bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From Tough Times to Better Times: Feminism, Public Policy, and New Labour Politics in Britain
Authors: Bashevkin Sylvia
Published: March 2007

A series of significant internal changes transformed the British Labour Party in the years following 1983. This article is among the first to probe the women and politics dimension of these reforms, focusing on three main questions: first, what benefits accrued to Labour and organized feminism as a result of changes introduced after 1983? Second, what costs were incurred by both sides due to party reform, and how might these disadvantages affect their longer-term relationship? And third, how were initial New Labour government decisions viewed by women’s group activists? The article concludes that although the 1997 elections did not produce a policy nirvana for British feminism, their initial effects augured reasonably well for movement interests.
Winners, Losers, and Attitudes about Government in Contemporary Democracies
Authors: Anderson Christopher J. , Tverdova Yuliya V.
Published: March 2007

The article compares the effect of political majority and minority status on attitudes toward government in mature and newly established democracies. Specifically, it examines whether being in the majority translates into more positive attitudes toward government than being in the minority. Using surveys conducted by the International Social Survey Project (ISSP) in 12 democracies in 1996, it finds that being in the majority generally translates into more positive attitudes toward government. However, this effect is not of uniform magnitude across countries, nor does it affect all attitudes toward government equally. Specifically, the data show that being in the political majority or minority strongly affects attitudes toward the performance of the political system and the power of government, but does not affect people's levels of political efficacy in systematic ways.
The Transnational Capitalist Class and Global Politics: Deconstructing the Corporate-State Connection
Authors: Sklair Leslie
Published: March 2007

Transnational corporations (tncs) engage in a variety of political activities that take place at all levels of the political sphere, from community and urban through national to global politics, and involve many different groups of actors. This article addresses two sets of questions: (1) What forms do these activities take? (2) Do they enhance or undermine democracy? The systemic organization of politics for global capitalism is conceptualized in terms of a transnational capitalist class (tcc). The role of this class is analyzed through three brief case studies: Codex Alimentarius, the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, and the global tobacco industry.
The Changing Balance of Power Between the Government and NGOS in Bangladesh
Authors: Haque M. Shamsul
Published: March 2007

In recent years, while the significance of the state has diminished, the role of non-governmental organizations (ngos) has increased in most developing countries. Although ngos are often identified with powerless groups, they themselves have become powerful and influential, especially because of their external sources of financial support, cooperation, and advocacy. More specifically, ngos have recently gained more prominence in comparison with government institutions. This article studies the case of Bangladesh where the number of ngos has proliferated and some globally known ngos have emerged. First, it briefly explains the structure of government, and profiles the major development ngos, in Bangladesh. It then illustrates the basic dimensions and indicators of change in the power relations between the government and these ngos. It also examines the major local and global forces enhancing the power and influence of ngos. Finally, it analyzes the critical outcomes of this changing balance of power between the government and ngos.
Cyclical, Hegemonic, and Pluralistic Theories of International Relations: Some Comparative Reflections on War Causation
Authors: Kohout Franz
Published: March 2007

Comparison of hegemonic stability theory, transition theory, long cycle theory, and power cycle theory places this assessment at the heart of the contemporary debate over the dynamic understanding of international relations. Pluralistic versus hegemonic assumptions provide the key organizing principle for this examination of embedded implications.
Democracy and Democratization
Authors: Pateman Carole
Published: March 2007

This address considers four questions arising at a time when democracy enjoys unprecedented global popularity but also faces severe problems. The first question is why democracy as a “political method” should be chosen; second, the character of democratization; third, the paradox of universal principles of democracy and rights that depend on membership of particular states and nations; and, fourth, the operation of the political method, inequality, and security of the person. The address concludes with some reflections on the current attack on universalism and the need for new thinking about democratization.
Democracy's Time Constraints
Authors: Linz Juan J.
Published: March 2007

The present article explores a series of time issues that have been largely ignored in democratic theory. It begins with discussing a defining feature of democratic rule: its temporal delimitation. Democracy is government pro tempore. Parting from this core assumption, the article discusses, among other things temporal, the timing of elections; the time requirements of efficient and accountable government; the interaction of electoral cycles at different levels and their interference with other societal cycles; the democratic ambivalence of term limits; the time scarcities of both politicians and citizens; the temporal logics of direct democracy; the value of governmental stability; and the complexities of generational renewal. The article concludes with some reflections on some neglected themes and pending challenges.
Modeling Sexual Activity Among Schoolgirls in Zambia
Authors: PILLAI VIJAYAN K. , GUPTA RASHMI
Published: March 2007

This article proposes a model of sexual activity among secondary school-going Zambian girls. The model is tested for two age categories of adolescents using Covariance Structure Analysis. A sample of teenage girls was selected randomly from seven secondary schools that were selected randomly from schools located in the urban provinces of Copperbelt and Lusaka-Central in Zambia. The article identifies the role of dating as an intervening variable in explaining the variation in sexual activity among teenagers. In Zambia, courtship activities between young men and women traditionally took place under the supervision of parents and community elders. Presently, schools are an important setting for the young to meet and initiate sexual relationships. The theoretical and policy implications of this are discussed.
Parental Stress in Grandparents Versus Parents Raising Children With Behavior Problems
Authors: HARRISON KELLEY A. , RICHMAN GINA S. , VITTIMBERGA GLENDA L.
Published: March 2007

Primary caregivers of 82 children exhibiting behavior problems were categorized into 3 family types: grandparent, single-parent, or two-parent. Each caregiver completed the Parenting Stress Index and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results of statistical comparisons revealed that although all caregivers reported significant levels of behavior problems in their children, parents from both single- and two-parent families reported higher levels of parental stress relative to grandparents. Discussion focuses on the need to identify the specific types of stressors affecting families of different constellations to develop appropriate treatment programs for clinic-referred children and their families.
Demographic Dimensions of Global Aging
Authors: KINSELLA KEVIN
Published: March 2007

Population aging in the 20th century represents a human success story; for the first time in history, populations have the luxury of aging. Aging, however, also poses a myriad of challenges to public and private institutions that must adapt to a changing age structure. This article highlights national and regional similarities and differences in the global aging process, focusing on demographic and health trends that are likely to shape future institutional responses in the eldercare arena. Among the topics considered are the importance of past fertility patterns, changes in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, the feminization of later life, the growth of the “oldest old,” and changing national disease profiles associated with the epidemiological transition.
Intimate Relationships in Later Life
Authors: COONEY TERESA M. , DUNNE KATHLEEN
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the relationship statuses that are common for older adults today. It addresses the prevalence of various statuses among the older adult population as well as their consequences for economic, social, psychological, and physical well-being and adjustment. In addition, consideration is given to how the prevalence and experience of various relationship statuses may change in the next few decades given such demographic changes as reduced mortality, increased education and employment for women, and reduced standardization of the life course. Throughout the article, differences for older men and women are highlighted.
Intimacy and Disputing Styles Within Kin and Nonkin Relationships
Authors: ALFORD RICHARD D.
Published: March 2007

Many theorists of family conflict have suggested that the more intimate a relationship is, the more intense conflict will be within that relationship. This hypothesis was tested in a survey of modal disputing styles within 14 kin and 12 non-kin relationships. A total of 455 subjects reported their modal disputing styles, their intimacy, and their frequency of contact within these relationships. As hypothesized, reported intimacy did correlate with more extreme disputing styles.
Alzheimer's Disease and Institutionalization
Authors: LYNOTT ROBERT J.
Published: March 2007

A common concern of service providers and caregivers in caring for the Alzheimer's Disease patient is the decision to institutionalize. An implicit rational model of the decisionmaking process, from the onset of the disease to institutionalization, informs intervention and coping. Observational data gathered in three settings show that the rational model is not as representative of the decisionmaking process as it is a practical artifact of it.
Marital Stability and Spouses' Shared Time
Authors: HILL MARTHA S.
Published: March 2007

Given the prominence of marital dissolution in American life in recent decades, it is important to understand what contributes to or deters it. This article focuses on spouses' shared leisure activities as a possible deterrent. An “attachment hypothesis”— that spouses' shared leisure time is a form of pleasurable interaction that strengthens the attachment between them and helps prevent marital break-up at the time and into the future—is tested in the context of controls for a variety of hypotheses. The empirical tests are supportive of the attachment hypothesis and suggest that, because couples with children have less shared leisure time, children can contribute to marital break-up as well as help prevent it.
Patterns of Support Among In-Laws in the United States
Authors: GOETTING ANN
Published: March 2007

Based on a review of research, this article outlines patterns of support associated with in-law relationships in the United States. The analysis is organized in a four-part framework. The first part is devoted to parental aid to married children and indirectly to their spouses. Part two focuses on help patterns directed specifically toward children-in-law. In part three attention shifts to in-law support in later life, and part four addresses the effects of marital dissolution on in-law support. The article concludes with a discussion of how various demographic factors may affect the nature of the in-law support structure.
Remarriage, Stepparenting, and Household Labor
Authors: ISHII-KUNTZ MASAKO , COLTRANE SCOTT
Published: March 2007

Using data from a nationally representative sample, this research investigated husbands' contributions to household labor in four types of families: first-married couples with biological children, remarried couples with biological children only, remarried couples with stepchildren only, and remarried couples with biological and stepchildren. Absolute and relative contributions to total household labor did not differ significantly across family types, but husbands in remarried families contributed significantly more to the five housework tasks of cooking, meal cleanup, shopping, laundry, and housecleaning. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that the influence of family type on the sharing of gender-typed housework is significant after controlling for the impact of relative resources, ideology, time availability, and household work load. The authors suggest that the “incomplete institutionalization” of remarriage may contribute to a weakening of the gender-based segregation of household labor.
Marital Status and Well-Being in Canada
Authors: WHITE JAMES M.
Published: March 2007

Previous studies suggest that there is a causal relationship between a person's marital status and well-being. An alternative to the causal perspective is that the relationship is due to selection. One hypothesis in regard to selection of happy and healthy people into marriage is that young and old age groups would be similar on well-being measures. Two subjective measures, life satisfaction and subjective health assessments, and two objective measures, actual health problems and number of consultations with physicians in the last year, measure well-being for a sample of 11,131 Canadians. Findings suggest that, overall, single persons are healthier than married and that the causal hypothesis is supported only for subjective life satisfaction scores. However, even this finding fails to suggest the causal relationship because age group variations in the relationship between life satisfaction and marital status fits well with the pattern predicted by the selection hypothesis. These findings suggest that the view that marriage is causally related to well-being in Canada is doubtful.
The Impact of Rational Considerations and Perceived Opinions on Young Adults' Union Formation Intentions
Authors: LIEFBROER AART C. , DE JONG GIERVELD JENNY
Published: March 2007

This article examines the extent to which the plans of young adults concerning the choice between cohabitation and marriage are influenced by a rational evaluation of the differences between marriage and cohabitation and by the perceived opinions of significant others, and the extent to which these evaluations mediate the effects of young adults' family backgrounds and current social positions. Among a representative sample of young adults in the Netherlands, it is found that evaluations and perceived opinions are quite strong predictors of union formation intentions. However, perceived opinions of significant others are better predictors than evaluations of the inherent properties of cohabitation and marriage. Furthermore, the effects of family background and social status variables on union formation intentions are almost completely mediated by these subjective evaluations. The implications for the discussion of whether union formation choices are rational decisions or based on cultural scripts are discussed.
Alternative Ethics in Employed Women's Household Labor
Authors: STOHS JOANNE HOVEN
Published: March 2007

This essay posits that employed women are in a quandary between two ethics, equity and care, in relation to the household division of labor. Typically, most women resolve the quandary by placing a higher priority on gendered behavior. To explain the moral rationales that women use to prioritize the ethic of care and to articulate the ethical dilemmas of employed women, the author uses the frameworks of both Benhabib and Gilligan. Benhabib's characterization of each domain is useful in identifying ethical principles, in drawing distinctions, and in suggesting resolutions. Gilligan's theory of moral reasoning specifies the process by which the ethic of care is initially embraced and then modified. To resolve the dilemma, the concrete other (i.e., the ethic of care) might be integrated with aspects of the generalized other.
Are the “Most Advantaged” Children Truly Disadvantaged by Early Maternal Employment?
Authors: GREENSTEIN THEODORE N.
Published: March 2007

This research examines the effects of early maternal employment on the cognitive ability of 2,040 4- to 6-year-old children drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Some scholars have hypothesized that it is the “most advantaged” of society's children who are disadvantaged or negatively affected by early maternal employment. If this hypothesis is true, the findings should be that advantages such as high levels of cognitive stimulation in the home or household income do not affect cognitive ability as strongly for children of mothers who were employed during early childhood as they do for children whose mothers were not employed. Of 24 possible interaction effects that would confirm this hypothesis, only one is statistically significant (and the nature of that interaction is not completely consistent with the hypothesis). In terms of effects on cognitive outcomes, the most advantaged children are not disproportionately disadvantaged by early maternal employment.
Looking for Mr. Right?
Authors: SIEGEL JUDITH M.
Published: March 2007

Between 1982 and 1992, the birthrate doubled among never married college-educated women and almost tripled among never married women who work in a professional or managerial capacity. This research examines why older, single women want to become mothers and how their premotherhood motivation and experience compare to those of married mothers. A snowball sampling technique was used to recruit 51 women who were single when they became mothers and 51 demographically similar married mothers. The two groups were alike regarding their motivation for becoming a mother, although the single mothers were more likely to have considered their marital status and other related factors (e.g., finances) prior to becoming a mother. The single and married mothers differed in how they viewed relationships with men. The composite picture that emerged from the single mothers was one of ambivalence toward marriage—a combination of an idealized image of what marriage should be with an unwillingness to accept compromise as an essential relationship strategy. Older, single women who become mothers are contributing to the trend in American society toward an increasing separation of marriage and childbearing.
The Early Childhood HOME Inventory and HOME-Short Form in Differing Racial/Ethnic Groups
Authors: SUGLAND BARBARA W. , ZASLOW MARTHA , SMITH JUDITH R. , BROOKS-GUNN JEANNE , COATES DEBORAH , BLUMENTHAL CONNIE , MOORE KRISTIN A. , GRIFFIN TERRI , BRADLEY ROBERT
Published: March 2007

In this article, we examine differences across three racial/ethnic groups in (a) the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood HOME Inventory and the HOME-Short Form and (b) the prediction of the two versions of the HOME Inventory to cognitive and behavioral outcomes among preschool children. Data are taken from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child Supplement (NLSY-CS) and the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) sample. Findings suggest few racial/ethnic differences in the psychometric properties of either version of the HOME scale. Both show better prediction of cognitive child outcomes for all three racial/ethnic groups. Both show better prediction of child outcomes generally for European American than for Hispanic and African American families. Findings suggest that although certain aspects of parenting are common, these dimensions of parenting are not equally important in explaining child outcomes for different racial/ethnic subgroups.
Family Resources and Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction in Remarried Family Households
Authors: HENRY CAROLYN S. , LOVELACE SANDRA G.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine how selected family resources (flexibility, bonding, regularity in household time and routines, regularity in the observance of celebrations, parent-adolescent communication, stepparent-adolescent communication) and demographic variables (age, stepfather vs. stepmother family, time in the remarried family, gender, stepparental educational level, parental educational level, parental occupational level, and stepparental occupational level) related to adolescent family life satisfaction in remarried family households. Self-report questionnaire data were collected from 95 high school students who lived in remarried families. Results of multiple regression analysis showed that flexibility, regularity in household time and routines, and effectiveness in parent-communication were significantly related to overall adolescent satisfaction in remarried family households. Flexibility and effectiveness in stepparent-adolescent communication were significantly related to adolescent satisfaction with the parent-stepparent system.
The Contribution of Support Networks to Household Labor in African American Families
Authors: PADGETT DEBORAH L.
Published: March 2007

Studies on support networks suggest that networks are an important context from which families manage, especially for African American families. The 1988 National Survey on Families and Households was used to assess the extent of network involvement and the relationship to household labor. Among married, African American couples, about half received tangible assistance related to managing a household and a majority of men and women reported receiving emotional support from friends and relatives. Path models with tangible assistance, emotional support, demographic factors, and an indicator of stress revealed different variable relationships for husbands and wives. Husbands who received help with tasks reported more hours in weekly housework time. For wives, however, tangible assistance was independent of time in household tasks, but emotional support contributed to feeling overwhelmed by household responsibilities.
Balancing Employment and Fatherhood
Authors: BERRY JUDY O. , RAO JULIE MEYER
Published: March 2007

Fathers in dual-earner families ( N = 447) participated in three studies. The first two studies were designed to devise a brief measure of stress experienced by employed men in dual-earner families. The resulting Workplace/Family Stress Scale was found to be a reliable and valid measure of this construct. An ecological systems framework was utilized for study design and analyses in the third study. This study explored contributions from various system levels to the work/family stress dynamic. Results indicated that all system levels examined (the individual, the family microsystem, and the workplace microsystem) contributed to experienced stress, with the greatest contribution coming from the family microsystem. Implications of these findings for fathers involved in multiple roles and for their families are discussed.
Community Assessments of Adoption Issues
Authors: MIALL CHARLENE E.
Published: March 2007

Theorists have identified the community as án important stakeholder in adoption and recommended research to inform policy development on adoption issues. With a random sample of 150 Canadian respondents, this study combines fixed alternative and open-ended questions and considers community evaluations of open adoption, birth reunions, and disclosure of confidential information. Comparisons are made to similar research on the adoption triangle. Community involvement in public policy formation is advocated to balance specialized agendas.
Do Attitudes Toward Divorce Affect Marital Quality?
Authors: AMATO PAUL R. , ROGERS STACY J.
Published: March 2007

Exchange theory predicts that people who adopt favorable attitudes toward divorce invest fewer resources in their marriages, thus eroding marital quality. Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that people who experience declines in marital quality adopt more favorable attitudes toward divorce as they anticipate leaving the relationship. This study tests both hypotheses. National, longitudinal data and structural equation models are used to estimate reciprocal paths between changes in attitudes toward divorce and changes in marital quality. The data provide stronger support for the exchange theory hypothesis than the cognitive dissonance hypothesis. Adopting more favorable attitudes toward divorce appears to undermine marital quality in the long run.
Gender and the Relationship between Parent Role Quality and Psychological Distress
Authors: BARNETT ROSALIND C. , BRENNAN ROBERT T. , MARSHALL NANCY L.
Published: March 2007

The association between parent role quality and psychological distress is examined in a sample of 180 full-time employed dual-earner couples, controlling for such individual-level variables as age, education, occupational prestige, and marital quality and for such couple-level variables as length of marriage, household income, and number, ages, and sex of children. The magnitude of this effect is compared for men and for women. Results indicate that parent role quality is significantly negatively associated with psychological distress for men as well as for women and that the magnitude of the effect depends little, if at all, on gender, casting doubt on the widely held view that parenting experiences more significantly influence women's mental health states than men's. The results are discussed in the context of the converging roles played by men and women in dual-earner couples.
Origins of the Connection of Physical Education and Athletics at the American University: an Organizational Interpretation
Authors: Chu Donald
Published: March 2007

This paper analyzes the origins of the relationship between athletics, the American university and developing departments of physical education in the period 1890-1930. The "open systems" formal organizational perspective is utilized. This approach theorizes continual organizational negotiations with the task environment. Greater resources must be imported than employed in the production of output. This will guarantee the derived organizational goal of survival.

The theme of the paper is as follows: with expansion of American universities, resources were required in the way of money, visibility, students and legitimacy. While the period saw rapid growth of the university, it was also a period of uncertainty as to the smooth flow of necessary resources. Intercollegiate athletics provided a means of obtain ing resources from significant elements of the task environment — i.e., alumni, state legislatures, students.

The inclusion of athletics within the university is discussed as an extension of its "domain claims" — the statement by an organization of its proper responsibilities. In order to achieve "domain consensus" and legitimacy (from faculty in particular), the university leadership was forced to rationalize these extended claims. One means of ac complishing this rationalization was through connection of athletics with a department of the university already with some educational legitimation-physical education.
Agents and Agency: a Sports Lawyer's View
Authors: Roberts Gary R.
Published: March 2007

Editor's Note--This comment was written in mid-November 1992. Not much has changed that would affect the author's view of the athlete agent issue. However, as the author points out in a January 7, 1993 addendum, the agreement between NFL players and owners that occurred as the Journal went to press has tested the validity of the conjecture offered last fall.
A Descriptive Analysis of NBC’s Coverage of the Centennial Olympics
Authors: Tuggle C. A. , Owen Anne
Published: March 2007

This study examines the amount of coverage given to women’s events and female athletes by NBC at the Centennial Olympic Games. Content analysis showed that women were covered extensively, but that coverage of women concentrated on individual sports such as swimming, diving, and gymnastics to the exclusion of team events. Men’s team competitions received substantially more coverage than did women’s team events, and women in sports that involved power or hard physical contact between athletes received almost no attention. Additionally, many more men were used as on-camera sources and most event announcers were male.
Estimating Family Planning Program Effects on U.S. Fertility Rates
Authors: Cutright Phillips , Jaffe Frederick S.
Published: March 2007

By linking 1968-1969 family planning enrollment statistics to 1970 Census county-level data, we test for program effects on the 1969-1970fertility ofsubgroups of women defined by age, race, marital status, two definitions of economic status, and, for whites, the racial composition of their area of residence. A multivariate model to control spurious program effects is developed for wives. The pattern of effects using multiple subgroup comparison provides a weight of evidence indicating significant reductions of marital fertility among low-SES wives served by the program, and no effects on groups not served.
The Need for Better Data to Support Crime Control Policy
Authors: Chelimsky Eleanor
Published: March 2007

On the one hand, the importance of evaluation findings for crime control policy now appears to be well understood. On the other hand, the contribution of evaluative data to those findings and to that policy seems much less well established. This paper examines some of the weaknesses of the data base presently available for evaluation in the criminal justice area and relates the quality of evaluation findings to the quality of that data support. A case study (the national-level evaluation of the High-Impact Anti-Crime Program) serves to illustrate the points made and to develop recommendations for new efforts needed in this area.
A Network Flow Model for Forecasting and Evaluating Criminal Displacement
Authors: Deutsch Stuart Jay , Jarvis John J. , Parker R. Gary
Published: March 2007

In this article, the characteristics of crime patterns in geographic areas over time are described by a network flow model. A method forforecastingfuture crime patterns with the network model is discussed along with procedures for evaluating future displacement by component randomization. An illustrative example of the model building and output analysis from actual arrest data is presented.
Vouchered on-the-Job Training in the Portland Win Program
Authors: Weidman John C.
Published: March 2007

Employers responding to this survey in Portland tended to be receptive to the concept of vouchering on-the-job training for welfare recipients, and to believe that WIN clients were capable of making informed occupational and employment setting choices. With regard to client autonomy in the search for an OJT placement, employers seemed to prefer some sort of WIN screening in advance of their contact with the voucher OJT client. The largest firms, as a group, were the least receptive to hiring voucher OJT clients, whereas the smallest firms were the most receptive. Findings are interpreted with respect to their implications for the design and implementation of manpower training programs for welfare recipients.
Illicit Drug Availability
Authors: Grizzle Gloria A.
Published: March 2007

The effect of a local drug enforcement program on the availability of illicit drugs is evaluated. Using a variety of data-collection techniques, change in drug availability is measured and linked to the direct outputs of the enforcement program. Factors other than the program that might have caused changes in availability are considered.
Evaluation and Organizational Development
Authors: Ziegenfuss James T. , Lasky David I.
Published: March 2007

This report presents the rationale and design for the use of a management-consulting approach to evaluation that links organization development and accountability. The contextual environment in which the approach was developed is in the public sector. The approach calls for a team of consultants to review the operations of an agency in five areas: administration, agency services, fiscal management, legal, and service system. The design and implementation procedures are illustrated from the data obtained in a review of a drug and alcohol agency. Evaluation is viewed as an ongoing process, with the first iteration being to help develop the organization in its early stages ofgrowth, including the necessary monitoring system, to allow for more extensive outcome measures onfuture evaluations.
A Short Form of Pass 3
Authors: Flynn Robert J. , Heal Laird W.
Published: March 2007

The principle of normalization has become an internationally influential approach to planning and evaluating human services in developmental disabilities, rehabilitation, and related fields. PASS 3, the major standardized normalization-based program evaluation instrument currently in use, is now being applied in several countries to assess the quality of community residential, educational, vocational, child development, and other programs. In the present study, a short form of PASS 3 was derived and its properties assessed. The short form appears to be afeasible, cost-effective alternative to the longform in many potential evaluation and research contexts. Guidelines for field use were discussed.
The Effect of Motorcycle Helmet Use On the Probability of Fatality and the Severity of Head and Neck Injuries
Authors: Goldstein Jonathan P.
Published: March 2007

This article evaluates the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets in accident situations. A latent variable model is developed and estimated. It is concluded that (1) motorcycle helmets have no statistically significant effect on the probability of fatality; (2) helmets reduce the severity of head injuries; and (3) past a critical impact speed, helmets increase the severity of neck injuries. Further analysis establishes the qualitative and quantitative nature of the head-neck injury trade-off.
A Survival Time Analysis of Criminal Sanctions for Misdemeanor Offenders
Authors: Wheeler Gerald R. , Hissong Rodney V.
Published: March 2007

Since misdemeanor offenders may significantly contribute to local jail overcrowding, it is incumbent upon criminal justice policy makers to explore alternatives to incarceration for society's less serious offenders. In order to address the feasibility of adopting a policy of alternative sanctions for general misdemeanor offenders, the investigators conducted a three year longitudinal study of minor offenders sentenced to fine, probation, and jail in a large southwest urban jurisdiction (Houston, Texas). The most salient finding was the emergence of probation as a superior sanction. Utilizing traditional chi-square analysis, probation exhibited the lowest recidivism rate. Employing recently developed survival time analysis, probationers had a significantly higher probability of not recidivating than jailed offenders during the study period. The authors conclude by discussing the policy implications of these findings.
Truth and Credibility in Sincere Policy Analysis
Authors: Bozeman Barry , Landsbergen David
Published: March 2007

This article distinguishes two competing approaches to policy analysis: a credibility approach and a truth approach. The credibility approach would define the role of the policy analyst as a search for plausible argument instead of truth. After defining the basic assumptions of the truth and credibility approaches, the implications for the conduct of policy analysis are explored.
Methods in Program Evaluation
Authors: McGraw Sarah A. , McKinlay Sonja M. , McClements Lynne , Lasater Thomas M. , Assaf Annlouise , Carleton Richard A.
Published: March 2007

A methodology for a process evaluation system as applied to the Pawtucket Heart Health Program is described. The rationale, goals, and design of this system, which are suited to the documentation of community demonstration programs or other interventions, are discussed. Examples of data from the system are provided, including those from linked, computer-based files for the systematic tracking of program activities and the characteristics of program participants. Also discussed are approaches to maintaining such a system in a context of limited resources.
The Politics of Evaluation With Privatized Programs
Authors: Fitzpatrick Jody L.
Published: March 2007

Using as a case study the evaluation of a drunk drivers treatment program, the author describes the political roles and actions she took to plan the evaluation and disseminate the results. This case is representative of situations to which evaluators will be exposed as privatization of service delivery increases and authority for and ownership of such programs becomes more decentral ized and diffuse. The evaluator must take an active role in identifying the needs, perspectives, and potential authority and influence of each audience and must be prepared to encourage audiences to address new issues where gaps in accountability have emerged.
Teacher Evaluation Instruments for Merit Pay Decisions
Authors: Weber Larry , McBee Janice
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this research was to investigate how effective representative teacher evaluation instruments are for determining eligibility of public school teachers for merit pay. Elementary school principals'ratings of teachers they considered deserving and not deserving of merit pay were analyzed. Findings suggest that rating instruments may be useful for making initial decisions about who should be eligible for further consideration.
Policy Implications From an Evaluation of Seat Belt Use Regulation
Authors: Desai Anand , You Min-Bong
Published: March 2007

The mandatory seat belt law is among the most recent of a long list of highway and vehicle safety regulations aimed at reducing the risk of injury in motor vehicle accidents. In this article the effects of this law on seat belt use, on the number of accidents, and on the number of fatal and severe injuries on rural interstate highways in Ohio are evaluated. There is little doubt about the efficacy of seat belts in reducing the severity of injuries incurred in an automobile accident, but the policy implications of that fact are not obvious. The article concludes with a discussion of the questions that must be answered in order to support policy formulation and implementation.
An Evaluation of the S-Night Street Enumeration of the Homeless in Los Angeles
Authors: Cousineau Michael R. , Ward Thomas W.
Published: March 2007

An evaluation of S-Night estimated that between 59% and 70% of the homeless on the streets of downtown Los Angeles were missed by the Census Bureau. The evaluation placed "observers" at street sites in downtown Los Angeles during the 2-hour street count and interviewed 50 homeless people over the following 3 days. Enumerators were seen at 19 of 39 sites in part because they were working from an incomplete list of places where homeless people often congregate. Enumerators also appeared rushed, and many did not speak Spanish. In addition, the danger associated with visiting some of the sites may have intimidated some enumerators, and the unusually visible presence of media and police may have driven many homeless further into hiding.
Deviance and Deviants
Authors: Brown Joel H. , Horowitz Jordan E.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the social-historical lineages of adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) use prevention programs. It shows how risk factor research evolved from assumptions of deviance regarding the mentally ill and examines patterns in prevention research that have inhibited advancement in the field. These patterns take shape as a general assumption of the target population as deviant, over- or misinterpretation of research results, and evidence that researchers and program managers or administrators shift or initiate programs with no causative basis. For the field to move ahead, researchers, program specialists, and policymakers must reconsider these patterns in light of protective factor and harm reduction approaches.
Bibliometrics/Theory, Practice and Problems
Authors: Narin Francis , Olivastro Dominic , Stevens Kimberly A.
Published: March 2007

This article presents the theory behind modern evaluative bibliometric techniques at three levels. Policy applications, which characterizes the scientific and technological output of nations or regions; strategic analyses, which deals with articles and patents at the level of a university or company; and tactical analyses, which addresses questions concerning a single subject. The article explains the newer techniques that have been developed at each level, as well as the more important limitations.
Five Methods of Assessing School-Level Daily Use of Cigarettes and Alcohol By Adolescents At Continuation High Schools
Authors: Sussman Steve , Stacy Alan W.
Published: March 2007

We explored five methods of estimating school-level daily use of cigarettes and alcohol by adolescents at 20 continuation high schools in southern California. We used Campbell and Fiske's criteria to estimate convergent and discriminant validity of a correlation matrix consist ing of two "traits" (daily use of cigarettes or alcohol) and five "methods" (aggregated student self-report, school personnel prevalence estimate, student prevalence estimate, naturalistic observation of use, and school refuse evidence). Results showed that the different methods varied dramatically in convergent and discriminant validity. These findings, as well as assessment cost considerations, lead us to suggest that refuse analysis is the most economic proxy measure for estimating school-level daily student cigarette smoking and other drug use. Replication studies are needed.
Applying Hierarchical Linear Modeling to Extended Longitudinal Evaluations
Authors: Osgood D. Wayne , Smith Gail L.
Published: March 2007

Longitudinal research designs with many waves of data have the potential to provide a fine-grained description of program impact, so they should be of special value for evaluation research. This potential has been illusive because our principal analysis methods are poorly suited to the task. We present strategies for analyzing these designs using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The basic growth curve models found in most longitudinal applications of HLM are not well suited to program evaluation, so we develop more appropriate alternatives. Our approach defines well-focused parameters that yield meaningful effect-size estimates and significance tests, efficiently combining all waves of data available for each subject. These methods do not require a uniform set of observations from all respondents. The Boys Town Follow-Up Study, an exceptionally rich but complex data set, is used to illustrate our approach.
Compliance With Hot Pursuit Policy
Authors: Crew Robert E. , Kessler David A. , Fridell Lorie A.
Published: March 2007

This article uses ARIMA and tobit analysis to examine the extent to which restrictive policies and intensified monitoring of "hot" pursuits by law enforcement officers induce these officers to ignore requirements that the initiation of such chases be communicated to their superiors and that complete reports be filed concerning their outcomes. Using a sample of data covering 111 weeks of activity, the authors calculated the impact of three increasingly restrictive policies on the ratio of accidents to reported pursuits. Their findings indicate that more restrictive policies do not increase noncompliance with reporting requirements.
Application of Difference-in-Difference Techniques To the Evaluation of Drought-Tainted Water Conservation Programs
Authors: Bamezai Anil
Published: March 2007

A nonexperimental evaluation's validity can be threatened by a number of factors that are well known in the program evaluation literature. This article illustrates some of the internal validity threats that arise when evaluating the impact of water conservation programs implemented during a drought. These include differential response to the drought because of imbalance in the control and participantgroup characteristics, self-selection bias, and the impact of measurement error. This article shows how to deal with these problems in the context of water conservation programs when high-quality disaggregate data are available.
The Impact of Community Policing in Four Houston Neighborhoods
Authors: Kessler David A. , Duncan Sheila
Published: March 2007

This research examined the impact of community-policing programs on calls for service, Part 1 crime, total crime, and narcotics cases infour Houston neighborhoods. The methodology used time-senes analysis and examined lagged and dynamic effects. The analysis produced mixed results, indicating that the community-policing programs had no significant impact on neighborhood crime. Police departments need to continue rigorous assessment of their efforts to accumulate knowledge about which community-policing practices are effective and which ones are not.
Implementation and Process Evaluation of a Student "School-as-Community" Group
Authors: Sussman Steve , Dent Clyde W. , Galaif Elisha R. , Stacy Alan W. , Newman Traci , Moss Mary Ann , Hennesy Michael , Craig Sande , Pentz Mary Ann , Simon Thomas R.
Published: March 2007

Little documentation exists regarding the functioning of formalized adolescent groups as drug abuse prevention agents. Two studies are described that were conducted at high schools whose students are at high risk for drug abuse. Twenty-one schools were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) standard care, (b) classroom drug abuse education only, or (c) classroom plus school-as-conununity. Results of the first study tndicated that the school-as-communtty component—which involved weekly meetings and periodic events at seven schools—was imple mented as planned, drug abused focused, and perceived as productive in discouraging drug abuse. In the second study, staff in the classroom plus school-as-community condition self- reported involvement in the greatest number of community activities across the school year, compared with staff from the other two conditions. These two studies support the feasibility of formalized groups of high-risk youth to promote drug-free events.
How Consumers/Survivors Are Evaluating the Quality of Psychiatric Care
Authors: Campbell Jean
Published: March 2007

In the past decade, mental health consumers have increasingly become involved in evaluating the quality of psychiatric care and applying sophisticated data strategies to affect system reform. Through multistakeholder partnerships, they have identified outcome indicators, collaborated in the development of a mental health report card, and designed and conducted consumer self- report surveys on satisfaction and needs and preferences for housing and supports. The formation of multistakeholder assessment teams; the definition of the consumer perspective through focus groups and concept-mapping pilots; and research on coercion, personhood, recovery, and empowerment are key activities of consumers/survivors in the field of evaluation.
Organizational Effects On Policy Implementation in a Geographically Dispersed Natural Resources Organization
Authors: Stine Robert A. , Ellefson Paul V.
Published: March 2007

Central administrators in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Forestry perceived that policies were inconsistently implemented at the field level. Data were collected on implementing five policies in 34 field offices and related to organization structure factors. Overall policy implementation was between 85% and 90%, although nearly 30% of the respondents reported implementation of a given policy at or below 75%. Significant differences were found in overall policy implementation among the five administrative regions in the division. Significant differences in implementation were also found among policies and among field offices. Criticalfactors related to policy implementation included direct influence by people in units above the field office; physical location of the field office in relation to supervisory offices; regional differences in biophysical, social, and economic factors ; influence of other DNR units; and feedback from staff specialists about job performance.