlling for party of the president, the authors examine the percentage of partisan appointments to and voluntary departures from these courts. The authors find that although the outcomes of presidential elections lead to sweeping changes in the partisan composition of the bench, the judiciary itself plays a large role in abetting same-party appointments through politically timed departures. Government control (unified versus divided) also enters the equation, as does the unique politics of filling positions created by omnibus judgeship legislation. The study underscores the importance of interinstitutional relationships to analyses of change in the partisan composition of the judiciary.
Economic Conditions and Voting On Ballot Propositions
Authors: Bowler Shaun , Donovan Todd
Published: March 2007

In this study the authors assess the relationship between economic conditions and results from state ballot proposition elections in California. They propose that voters are less likely to adopt policies in the context of poor economic conditions. Aggregate results demonstrate that adverse economic conditions are associated with greater negative voting on propositions. Models estimated with state and national economic indicators illustrate that voting is conditioned by the state economy more than the national economy.
Primary Voters as Retrospective Voters
Authors: Monardi Fred M.
Published: March 2007

Although retrospective evaluations of the economy and other issues have been hypothesized as major determinants of vote choice in national and congressional elections, there has been little systematic analysis of retrospective voting in presidential primary elections. Using the 1980 Democratic primary, the author examines the influence of perceptions of the economy and other retrospective issues in selecting a party's nominee for the presidency. Although the voters' family financial situation was a significant determinant of vote choice, voters' perceptions of Carter's handling of the economy exhibited the greatest relative impact in the model. Retrospective evaluations of the energy crisis and foreign affairs, as well as ideological orientation (representing "prospective" evaluations), were also found to have an important impact on vote choice in the presidential primaries. In short, this study demonstrates that, when a primary is contested by an incumbent president, primary voters behave in a similar manner to general election voters.
The Supreme Court and Opinion Change
Authors: Hoekstra Valerie J.
Published: March 2007

In this study the author examines the extent to which the Supreme Court acts as an opinion leader through its ability to induce attitude change. The author employs an experimental design with liberal and conservative rulings on one economic and one civil liberties issue, comparing the influence of the Supreme Court, Congress, and a nonpartisan think tank as sources of policies. The design was chosen in an attempt to eliminate outside sources of influence and to determine better the Supreme Court's ability to cause change in opinion. The results demonstrate that under some circumstances the Court can indeed influence opinion in the direction of its rulings, especially for those who regard the Court positively.