bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Workroles of Staff Nurses in Psychiatric Settings
Authors: Morrison Elizabeth G. , Shealy Anne H. , Kowalski Carol , LaMont Joycelynn , Range Beneta A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this research was to operationalize Peplau's workroles of the psychiatric staff nurse. Thirty registered nurses audiotaped one-to-one interactions with 62 adult, child, and adolescent psychiatric patients. Content analysis was used to identify role behaviors and to identify roles that were different from those outlined by Peplau. The counselor role was the most frequently occurring primary workrole. Overlap was found between behaviors indicative of autocratic leader versus surrogate and those of resource person versus teacher. The findings supported Peplau's contention that the counselor role is central to the practice of psychiatric nursing.
Culture Care Theory, Research, and Practice
Authors: Leininger Madeleine
Published: March 2007

Today nurses are facing a world in which they are almost forced to use transculturally-based nursing theories and practices in order to care for people of diverse cultures. The author, who in the mid-'50s pioneered the development of the first transcultural nursing theory with a care focus, discusses the relevance, assumptions, and predictions of the culture care theory along with the ethnonursing research method. The author contends that transcultural nursing findings are gradually transforming nursing practice and are providing a new paradigm shift from traditional medical and unicultural practice to multiculturally congruent and specific care modalities. A few research findings are presented to show the importance of being attentive to cultural care diversities and universalities as the major tenets of the theory. In addition, some major contributions of the theory are cited along with major challenges for the immediate future.
Use of Culture Care Theory with Anglo- and African American Elders in a Long-Term Care Setting
Authors: McFarland Marilyn R.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to discover the care expressions, practices, and patterns of elderly Anglo- and African American elders. The domain of inquiry was the cultural care of elderly residents within the environmental context of a long-term care institution. The ethnonursing qualitative research method was used to conduct the study which was conceptualized within Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality. Four major themes were discovered: (a) Residents expressed and lived generic care to maintain their preadmission lifeways; (b) The nursing staff provided aspects of professional care to support satisfying lifeways for residents; (c) Institutional care patterns and expressions were viewed as a continuing life experience but with major differences between the apartment section and nursing home units; and (d) An institutional culture of the retirement home was discovered which reflected unique lifeways and shared care and health expressions and practices. These themes substantiated the culture care theory and revealed new modes of care for the elderly in an institutional setting.
Policy Mechanisms for Gender Equity in Australia
Authors: Marshall Catherine
Published: March 2007

Analysis of education gender equity policy presents a challenge: Do our conceptual lenses work for gender since they were developed from studying main-stream policy? Using data collected from interviews and documents in Australia (where the state actively promoted gender equity), this article (a) presents and critiques an array of potentially useful conceptual lenses, (b) outlines the policy formulation, and (c) uses a taxonomy of policy mechanisms to identify those deemed useful for effecting equity. Gender policy relied most on the mechanisms for curriculum materials and program definition. The article concludes by showing how policy mechanisms are useful for identifying priorities and focus but miss the rich cultural and feminist critical insights.
Generating Interest in Interest Groups
Authors: Malen Betty
Published: March 2007

Drawing on the articles assembled for this yearbook and related writings, this commentary identifies some of the issues that warrant consideration as we work to understand interest group politics more fully. The commentary discusses the importance of situating interest groups at the center of the Politics of Education Association (PEA) research agenda and highlights ways to enhance our understanding of the who, the how, and the so what of interest group politics.
Educational Governance and Democratic Practice
Authors: Mintrom Michael
Published: March 2007

A preoccupation with academic quality has guided contemporary education reforms in the United States. This is hardly surprising, because political and business elites recognize that well-trained, high-skilled workers are crucial for regional competitiveness. Many parents have also come to see academic credentials as vital to their children's future well-being; they have thus sought more control over their children's schooling. As these changes have been occurring, others have voiced concerns about the state of civic engagement and democratic practice. With questions emerging over how public policies might promote democracy, the democratic function of public schooling has received renewed scrutiny. However; as yet, no effort has been made to explore the commensurability between reform efforts motivated by quality and accountability concerns and the growing discussion of education for democracy. This article begins that task, indicating where trade-offs must be made between goals and where goals could be advanced in mutually supporting ways.
Rochester's Reforms: The Teachers' Perspective
Authors: Murray Christine E.
Published: March 2007

In 1987, the Rochester Teachers Association and the Board of Education negotiated a ground-breaking contract that included a professional career ladder for teachers, mandated shared decision making at the school level, and called for strengthening the relationship between teachers and their students' families. This article analyzes the teachers' response to these reforms and suggests a number of issues to be resolved as implementation of the reform continues. Teachers were positive about the reform ideas but raised a variety of critical concerns about various aspects of the reform initiatives.
Educational Choice and Equity in Great Britain
Authors: Walford Geoffrey
Published: March 2007

Over the past decade, Great Britain has experienced a variety of changes in education policy that have been introduced and justified in terms of giving parents a greater choice of school. This article reviews these various policy developments and makes a preliminary assessment of their equity effects. It is argued that the British experience has considerable relevance to the current debate about school choice in the United States and thatAmerican educators and policymakers would be wise to take note of the findings from research studies of choice in Britain.
The Legacy of Jonathon Kozol
Authors: Rabow Jerome , Saunders Lara
Published: March 2007

This essay seeks to explain why Jonathan Kozol's first six books about public education and the need to reform have neither penetrated educational curricula nor influenced educational theorists or practitioners. It is argued that his messages and observations, although of substance and sensitivity, are replete with rage and anger, such that the reader runs for cover rather than understanding what is being revealed. The authors were ready to conclude that Kozol perpetuates the present educational system that he seeks so desperately to change. However, with the publication of Savage Inequalities, his message about American public education and the need for change will likely be heard and debated.
Teachers' Perceptions of Standardized Achievement Tests
Authors: Urdan Timothy C. , Paris Scott G.
Published: March 2007

As standardized achievement testing has increased in frequency and importance over the past few decades, researchers have begun to examine the validity of test scores more closely. The way that teachers prepare their students for taking these tests, as well as things they do while their students take the tests, influence students' scores and the validity of the scores. It is important to understand how teachers view standardized tests: these views may determine their preparation and administration practices. In this study, we surveyed 153 K-8 teachers to determine their attitudes about the tests: their usefulness, perceptions of how others view them, and perceptions of how best to prepare students for them. The results indicated that teachers felt negatively about the tests and many engaged in practices that threatened the validity of their students' test scores. Moreover; teachers differed in their beliefs and practices regarding standardized tests depending on their own characteristics (i.e., years of experience teaching) and their students' characteristics (e.g., race of students taught, achievement level of students). The implications of these results for education and testing are discussed.
Revisiting the Eight-Year Study and Rethinking the Focus of Educational Policy Analysis
Authors: Kahne Joseph
Published: March 2007

Despite Dewey's influence on educational thought, those with progressive visions of democratic education are generally on the margins of educational policy and practice. One notable exception was the "Eight-Year Study"-a landmark attempt to design, implement, and evaluate democratic secondary schools. Examination of this effort permits consideration of how democratic priorities can transform both educational practice and educational evaluation and policy analysis. In addition, studying the reactions of the mainstream policy community to this study helps illuminate the constraints imposed by the culture of educational policy discussions. Specifically, it shows that the norms, values, and technologies that guide mainstream analysis are poorly suited to record and report the strengths of the democratic orientation inspired by Dewey's work.
Participation in Ohio's Inter district Open Enrollment Option: Exploring the Supply-Side of Choice
Authors: Fowler Frances C.
Published: March 2007

In 1993-1994, Ohio implemented an inter district open enrollment policy. Under it, students can transfer only to adjacent districts, taking about $2,900 with them. Districts can decide to be open or closed but cannot prevent student transfers. In 1994, open-ended surveys were sent to the superintendents of open and closed districts, asking the reasons for their decision. Open districts tended to be small, rural, racially homogeneous districts that had been losing enrollment. Their major reason for accepting transfers was to increase enrollment. Closed districts tended to be suburban districts with above average per pupil expenditure. Their major reason for not receiving transfers was insufficient space.
Authentic Education Accountability Policies: Implementation of State Initiatives in Colorado and Maryland
Authors: Cidbulka James G. , Derlin Roberta L.
Published: March 2007

In the U.S. many states are in the process of developing and implementing new educational accountability policies that differ from prior systems in varying degrees. This study examined educational accountability system implementation experiences in Colorado and Maryland. Data obtained from policy stakeholders in each state at the district and school levels of analysis were used to illustrate key elements of three policy system models supported in the policy and organizational studies literature; the institutional, rational, and interpretive models. These models formed the basis for a framework to examine the implementation of educational accountability policy systems in the two states. Experiences observed suggested that while a particular perspective may appear to dominate at a certain level of the policy system, institutional, rational, and interpretive models all contribute to the framework proposed by the authors.
The Politics of Accountability in Australian Education
Authors: Cuttance Peter , Harman Grant , Macpherson Reynold J. S. , Pritchard Alan , Smart Don
Published: March 2007

Over the past two decades, Australia s State Education Departments and the public school systems for which they are responsible have largely succeeded-seemingly to a greater degree than their counterparts in US and UK- in insulating themselves from harsher forms of centralised educational accountability such as state testing and school performance comparisons. A central goal of this paper will be to try to explain the politics of this phenomenon which seem inextricably tied to the peculiarities of Australian federalism and to the remarkable historical dominance of education bureaucrats (and Ministers) controlling strongly centralised State education departments. The explanations for the inability of the four States analysed in the ensuing case studies to implement or sustain proposed major state-wide school accountability processes is found in: powerful teachers unions; changes of government following elections; and, perhaps predominantly, fear by entrenched senior State education bureaucrats (and Ministers) that accountability processes and outcomes might produce unwanted scrutiny (from Federal Government, the public or others), loss of control and embarrassment to themselves.
Promoting Academic Success among Immigrant Students: Is Acculturation the Issue?
Authors: Gibson Margaret A.
Published: March 2007

Although there is increasing public debate about how best to educate immigrant children, much of the discussion proceeds with scant attention to research findings on immigrant children 's acquisition of English, their academic achievements, or the complexities of the acculturation process. This article addresses these topics by reviewing findings from the author's research on West Indian, South Asian, and Mexican students attending U.S. schools, as well as related studies. A major focus is the role of acculturation in shaping students' school performance patterns. Policy implications are discussed.
The Politics of Urban School Reform: Legitimacy, City Growth, and School Improvement in Chicago
Authors: Shipps Dorothy , Kahne Joseph , Smylie Mark A.
Published: March 2007

As urban school systems experiment with new governance and organizational structures, many political leaders point to high-profile initiatives in Chicago as a model of reform. Rather than interpreting Chicago school reform as being motivated simply by a desire to promote student learning, this article sees the past 10 years of reform in Chicago as layered efforts to legitimize the public school system and promote city growth, as well as improve schools. These common goals have been interpreted and enacted very differently across two major state legislated reforms of 1988 and 1995. The analysis indicates that Chicago school reform has increased system legitimacy and supported city growth, yet it has thus far failed to support the development and exercise of educators' professional capacities. This failure is likely to inhibit substantial improvement in the quality of schooling over time, and consequently, could undermine new found legitimacy and growth.
Researching the Margins: Feminist Critical Policy Analysis
Authors: Marshall Catherine
Published: March 2007

The powerful define the mainstream policy problems and determine the appropriate concerns for research in education. Those in power have operated for years from a male-normed paradigm. As a result, the needs and contributions of women have been marginalized. This article uses frameworks from the politics of knowledge and discourse to analyze ways in which gender research has been controlled and depoliticized. It identifies ignored feminist research and then poses challenges to researchers.
The Extended School Day in Israel: Do Research Findings Really Matter?
Authors: Gaziel Haim , Blass Nachum
Published: March 2007

In Israel, most of the education research projects are initiated by policy makers at the Ministry of Education. One of these research projects dealt with the proposal to lengthen the school day by 2 hours. The Knesset approved the proposal even though scholars and officials in the Ministry of Education opposed it. This article provides an account of how this happened and the relationship between research and its use or nonuse by policy makers.
Anticonvulsant Therapy in Children: An Update
Authors: Scala Judith L. , Poon Cathy Y.
Published: March 2007

Over the years, extensive research has led to the development of a new generation of anticonvulsant medications for the treatment of patients with intractable seizure disorders. Currently three new drugs have been approved in the United States since 1993, and many others have entered into the later stages of development. The purpose of this article is to discuss the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, clinical use, adverse effects, and dosage and administration of felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and vigabatrin. Felbamate is indicated in children as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial and generalized seizures secondary to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Because of life-threatening adverse effects, including aplastic anemia and hepatotoxicity, felbamate is reserved for use only when the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks of toxicity. Presently, gabapentin is indicated as adjunctive treatment of partial seizures with or without generalization in patients older than 12 years of age. To date gabapentin has not been studied in patients younger than age 12 years. Even though lamotrigine is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric use, preliminary clinical trials show promising results in the treatment of partial and absence seizures as well as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Many studies have evaluated the use of vigabatrin for the treatment of intractable seizures. Seizure types most effectively treated include partial seizures, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and possibly infantile spasms. Lamotrigine and vigabatrin should be used with caution in patients with myoclonic seizures because an increase in seizure frequency may occur. Copyright © 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company
Pharmacotherapy of Asthma
Authors: Carlstedt Bruce C.
Published: March 2007

The approach to asthma therapy has changed from an emphasis on bronchodilation to an emphasis on anti-inflammatory medications. New guidelines from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel II were released in February 1997 and emphasize that inhaled corticosteroids are the cornerstone of pharmacotherapy. New inhaled corticosteroids and new delivery methods have been introduced which have significant advantages over older products. Pharmacological innovations such as the leukotriene modifiers represent continued research to influence the inflammatory response. Agents or therapies which can decrease the daily dose of systemic corticosteroids continue to be investigated in continued efforts to reduce the side effects and adverse reactions associated with systemic corticosteroid therapy.
The Pathophysiology of Asthma
Authors: Vondracek Thomas G. , Stanaszek Walter F.
Published: March 2007

Atopy predisposes an individual to the development of asthma, whereby specific triggers may repeatedly cause acute exacerbations and contribute to chronic inflammation. This IgE-mediated response to common allergens is the strongest predisposing factor for developing asthma. Airway inflammation involves release of immunological mediators via T lymphocyte dependent, and IgE dependent and independent mechanisms which attract inflammatory cells from the circulation. The role of the eicosanoids as pivotal mediators in promoting some of the changes in asthma has only recently been fully explored. Inflammatory reactions result when mediators and cytokines released from resident and infiltrating cells interact. This interaction also contributes to the bronchoconstriction, hypersecretion, and mucosal edema in the airways.
A Review of the Concept of Culture in Holistic Nursing Literature
Authors: Barnes Donelle M. , Craig Kathleen K. , Chambers Kathryn B.
Published: March 2007

Core Value IV of the American Holistic Nurses’ Association includes valuing the client’s cultural background. The authors reviewed all article abstracts from two major holistic nursing journals for a 3-year period (N =198). References to concepts of culture or ethnicity were found in only 9.6% of abstracts. Many theorists and researchers did not discuss how the theory or research findings varied between culturally or ethnically diverse samples. When culture is a core value, practitioners and researchers cannot assume that culture has been considered without stating what was the interaction of culture with the phenomenon of concern. The authors recommend that nurses develop cultural competence in caring for clients from differing cultural orientations by (a) committing to improve their knowledge of multiple cultures; (b) exploring their own cultural background; (c) seeking exposure to cultures other than their own; and (d) regularly discussing culture and ethnicity in nursing theory, research, and practice.
Vulnerability and Access to Resources as Predictors of Preparation for Future Care Needs in the Elderly
Authors: Sörensen Silvia , Pinquart Martin
Published: March 2007

Objective:To identify whether vulnerability and resources predict preparation for future care needs in two samples that differ with respect to access to resources. Methods:Community-dwelling elderly from Utah and Thuringia (eastern Germany) who did not yet require care received questionnaires assessing long-and short-term care plans as well as their vulnerability and resources. Results:In both samples, greater activities of daily living (ADL) deficits and higher age were associated with more concrete preparation. In addition, being female (in Utah) and having more frequent family contact (in Thuringier) were associated with more concrete planning. In the Thuringian sample, greater ADL deficits predicted more concrete preparation for those with high socioeconomic status (SES) but not low SES; in the Utah sample, ADLdeficits predicted more planning for those with lowbut not those with high SES. Discussion:Indicators of vulnerability, especially ADL deficits and age, are the most consistent predictors of preparation for care across both samples. Resources enhance planning most for those who can foresee needs and sources of assistance.
Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in Middle-Aged and Older Women
Authors: Fultz Nancy H. , Herzog A. Regula
Published: March 2007

Objective:To determine whether self-reports of urinary incontinence are influenced by the context in which survey questions are presented. Variation in the extent to which surveys promote complete and accurate reporting may help explain the wide range of published prevalence estimates. Methods:Respondents to a nationally representative telephone survey were randomly assigned one of two questionnaire forms. Both forms contained the same incontinence question. One form included an introduction and follow-up probe, which acknowledged the embarrassment of discussing incontinence and stressed the importance of thorough reporting. Results:Use of the introduction and probe produced a significantly higher prevalence rate, with the effect varying by respondent’s age. Discussion:The prevalence of incontinence is likely to be underestimated unless studies attend to the possibility of biased reporting. The finding of a form by age interaction suggests the importance of survey context in studies of risk factors, as well as in prevalence studies.
Rectangularization of the Survival Curve
Authors: Manton Kenneth G. , Tolley H. Dennis
Published: March 2007

There has been considerable interest in the question of whether the human survival curve is becoming more rectangular as life expectancy in developed countries increases. However, despite the intuitive appeal of the rectangularization concept it has not been translated into a formally stated hypothesis about the shape of the human survival curve. This article examines how the hypothesis of rectangularization can be formally stated and the implications of that formalization for research on health and functional changes at later ages.
The Association of Self-Rated Health with Two-Year Mortality in a Sample of Well Elderly
Authors: Rakowski William , Mor Vincent , Hiris Jeffrey
Published: March 2007

The 1984-1986 Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA) was used to investigate self-assessed health as a predictor of 2-year mortality in a subsample of 1,252 persons aged 70 and over. The LSOA sample was screened to exclude individuals reporting a high-risk medical condition or difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living. Logistic regression showed independent predictive effects with higher mortality for age (older), sex (male), less favorable self-rated health, and a family network variable (having no living children or siblings), and sex-specific body mass (highest quintile) was associated with lower mortality. Results therefore support prior studies showing that self-rated health predicts mortality, even in a very healthy elderly subsample, and with a follow-up period that is among the shortest reported to date.
Developing a Model of Discharge Planning Based on Patient Characteristics
Authors: Weaver Frances M. , Burdi Michael
Published: March 2007

Previous research using hypothetical case scenarios has suggested a model of decision making in discharge planning involving at least two steps. The first is to assess the availability of a caregiver, and the second is to examine the complexity of the patient's situation regarding follow-up care needs, physical functioning, and compliance. The combination of these factors then influences the choice of discharge option. The present study attempted to validate and extend the model using actual cases in a retrospective chart review. The four variables of the original model correctly classified 68% of patients by discharge type and accounted for 29% of the variance. An expanded model that included chore assistance, living situation, caregiver availability, medical need, and patient age was able to account for an additional 19% of the variance in the discharge plan.
The Impact of Age on the Quality of Life in Persons with HIV Infection
Authors: Piette John , Wachtel Tom J. , Mor Vincent , Mayer Kenneth
Published: March 2007

The authors administered the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS 20) Short Form Health Survey to 369 persons with HIV disease. The MOS survey measures six domains of health: physical function, role function, social function, mental health, health perception, and pain. Additional data included sociodemographics, HIV risk group, time since HIV diagnosis, symptoms (dyspnea, diarrhea, fever, chills, sweats, weight loss, weakness, numbness, memory trouble, seizures), and CD4 lymphocyte count within 3 months of the MOS survey. Bivariate analyses revealed worse MOS scores associated with older age in five health domains: physical function ( p < .01), health perception (p < .10), role function (n.s.), social function (n.s.), and mental health (n.s.). Older subjects reported less pain. When controlling for CD4 count and for sociodemographic and clinical variables, older age was significantly (p <.05) associated with worse MOS scores in physical function, social function, and health perception, nonsignificantly associated with worse MOS scores in role function and mental health, and nonsignificantly associated with less reporting of pain.
The Everyday Impacts of Providing Informal Care to Dependent Elders and their Consequences for the Care Recipients
Authors: McKinlay John B. , Crawford Sybil L. , Tennstedt Sharon L.
Published: March 2007

Longitudinal data were used to identify the relationship between different areas of negative impact and elder and caregiver characteristics. The extent and predictors of persistence and development of negative impact in different areas and the relationship between caregiving impact and subsequent caregiving patterns, including termination of care and institutionalization of the elder, were also examined. Caregiving exerted the greatest toll on a caregiver's personal life reported by 61%, in comparison to family life (18%), or employment (15%-20%). Those at particular risk of negative impact included offspring and other-relative caregivers who resided with the elder. All areas of negative impact persisted over time but did not result in any major disruption in care for the elder. However, those elders whose caregivers experienced personal impact were twice as likely to be institutionalized.
Clinical Experience with Goal Attainment Scaling in Geriatric Care
Authors: Stolee Paul , Zaza Christine , Pedlar Alison , Myers Anita M.
Published: March 2007

Objectives: This article presents a qualitative evaluation of the utility of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) in geriatric care. GASis an individualized outcome measure particularly suited for clients with multiple complex problems, such as are commonly served by geriatric programs. Methods: Semistructured interviews were completed with 24 clinicians in four hospital or community-based geriatric services where GAS has been used. An inductive analysis was used to identify themes. Results: GAS was described as resulting in shorter lengths of stay, more focused care, and improved team functioning. GAS was perceived as having greater use for functional (versus medical) goals, when clinicians had more direct control over treatments, when patients were involved in goal-setting, and when goals were set by an interdisciplinary team. Discussion: GAS has affected both care practices and patient outcomes. This study illustrates the clinical impacts an outcome measure can have, as well as the use of qualitative methods for this type of research.
Public Policy and the Performance of Nonprofit Organizations: A General Framework
Authors: Steinberg Richard
Published: March 2007

This article discusses various attempts by economists to model the behavior and performance of nonprofit organizations, and it provides four desiderata of a model suitable for policy analysis: the legal definitions of nonprofit status must be incorporated into the model; the objective function must emerge from the regulatory and competitive environment; the emergence of competitors (for-profit, nonprofit, and governmental) must be endogenous; and the information structure must be fully specified and self-consistent. The article discusses how to incorporate each of these desiderata into a model.
Transnationalizing Community Development: The Case of Migration between Boston and the Dominican Republic
Authors: Levitt Peggy
Published: March 2007

This article explores the impact of transnationalism on organizational performance through a study of an organization spanning Boston and the Dominican Republic. Because growing numbers of migrants sustain strong, long-term ties to their countries of origin, these kinds of transnational migrant organizations are becoming increasingly common. Transnational activism enhanced organizational performance at the same time that it constrained it. The organization contributed significantly to sending-community development. A more diverse, highly-skilled group of residents participated. The organization functioned more efficiently and accountably, and the community enhanced its position vis-à-vis the state. The benefits of transnationality were not without cost. A sharp division of labor between donors and beneficiaries meant that nonmigrant interests sometimes received short shrift. There were significant ebbs and flows in activism. Finally, the community's heightened ability to solve its problems set a precedent that allowed the Dominican government to pursue policies unfavorable to rural development.
A Foot in the Door: Strategic Dissemination of Nonprofit Sector Research to Congress
Authors: Behr Gregg
Published: March 2007

Should nonprofit sector researchers adjust their research agendas for Capitol Hill? The answer is an unqualified yes, especially if Congress is meant as one of the audiences for such research. No think tank researcher working in the nation’s capital conducts studies without some inkling that his or her research will inform and influence policy discussions on the Hill. Importantly for social scientists, 100% of congressional staff members interviewed for this study acknowledged that ideology affects how they analyze research. Non-profit sector researchers should consequently observe five strategies to overcome ideological biases and improve their credibility on the Hill: (a) aggressively market briefing papers to congressional staff members, (b) focus on local rather than national studies, (c) share data with other think tanks, (d) send research findings to relevant government agencies, and (e) collaborate on joint initiatives with strange bedfellows.
Exploring Factors Governing Successful Residential Treatment of Youngsters with Serious Behavioural Difficulties
Authors: SCHOLTE EVERT M. , VAN DER PLOEG JAN D.
Published: March 2007

Behavioural development in a random sample of 200 juveniles with serious behavioural difficulties admitted for residential treatment was monitored for a period of 2 years after their admission. By that time, 42 percent of the juveniles had left the treatment centre according to plan, 7 percent were still at the treatment centre and 51 percent had left prematurely. The juveniles who finished their treatment as planned had developed quite well. The psychosocial conditions of these youngsters were nearly identical to those of the general Dutch adolescent population of a comparable age and sociodemographic background. However, the youngsters who left prematurely had further developmental difficulties. Two years after their admission the number of juveniles reporting aggression and antisocial behaviour at a clinical level was as high as at the start of their residential treatment. An exploration of the residential treatment factors predicting successful development suggested that the provision of a basic therapeutic climate of firm, but not harsh, control coupled with consistent, but non-obtrusive, emotional support, cognitive-behavioural training, intensive monitoring of the treatment and home-orientedness were major factors promoting healthy development among the youngsters with behavioural difficulties.
Meltdowns and Containments
Authors: NYBELL LYNN
Published: March 2007

Throughout the past decade, calls for experimentation and innovation in children's services have proliferated in the US. The current tide of reform in children's services is linked not only to shifting social welfare structures but also to transformations in conceptions of the nature of childhood and children's needs. Using illustrations from one demonstration project of `wraparound' services, I suggest that these emerging programs may embed notions of children as `complex systems' - ideas that differ significantly from accounts of child development as a linear, staged and goal-oriented progression.
Russia's Unwanted Children
Authors: CREUZIGER CLEMENTINE G.K.
Published: March 2007

This study focuses on the plight of various categories of marginalized children in urban Russia, including orphans, children with some family ties in special boarding homes and street children. After a presentation of data on marginalized children in Russia within a global context and as background to the study, this article investigates the changing cultural views of marginalized children that Russian adults have developed since the Second World War. Changes in views have led to a change in the lifestyles of unwanted children in Russia, which further contributes to criminal activity and poverty on the streets of Moscow and St Petersburg.
Empathic Childrearing and the Adult Construction of Childhood
Authors: KENNEDY DAVID
Published: March 2007

The (re)construction of childhood which began in the early modern period in the West had as its primary movement a reformulation of the adult-child relation as one between very different beings. This separation, which resulted in the isolation of children from the everyday world of adults in schools and the nuclear family, is interpreted as a necessary hermeneutical moment in the adult-child relation, in which the realization of psychological difference represented a dialectical prelude to the subsequent rapprochement and dialog which deMause has characterized as the `empathic child-rearing mode'.
New Woman, New Earth—Setting the Agenda
Authors: Mellor Mary
Published: March 2007

Rosemary Radford Ruether's New Woman New Earth published in 1975 was one of the first ecofeminist texts. This collection of essays identified many of the key issues for future ecofeminists and asserted the core of ecofeminist thinking, that the subordination of women and the degradation of the planet were linked Ruether explores this connection through an analysis of women's history, a critique of the sexism of the ideologies of Christian theology, classical philosophy, and psychoanalysis and a socioeconomic analysis of industrial society. Central to her ideas are the hierarchical dualisms in Western culture that divide a feminized nature from masculine culture and the apparent masculine need to seek transcendence from the bodiliness of human existence. This evaluation explores the continuing relevance of Ruether's ideas and points to some of the contradictions and dilemmas they contain. Among these are the relationship between the experiences of women in contemporary industrial society and women in other social and historical contexts, whether women have a " special" understanding of ecological dynamics, whether the existence of male domination rests on a discernible social base or represents a deeper aspect of the male or masculine psyche, and the motivations for; and mechanisms of achieving, a sustainable and egalitarian society.
The Schartz-Metterclume Method
Authors: Manteltasche Dagobert D. , Besser-Wisser Otto I.Q.
Published: March 2007

This article describes a parsimonious statistical method for deducing everything that can be known about the unknown by analysing anything that happens to be known about the known. Schartz Metterclume (SM) is a revolutionary new breakthrough in the social sciences that builds upon the synergies of higher mathematics, discourse analysis, rational choice and neo-postdistanciationalist theory. Exhaustive testing of the method shows that it unfailingly produces correct estimates of the causal effects of unknown variables. Indeed the less that is known about the phenomenon under investigation in the first place, the more precise and robust the statistical results of SM are.

A brief layman’s account of a parsimonious statistical method of deducing everything that can be known about the unknown by analysing anything that happens to be known about the known.

SM = BS2
Democratic Political Systems
Authors: Lijphart Arend
Published: March 2007

The two dimensions of the majoritarian-consensus typology are based on (1) characteristics of the party system, electroal system and government coalitions, and (2) federal vs. unitary traits. Consensus democracy and the earlier concept of consociational democracy overlap considerably, but they differ in the degree to which they focus on formal institutions vs. informal practices. Moreover, consociationalism is the more suitable prescription for very deeply divided societies. With only a few minor doubts, the 22 cases of long-term democracy fit the majoritarian-consensus typology well. There are three causal explanations for the placement of the cases in the typology: the degree to which the countries are plural societies, population size and the influence of the Westminster model. Contrary to the conventional view, the evidence further shows that majoritarian democracy cannot be regarded as superior to consensus democracy in terms of their respective consequences for democratic stability and quality.
Coalition Formation in Centralized Policy Games
Authors: van Deemen A. M. A.
Published: March 2007

In this article a theory is presented that deals with the entry of coalitions in political systems. This theory, which is formulated in game theoretical terms, is called the theory of power excess coalitions. It is based on the behavioral assumption that each player strives to form a coalition in which the player can maximally control the internal opposition. Three variations of the theory are presented. The first variation deals with the entry of coalitions in political systems in which policy does not figure. In contrast, in the other two variations, policy positions will play an essential role. A political system will then be modelled as a so-called centralized policy game. In these policy models, the notion of `center' and the related notions of `left' and `right' are basic. The non-policy variation will lead to Riker's minimum size principle (Riker, 1962; Riker and Ordeshook, 1973); the other variations each lead to a modified policy version of this principle.
Arrow's Work and the Normative Theory of Committees
Authors: Black Duncan
Published: March 2007

The circumstances of the author's discovery of the median voter theorem and the steps which led from there to his Theory of Committees and Elections are set out. His theory is presented in the form of the `statistical thesis' that the best choice procedure selects the option which `on average' is highest on the committee members' schedules. As there is more than one concept of average, so there is more than one acceptable committee procedure. The author's way of proceeding is compared and contrasted with Arrow's.
A Generic Negotiation Game
Authors: Brams Steven J.
Published: March 2007

A generic Negotiation Game (NG) is used to model a conflict between two parties seeking to resolve their differences and reach a settlement. NG is a 2 × 2 non-constant-sum symmetric game that is `generic' in the sense that its payoffs, which are assumed to be cardinal, are only incompletely specified. Consequently, conclusions drawn about it are applicable to all games with which it is consistent, including such well-known games as Prisoners' Dilemma, Chicken, Deadlock and Stag Hunt. NG may be in exactly one of four mutually exclusive `states', with different pure-strategy Nash equilibria associated with each state: (1) conflict alone; (2) cooperation alone; (3) a combination of conflict and cooperation; and (4) two win-lose outcomes, each of which favors a different player. The most potent force driving NG toward state (2) is reducing the difference between winning and losing; increasing the rewards of cooperation and the penalties of conflict are not as helpful unless they occur in tandem. Normative implications of these results for encouraging negotiated settlements are discussed.
Problems in the Theory of Institutional Design
Authors: Nurmi Hannu
Published: March 2007

Many political institutions can be viewed as methods for achieving desired outcomes. The problem of institutional design is that of finding a mechanism that would result in those desired outcomes as game-theoretic equilibria. Some results from the institutional design literature are reviewed, and it is argued that many of them are based on assumptions that should be critically examined. We focus on behavioural and information-related assumptions as well as on the concepts of equilibria utilized in the institutional design literature.
Political Violence in South Africa
Authors: Minnaar Anthony
Published: March 2007

In recent years the conflict in Natal has been described as a low-intensity civil war while on the Reef (the PWV region) it has been called an undeclared war and there have even been references to `ethnic cleansing'. But in both cases it is more complex than any of these definitions since there are a number of different elements to the violence. This study shows how it is not simply a struggle between the forces opposing the undemocratic system as represented by apartheid and those governmental structures upholding the status quo. It goes further than that; it is not only a reflection of the changing political situation in South Africa but also stems from demographic and other social conditions (rapid urbanization, proliferation of squatter settlements and competition for resources).
Group Identity, Rationality and Electoral Mobilization
Authors: Grafstein Robert
Published: March 2007

Group differences are often associated with increased political mobilization. Yet group identification is surprisingly flexible and opportunistic. This paper reconciles these two findings by modeling group identification in terms of behavioral interdependencies between a rational agent and those with whom the agent identifies. Given this kind of identification, the agent's own decisions provide useful information concerning the behavior of fellow group members, information that rational identifiers can exploit. This understanding of group identification is introduced into a model of mass elections in which there is rational participation by members of a finite number of groups with diverse political preferences. The results of the model are compared with those of existing theoretical and empirical studies of the interaction between class interest and ethnicity, with the finding that while ethnic identification increases turnout, it does not increase the polarization of the political process.
Positivism, Scientific Realism and Political Science
Authors: Lane Ruth
Published: March 2007

During recent decades in which political scientists have been debating positivism, the official philosophers of science have made a radical about-face and declared logical positivism defunct. The philosophers of science have adopted a new metaphysic, scientific realism, which turns away from the positivistic emphasis on universal laws, prediction and the legitimation of theories through the falsification process; and emphasizes instead scientific models, attention to the mechanisms and processes that underlie observed behavior, and the search for rigorous, complete explanations of scientific events. This shift at the metaphysical level puts several issues in political science in a new light because the scientific realist approach makes it possible to be `scientific' without being a positivist in the traditional sense. This creates new options and new challenges for rigorous political science research, and clarifies existing methodological discussions.
Elections in Double-Member Districts with Nonseparable Voter Preferences
Authors: Lacy Dean , Niou Emerson M. S.
Published: March 2007

We derive Nash equilibrium candidate strategies in a double-member district election when voters have nonseparable preferences for candidates in a single-dimensional policy space. When candidates are elected simultaneously, nonseparable voter preferences create multiple equilibria, including some in which candidates adopt extreme positions. The results are robust to limited voter uncertainty about candidate interaction in the legislature. Nonseparable voter preferences create incentives for the formation of political parties and disincentives for candidates to moderate their positions.
From Parliamentarism to Pluralism
Authors: Coultrap John
Published: March 2007

Academic observers have long criticized the European Union for being plagued with a `democratic deficit', a critique that is based on the European parliamentary model of democracy. Although widely considered to be a valid foundation for democratic evaluation of the Union, the parliamentary model is irrelevant to the EU's supranational context and character. This irrelevance brings the mainstream democratic deficit literature into question. The American `pluralist' model, with its emphasis on societal interest groups and a fragmented governmental structure, provides a more appropriate foundation for democratic decision-making at the EU's supranational level. This framework explains recent contributions to the literature, and suggests a transition from the traditional democratic deficit critique to a new theoretical conception of democracy in the European Union.