bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Civility in the United States
Authors: Keyes Corey L. M.
Published: March 2003

The existence of social civility is explored in terms of the components of social responsibility, social concern, and social involvement. Social civility is viewed as consisting of the degree to which people have a sense of duty or obligation to society, the extent of their concern for the welfare of others as well as themselves, and whether they help others through voluntary activities. The purpose of this article is to describe the level and distribution of the components of social civility in the population. Data are from a 1995 random digit–dialing sample of U.S. adults between the ages of 25 and 74. The findings fail to support the hypothesis of social incivility in the U.S. Adults report high levels of social responsibility and invest a great deal of thought and effort into their life and their contributions to others’ welfare. Social civility is found to be higher among more educated, married, female, and older adults. Regular religious attendance, which predicts greater social civility, mediates the relationship of the key demographic variables with social civility.
Civility, Rituals, and Exclusion: The Emergence of American Golf during the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Authors: Varner Monica K. , Knottnerus J. David
Published: March 2003

This study examines the relationship between golf and civility and advances the work of Norbert Elias by providing a theoretically informed analysis of the ritual dynamics involved in the civilizing process. Employing content analysis of texts and other forms of data, the authors examine the origins of American golf between 1894 and 1920 and the way various attributes of civility were expressed in this newly emerging recreational pursuit. This research demonstrates that social characteristics of civility found in European noble pastimes were also present in the American game of golf. These qualities dictated a civilized code of conduct and etiquette that included self–restraint, practice, courteousness, proper decorum, compliance, and honorable behavior. Such a code of conduct distinguished the upper class from those of lower rank and designated the game of golf for the former while discouraging others from participating in this pastime.
Religiosity and Perceived Future Ascetic Deviance and Delinquency among Mormon Adolescents: Testing the “This‐Worldly” Supernatural Sanctions Thesis
Authors: Harris Mark A.
Published: March 2003

Previous religiosity‐delinquency research primarily explores hellfire belief and aspects of religious social bonding. Both hellfire belief and religious social bonding have been hypothesized to reduce delinquency. Borrowing from classical deterrence theory, there are strong theoretical reasons for believing that an additional dimension of religiosity—namely, belief in “this‐worldly” supernatural sanctions (i.e., belief that God rewards and punishes in this life)—may also be inversely related to adolescent delinquency. This dimension of religiosity has not been explored in past empirical research. This article addresses this lack by specifically testing whether belief in this‐worldly supernatural sanctions is related to subjectively perceived future ascetic deviance and delinquency among a sample of 1,393 adolescent members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints (i.e., the Mormons). Logistic regression results indicate that, along with religious social bonding, belief in this‐worldly supernatural sanctions has an independent effect on perceived future ascetic deviance (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use) and perceived future delinquency (e.g., property and personal offenses) when controlling for relevant demographic and theoretical variables.
The Bitter End: Emotions at a Movement's Conclusion
Authors: Adams Jacqueline
Published: March 2003

In Chile, not long after Pinochet stepped down, many shantytown women who had fought hard in the pro‐democracy movement felt very bitter. What explains this despondence, despite the positive outcome of their movement? This article addresses a question the social movement literature neglects: the question of how people feel when a movement ends. In doing so, it contributes to the literatures on movement decline and emotions in movements. I use ethnographic data from a year's fieldwork in Chile to suggest that at the end of a movement, even when it has succeeded in terms of achieving its goals, activists can feel disillusioned, disconnected, and abandoned.
The case of artisanal mining in Bolivia: Local participatory development and mining investment opportunities
Authors: Quiroga Eduardo R.
Published: March 2003

Despite the buoyant expansion of Latin America’s mining sector, the small‐scale mining sub‐sector remains marginalized. For many countries with small‐scale mining resources, the way forward to sustainable mining development is not clear. Activities, in far too many cases, have led to environmental damage, social inequity and political violence among mining communities. This article, through a case study of the Bolivian Altiplano, seeks to advance the understanding of the conditions that drive mining communities into the chain of events of impoverishment associated with environmental damage. It also examines the opportunities for sustainable human development among these communities. In Bolivia’s mining sector, social inequity is pervasive and holds the mineral resources captive. This situation is further aggravated by the fact that solutions, in the short term, are uncertain. Unresolved social inequity compromises foreign direct investments since social considerations are becoming increasingly important to mining corporations when deciding whether to invest. This article outlines a preliminary strategy to move forward on social inequity. The strategy revolves mainly around implementing alternative sustainable livelihoods with the participation of the government (central and local), the private sector, NGOs and donors as facilitators and partners. Its aim is to reduce the number of families eking out a living from artisanal mining in order to enhance the viability of small‐scale mining. It is hoped that, as social inequity decreases throughout the sector, the increased stability will enable stakeholders to consider foreign direct investments within the framework of the country’s sustainable human development goals.
Linking community and national park development: A case from the Dominican Republic
Authors: Schelhas John , Sherman Ruth E. , Fahey Timothy J. , Lassoie James P.
Published: March 2003

National parks have complex relationships with local communities that impact both conservation success and community well‐being. Integrated conservation and development projects have been a key approach to managing these relationships, although their effectiveness has been increasingly questioned. Park‐people relationships of the Armando Bermudez National Park in the Dominican Republic were studied, focusing on forests, aquatic resources, community well‐being and development, and ecotourism. The park, established in 1956, is well respected by the community, based on its long history and its role in protecting water resources that are critical to the community. However, management of riparian vegetation and local fisheries present challenges in terms of finding a balance between conservation and development. Hiking and trekking opportunities attract both national and international tourists to the park, and community members benefit from employment as tour guides and providing mule rentals. At the same time, tourism activities also present continuing challenges related to: (1) the distribution of tourism benefits between local people and outsiders, and within the local community, (2) maintaining the local economic benefits of tourism while protecting park resources, and (3) developing park‐ or conservation‐related economic opportunities to complement tourism. The results highlight the need to develop site‐specific strategies to manage park‐people relationships through interdisciplinary analysis.
Adolescence and Adult Work in the Twenty‐First Century
Authors: Shanahan Michael J. , Mortimer Jeylan T. , Kru¨ger Helga
Published: March 2003

The transition from school to work is a story that meshes the life histories of youth and the economic and social development of societies. Drawing on reports from diverse regions of the world, this article describes the range of adolescent experiences as they encompass the completion of school and the commencement of adult work. As the 21st century begins, major threats to the preparation of youth for adult work include deficiencies in schools, hazards of the informal work sector, a lack of clear connections between school and work, and the misuse or underutilization of technology. Yet this transition is also a story of optimism, as the significance of youth for economic and social development is increasingly appreciated at the national and international levels. Accordingly, this article considers the broad policy implications of the survey and then details the lines of action that address challenges to the preparation of youth for adult work. Although many regions of the world share common challenges, the integration of youth into the 21st century world of work will depend on how each country formulates a unique response that is sensitive to its demographic profile, social institutions, cultural heritage, and economic conditions.
Conclusions: Adolescents' Preparation for the Future
Authors: Larson Reed W. , Wilson Suzanne , Mortimer Jeylan T.
Published: March 2003

The future of societies depends on their success in providing pathways whereby young people develop and prepare themselves to be contributing adults to their communities. When these pathways are well marked, stable, supported by the community, and inviting to adolescents, a society can be confident that new generations will join the ranks of adulthood well prepared. When these paths are hazardous, unpredictable, uninviting, or ill fitted to the demands of adulthood in that society, the future is insecure, both for adolescents and for society. This volume and the additional two volumes of this study group (Brown, Larson, && Saraswathi, 2002; Mortimer && Brown, 2002) suggest the following observations about the experiences of youth and how well they are being prepared for adulthood in the 21st century.
Sexual Orientation Identity Formation among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youths: Multiple Patterns of Milestone Experiences
Authors: Floyd Frank J. , Stein Terry S.
Published: March 2003

This study examined variations in “coming out” for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths (N= 72), ages 16 to 27. To indicate the timing and sequence of developmental stages, the respondents reported the ages at which they had completed 10 milestone events involving self‐awareness, sexual experiences, and disclosure to others, and also reported on current immersion in gay/lesbian/bisexual social networks. Cluster analysis identified five patterns of experiences. Three groups had generally early trajectories, two of which had specific delays in either sexual activity or disclosure. Two other clusters had relatively late trajectories, one of which also reported the lowest levels of gay/lesbian/bisexual social immersion. Comfort with sexual orientation was greatest in persons with early patterns and lowest within the group with late trajectories and limited gay/lesbian/bisexual social immersion.
Peer Crowd Affiliation and Internalizing Distress in Childhood and Adolescence: A Longitudinal Follow‐Back Study
Authors: Prinstein Mitchell J. , La Greca Annette M.
Published: March 2003

Concurrent and longitudinal associations between peer crowd affiliation and internalized distress were examined in a sample of 246 youth (148 girls, 98 boys). Children completed measures of depression, social anxiety, loneliness, and self‐esteem when they were in grades 4 to 6 (Time 1), and again 6 years later during adolescence (grades 10 – 12; Time 2). At Time 2, adolescents also reported their self‐concept and their identification with reputation‐based peer crowds, including Populars, Jocks, Brains, Burnouts, Non‐Conformists, and None/Average crowds. Results indicated that adolescents' report of peer crowd affiliation was concurrently associated with self‐concept and levels of internalizing distress. Follow‐back analyses of internalizing trajectories revealed that Populars/Jocks had experienced significant declines in internalizing distress across development, whereas Brains exhibited some increases in internalizing distress between childhood and adolescence.
A Domain Conceptualization of Adolescent Susceptibility to Peer Pressure
Authors: Ngee Sim Tick , Fen Koh Sui
Published: March 2003

This study tested a domain conceptualization of adolescent susceptibility to peer pressure. Using the peer pressure domains identified by Clasen and Brown (1985), five susceptibility domains were proposed although only four (family involvement, school involvement, peer involvement, and misconduct) were tested. In terms of measurement, cross‐validated results showed that the model with the four domains provided the best fit. In terms of age and sex patterns, the different susceptibilities were characterized by different patterns of age trends and sex differences. In terms of incremental validity, all four susceptibilities predicted behavior in their domains beyond other potential predictors. In terms of relations with a theoretical correlate, the four susceptibilities were differentially related to parental knowledge of adolescents' lives. This overall pattern of results provides converging support for the domain conceptualization.
Exposure Misclassification and Threshold Concentrations in Time Series Analyses of Air Pollution Health Effects
Authors: Brauer M. , Brumm J. , Vedal S. , Petkau A. J.
Published: March 2003

Linear, no‐threshold relationships are typically reported for time series studies of air pollution and mortality. Since regulatory standards and economic valuations typically assume some threshold level, we evaluated the fundamental question of the impact of exposure misclassification on the persistence of underlying personal‐level thresholds when personal data are aggregated to the population level in the assessment of exposure‐response relationships. As an example, we measured personal exposures to two particle metrics, PM2.5 and sulfate (SO42−), for a sample of lung disease patients and compared these with exposures estimated from ambient measurements. Previous work has shown that ambient:personal correlations for PM2.5 are much lower than for SO42−, suggesting that ambient PM2.5 measurements misclassify exposures to PM2.5. We then developed a method by which the measured:estimated exposure relationships for these patients were used to simulate personal exposures for a larger population and then to estimate individual‐level mortality risks under different threshold assumptions. These individual risks were combined to obtain the population risk of death, thereby exhibiting the prominence (and the value) of the threshold in the relationship between risk and estimated exposure. Our results indicated that for poorly classified exposures (PM2.5 in this example) population‐level thresholds were apparent at lower ambient concentrations than specified common personal thresholds, while for well‐classified exposures (e.g., SO42−), the apparent thresholds were similar to these underlying personal thresholds. These results demonstrate that surrogate metrics that are not highly correlated with personal exposures obscure the presence of thresholds in epidemiological studies of larger populations, while exposure indicators that are highly correlated with personal exposures can accurately reflect underlying personal thresholds.
A Revised Economic Analysis of Restrictions on the Use of Cell Phones While Driving
Authors: Cohen Joshua T. , Graham John D.
Published: March 2003

Evidence that cell phone use while driving increases the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash has led policymakers to consider prohibitions on this practice. However, while restrictions would reduce property loss, injuries, and fatalities, consumers would lose the convenience of using these devices while driving. Quantifying the risks and benefits associated with cell phone use while driving is complicated by substantial uncertainty in the estimates of several important inputs, including the extent to which cell phone use increases a driver's risk of being involved in a crash, the amount of time drivers spend using cell phones (and hence their aggregate contribution to crashes, injuries, and fatalities), and the incremental value to users of being able to make calls while driving. Two prominent studies that have investigated cell phone use while driving have concluded that the practice should not be banned. One finds that the benefits of calls made while driving substantially exceed their costs while the other finds that other interventions could reduce motor vehicle injuries and fatalities (measured in terms of quality adjusted life years) at a lower cost. Another issue is that cell phone use imposes increased (involuntary) risks on other roadway users. This article revises the assumptions used in the two previous analyses to make them consistent and updates them using recent data. The result is a best estimate of zero for the net benefit of cell phone use while driving, a finding that differs substantially from the previous study. Our revised cost‐effectiveness estimate for cell phone use while driving moves in the other direction, finding that the cost per quality adjusted life year increases modestly compared to the previous estimate. Both estimates are very uncertain.
Redistribution and Insurance: Mandatory Annuitization With Mortality Heterogeneity
Authors: Brown Jeffrey R.
Published: March 2003

This article examines the distributional implications of mandatory longevity insurance when mortality heterogeneity exists in the population. Previous research has demonstrated the significant financial redistribution that occurs under alternative annuity programs in the presence of differential mortality across groups. This article embeds that analysis into a life‐cycle framework that allows for an examination of distributional effects on a utility‐adjusted basis. It finds that the degree of redistribution that occurs from the introduction of a mandatory annuity program is substantially lower on a utility‐adjusted basis than when evaluated on a purely financial basis. In a simple life‐cycle model with no bequests, complete annuitization is welfare enhancing even for those with higher‐than‐average expected mortality rates, so long as administrative costs are sufficiently low. These findings have implications for policy toward annuitization, particularly as part of a reformed Social Security system.
Civic Culture Meets the Digital Divide: The Role of Community Electronic Networks
Authors: Borgida Eugene , Sullivan John L. , Oxendine Alina , Jackson Melinda S. , Riedel Eric , Gangl Amy
Published: March 2003

The concept of social capital reflects the norms and social relations embedded in the social structure of societies that enable people to coordinate community action to achieve desired goals. Our research focuses on the role that norms of cooperation and civic and political culture play in addressing the “digital divide” in computer use and Internet access. We review evidence from mail surveys of randomly selected respondents in two rural Minnesota communities as well as qualitative focus group and archival evidence suggesting that the communities have adopted different approaches to technology diffusion. Whether information technology is viewed as a public or private good depends in part on the civic culture of a community.
Dark Guests and Great Firewalls: The Internet and Chinese Security Policy
Authors: Deibert Ronald J.
Published: March 2003

Some believe that the Internet is immune to regulation and is contributing to the demise of the state. Others see the same technology as facilitating surveillance on behalf of states and corporations. To help explore this debate further, this article examines the case of the Internet in China. China—a nondemocratic, authoritarian state—is a “hard case” for those who argue that the Internet cannot be controlled. Even while pushing for the expansion of new information technologies, mostly for economic reasons, China has attempted to maintain strict controls over the Internet. After summarizing the debate outlined above, a review of China's Internet security policies is conducted, and the ways in which prodemocracy activists have attempted to circumvent these policies is examined.
Experiencing Hate Speech: Perceptions and Responses to Anti‐Semitism and Antigay Speech
Authors: Leets Laura
Published: March 2003

This study examines how people experience hate speech. Specifically, it assesses people’s perceptions regarding both the antecedents and outcomes of such expression targeted at Jews and homosexuals. One hundred twenty university students read (and in some cases also supplied) real‐life epithets aimed at their social identity and then provided an assessment of their (a) perceived short‐ and long‐term consequences, (b) understanding of the motive behind the message, (c) response to the sender, and (d) response to the message in terms of soliciting social support. A content analysis of the accounts produced the following patterns: (a) short‐ and long‐term consequences mirrored a three‐stage sequence found within other traumatic experiences; (b) respondents described motives as enduring, not situational, states; (c) the most common response strategies were passive; and (d) participants often sought support. The discussion focuses on implications for interventions that may mitigate negative consequences of hate speech.
Reflection: Linking Service and Learning—Linking Students and Communities
Authors: Eyler Janet
Published: March 2003

While research on service–learning has been mixed, there is evidence to suggest that service–learning programs which thoroughly integrate service and academic learning through continuous reflection promote development of the knowledge, skills, and cognitive capacities necessary for students to deal effectively with the complex social issues that challenge citizens. While there is not much research in the service–learning literature that specifically addresses techniques of reflection, evidence from studies of problem–based learning, situated cognition, and cognitive development suggests approaches to reflection that will enhance the power of service–learning in attaining these important goals which facilitate full community participation. This review presents concrete suggestions about this type of program.
Personal Identity and Civic Responsibility: “Rising to the Occasion” Narratives and Generativity in Community Action Student Interns
Authors: Singer Jefferson A. , King Laura A. , Green Melanie C. , Barr Sarah C.
Published: March 2003

Twenty–two students in a community action certificate program supplied “rising to the occasion” narratives during summer–long internships. They also filled out measures of generativity. Twenty–one students in an international studies certificate program that also included a summer internship served as a comparison group. Both groups reported equal personal growth from rising to the occasion experiences and no differences on measures of optimism, self–esteem or generativity. However, the community action students linked their personal growth experiences to future community service; a regression analysis also revealed that the best predictor of their stress–related growth was their level of generative concern. No comparable links emerged for the comparison group. Implications for cultivating connections between personal identity and civic responsibility through service–learning are discussed.
The Impact of Social Ties on Depressive Symptoms in U.S. and Japanese Elderly
Authors: Sugisawa Hidehiro , Shibata Hiroshi , Hougham Gavin W. , Sugihara Yoko , Liang Jersey
Published: March 2003

This study examines the effects of social ties (with spouse, children, friends, neighbors, other relatives, and community groups) on depressive symptom levels in U.S. and Japanese adults aged 60 and over. Nationally representative survey data from the United States (N= 1,419) and Japan (N= 2,200) indicate that having a spouse, or increased contacts with friends, neighbors and relatives was associated with fewer depressive symptoms in both samples. The effects of spousal presence were significantly larger in the United States than in Japan. The presence of children was associated with fewer depressive symptoms in Japan only, and this effect was significantly stronger among those currently unmarried as opposed to those who are currently married. We discuss these similarities and differences between countries.
Comparative Gerontolinguistics: Characterizing Discourses in Caring Institutions in South Africa and the United Kingdom
Authors: Makoni Sinfree , Grainger Karen
Published: March 2003

This article compares and contrasts the interactions between caregivers and care–recipients in two nursing homes in the United Kingdom and South Africa. It is argued that the discourse of caring in the two settings is similar in terms of how residents and nurses use interactional strategies to negotiate role relationships. It is also argued that it is the context of the “total” institution that gives rise to these strategies. Differences in the two settings are most noticeable in compliance–gaining situations. The “power struggle” between nurses and residents is much more overt in the South African data where it is reflected and constructed in racist discourse.
“Anything Can Happen With Police Around”: Urban Youth Evaluate Strategies of Surveillance in Public Places
Authors: Fine Michelle , Freudenberg Nick , Payne Yasser , Perkins Tiffany , Smith Kersha , Wanzer Katya
Published: March 2003

In order to document urban youth experiences of adults in positions of public authority, including police, educators, social workers and guards, a broad based street survey of 911 New York City‐based urban youth was conducted in which youth, stratified by race, ethnicity, gender and borough, were asked about their experiences with, attitudes toward, and trust of adult surveillance in communities and in schools. In‐depth telephone interviews were conducted with 36 youth who have experienced serious, adverse interactions with police, guards, or educators. Findings suggest that urban youth, overall, express a strong sense of betrayal by adults and report feeling mistrusted by adults, with young men of color most likely to report these perceptions.
TRIOS: A Psychological Theory of the African Legacy in American Culture
Authors: Jones James M.
Published: March 2003

TRIOS is comprised of attitudes, beliefs and values about time, rhythm, improvisation, orality and spirituality. It is proposed that TRIOS represents the cultural foundation of an African legacy for African Americans and provides a means of coping with slavery and various forms of racism over time. TRIOS is a model for the dual processes of self‐protective and self‐enhancing motivations for targets who must live in a universal context of racism. TRIOS is described as a context‐dependent theory of being‐in‐the‐world, as opposed to doing‐in‐the‐world. Evidence for the origins of TRIOS elements in African and Caribbean culture is presented. A scale to measure TRIOS is described and evidence for racial/ethnic differences shows that African Americans score higher than other racial/ethnic groups. The implications of TRIOS for psychological well‐being of African Americans and a wide array of future research questions are discussed.
Reformulation and the Learning of French Pronominal Verbs in a Canadian French Immersion Context
Authors: Lapkin Sharon , Swain Merrill , Smith Monika
Published: March 2003

In this article, we examine a subset of collaborative dialogues that occurred in a multistage task where 8 Canadian grade 7 French immersion students worked together in pairs. Each pair wrote a story, noticed differences between their text and a reformulator's revision of that text, and reflected on their noticing. We analyze the transcripts of their talk in these 3 task sessions, identifying and describing the language‐related episodes. We trace the development of the target language (French), with specific reference to pronominal verbs, from the learners' first collaborative draft to their posttests. The study explores task differences and differences between lower‐ and higher‐proficiency dyads. The language‐related episodes selected for close analysis, along with the posttest data, provide evidence that in most cases, learners have progressed in their correct use of pronominal verbs in French.
Effects of Cooperative Learning on the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities: An Update of Tateyama‐Sniezek’s Review
Authors: McMaster Kristen Nyman , Fuchs Douglas
Published: March 2003

This article reviews research published from 1990 to 2000 examining effects of cooperative learning strategies on the academic achievement of students with learning disabilities. The literature search is described. Fifteen studies are included in the review and are grouped according to the types of cooperative learning strategies that were examined. Sample characteristics, measures, findings, and effect sizes are reported in a table. Achievement outcomes are mixed. Cooperative learning strategies that incorporate individual accountability and group rewards are more likely to improve achievement of students with disabilities. However, design problems across the studies limit conclusions to be drawn about the efficacy of cooperative learning. More research is needed before it may be viewed as an effective strategy for students with disabilities.
The Self–Concept of Students with Learning Disabilities: A Meta–Analysis of Comparisons Across Different Placements
Authors: Elbaum Batya
Published: March 2003

Although placement in less restrictive settings is generally believed to be associated with more positive social outcomes for students with disabilities, the empirical research has yielded equivocal findings. The purpose of this study was to synthesize the empirical research comparing the self–concept of students with learning disabilities (LD) in different educational placements. Meta–analysis revealed no overall association between self–concept and educational placement for four out of five comparisons: regular class vs. resource room, regular class vs. self–contained class, resource room vs. self–contained class, and regular class vs. special school. Students with LD receiving instruction in self–contained classrooms in regular schools exhibited lower self–concept compared to students with LD attending special schools. Follow–up analyses were conducted to explore whether the variability of effect sizes in regular class–resource room comparisons was associated with any of several potential moderator variables; the only variable for which the association approached significance was whether students in the regular classroom were provided with appropriate special education supports and services. The findings are discussed in light of documented individual variation in students’ placement preferences.
Supplemental Reading Instruction for Students at Risk for Reading Disabilities: Improve Reading 30 Minutes at a Time
Authors: Linan–Thompson Sylvia , Hickman–Davis Peggy
Published: March 2003

Supplemental reading instruction provides a way to improve the reading outcomes of students at risk for reading difficulties and to meet the challenges produced by increases in student diversity in today’s classrooms. The research–based intervention described in this article includes intensive, explicit, and systematic reading instruction in five areas: fluency, phonemic awareness, instructional–level reading with an emphasis on comprehension, word analysis, and spelling. This intervention was effective in improving the reading skills of low SES, second–grade English monolingual and English–language learners.
Competition and Choice in New York City . Social Services
Authors: Savas E.S.
Published: March 2003

Privatization is intended to improve public services by introducing competition and choice. Does privatization of social services result in competition? To answer this we studied New York City's experience with contracts for three services: shelters for homeless adults, home care, and employment training.

A total of 132 contract awards to nonprofit agencies were examined. The evidence suggests the procurement procedures were competitive and followed good practices. There was significant competition in terms of the number of announcements issued, the number of requests for proposals distributed, and the number of proposals ultimately submitted‐an average of 2.48 proposals per award.

Contracting for homeless shelters has produced a voucher‐like system with desirable features. Vouchers are also used for some employment training and could be used for home care. Such systems can introduce even more competition and choice for clients of social services. Problems of contracting with nonprofit agencies are reviewed.
Public Management Reform: Competing Drivers of Change
Authors: Wise Lois Recascino
Published: March 2003

Public management reforms often are portrayed as part of a global wave of change, and all organizational change is interpreted within a single reform paradigm that is rooted in economics and market–based principles. Reforms outside this paradigm go unnoticed. This article examines the assertion that different drivers of change competing with the dominant focus of management discourse remain present and influence the direction of reform. It presents three alternative drivers of change rooted in normative values and provides evidence of their relevance from three national cases. Normative influences are reflected in a stream of activities occurring within the same time period in different civil service systems. The direction of public management practice cannot be seen as fully determined by any one approach to government reform or as traveling in only one direction. Understanding the balance among competing drivers of change is a key to interpreting both contemporary and future administrative reform.
A Multiple–Indicator Approach to Municipal Service Evaluation: Correlating Performance Measurement and Citizen Satisfaction across Jurisdictions
Authors: Kelly Janet M. , Swindell David
Published: March 2003

Early work on municipal service–quality assessment recommended multiple measures of performance from both providers and users. Citizen satisfaction surveys have rivaled their more quantitative counterpart, administrative performance measures, in adoption, but the implication of survey results for action is not well understood by managers or scholars. To achieve meaningfully integrated multiple measures of service quality, we need to explore the dimensions of citizen satisfaction and review patterns of satisfaction across localities. We also need to understand the relationship between administrative performance measures and citizen perceptions. This cross–sectional analysis of municipal citizen satisfaction and performance benchmark data suggests that citizen satisfaction survey results are useful to managers in conjunction with performance–measurement programs as part of a multiple–indicator approach to evaluating municipal service quality. However, understanding citizen perceptions requires a different perspective than that applied to administrative service performance measurement.
Long–Serving City Managers: Practical Application of the Academic Literature
Authors: Hassett Wendy L. , Watson Douglas J.
Published: March 2003

The authors identified 146 city managers who have served in the same city for the past 20 years and asked them to complete a survey to determine the factors leading to their long service. As a part of the survey, the city managers were invited to express, in their own words, the reasons they had stayed in the same city for such an extended time compared to the average tenure for city managers. In the article that follows, the authors quote from the academic literature statements pertaining to practical issues of concern to city managers and the elected officials for whom they work, giving credence to the applicability of the academic literature to today’s city management profession. Following the quotations from the literature, the authors present the heartfelt reflections of these senior city managers on their long careers in public service.
The Politics and Reality of Environmental Justice: A History and Considerations for Public Administrators and Policy Makers
Authors: Bowen William M. , Wells Michael V.
Published: March 2003

This article provides a short history of the environmental justice movement in the United States and discusses four dominant problems in environmental justice discourse. It also will discuss three other aspects of the environmental discourse: weak empirical research; the failure to recognize the distinction between hazard and risk; and the possibility that environmental justice is more about fear, blame, procedural inclusion, and power politics than it is about public health in minority and low–income communities. More rational mechanisms for managing the issue would better serve the ideal of democracy, giving society a better chance of solving public health problems in minority and low–income communities.
Race, Ethnicity, and Law Enforcement Profiling: Implications for Public Policy
Authors: Ward James D.
Published: March 2003

The proposed Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act of 2001—Title II of Senate Bill 19 of the 107th Congress—was the third consecutive legislative proposal aimed at addressing the perceived problems of racial profiling and police abuse in the detention of minority motorists for allegedly unjustifiable reasons. The measure followed Senate Bill 821 from the 106th Congress and House Bill 118 from the 105th Congress. This study looks at the purpose of these bills, explores the reasons supporters believe that federal policy mandating law enforcement agencies to collect racial data on motorists stopped and detained is needed, and examines a number of public policy questions that a Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act might raise.
Learning Organizations in the Public Sector? A Study of Police Agencies Employing Information and Technology to Advance Knowledge
Authors: Brown Mary Maureen , Brudney Jeffrey L.
Published: March 2003

In an attempt to reap the purported benefits that “knowledge workers” bring to organizations, many police departments have shifted to a community problem–oriented policing philosophy. Rather than focusing on enforcement and incarceration, this philosophy is based on the dissemination of information to promote a proactive, preventative approach to reduce crime and disorder. In keeping with much of the contemporary literature on the “learning organization” (sometimes called the “knowledge organization”), police departments hope to deter crime through the knowledge benefits that derive from information and its associated technologies. With goals to stimulate productivity, performance, and effectiveness, police departments across the country are employing information technology to turn police officers into problem solvers and to leverage their intellectual capital to preempt crime and neighborhood deterioration.

Many public and private organizations are striving to change their operations toward this same concept of the knowledge worker. Information technology is often touted as a vehicle for capturing, tracking, sorting, and providing information to advance knowledge, thus leading to improvements in service–delivery efforts. Based on an extensive study of police departments that have attempted to implement a knowledge–worker paradigm (supported by information technology initiatives), this research explores the feasibility, effectiveness, and limitations of information and technology in promoting the learning organization in the public sector.
Long–Serving City Managers: Why Do They Stay?
Authors: Watson Douglas J. , Hassett Wendy L.
Published: March 2003

The literature on council–manager government often mentions the political difficulties that city managers face with their elected officials and constituent groups. In addition, the generally accepted route to success for city managers is to move to larger and better–paying cities. As a result of these push–and–pull factors, the average tenure of city managers is short. There are, however, a relatively small number of city managers who enjoy long tenure in single cities. The authors identified the 146 city managers who are serving and have served for at least 20 years the same city and sought to determine the factors leading to their long service. The survey indicates that long–serving city managers are more likely to be found in smaller cities that are homogeneous and politically stable. The majority of these city managers are white males with above–average educational levels, strong support from elected officials, and personal commitments to the cities they serve.
Rethinking Security: Organizational Fragility in Extreme Events
Authors: Comfort Louise K.
Published: March 2003

Providing public security is a fundamental function of government. As the class and degree of threat vary, government agencies must adapt to changing conditions or risk failing their basic mission. The events of September 11, 2001, illustrated the limits of governmental performance in identifying and interrupting actions intended to harm innocent citizens. These events are examined against the resources, range, and limits of governmental capacity to adapt to the emerging threat of terrorism, and an alternative perspective on administrative performance as a complex adaptive system is proposed. This perspective redefines the search for public security as a dynamic process that balances mechanisms of control with processes of information search, exchange, and feedback among public, private, and nonprofit organizations and is supported by a well–designed information infrastructure. The article concludes that the search for public security is an interactive learning process that, while guided by public organizations, must involve responsible participation by private and nonprofit organizations as well as an informed citizenry.
Organizing the Federal System for Homeland Security: Problems, Issues, and Dilemmas
Authors: Wise Charles R. , Nader Rania
Published: March 2003

Improving the capacity of U.S. governments to provide greater homeland security will require numerous changes in the way federal, state, and local governments are organized and operate. It also will require significant alterations in intergovernmental relations. Changes will be required in intergovernmental dimensions, including operational, financial, legal, and political dimensions. A dual–track approach to rearranging intergovernmental relationships in order to provide a coordinated intergovernmental response to the requirements of homeland security is to be expected.
The Termination of Commercial Mortgage Contracts through Prepayment and Default: A Proportional Hazard Approach with Competing Risks
Authors: Ciochetti Brian A. , Deng Yongheng , Gao Bin , Yao Rui
Published: March 2003

This article examines the factors driving the borrower’s decision to terminate commercial mortgage contracts with the lender through either prepayment or default. Using loan–level data, we estimate prepayment and default functions in a proportional hazard framework with competing risks, allowing us to account for unobserved heterogeneity. Under a strict definition of mortgage default, we do not find evidence to support the existence of unobserved heterogeneity. However, when the definition of mortgage default is relaxed, we do find some evidence of two distinctive borrower groups. Our results suggest that the values of implicit put and call options drive default and prepayment actions in a nonlinear and interactive fashion. Prepayment and default risks are found to be convex in the intrinsic value of call and put options, respectively. Consistent with the joint nature of the two underlying options, high value of the put/call option is found to significantly reduce the call/put risk since the borrower forfeits both options by exercising one. Variables that proxy for cash flow and credit conditions as well as ex post bargaining powers are also found to have significant influence upon the borrower’s mortgage termination decision.
Some Loans Are More Equal than Others: Third–Party Originations and Defaults in the Subprime Mortgage Industry
Authors: Alexander William P. , Grimshaw Scott D. , McQueen Grant R. , Slade Barrett A.
Published: March 2003

We show how agency problems between lenders (principals) and third–party originators (TPO; agents) imply that TPO–originated loans are more likely to default than similar retail–originated loans. The nature of the agency problem is that TPOs are compensated for writing loans, but are not completely held accountable for the subsequent performance of those loans. Using a hazard model with jointly estimated competing risks and unobserved heterogeneity, we find empirical support for the TPO/default prediction using individual fixed–rate subprime loans with first liens secured by residential real estate originated between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 1998. We find that apparently equal loans (similar ability to pay, option incentives and term) can have unequal default probabilities. We also find that, initially, the agency–cost risk was not priced. At first, the market did not recognize the higher channel risk, since TPO and retail loans received similar interest rates even though the TPO loans were more likely to default. We also show that this inefficiency was short–lived. As the difference in default rates became apparent, interest rates on TPO loans rose about 50 basis points above otherwise similar retail loans.
Holy ABCs! The Impact of Religion on Attitudes about Education Policies
Authors: Deckman Melissa
Published: March 2003

Objective. To examine the impact of religion on attitudes about three controversial education policies: creationism, school prayer, and vouchers. Methods. Using a unique, national survey of school board candidates that I undertook in 1998, I use regression analysis to examine which factors, especially religion, explain support for these three policies. Results. This study finds that conservative Christians are more likely to support such policies than mainline Protestants. Additionally, church attendance appears to have an amplifying effect on evangelicals with respect to support for these issues. By contract, those candidates with non‐Judeo‐Christian religious identifications have much lower levels of support for creationism and school prayer. However, conservative political ideology remains the strongest predictor of support for creationism, prayer in school, and vouchers. Conclusion. Religious beliefs, sometimes enhanced by church attendance, can have a powerful, direct effect on attitudes about creationism, school prayer, and vouchers among school board candidates. Demonstrating such a link becomes important when considering that school board members play a large role in shaping local education policy.
Competition, Market Structure, and Bid‐Ask Spreads in Stock Option Markets
Authors: Mayhew Stewart
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the effects of competition and market structure on equity option bid‐ask spreads from 1986 to 1997. Options listed on multiple exchanges have narrower spreads than those listed on a single exchange, but the difference diminishes as option volume increases. Option spreads become wider when a competing exchange delists the option. Options traded under a “Designated Primary Marketmaker” (DPM) have narrower quoted spreads than those traded in a traditional open outcry crowd. Effective spreads are found to be slightly narrower under the DPM than in the crowd, but only since 1992, and only on low‐volume options.