bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Defensible Space Undefended
Authors: Merry Sally E.
Published: March 2007

The notion that crime can be prevented through environmental design is a recent and promising idea emerging from the fields of architecture and urban planning. However, despite intriguing correlations between crime rates and features of building design, we understand little about the social processes which induce residents to intervene to stop crimes and disorderly behavior in the spaces around them. This article investigates the conditions under which residents of an American inner-city housing project act and fail to act to defend both architecturally defensible and undefensible spaces. Because of the fragmented social fabric, even architecturally defensible spaces here are undefended.
The Transformation of the Urban Housing System in China
Authors: Tong Zhong Yi , Hays R. Allen
Published: March 2007

The public housing system, operated since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, has provided Chinese city dwellers with low-cost accommodation. However, the rapid growth of the urban population, the lack of urban development planning, the bias in capital investment, and, especially, the structure of the public housing system itself have caused a severe housing crisis in Chinese urban areas. In recent years, leaders have addressed this problem with a complex series of reforms. These reforms generally move the system toward greater reliance on market forces, but numerous difficulties have emerged in creating housing markets within a centralized political and economic system.
Black-White Differences in Political Efficacy, Trust, and Sociopolitical Participation
Authors: Emig Arthur G. , Hesse Michael B. , Fisher Samuel H.
Published: March 2007

This study is a critique of Bobo and Gilliam's (1990) empowerment hypothesis. The authors examine black-white differences in political trust, efficacy, and sociopolitical participation. The study took place in Mobile, Alabama, and involved a telephone probability survey of 428 respondents. The authors argue for an expanded operational definition of empowerment, and research results support this position. No significant differences between blacks and whites emerged for political participation, attending to news, gender, age, occupation, or education. Blacks were significantly more politically trusting, efficacious, and involved in the community than were whites.
The Political Economy of Urban Regimes
Authors: Kantor Paul , Savitch H. V. , Haddock Serena Vicari
Published: March 2007

The authors suggest how regime politics is influenced in systematic ways by particular kinds of bargaining environments. They describe a theoretical framework designed to examine the interplay of local democratic development, market environments, and intergovernmental networks on regime dynamics in eight cities in Western Europe and the United States since the 1970s. The authors explain how structural forces influence critical aspects of local regimes, particularly their governing coalitions, means of public-private coordination, and prevailing policy agendas on economic development.
Osaka's Asia Linkages Strategy
Authors: Hill Richard Child , Fujita Kuniko
Published: March 2007

Foreign direct investment by Osaka's manufacturing firms has not boomeranged to hollow out the city's industrial base or stifled development opportunities in recipient countries. Osaka development officials assume transfer of capital and technology overseas should be connected to a strategy of industrial upgrading at home. Osaka's industrial strategies target the problems facing small and medium-sized producers and are couched within more encompassing national and regional development models. Developmental state institutions plus a dynamic and complementary regional division of labor enable Japanese cities to maintain a leading economic position in the Asia Pacific Rim while stimulating industrialization in the less developed Asian countries.
Using the Concepts of Transference and Countertransference in the Consultation Process
Authors: Miles Marianne , Morse Janice
Published: March 2007

The concepts of transference and countertransference are reviewed and applied to the consultation process. It is argued that these concepts offer a framework from which to view some of the strong emotional reactions that occur between nurses and patients. Although both of these concepts arose from psychoanalytical theory, the role of the consultation-liaison nurse is substantively different from that of the psy choanalyst. Examples are offered to demonstrate the application of these concepts to the consultation process. (J AM PSYCHIATR NURSES Assoc [1995]. 1, 42-47)
Severity of Depression, Cognitions, and Functioning Among Depressed Inpatients With and Without Coexisting Substance Abuse
Authors: Zauszniewski Jaclene A.
Published: March 2007

BACKGROUND: Investigators have proposed that the cognitive-bebavioral patterns of persons with the dual diagnoses of depression and substance abuse differ from those of persons with only one of the disorders. However, researchers have not investi gated these differences.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined differences in severity of depression, cognitions, and adaptive functioning among depressed persons with and without coexisting substance abuse.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used to compare depressed adult inpatients with (n = 31) and without (n = 32) coexisting substance abuse.

RESULTS: Although both groups were found to be moderately depressed and limited in their functional ability, the dual diagnosis group was more severely depressed (F(1,60) = 4.05; p = .05), more limited in functioning (F(1,60) = 3.52; p = .07), and reported more depressive cognitions (F(1,60) = 7. 72; p =.01). The groups were similar in se verity of depression and adaptive functioning when the effects related to the depres sive cognitions were statistically controlled.

CONCLUSION: The findings support the importance of using nursing interventions that involve cognitive restructuring to assist persons with the dual diagnoses of depressive illness and substance abuse to change their maladaptive ways of thinking to more healthy and adaptive thought processes. (JAM PSYCHIATR NURSES Assoc [1995]. 1, 55-60)
Mental Health Problems in Hospital-Based Clinics: Patient Profile and Referral Patterns
Authors: Wilkinson Laura K. , Blixen Carol E. , Mallasch Nancy I. , Douglas Sara L.
Published: March 2007

BACKGROUND: Although several investigators have suggested that the primary care setting has become the "de facto" mental health provider, few researchers have docu mented the psychiatric referral practices of providers in these settings.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the psychiatric referral patterns of hospital-based outpa tient clinics and the needs and characteristics of the referred patient population were examined.

DESIGN: After a 4-year retrospective log audit, 2, 678 written referrals were examined for patients 18 years of age and older from a large urban medical center's outpatient clinics to the outpatient psychiatry clinic at the same site.

RESULTS: Findings revealed a predominately middle-aged, white, female, Medicaid popu lation referred by physician providers in primary care clinics for signs of depression and associated symptoms. However, of the patients scheduled in the psychiatry clinic, only 56% actually had visits. The average number of visits was five or less. CONCLUSIONS: Early assessment and triage by advanced practice psychiatric nurses can minimize the length of time between psychiatric referral and intervention. By iden tifying those persons in crisis and intervening in a timely fashion, failed appointements may be reduced. U Am PSYCHIATR NURSES Assoc [1995]. 1, 140-145)
Catastrophe Theory: Application of Nonlinear Dynamics to Assault Victim Responses
Authors: Lanza Marilyn Lewis
Published: March 2007

Victim responses to assault have been generally framed by linear explanations. Nonlinear dynamics, particularly catastrophe theory, can be used to explain a particu lar clinical problem in nursing-blame for assault. Catastrophe theory is useful for understanding some of the unexpected findings, such as staff victims being blamed by themselves and others more in mild assault situations than in other types of assault sit uations, and female victims being blamed more than male victims in situations of verbal abuse only and severe assault situations but not in mild assault situations. The term "blaming catastrophe" has been coined to describe the process. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [1999]. 5, 117 121)
Think Tanks in the U.S. Media
Authors: Rich Andrew , Weaver R. Kent
Published: March 2007

This article examines the relative media visibility of expertise from a sample of fifty-one public policy think tanks in six national newspapers between 1991 and 1998. We consider media visibility in relation to hypotheses developed from the interest group, media studies, and policy sciences literature and, using regression and descriptive analysis, establish that Washington-based think tanks and think tanks of no identifiable ideology have a distinct advantage in gaining media visibility. Ideologically conservative think tanks are cited with a substantially higher frequency than identifiably liberal ones in the aggregate but not once we control for their greater budget resources, except in more conservative news outlets, where they continue to be advantaged. Disparities in the budget resources of think tanks account for substantial variation in their media visibility, as do ideological and geographic biases linking specific think tanks and media outlets.
Plane Deformations with Constant Stretches
Authors: Duda F. P. , Martins L. C.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a new approach for the determination of all plane deformations with constant stretches. This problem is equivalent to the description of a special class of divergence-free plane symmetric tensor fields. Our approach is based on a compatibility condition for a plane symmetric tensor field to be the right stretch tensor of some deformation.
On Matrix Equations of Twinning in Crystals
Authors: Adeleke S. A.
Published: March 2007

The algebraic equation of twinning involves a unimodular matrix, a general nonsingular matrix, a rotation, and two vectors. This paper generalizes the investigations of Ericksen, Pitteri, Zanzotto, and Gurtin by listing for each given unimodular matrix all the solutions of the twinning equation; that is, listing all the possibilities of the other variables. In an almost equivalent way, it assumes a rotation and a vector given and lists all the solutions. But in a different approach, it assumes that the nonsingular matrix is the identity and gives all the solutions. The last approach is linked to elementary number theory. One finding of the work here is that the twinning equation merely asks that a part of the orbit of the rotation matrix be synchronized with some part of the orbit of the unimodular matrix by the nonsingular matrix.
Some New Results on the Bending of a Circular Plate Subject to a bansverse Point Force
Authors: Melnikov Yu. A. , Sheremet V. D.
Published: March 2007

Two influence functions of a unit transverse point force are obtained for a thin circular Poisson Kirchhoff plate. One of these functions is constructed for a plate whose edge is elastically clamped in such a way that the edge's slope is zero, while the shear force on the edge is directly proportional to the deflection function. The other influence function is obtained for a plate that is elastically supported, with the deflection being zero and the radial bending moment being directly proportional to the slope on the plate's edge. The plates of a uniform thickness are built of an elastic isotropic homogeneous material. The extended version of the classical method of eigenfunction expansion is used. The singular components of the influence functions are explicitly split off, while their regular components are obtained in the form containing uniformly convergent trigonometric series.
On a Class of Higher-Order Pseudo-Rigid Bodies
Authors: Papadopoulos Panayiotis
Published: March 2007

A simple extension of the theory of pseudo-rigid bodies is proposed to allow for spatially inhomogeneous deformations of polynomial type. The kinematics of the admissible constrained motions and the corresponding balance laws are presented and discussed. A simple steady motion of such a higher-order elastic pseudo-rigid body is analyzed in detail to illustrate the applicability of the extended theory.
On the Straightening of Compressible, Nonlinearly Elastic, Annular Cylindrical Sectors
Authors: Aron M. , Christopher C. , Wang Y.
Published: March 2007

The authors consider the plane-strain straightening of annular cylindrical sectors composed of isotropic, compressible, nonlinearly elastic solids. For zero-body forces and boundary conditions of place, the existence and uniqueness of solutions are established under the assumption that the material satisfies the tension-extension condition. The result is exemplified by considering a compressible neo-Hookean material and a generalized Blatz-Ko material for which closed-form solutions are displayed. Also discussed are certain cases of nonexistence and nonuniqueness of solutions.
The Perils of Underutilizing Social Work Intervention in Home Care in the Era of PPS
Authors: Novick Judith G.
Published: March 2007

Home care directors find themselves in a quandary with prospective reimbursement: Should they withhold expensive services, such as social services, or should they pursue screening visits? This article explores the ill effects of social work underutilization and its potential financial impact on the home care organization.
Home care's role in clinical pathways
Authors: Gooldy Joyce , Duncan Betty
Published: March 2007

In 1989, the leadership of Anne Arundel Medical Center made a commitment to refocus its energies on measuring and improving performance. The continuous performance improvement plan in cluded several key initiatives, one of which was the development of clinical pathways. Clinical pathways have existed in health care organizations for several years; unfortunately most efforts have focused on inpatient management with emphasis on physician and nurse activities. The clini cal pathways in Anne Arundel Medical Center begin with the patient at the point of entry into the health care system and end at the point of optimal wellness. The Home Health Agency is currently integrated into 13 clinical pathways. The clinical pathway for total hip replacement is discussed to demonstrate home care's unique role. Outcomes for the initial 2 years of the pathway demonstrate positive clinical outcomes, positive perception of services, and cost-effective use of resources.
Determining client satisfaction with home health care
Authors: Reeder Phyllis J. , Chen Shu-Pi C.
Published: March 2007

A 33-item scale to measure client satisfaction with home health care was developed and tested. It was organized by the three dimensions of the nurse-client interaction. Items were generated from literature review and reviewed by 32 graduate nursing students. Content validity was based on expert opinions. One hundred and twenty-eight clients selected by their home care nurses from five participating agencies participated in the testing of the scale. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency of the scale was 0.95. Confirmatory factor analysis failed to confirm the three dimensions of the scale. Instead, it suggested a unidimensional concept of client satisfac tion. Further testing of the scale is recommended. Key words: client satisfaction, home health care, indicator of quality of care, instrument development, evaluation measure
Implementing Peer Review in Home Health Care
Authors: Furrer Rose A.
Published: March 2007

Professional practice and shared governance are two models of nursing practice that began to emerge in the 1980s. These are two models that are used frequently by organizations as they look to decrease costs while maintaining quality patient outcomes. Peer review is a tool that can be used to measure staff competence. This article will look at the basic concepts of shared governance and how peer review fits into that model. In addition, it will also look at how one unit within a large nursing department implemented peer review in a practice setting where it did not seem possible.
Establishing Processes for the Implementation of a Total Knee Replacement Clinical Pathway
Authors: Namie Margaret W.
Published: March 2007

As the use of clinical pathways spreads from the hospital setting to home care, it is tempting for home care agencies to aggressively implement their own clinical pathway programs. However, clinical pathway implementation without careful consideration of process issues and staff educational needs can be highly problematic. Pro-Health Home Nursing Services of Cincinnati, Ohio, presents the process support and educational program behind its total knee replacement clinical pathway. They conclude with their list of development and process guidelines for the implementation of clinical pathways in home care.
The New Hospice Conditions of Participation: Meeting the Challenge, Keeping the Values
Authors: Jones Diane H.
Published: March 2007

What began as a volunteer movement in the early 1970s, built upon a vision and a set of passionately felt values, is being transformed in the late 1990s into an industry. The movement was called hospice and the vision was for the terminally ill to die well, at home, with dignity and comfort. New conditions of participation (COP), currently being written by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), will challenge the hospice industry to meet its obligations as a significant provider of services in the mainstream of an increasingly sophisticated, competitive, and complex health care delivery system.
Pediatric Hospice Care: Not the Care of Small Adults
Authors: Levetown Marcia
Published: March 2007

Hospice care is rarely considered for children with terminal illnesses in the United States, often with the devastating consequence of invasive interventions being used until death. The profound survivor guilt is often unaddressed in standard care. Hospice, however, helps families communicate better with the dying child and enables them to care for him or her, lessening their guilt. Yet hospice is often withheld from children. The reasons for this are explored. One solution is The Butterfly Program. The sole admission requirement is an expectation that the child will not live to adulthood. The program is described and compared to standard hospice in the United States, a pediatric inpatient hospice in Canada, and the English model of pediatric hospice.
Planning Home Care for Elderly Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Limits of Diagnosis-Based Critical Paths
Authors: Parlocha Pamela Kees , Chafetz Linda
Published: March 2007

Planning for elderly patients with multiple problems is an important issue facing home care agencies today. Purposes of this descriptive study were to determine variables for predicting resource use and outcomes and to define a critical path for psychiatric home care patients with major depression. A medical record review and an established system for coding home care patient problems and nursing interventions were employed. This method did not provide sufficiently distinct parameters for critical path formation. A significant association was found between intensity of nursing services and patient outcome. This finding documents the link between nursing services and patient outcomes.
Nurse Retention in Home Health Care: Addressing the Revolving Door
Authors: Chapin Kasey
Published: March 2007

An effective retention plan will be a critical component of a home health care agency's leap into the year 2000. Assessing current turnover and retention rates for your agency, surveying exiting and current staff, identifying the internal factors that lead to turnover, addressing these factors, and measuring the effects of your action plan at regular intervals are all key components of a retention plan. The agency should place as much emphasis on retention as they would on any other business plan, since the shrinking pool of available nurses places a very high premium on retaining current staff.
The Heartbeat of Program Development
Authors: Hahn Joyce
Published: March 2007

The health care marketplace of today requires a constant assessment of the pulse of development opportunities. Before launching the development of a new program, a complete review of not only the agency's mission and strategic planning goals but the cost-effectiveness and the interrelated needs of the referral sources and the community must be identified. To achieve a realistic total picture from idea conception to program pilot involves the creation of a Program Development Needs Assessment Tool that serves as the groundwork for the written proposal. Program development is only the first step. Quality measurements of selected outcome indicators serve to strengthen and shape the character of the program as it continues to expand and meet the needs of the marketplace.
Species Questions (Gattungsfragen)
Authors: Wallis Victor
Published: March 2007

This article examines key moments in the historical interface between issues of social class and issues of humanity’s impact on the rest of the natural world. The author argues that Marx has been unfairly characterized as downplaying the importance of nature. In fact, Marx’s work provides a grounding for the present-day view that the struggles against class domination and against abuse of the natural environment, far from being in contention with one another, are mutually dependent.
Think Globally, Secure the Borders
Authors: Salazar Debra J. , Hewitt John
Published: March 2007

The environmental movement in the United States is engaged in a debate about the role of population and immigration on the movement’s agenda. The authors examine this debate within the Oregon environmental movement. Our focus is the role of race in shaping perspectives on immigration. Environmentalist immigration reformers in Oregon have framed their analysis in color-blind terms, but accusations of racism have dogged them. These accusations can best be understood by examining (a) the broader context of immigration politics, (b) the limitations of color-blind discourse, (c) the incongruity of drawing on a discourse of ecology to make arguments focused on national borders, and (d) immigration reformers’ political economic analysis.
The Role of Public Relations During Industrial Crises
Authors: Grunig Larissa Schneider
Published: March 2007

This case study explores the relationship among a small citizen's group, a wood- preserving plant, the mass media and the government during a water pollution cri sis. It examines the public relations efforts surrounding the controversy and concludes that an on-going, balanced, two-way program of communication would have been more effective than the one-way, reactive posture adopted by the plant.
A Benefit Analysis Model for Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation
Authors: Yusuff Iqbal , Czek Rita , Tittlebaum Marty E.
Published: March 2007

Infiltration and/or inflow (I/I) into a collection system often causes hydraulic overloads at the associated treatment plant. The impacts from I/I can become especially severe in areas with unstable soil conditions and deteriorating sewer systems. I/I can (a) result in increased operation and maintenance costs and (b) cause overflows and bypasses of untreated wastewater within the collection system during wet weather conditions. A major reason for I/I flows is improper installation and degradation of privately owned sewer lines as well as illegal or improper private connections. Previous studies have indicated that a large percentage of I/I flows are the result of defective sewer lines on private property. This article presents a computer model that has been developed as a comparison and/or decision-making tool to predict the reduction of sanitary sewer overflows and private property I/I for various rehabilitation approaches.
Urban Sprawl and Decline
Authors: Bier Thomas
Published: March 2007

Urban sprawl has emerged as a popular and contentious issue, with increasingnumbers of calls for “growth management” and “smart growth.” But efforts to control real estate development collide with strongly held American values concerning property rights and home rule. Little change is the likely result. However, the related dynamic of urban decline is more amenable to change because political forces required for change are likely to strengthen as aged suburbs themselves face decline.
Why Did They Become Pipe-Bound Cities?
Authors: Drangert Jan-Olof , Nelson Marie C. , Nilsson Hans
Published: March 2007

For decades and even centuries, Swedish towns, prompted by the need for clean water, haddiscussedpotential water systems. Some towns haddevelopedplans, but it was first in the secondhalf of the 19th century that the gradual conversion was made to pipe-boundsystems for water andsanitation. Not until 1863, after towns hadgainedthe authority to collect taxes, borrow money, lay pipes through private compounds, and monitor the urban environment, did infrastructure development become the task of local government. Cholera epidemics and fire protection (and thus lower insurance fees) were among the factors motivating the town councils andproperty owners. Especially from 1875 on, the hygienic value of water was also emphasizedin the effort to enforce public health legislation. Pipes for the systems were importedanddesigns emulated.
Concurrency
Authors: Weitz Jerry
Published: March 2007

Concurrency is an infrastructure finance and growth management policy implemented by local government. It is a policy designed to match public facilities and private development. When implemented, concurrency policy withholds land development approval unless selectedfacilities and services exist in accordance with locally adopted level of service standards by the time the impacts of land development on thosefacilities occur Concurrency is the latestpolicy in a cumulative series of land use regulations by local governments that requires developers to pay for infrastructure needed to serve new urban land development. Concurrency policies offer an effective supplement to development impact fees and land use regulations typically employed by local governments today. Local governments may find concurrency a viable growth management tool as well as an infrastructure management alternative, but local officials should be aware how the unintended consequences and actual outcomes of concurrency may differ from the best intentions of policy makers.
Suicidal Intent in Victim-Precipitated Homicide
Authors: KLINGER DAVID A.
Published: March 2007

Four decades ago, Marvin Wolfgang offered one of the most influential concepts in contemporary criminology when he coined the term “victim-precipitated homicide” to describe killings wherein decedents initiate the violent interactions that culminate in their death. One aspect of Wolfgang's work on victim-precipitated homicide that has not generated much attention among criminologists, however, is his notion that some of the individuals who precipitate their own violent deaths actually desired to die. Whereas criminologists have largely ignored Wolfgang's ideas about suicidal homicide victims, others have noted the presence of suicidal intent among victims of one specific sort of violence: police gunfire. For at least two decades, people in and around law enforcement have noted a phenomenon they commonly call “suicide-by-cop”—police shootings where suicidal citizens purposely provoke officers to shoot them. The present article uses suicide-by-cop as a platform to demonstrate how attention to Wolfgang's ideas about suicidal victims can enhance understanding of interpersonal violence.
Spousal Homicides in Fiji
Authors: ADINKRAH MENSAH
Published: March 2007

This study contributes to the scant extant literature on spousal homicides in non-Western societies through the analysis of 29 legally married spouse homicides that occurred in Fiji over an 11-year period. The data show that husbands are six times as likely to kill a spouse as are wives and that sexual jealousy and suspicions of infidelity are the most common precipitating factor in uxoricides. A comparison of spouse homicides of males and females reveals that female-perpetrated spouse homicides differ significantly from those of males. The relatively high uxoricide rate is consequent on the prevalence of male-perpetrated conjugal violence in the society.
State-Local School and Highway Expenditure Trends, 1965-1966 and 1969-1970
Authors: Lindholm Richard W.
Published: March 2007

The data used in this analysis demonstrate a considerable state variation in support given local schools and highways as measured by percentage of personal income. In the area of education, the general situation demonstrated by the data is that the property tax, plus the assistance it received, did no more than keep up with personal income during the five-year period under study, which was also a period when local schooling demands were very strong. Highways, which are nearly entirely financed from fuel tax revenues, absorbed a general declining portion of personal income during the period of the great expansion of urban-related highway expansion needs and the completion of much of the interstate highway system. The analysis demonstrates some decline and certainly considerable stability of the portion of personal income used for local schools and highways. The findings do not support the common attitude that a service having access to a tied revenue source is able to benefit from relatively luxurious financing. Undoubtedly, the fact that this was a period of rapid inflation of incomes and that neither the property tax nor the gasoline tax possesses an automatic adjustment for price increases affected the level of support provided local education and highways during the 1965-1966 and 1969-1970 periods of great need.
Taxation of Foreign Firms: Discriminative and Allocative Effects
Authors: Karageorgas Dionysios , Wiseman Jack
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the effects of various systems of taxing foreign firms on the international movement of direct investment The notions of tax equity and the neutrality of taxes on the location of investment are examined. It is shown that a tax system may be equitable in that (1) effective tax rates are equal in all countries and (2) only one country levies the tax, and yet such an equitable tax system may have nonneutral effects on the location of foreign investment as a result of different marginal efficiencies of investment. In short, tax equity does not guarantee tax neutrality. The criterion for tax neutrality is defined in detail in the text. Basically, it involves the percentage responsiveness of foreign investment to percentage changes in tax bases. The model, while applied to the specific question of tax equity and tax neutrality, can serve as a useful, general framework for analyzing the impact of taxes on the level of foreign investment.
Governmental Revenue/ Expenditure Models: a Case for the Simultane Eouation Technique
Authors: Broida Michael S.
Published: March 2007

The purpose here is to demonstrate a methodology useful in revenue or expenditure models where interaction is believed present. The vehicle is a model of local educational efforts, state/federal subsidies to education, and, most important, the attempt to measure interaction between local effort and subsidies. It is argued that the correct model explaining local educational effort must be reasonably disaggregated (each subsidy or type of subsidy considered separately) and the system must be interdependent (evaluated by simultaneous equation techniques). Results of a model developed and estimated for Ohio school districts indicate that interaction is present in modest proportions at best. In this case, the one-equation model presented by earlier researchers would be accurate, but there is no guarantee that a single-equation model would generate adequate results for other states or even for other types of local expenditures in Ohio.
Optimality in Municipal Debt
Authors: Collins Robert A.
Published: March 2007

The recent financial pressure an cities has renewed interest in the management of municipal debt. The concepts of optimum municipal debt and optimum municipal capital stock are examined here. Several popular misconceptions about local debt management are discussed, and counter-assertions are made. A model is proposed for minimization of local debt costs, and it is suggested that municipal investment, rather than municipal indebtedness, ought to be limited.
Poverty and Tax Incidence in West Malaysia
Authors: Andic Fuat M.
Published: March 2007

The paper is a study of the incidence of the tax system upon households below a predetermined poverty line, with special emphasis on the rural poor. Com-paring households below the poverty line to above it, it finds the federal tax system of Malaysia to be progressive. But since the poor pay only a small fraction of total taxes, it finds limited scope for an effective tax policy to improve the economic conditions of the rural poor. It, therefore, corroborates the by now widely held view that expenditure policy is more effective than tax policy in significantly improving the relative position of the poor.
Substitution in Household Production and the Efficiency of in-Kind Transfers
Authors: Johnson William R.
Published: March 2007

The traditional argument for in-kind transfers rests on their ability to induce greater consumption of externality-causing commodities. This paper shows that this effect will be diminished the greater the possibilities for substitution in household production. The argument rests on the distinction between market goods which can be subsidized and the commodities donors value which are produced in the household. If the price of the market good is reduced through a subsidy, consumers will react in part by producing the commodity with an altered ratio of inputs.
Taxing Horse Race Gambling: the Revenue Potential
Authors: Guthrie Robert S.
Published: March 2007

The revenuo potential of horse race gambling taxation is analyzed by compar-Abstract ing and reconciling the results of recent studies by Gruen and Suits. The different results are reconciled by analyzing the horse racing industry with the traditional theory of a monopoly. The optimum tax rate is calculated for the two sets of data and is only slightly above the actual rate. The state is currently realizing most of the revenue potential from this type of taxation.
Moody's Analytical Overview of 25 Leading U.S. Cities—Revisited
Authors: Parry Robert W.
Published: March 2007

Several attempts have been made to duplicate Moody's municipal bond ratings through the use of discriminant analysis. Based on cities and data published in Moody's Analytical Overview of 25 Leading U.S. Cities, Aronson and Marsden (A &M) report that they achieved 83% accuracy when classifying according to five bond rating groups and 95% accuracy when discriminating between cities with high and low bond ratings. They also indicate that the most important variable in this model is the percentage of a city's population that is black (PB). This article attempts to validate A&M's findings through the use of additional statistical techniques. By employing Lachenbruch's U-Method, it is found that the 83% and 95% classification accuracies reported fall to 25% and 70.8%. It is also found that by eliminating variables, the U-Method accuracy increases to 87.5% for the two-group model. The conditional deletion method supports A & M's findings concerning the relative importance of PB, and thejackknife technique indicates that, even though there is a relatively high variable-to-case ratio, variables in the two-group discriminant model are quite stable.
Do Local Governments Maximize Anything?
Authors: Grosskopf Shawna , Hayes Kathy
Published: March 2007

In the recent empirical literature on local government expenditure determination, researchers have begun to apply the results of classical consumer theory to the public sector. In assuming that public expenditure can be specified in the form of an integrable demand function that is further restricted to satisfy separability, researchers can reduce the number of parameters (equations) to be estimated and interpret their results in terms of familiar price and income elasticities. It is not clear, however, that utility maximization and separability are valid assumptions in the context of the public sector. Based on an empirical test for a sample of 132 municipalities, we reject the hypothesis that unrestricted estimates are consistent with utility maximization and separability.
Relatively Efficient Pollution Standards Under Perfect Competition
Authors: Harford Jon D.
Published: March 2007

The results of this article indicate that pursuit of efficiency with the use of pollution standards cannot be done by mimicking aspects of the efficiency conditions involving pollution taxes. A relatively efficient pollution standard applied to perfectly competitive firms will usually be characterized by a situation in which the marginal cost of pollution control exceeds the marginal damage of pollution, as the latter concept is conventionally measured. Furthermore, it will generally not be relatively efficient to set standards so that the marginal costs of pollution reduction are the same for all polluting firms. A relatively efficient set of standards will depend, in general, on the elasticities of supply and demand of output, as well as the shape and location of the firms' marginal cost ofpollution reduction curves. Some implications of these results for cost-benefit analysis are discussed.
The Incidence and Incentive Effects of Property Tax Credits: Evidence From Michigan
Authors: Fisher Ronald C. , Rasche Robert H.
Published: March 2007

The objectives of this article are (1) to present the income and geogtaphic incidence of property tax credits in Michigan; (2) to evaluate the influence of localproperty taxes, local income, and credit parameters on those distributions; and (3) to measure the magnitude of the potential fiscal incentives created by the circuit-breaker program. The analysisis based on a 1% sample of Michigan individual income tax returns for 1976, 1977, and 1978 that includes all the necessary data to calculate circuit-breaker benefits for each taxpayer. It is shown that the credit is a progressive element in the state's tax structure, that the credit primarily favors agricultural counties and counties with relatively higher property tax rates or property values, and that the credit generates large incentives to increase property taxes by reducing marginal property tax cost by about 24%.
Improving Tax-Based incomes Policies: the Lessons of the Environmental Literature
Authors: Yohe Gary W.
Published: March 2007

The intuition of the environmental control literature is employed to study the Abstract various alternative tax-based incomes policies that have been proposed. It is noted that each trades off, to some degree, flexibility in wage settlement against effectiveness in controlling inflation. Mirroring some aspects of Abba Lerner's MA P plan, a proposal that would make a tax-based penalty for excessive wage settlement dependent upon both the degree of excessiveness and the actual observed ex post inflation rate is advanced as a superior player in this tradeoff.
The Benefit Incidence of Consumption Public Goods
Authors: Hewitt Daniel P.
Published: March 2007

This article offers a total benefits approach to measuring the incidence of government expenditures as an alternative to equating benefits to Lindahl taxes. The procedure begins by decomposing each government program into its categories of benefits (or characteristies), which include (1) transfer, (2) productivity enhancements, and (3) public consumption benefits. The next step is to assess the benefit incidence of each category individually. The main result of this article, whieh focuses on the last category, is that the incidence ofpure consumption public goods is inversely related to their income elasticity of demand. The result follows from the definition of benefits and because these goods definitionally enter the utility function in a separable manner. Empirical estimates of the income elasticity of several programs confirms the plausibility of the separability property and the existence of different incidence types among the public goods, and thereby disproves the contention that the Lindahl taxes are the universal benefit taxes.
A Welfare-Theoretic Evaluation of Unemployment Insurance
Authors: Neill Jon R.
Published: March 2007

This article applies a new techncque for estimating willingness to pay for non-traded goods to the debate on the appropriate level of unemployment compensation. These estimates suggest that, in a welfare-theoretic sense, unemployment benefits may not be excessive.
Differential Effects of Taxation in Cournot and Bertrand Models of Duopoly: an Example
Authors: Scafuri Allen J.
Published: March 2007

The effects of equal revenue excise taxes in Bertrand and Cournot duopolies with product differentiation are compared. If firms have linear demand and cost functions and own price effects dominate cross price effects, then the fraction of any tax shifted to consumers is not smaller with Bertrand behavior; for taxes raising equal revenue, output effects and excess burden are not smaller if firms follow a Cournot quantity strategy. Incidence, output effects, and excess burden are equal only if goods are independent. For any given excise tax, firms' profits are greater with Cournot competition if goods are complements and greater with Bertrand competition if goods are complements. Thus, if firms choose the form of strategic interaction that maximizes equilibrium profits, taxation of complements is more efficient than taxation of substitutes.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Progressivity of the Individual income Tax
Authors: Kern Beth B.
Published: March 2007

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 instituted some of the most dramatic revisions of the federal income tax since its inception. The primary purpose of this article is to examine the impact of the changes incorporated in TRA86 on the progressivity of the federal individual income tax. Structural and distributional indices were used to measure progressivity. Estimates of these indices were derived using seemingly unrelated regressions and data from the 1984 Individual Tax Model. The results indicate that when progresscvity is measured locally, determination of which system is more progressive varies as income rises.
Empirical Tests for Allocative Efficiency in the Local Public Sector
Authors: Shah Anwar M.
Published: March 2007

This article reports evidence from two tests for allocative efficiency in the local public sector using micro-based data. The first test is based on Brueckner's (1979, 1982) theoretical result that a nonpositive relationship between public services and residential property values is a definite indicator of over provision of local public goods beyond optimal levels in the case of typical mixed communities, that is, communities having substantial business property. This article points out the limitations of Brueckner's empirical analysis and provides a stronger empirical test of allocative efficiency in the local public sector using micro-based data. An alternative test that uses the criterion that, when the level of local spending is optimal, a balanced budget change in local spending and residential property taxation should leave residential property values unaltered, is also presented. Both the tests suggest overprovision of local public goods in metropolitan Edmonton, Canada.
The Implications of Different Liability Rules for The Provision of A Risky Public Good
Authors: Speir John P.
Published: March 2007

This article analyzes the implications offour liability rules for the provision of safety by the state and the consumer (victim) of a public good, and for the quantity of the public good, in both the ideal and normal states. Risk is incorporated into the traditional model of the provision of a public good by adding expected damages and the cost of providing safety. This analysis indicates that when the state's provision of safety is the sole determinant of the probability of damages, then only a rule of strict liability generates the efficient provision of safety and output for both ideal and normal states. When both the state and the victim can influence the probability of damages, then only a rule of strict liability with contributory negligence will generate the efficient provision of safety by both the state and the victim, as well as the efficient quantity in both the normal and ideal states.
Excess Burden of the Property Tax: the Open Jurisdiction Case
Authors: Ghaus A.F.Aisha , Pasha Hafiz A.
Published: March 2007

This article derives the general expression for the excess burden of the property tax in an open jurisdiction. The resulting expression corresponds to the loss of revenues resulting from the decline in structures and from contraction of city size. Also, it appears that if the land is municipally owned then there is no case for the imposition of the property tax. Simulations reveal that the marginal excess burden to revenue ratio rises exponentially and is sensitive to parameters like income level, nature of housing preferences, technology, and so on.
The Design of a Tax Rule for Owner-Occuped Housing Under a Personal Consumption Tax
Authors: Seidman Laurence S. , Lewis Kenneth A.
Published: March 2007

Abstract Analysts agree that designing a satisfactory tax rule for owner-occupied housingposes a senous challenge for the personal (cash flow) consumption tax that recently has been introduced in Congress by several senators. We compare tax rules for owner-occupied housing by performing numerical simulations for a person who begins as a renter, then becomes an owner-occupier, and ends as a renter. We show that the most commonly offered tax rule—prepayment with mortgage spreading— yields a time path for taxes over the person's life that is not fully satisfactory. We then show that this time path can be improved if the tax rule is modified so that prepayment with mortgage spreading is coupled with downpayment spreading, tax deferral, and capital gain or loss inclusion. Interestingly, a mortgage interest deduction, together with taxation of the nominal capital gain at sale, may represent an imperfect implementation of tax deferral.
Statistical Conclusion Validity for Organizational Science Researchers: A Review
Authors: Austin James T. , Boyle Kristin A. , Lualhati Joselito C.
Published: March 2007

Statistical conclusion validity is concerned with an integrated evaluation of statistical power, significance testing, and effect size. A lack of attention to the integrated argument occurs because of an emphasis on significance testing, a lack of knowledge, and a lack of motivation. This article has three objectives. First, the central logic of the statistical conclusion validity argument is explained. Following that, issues relating to the three components are reviewed. These issues include computations, multivariate extensions, and recommendations for practice. Increasing use of model-testing procedures in which the goal of the analysis is not to reject the null hypothesis is noted. Finally, conclusions are offered and research needs are discussed.
Behavioral Simulation: Application and Potential in Management Research
Authors: Gist Marilyn E. , Hopper Heidi , Daniels Denise
Published: March 2007

Balance in research methods is well recognized for improving knowledge in the field. Despite this, a review of published studies suggests that behavioral simulation has been severely underused. With this in mind, simulations are discussed as a potent and timely methodology for addressing contextual factors in organizations. In addition, strategies for effective simulation design are offered. The promise of simulations is highlighted for studies of managing diversity, retraining displaced workers, organizational citizenship behaviors, and influence tactics.