bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coping‐related Expectancies and Dispositions as Prospective Predictors of Coping Responses and Symptoms
Authors: Catanzaro Salvatore J. , Wasch Heidi H. , Kirsch Irving , Mearns Jack
Published: March 2003

We used Rotter’s (1954, 1982) social learning theory and Kirsch’s (1985, 1999) response expectancy extension thereof to clarify distinctions between coping‐related expectancies (beliefs about the outcomes of coping efforts) and coping dispositions (tendencies to use particular coping responses), specifically focusing on the role of generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation (NMR) as a predictor of individual differences in coping and well‐being. Two studies using structural equation modeling provided support for direct and indirect associations between NMR expectancies and symptoms of depression. In Study 1 NMR expectancies predicted situational avoidance coping responses and symptoms of depression and anxiety, independent of dispositional avoidance coping tendencies. In Study 2, NMR expectancies were associated with depressive symptoms, concurrently and prospectively, independent of dispositional optimism and pessimism. Both studies indicated that NMR expectancies are more strongly associated with depressive symptoms than with symptoms of anxiety and physical illness. Results underscore the importance of distinguishing between expectancies and other personality variables related to coping.
The Influence of Rearing Order on Personality Development Within Two Adoption Cohorts
Authors: Beer Jeremy M. , Horn Joseph M.
Published: March 2003

There is an extensive literature on the relationship between birth order and psychological traits, but no previous study has investigated the influence of ordinal position on personality development within adoptive siblings. Such a design is important because it effectively separates the effects of biological birth order and rearing order. Here we report data from two adoption cohorts in which subjects were biological first‐borns reared in various ordinal positions. Data were analyzed with reference to Sulloway’s (1996) evolutionarily based sibling rivalry theory of birth order effects. Between‐ and within‐family analyses indicated that rearing order’s influence on personality was very weak. The only clear difference was for conscientiousness, on which first‐reared siblings scored higher. We draw possible implications for Sulloway’s theory and speculate upon an alternative, prenatal biological process that may produce birth order differences.
Personal Goals and Psychological Growth: Testing an Intervention to Enhance Goal Attainment and Personality Integration
Authors: Sheldon Kennon M. , Kasser Tim , Smith Kendra , Share Tamara
Published: March 2003

We hypothesized that semester goal attainmentprovides a route to short‐term psychological growth. In an attempt to enhance this process, werandomly assigned participants to either a goal‐training program or to a control condition.Although there were no main effects of program participation on later goal attainment, importantinteractions were found. Consistent with a “prepared to benefit” model,participants already high in goal‐based measures of personality integration perceived the programas most useful and benefited the most from the program in terms of goal attainment. As a result,they became even more integrated and also increased in their levels of psychosocial well‐being andvitality. Implications for theories of short‐term growth and positive change are discussed, as is theunanswered question of how to help less‐integrated persons grow.
The Non‐Evaluative Circumplex of Personality Adjectives
Authors: Saucier Gerard , Ostendorf Fritz , Peabody Dean
Published: March 2003

In judgments about personality, descriptive and evaluative aspects are ordinarily combined; separating them can be important both theoretically and practically. Study 1 showed that two similar descriptive factors can be found in analyses of personality terms, selected independently in English and in German and using different methods to control for evaluation. The factors relate to two pairs of independent axes suggested by previous work: Assertive‐Unassertive and Tight‐Loose, or alternatively, Interactional Orientation (Extraversion Introversion) and Affective Orientation. These two pairs of axes are shown to be rotations of each other, and to form the prime non‐evaluative circumplex. As in previous studies, non‐evaluative scales elicited higher levels of self‐peer agreement than did more typical evaluation‐confounded scales. Study 2 showed that adjective scales for the octants of this circumplex have circular ordering, can fit even very stringent constraints of a circumplex model, have mild to strong isomorphism with the interpersonal circumplex, but represent somewhat broader constructs, and are systematically related to the Big Five and the Big Three personality factors.
Identification and Its Relation To Identity Development
Authors: Cramer Phebe
Published: March 2003

Two meanings of identification —as a developmental process and as a mechanism of defense —were investigated as they relate to identity status. Identification with parents was assessed by comparing participants’“ideal self” Adjective Q‐sort (Block, 1978) with the same Q‐sort done for either mother or father. Defense identification was assessed from TAT stories using Cramer’s (1991a) Defense Mechanism Manual. Marcia’s (1966, 1980) categories of identity status were determined from Mallory’s (1989) prototypes based on the California Adult Q‐sort (Block, 1961/1978). The results indicated that the four identity statuses are differentially predicted by parent identification, by defense identification, and by an interaction between the two types of identification. Further, the nature of these relations differs by gender. Caution should be used in applying these findings to other populations.
A Decision Support System for Flexible Pavement Treatment Selection
Authors: Herabat Pannapa , Songchitruksa Praprut
Published: March 2003

The current decision–making process of the Thailand Department of Highways (DOH) for pavement treatment selection is based on the engineering judgment of DOH practitioners, which causes inconsistency and ineffectiveness in treatment selections. In order to address these problems, Thailand Pavement Maintenance Decision Support System (TPMDSS) is developed in this study to help provide an effective guideline for flexible pavement treatment selection. TPMDSS integrates both the database management systems (DBMS) and the treatment decision model. A treatment decision model employs the causebased strategy, which follows a logical progression by synthesizing relevant pavement–related data to help identify pavement problems and recommend feasible treatments. The main components of TPMDSS are: (1) TPMS inventory module, (2) field inspection module, (3) pavement section analysis module, (4) distress explanation facility, and (5) reporting module. The developed system is verified and validated against the experts’ judgment and actual test cases.
Making Sense of Moral Realism
Authors: Norman Richard
Published: March 2003

The article begins by surveying defences of moral realism and noting the revival of an ontology of ‘moral properties’. Such a position tends either to invite accusations of espousing metaphysically ‘queer’ properties, or to fall back on a weak (e.g. externalist) version of moral realism. Norman attempts to find a way through these difficulties by exploring the idea of ‘moral vision’, suggesting that this is best understood not as the intuiting of special moral properties but as a matter of ‘seeing patterns’ in our lives and experiences. Such an account of moral vision can explain how it can be both cognitive and action‐guiding.
Critical Notice
Authors: Hacker P.M.S.
Published: March 2003

Monk, Ray, Bertrand Russell: the Spirit of Solitude
Political Skills or Lying and Manipulation? The Choreography of the Northern Ireland Peace Process
Authors: Dixon Paul
Published: March 2003

The ‘real war’ and ‘propaganda war’ fought over Northern Ireland for thirty years polarised party and public opinion. The key dilemma faced by politicians during the recent peace process has been how to wind down the ‘war’ and win sufficient party and public support for an accommodation between unionists and nationalists which falls so far short of previous expectations. Scripts telling contrasting stories have been prepared to convince rival republican and unionist audiences to support the peace process. In addition, the pro-Agreement parties have attempted to shift opinion towards accommodation through a range of political skills and choreography. Key competing parties and governments have sometimes co-operated back stage while front stage they have on occasion ‘play acted’ conflict between each other. The political skills, or lying and manipulation, by which the peace process has been driven forward have been uncovered creating public distrust in the political process. Realists see such political deception as an inevitable part of politics and permissible on the grounds that the ends justify the means. Absolutists attack the ‘spin, lying and manipulation’ of the peace process as an assault on democracy. A third democratic realist position argues that sometimes moral leadership requires doing wrong to do right but the gap between ‘truth’ and ‘spin’ should be narrowed. A more open and honest politics would not only be more accountable and democratic but also effective in advancing the peace process.
Liberal Feminism: Individuality and Oppositions in Wollstonecraft and Mill
Authors: Gerson Gal
Published: March 2003

The essay explores liberal feminism by matching Wollstonecraft's and J. S. Mill's works against radical feminist criticism. Though censured by radicals for perceiving society in binary terms modeled on the male-female distinction, liberal feminists subscribe to a worldview that is variegated and dynamic. Liberal feminism does not oppose nature to culture or individuality to society, but rather sees the ability to achieve autonomous personhood as dependent on social conditions. This insight underpins liberal feminism's attitude to the status of women: to form as rational agents, humans have to be provided with social safeguards such as education and the vote. Far from being starkly individualistic, this agenda is based on liberal feminism's perception of individual rationality as a social product.
Electoral Systems, Campaign Strategies, and Vote Choice in the Ukrainian Parliamentary and Presidential Elections of 1994
Authors: Birch Sarah
Published: March 2003

In the Ukrainian parliamentary elections of 1994 the Communist party gained the greatest number of seats, yet the presidential election of the same year was won by a liberal reformer, Leonid Kuchma. The question arises as to how within a period of only a few months the Ukrainian electorate could have brought about such divergent results. This article addresses the question with reference to the workings of the Ukrainian electoral systems. It argues firstly, that the systems governing the two types of election created distinctive incentive structures for campaign strategy which interacted with the structure of preferences of the electorate in different ways, and secondly, that majoritarian aggregative formulae had different effects in the two sets of elections.
Uneven Development, Territorial Politics and the British Health Care Reforms
Authors: Mohan John
Published: March 2003

The paper considers the relationships between the uneven development of the British economy, the political strategies pursued by the Conservative government, and the changes to the character of the NHS in the 1980s which culminated in the NHS reforms. It describes the context in which spatial resource allocation policies in the NHS were operating – one of heightened uneven development, with particularly rapid growth taking place in South East England with harmful effects on the NHS. It shows that one response was pressure by backbench MPs on government for a more equitable distribution of funds. Developments within the NHS are interpreted as strategic attempts to prioritize the interests of key geographical locations within a broader ‘two nations' political strategy. Three issues are raised: the usefulness of the idea of ‘spatial coalitions’ in understanding pressures for change in health care policy; the extent to which spatially-uneven development and the ‘two-nations' political strategy influenced the character and timing of changes in health care policy; and the possibility that the politics of the welfare state will increasingly be shaped by territorially-based conflicts.
Love and Responsibility: A Political Ethic for Hannah Arendt
Authors: Williams Garrath
Published: March 2003

This paper argues that those critics of Hannah Arendt's thought who have protested at her disavowal of ‘moral standards' as being appropriate in the judgment of political action have, in fact, misjudged the structure of her thought. My argument is, however, a constructive one: the paper seeks to demonstrate how Arendt arrives at her sweeping rejection of conventional standards of moral judgment, and what solution she proposes. I do this in three stages. First, I address Arendt's understanding of self as opposed to world: especially how the moral absolutes which may be claimed by the former may threaten the very structure of the latter. Second, I draw upon her model of action to discover the idea of a worldly ethics, one of principle. And third, I consider the fate of our goals when we act into the world, paying particular attention to the idea of responsibility and the on-going responsiveness to the world that belongs to action under a principle.
Keeping Them Honest: Public and Elite Perceptions of Ethical Conduct among Australian Legislators
Authors: McAllister Ian
Published: March 2003

Public confidence in politicians across all democratic countries has fallen to historic lows in recent years. In Australia, around one in three voters believe that legislators use their public office for financial gain, and only one in four believe that legislators have a high moral code. Governments in many countries have attempted to deal with this problem by establishing codes of ethical conduct for legislators. This paper examines what standards citizens expect from their politicians and, in turn, what standards politicians themselves regard as important. The data come from the 1996 Australian Election Study survey which asked voters and elected representatives what importance they attributed to the eight principles laid out in the federal parliament's own ethical guide. The results show that voters expect higher standards from legislators than do legislators themselves, particularly with regard to the proper use of public resources and rejecting favouritism. A range of hypotheses are tested to account for citizen and elite beliefs about legislators' ethical conduct. The results show that stronger democratic culture and political skills are important for the public, and lengthy exposure to political parties and democratic institutions for the elite.
Ethics and Foreign Policy: The Antinomies of New Labour's ‘Third Way’ in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Abrahamsen Rita , Williams Paul
Published: March 2003

This article explores how New Labour has attempted to implement its ideas about a ‘third way’ foreign policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Through an examination of British foreign policy practices, we explore whether New Labour has succeeded in finding a ‘third way’ between traditional views of socialism and capitalism in Africa. In particular, the article focuses on New Labour's attempts to build peace, prosperity and democracy on the African continent. We conclude that although New Labour's claims to add an ‘ethical dimension’ to foreign policy have succeeded in giving Britain a higher profile in the international arena, the implementation of such a policy is intrinsically difficult. These difficulties in turn arise from the antinomies embodied in New Labour's policy, or more specifically from the tension between the liberal internationalism of the third way and traditional concerns for the national interest, as well as the contradictions inherent in a commitment to both political and economic liberalism.
On the Reasonableness of Compelling Citizens to ‘Vote’: The Australian Case
Authors: Hill Lisa
Published: March 2003

The legitimacy of compelling citizens to vote is rarely explored beyond claims about partisan benefit or infractions of liberty and democratic freedom of choice. Using the Australian model as a particularly successful and well administered case, I explore more deeply the issue of whether the state imposed obligation to vote is a legitimate one. The problem is approached via a number of questions, among them: Does compulsion have any properties that make it superior to a voluntary system? Does compulsion place an undue burden on voters? Is voting in the interests of individuals? Does voting do any good? Is there an obligation to vote? And, if so, to whom is the obligation owed?

I conclude that compulsion is reasonable because it yields collective (and ultimately individual) goods and protects a number of democratic, liberal and moral values. It is suggested that although there may be an obligation (but not a duty) to vote, this obligation is not owed to the state but rather to other citizens. An important effect of compulsory voting is its capacity to make voting a more ‘rational’ activity because it limits informational uncertainty and reduces opportunity costs. Compulsion removes most, if not all, the barriers to voting normally experienced by abstainers in voluntary systems. In doing so it releases or generates a variety of positive values, utilities and capabilities.
An Archaeology of Political Discourse? Evaluating Michel Foucault's Explanation and Critique of Ideology
Authors: Howarth David
Published: March 2003

The resurgence of interest in the concept of ideology and its empirical application neglects the important contribution of Michel Foucault. Despite Foucault's epistemological reservations about the concept of ideology, both his archaeological and genealogical writings develop original approaches to the analysis of concrete ideologies. This article evaluates Foucault's archaeological approach by applying it to the case of Black Consciousness ideology in South Africa. When translated into an appropriate form, archaeology provides a useful set of tools for the analysis of concrete ideologies. However, it should not be taken as a free-standing approach for its employment exposes important methodological and substantive difficulties. Archaeology thus needs to be supplemented by a genealogical investigation of discursive practices and by a post-Marxist theory of hegemony.
Do Ministers do what they Say? Ministerial Unreliability, Collegial and Hierarchical Governments
Authors: Blondel Jean , Manning Nick
Published: March 2003

This paper is concerned with the extent to which individual members of governments reliably implement the decisions of the governments to which they belong, a matter which is rarely discussed, if ever, and yet can be critical for the operation of national executives. After a general presentation of the problem, the paper examines the reasons why members of collegial governments are more likely to be reliable than members of hierarchical governments. As ‘cabinet’ governments tend to be more collegial while ‘presidential’ governments tend to be more hierarchical, unreliability seems also more likely to take place in presidential governments, to the extent that these are indeed hierarchical. Progress in this area has been hampered so far by the absence of a tight operational definition of collegial and hierarchical governments: such a definition is presented here, opening the way for the empirical testing of the impact which the distinction may have on the reliability of members of governments.
Political, Religious and Cultural Identities: The Undercurrents of Scottish Football
Authors: Bradley Joseph M.
Published: March 2003

Despite recognition that religion plays an important role in Scottish and that Scotland has long been different from England in matters involving religion, there remains a dearth of relevant research on this subject For example, only in recent years, with the works of Mitchell (1992) and Curtice and Seawright (1995), has there been a qualified look at least at one aspect of this relationship, the association between religion and politics This paper will bring both of these subjects together by considering the religious and political undercurrents that for many people have come to characterise Scottish football. A characterisation that is particularly evident in the case of the two major clubs in Scotland: Glasgow Rangers and Celtic
Why Aren't We Laughing?: Grammatical Investigations in World Politics
Authors: Pin-Fat Véronique
Published: March 2003

This paper argues that the later Wittgenstein's notion of the autonomy of grammar opens up critical space for thinking about world politics The claim that philosophy should be a ‘grammatical investigation’ involves considering how particular pictures, as representations of reality, hold us captive. Although the ‘deep disquietudes’ that are expressed in world politics may have similarities with the depth of a grammatical joke, I will look at a few reasons why we aren't laughing.
Metaphor, Intertextuality, and the Post-War Consensus
Authors: Marlow Jim
Published: March 2003

The idea of a once ‘postwar consensus’, between the Labour and Conservative parties, has become a commonplace in the academic literature of British political science. Here, I intend to briefly consider two aspects of this. I want to look at how the phrase ‘postwar consensus’ is used in a rather loose and indeterminate metaphorical fashion; and how the idea remains something of an intertextual construct rather than being a more fully developed social scientific argument The simple moral or lesson being that social scientists require to be highly circumspect with regard to the subsumption of broad extents of time and/or space under some all-embracing catch-all label or designation.
Romania between Balkan Nationalism and Democratic Transition
Authors: Mihas D.E.M.
Published: March 2003

This article deals with certain aspects of nationalism, minorities and transition politics in the post-communist Balkans with particular reference to Romania. After attempting to explain why nationalism constitutes a dominant feature of Balkan and as – a consequence – of Romanian political culture, it argues that the involvement of Romania's Hungarian minority in the collapse of the communist regime has been disproportionately exaggerated. Furthermore, it argues that the communist legacy is still shaping Romanian politics, emphasising the lack of substantial political reforms in a genuine liberal-democratic West European direction and arguing that Romania's transition politics does not necessarily mean democratic politics.
Immigration, National Identity, and Conservatism in the United States
Authors: Ashbee Edward
Published: March 2003

American conservatives are divided about the future of legal immigration. Whereas some assert that the US should remain a ‘nation of immigrants’, others insist that immigration levels should be reduced to a bare minimum. The divisions owe much to ddifferent conceptions of American national identity. Whereas some represent the US as a ‘universal nation’ open to all those who subscribe to particular political and philosophical principles, growing numbers within the conservative movement put forward visions of an American nation structured around a distinct ethno-culture. The rifts are deeply rooted, and have consequences for the future of both American conservatism and the Republican Party.
The End of the PRI in Mexico?
Authors: Wallis Darren
Published: March 2003

The article examines the outcome of the 1997 mid-term elections in Mexico and the new political dynamics thereby generated, and asks to what extent they portend the end of the longest-surviving single-party government in the world, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Explanations for the PRI's dramatic decline in 1997 are explored, and an assessment is made of the strength of the principal opposition parties.
Afrikaner Nationalism, Electioneering and the Politics of a Volkstaat
Authors: Ramutsindela Maano Freddy
Published: March 2003

The liberation of South Africa from the shackles of apartheid signifies the end of the last out-post of white domination in South Africa, and opened a new chapter on the search for a common South Africanism. The process of nation-building is haunted by relics of nationalist trends, one of which is Afrikaner nationalism. This article deals with certain aspects of Afrikaner nationalism which have continued into the post- apartheid era. It uses the division among Afrikaner nationalists to show the link between conservative Afrikaner nationalism, electioneering and the pursuit for a volkstaat (white homeland).
Liberal Justification: A Typology
Authors: Chen Selina
Published: March 2003

Contemporary liberalism exhibits a broad agreement among its proponents as to its content but widespread disagreement on what fundamental values justify its principles. This paper provides a typology of ways in which liberals approach the task of justifying liberalism. It sets out a fourfold typology for categorising different liberal theories by distinguishing between the various reasons why liberals reject or accept neutrality. Such a typology is helpful in showing exactly how and where liberal theories differ in their approaches to the issues of justification, neutrality and pluralism, and in showing where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
Laski on Rights and the Problem of Liberal Democratic Theory
Authors: Lamb Peter
Published: March 2003

From 1919 until the mid-1920s Laski developed a cogent egalitarian theory of democratic rights. In the 1930s he turned his attention to the conflict between such rights and the capitalist property rights of liberal theory. His defence of democratic rights is significant in the context of contemporary discussions of rights, autonomy and democracy.
Does Rawls Support the Procedural Republic? A Critical Response to Sandel's Democracy's Discontent
Authors: Farrelly Colin
Published: March 2003

In Michael Sandel's latest book entitled Democracy's Discontent (1996), he argues that the prevailing public philosophy (what he calls the procedural republic) that informs America's institutions undermines self-government and a sense of community. Does John Rawls support the procedural republic? Contrary to what Sandel contends, I argue that it is not fair to label Rawls as a leading proponent of the procedural republic. Rawls's egalitarian liberalism does not endorse the public philosophy that has informed American Constitutional Law and the political economy for the past half a century.
The Welsh Devolution Referendum
Authors: Jones Richard Wyn , Lewis Bethan
Published: March 2003

This article seeks to place the 1997 referendum on the Labour government's plans to establish an elected Welsh Assembly into the context of the debate on devolution as it has developed in Wales since 1979, when broadly similar proposals were overwhelmingly rejected by the Welsh electorate. The authors argue that given the belated decision to hold the referendum, the particular difficulties created by the Welsh political landscape, and the fact that there was no real attempt to develop a broad-based consensus behind the proposals before the 1997 general election, the fact that the proposals were finally approved -albeit by the narrowest of margins - represents a substantial achievement for the pro-devolutionists.
A New Look at New Labour
Authors: Rubinstein David
Published: March 2003

This article challenges the current orthodoxy, for instance put forward by Driver and Martell (1998), that New Labour represents a clearly defined break from the Labour Party's past. Drawing upon accounts of Labour's historical development, I argue that Labour in government has always been concerned with forging cross-class alliances, more often than not in the face of bitter internal opposition from the party's grass-roots membership. I conclude that the objectives of the Blair government are not dissimilar from those of the Attlee and Wilson administrations, and that where the means to achieve these ends differ – for example with regard to social policy – this is a rational response to the profound economic and social changes that have taken place since the 1970s.
Assessing Climate Change: International Co-Operation and Predictions of Environmental Change
Authors: Harris Paul G.
Published: March 2003

Past scientific assessments of global climate change impacts have tended to give us information on global impacts. But scientists have been refining their predictions down to regional, national and local levels. Improved understanding of climate change impacts, and particularly more specific information on which countries are most vulnerable, will affect international co-operation. Presumably, countries that are most vulnerable to climate change will be more likely to join international efforts to address climate change. At least that is what one could logically hypothesise. Questions addressed include: Does ‘vulnerability’ to climate change matter for international cooperation? What might be the political impact of improved understanding of the effects of climate change on international environmental co-operation?
Sceptical Democracy
Authors: Bufacchi Vittorio
Published: March 2003

Two extreme philosophical positions pose a constant threat to democracy. Those who believe in the certainty of their beliefs (totalitarianism) and those who deny the existence of any truth (nihilism and post-modernity) uphold these anti-democratic positions. Squeezed between these two polarities we find liberal democracy. One of the distinctive properties of liberal democracy is its endorsement of a political definition of scepticism. The aim of this article is to explore the relationship between liberal democracy and scepticism.
Resurgent Academic Interest in the Council on Foreign Relations
Authors: Parmar Inderjeet
Published: March 2003

This article is based around a review of five books on the Council on Foreign Relations, an elite American foreign affairs think-tank, written during the 1990s. It aims to consider some of the reasons for this upsurge in academic interest in the CFR, the character of the books themselves, and how they approach and analyse the organisation. In so doing, the article takes a critical stance to the literature and suggests what a more adequate theoretical approach to the CFR might look like.
What's New about ‘New Labour’?
Authors: Allender Paul
Published: March 2003

There have been many words written and said about New Labour. With a view to not adding any further unnecessary ones here, this article will focus upon and evaluate the claim of novelty. What is it that is new about New Labour? What constitutes this ‘newness’? Is it a new political formation or just a product of ‘spin’? Or is it something else? After a very brief reference to the literature, this article will seek to situate the creation and development of New Labour within some external causal factors and also refer to internal influences upon it.
Truth and Fiction: A Study of the Gender Gap in the US National Legislature
Authors: Hallett Stephanie L.
Published: March 2003

In the United States, women are generally perceived to vote more liberally than men. Analysing voting patterns from 12 US Congresses (the 94th to 105th Congress) on a range of political issues, I conduct an estimation explaining voting behaviour by gender, differences in party identification and affiliation with different geographical regions in the United States. My results indicate that women do generally vote more liberally than men, but this difference can be attributed to differences in party identification and regional representation more than to gender differences.
Politics and the Media in Postcommunist Russia
Authors: White Stephen , Oates Sarah
Published: March 2003

The evidence of a nationally representative survey conducted in April 2001 suggests that television is the medium of choice for most Russians. At least 92 per cent watch at least several times a week, with state channels more popular than those in commercial ownership. The media enjoy a high level of trust, and there is widespread agreement that they should adopt a stabilising role in society rather than simply report developments. Television is the main source of information when Russians make their electoral choices; there are accordingly considerable implications in the extent to which pro-Kremlin candidates and parties enjoy the support of the state media, which in turn are the favourite viewing of the voters that support them.
Chronic Noise Exposure and Physiological Response: A Prospective Study of Children Living Under Environmental Stress
Authors: Evans Gary W. , Bullinger Monika , Hygge Staffan
Published: March 2003

Chronic exposure to aircraft noise elevated psychophysiological stress (resting blood pressure and overnight epinephrine and norepinephrine) and depressed quality-of-life indicators over a 2-year period among 9- to 11-year-old children. Data collected before and after the inauguration of a major new international airport in noise-impacted and comparison communities show that noise significantly elevates stress among children at ambient levels far below those necessary to produce hearing damage.
Dissociable Neural Subsystems Underlie Abstract and Specific Object Recognition
Authors: Marsolek Chad J.
Published: March 2003

Participants named objects presented in the left or right visual field during a test phase, after viewing centrally presented same-exemplar objects, different-exemplar objects, and words that name objects during an initial encoding phase. In two experiments, repetition priming was exemplar-abstract yet visual when test objects were presented directly to the left cerebral hemisphere, but exemplar-specific when test objects were presented directly to the right cerebral hemisphere, contrary to predictions from single-system theories of object recognition. In two other experiments, stimulus degradation during encoding and task demands during test modulated these results in predicted ways. The results support the theory that dissociable neural subsystems operate in parallel (not in sequence) to underlie visual object recognition: An abstract-category subsystem operates more effectively than a specific-exemplar subsystem in the left hemisphere, and a specific-exemplar subsystem operates more effectively than an abstract-category subsystem in the right hemisphere.
Contour Completion and Relative Depth: Petter's Rule and Support Ratio
Authors: Singh Manish , Hoffman Donald D. , Albert Marc K.
Published: March 2003

The ability to see complete objects despite occlusion is critical to humans' visual success. Human vision can amodally complete visual objects that are partially occluded, and modally complete visual objects that occlude other objects. Previous experiments showed that the perceived strength of a completed contour depends on its support ratio: the ratio of the length of the physically specified contour to the total length of the contour. Other experiments showed that human vision prefers to make modal completions as short as possible, an effect known as Petter's rule. The experiment reported here examined the relationship between Petter's rule and support ratio, showing that both affect modal completion in figures of homogeneous color, but that when they compete Petter's rule dominates. Finally, our results confirm that Petter's rule is an effect of relative gap lengths and not of relative size.
Language Development in Profoundly Deaf Children with Cochlear Implants
Authors: Svirsky Mario A. , Robbins Amy M. , Kirk Karen Iler , Pisoni David B. , Miyamoto Richard T.
Published: March 2003

Although cochlear implants improve the ability of profoundly deaf children to understand speech, critics claim that the published literature does not document even a single case of a child who has developed a linguistic system based on input from an implant. Thus, it is of clinical and scientific importance to determine whether cochlear implants facilitate the development of English language skills. The English language skills of prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants were measured before and after implantation. We found that the rate of language development after implantation exceeded that expected from unimplanted deaf children (p < .001) and was similar to that of children with normal hearing. Despite a large amount of individual variability, the best performers in the implanted group seem to be developing an oral linguistic system based largely on auditory input obtained from a cochlear implant.
When Sound Affects Vision: Effects of Auditory Grouping on Visual Motion Perception
Authors: Watanabe Katsumi , Shimojo Shinsuke
Published: March 2003

Two identical visual targets moving across each other can be perceived either to bounce off or to stream through each other. A brief sound at the moment the targets coincide biases perception toward bouncing. We found that this bounce-inducing effect was attenuated when other identical sounds (auditory flankers) were presented 300 ms before and after the simultaneous sound. The attenuation occurred only when the simultaneous sound and auditory flankers had similar acoustic characteristics and the simultaneous sound was not salient. These results suggest that there is an aspect of auditory-grouping (saliency-assigning) processes that is context-sensitive and can be utilized by the visual system for solving ambiguity. Further-more, control experiments revealed that such auditory context did not affect the perceptual qualities of the simultaneous sound. Because the attenuation effect is not manifest in the perception of acoustic characteristics of individual sound elements, we conclude that it is a genuine cross-modal effect.
Walking While Memorizing: Age-Related Differences in Compensatory Behavior
Authors: Li Karen Z.H. , Lindenberger Ulman , Freund Alexandra M. , Baltes Paul B.
Published: March 2003

This study investigated predictions of the life-span theory of selection, optimization, and compensation, focusing on different patterns of task priority during dual-task performance in younger and older adults. Cognitive (memorizing) and sensorimotor (walking a narrow track) performance were measured singly, concurrently, and when task difficulty was manipulated. Use of external aids was measured to provide another index of task priority. Before dual-task testing, participants received extensive training with each component task and external aid. Age differences in dual-task costs were greater in memory performance than in walking, suggesting that older adults prioritized walking over memory. Further, when given a choice of compensatory external aids to use, older adults optimized walking, whereas younger adults optimized memory performance. The results have broad implications for systemic theories of cognitive and sensorimotor aging, and the costs and benefits of assistive devices and environmental support for older populations.
Emotional Closeness as a Mediator of the Effect of Genetic Relatedness on Altruism
Authors: Korchmaros Josephine D. , Kenny David A.
Published: March 2003

Inclusive fitness theory has been used to explain the overall pattern of altruistic behavior. However, this theory does not address the proximal causes of altruism. The purpose of the present study was to increase the understanding of altruism by testing a model that includes both ultimate and proximate causes. In particular, emotional closeness was tested as a mediator of the effect of genetic relatedness on altruistic behavior. This was accomplished by having college students choose which of their family members they would most likely provide with life-saving assistance. As expected, results showed that emotional closeness is an important proximal cause of altruism that partially mediates the effect of genetic relatedness on willingness to act altruistically.
The Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology: A Toolbox for Serious Researchers
Authors: Ellsworth Phoebe C. , Gonzalez Richard
Published: March 2003

Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology, edited by H.T. Reis and C.M. Judd. London: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 558 pp. Cloth, $69.95; paper, $34.95.
Perceptual Organization Overcomes the Effects of Local Surround in Determining Simultaneous Lightness Contrast
Authors: Agostini Tiziano , Galmonte Alessandra
Published: March 2003

Lightness induction can occur on the basis of the immediate surround of a region (local interactions) and also on the basis of global factors of perceptual organization. The experiments reported in this article used novel displays that made it possible to differentiate the contributions of these two kinds of factors. The experiments demonstrated, for the first time, that when higher-level factors act contemporaneously with lower-level factors, the contrast effect induced by the global-organization principle of perceptual belongingness overcomes the effect due to retinal lateral inhibition.
Marketization, Managers and Moral Strain: Chairmen, Directors and Public Service Ethos in the National Health Service
Authors: Sheaff Rod , West Michael
Published: March 2003

Survival of the public service ethos in Britain has been called into question following introduction of the ‘new public management’ and marketizing reforms in much of the public sector. This article examines how these developments have occurred in the NHS, using survey data to analyse NHS board members’ substantive ethical values. Unexpectedly the results suggest that NHS board members with a predominantly NHS background appear less ethically conservative, more flexible and less risk–averse than those recruited from non–NHS backgrounds; and that as yet the NHS management ‘culture’ is not very homogenous in respect of ‘business ethics’. The NHS reforms also appear to accentuate the tensions between transparent public accountability in NHS management and incentives not to publicize certain types of information. Recent codification of NHS ‘business ethics’ can be understood as an attempt to buttress the public service ethos against the increased moral strains of a quasi–market.
An Evaluation of Leadership as a Response to Agency Failure in the Public Sector
Authors: Wallis Joe , Dollery Brian
Published: March 2003

An alternative to contractual solutions to agency problems is suggested in the literature on leadership in which leaders are often claimed to be able to steer historical processes in the direction they intend through the distinctive influence they have on the intrinsic motivation of their followers. We evaluate Casson’s (1991) agency–theoretic model of leadership as ‘moral manipulation’ which under certain conditions can be exercised at lower agency cost than monitoring. We then make a case for conceiving leadership as the development of culture of passion to advance the leader’s quest through the engagement of followers in ‘interaction rituals’ in which their passion is either recharged or their lack of passion exposed. The impact the emergence of such cultures can have on the policy–making community is examined using the British and New Zealand experiences and a case is made for the preservation of a counter–culture of ‘public interest’ in the policy advisory ranks of the civil service.
Evaluating Health Care Reform: the Case of the NHS Internal Market
Authors: Baggott Rob
Published: March 2003

The NHS internal market, introduced in an atmosphere of controversy, continues to generate much disagreement. This article examines the evidence on the impact of this policy with regard to a range of criteria, including efficiency, accountability, effective planning and co‐ordination, patient choice and service quality, equity, and the culture of the NHS. It explores the different ways in which this evidence is perceived and seeks to make explicit the assumptions and biases of those involved in the debate about the reforms. The article also examines the policy process behind the reforms and the extent to which it has added to the problems of evaluation. By way of conclusion, the implications for future health care reform are considered and a number of procedural changes suggested.
Reflexive Watchdogs? How Supreme Audit Institutions Account for Themselves
Authors: Pollitt Christopher , Summa Hilkka
Published: March 2003

Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) such as the UK National Audit Office and the French Cour des Comptes play important roles within the institutional mechanisms of the democratic state. They are given high independence in order to secure public accountability for, first, the probity and legality of public spending and, second, economy, efficiency and effectiveness. During the last twenty years several SAIs’ mandates have been adjusted to reflect the latter, more managerialist, concerns.

This article asks two questions: first, what evidence do these SAIs offer as to the quality and effectiveness of their activities in carrying out their mandates and, second, to what extent does their self–reporting appear to have been influenced by the precepts of the ‘New Public Management’ (NPM)? To address these questions an analysis is carried out of the annual reports and other relevant documents of the Finnish, Swedish, French and UK SAIs, and of the European Court of Auditors. The analysis shows considerable differences of approach. These may well be related to the differing constitutional positions and administrative cultures of the SAIs concerned. In conclusion we identify different concerns which are associated with either a fervent embracing of NPM criteria by SAIs or, alternatively, with an apparent rejection of those approaches.
Democracy and Empowerment
Authors: Sørensen Eva
Published: March 2003

The article argues that institutions of parliamentary democracy are currently being undermined and calls for the development of new means of democratic empowerment. The meaning of ‘democratic empowerment’ differs sharply depending on whether one refers to a predominantly aggregative, or a predominantly integrative strategy of empowerment. The article seeks to clarify the phrase. For a predominantly aggregative strategy of empowerment, as proposed by Paul Hirst, the primary means of empowerment is exist. For a predominantly integrative strategy of empowerment, proposed by David Burns, Robin Hambleton and Paul Hoggett the primary means of empowerment is voice. The article concludes that a democratic strategy of empowerment must aim to balance exit and voice options. An example of how balance could be institutionalized is found in Denmark.
Ownership or Competition? An Evaluation of the Effects of Privatization on Industrial Relations Institutions, Processes and Outcomes
Authors: Pendleton Andrew
Published: March 2003

This paper examines whether privatization and exposure to product market competition leads to changes in labour management and industrial relations. Three sets of propositions are examined: privatization will lead to lower changes in industrial relations institutions and processes; privatization will lead to lower average levels of remuneration relative to public sector firms; and privatization will lead to relatively higher levels of efficiency. In each instance it is hypothesized that competition will add to ownership effects. These propositions are examined drawing on data derived from the UK bus industry.