bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The International Division of Industries: Clustering and Comparative Advantage in a Multi‐industry Model
Authors: Venables Anthony J.
Published: March 2003

We consider a model with a large number of industries and agglomeration forces which cause each industry to concentrate in a single country. We show that the division of industries between countries is not unique, and that identical countries might have different numbers of industries and different wages and real incomes. Countries may gain by using policy to grab a higher proportion of world industry. Bounds on the set of equilibrium divisions of industry are found and we show how, with Ricardian differences in technology, there are equilibria with industries locating in the country where they have a comparative disadvantage.

JEL classification: F12, R3
Publicly Provided Private Goods and Redistribution: A General Equilibrium Analysis
Authors: Pirttilä Jukka , Tuomala Matti
Published: March 2003

Public provision of private goods is examined within a self‐selection framework where production depends on labour supply of different households and the level of public provision. It is shown that productivity and wage‐structure effects can create a role for public provision, even if preferences are weakly separable between goods and leisure. Public provision of education may offer an intuitively appealing case for the production‐side impacts. We also address the reasons for public provision in a dynamic, overlapping generations economy, whereby public provision may affect efficiency and social costs of redistribution of future generations as well.

JEL classification: H23; H42
The Financial Stability of Notional Account Pensions
Authors: Valdes‐Prieto Salvador
Published: March 2003

A number of European countries are reforming their pension benefit formulas by adopting ‘notional’ accounts. These accounts are used to determine individual benefits, but pay‐as‐you‐go financing is retained. This paper addresses the belief that by choosing adjustment rules cleverly, notional accounts can provide automatic financial equilibrium in the short run. If this were true, it would be a valuable advantage in terms of insulating the government budget from demographic pressures, while insulating the pension budget from fiscal pressures. It is shown that notional account benefit formulas cannot provide automatic financial equilibrium in the short run. The paper also suggests that if indexing rules are chosen in a particular way, and shocks revert rapidly to a mean, the pension institution may achieve financial stability in the long run. However, long‐run stability is unlikely to be valuable because political interference occurs in the short run.
Gender and Grade Differences in Latent Ability Variables
Authors: Härnqvist Kjell
Published: March 2003

Scores in ability tests administered to students in grades 4–9 were simultaneously factor‐analyzed within twelve gender by grade groups. Gender and grade differences in means and variances were studied for five latent ability factors according to a hierarchical model and compared with means and variances in the observed scores.

Girls had higher means than boys in a general ability factor (G), in a residual general speed factor (Gs′) and in a residual factor of numerical facility (N′). Boys were higher in a residual vocabulary factor (V′) and most of all in a residual spatial visualization factor (Vz′). Boys had larger variances than girls in N′ and Gs′. In general the differences in means and variances were in the same direction for the closest corresponding observed scores, but some striking discrepancies between latent and observed scores were found. As a rule, the discrepancies were due to the complexity of the tests where one factor could compensate for another.

In the discussion it was pointed out that some of the differences found were likely to have changed between the testing in the late 1950s and the present. Nevertheless the demonstration of the divergence between analyses of latent vs. observed scores remains valid.
Social support after the loss of an infant child: A long‐term perspective
Authors: Thuen Frode
Published: March 2003

The article presents findings from a survey among 251 parents whose infant child had died. For most of the parents, the loss occurred several years ago. The survey assessed the amounts of instrumental, emotional and informational support received by these parents from various sources in connection with the death. The findings revealed that different sources provided different kinds of support. There was only one significant difference between bereaved males and females with regard to amount of support: females received more emotional support from their friends than males did. Furthermore, large amounts of support received by one spouse was associated with a similar level of support received by the other spouse. Social support in connection with the death was to some extent related to long‐term psychological adaptation. Particularly support from neighbours and professionals was consistently associated with psychological adaptation. In general, however, the findings with regard to long‐term effects of social support were ambiguous.
Neuropsychological course after surgery for intracranial aneurysms. A prospective study and a critical review
Authors: Stabell Kirsten E. , Magnæs Bjørn
Published: March 2003

Previously, only three studies with representative samples of patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms have provided detailed results of prospective, repeated, neuropsychological assessments after surgery. These studies apparently disagree with regard to occurrence of cognitive deficits and to degree of improvement between early and delayed follow‐ups. The present paper attempts to analyze the conditions underlying these differences in results. As a first step in this analysis we present a comprehensive, prospective, neuropsychological investigation of a consecutive sample of 41 patients with rupture of a supratentorial aneurysm, assessed 4 and 12 months after surgery. It is concluded that a prorated course of improvement of a wide specter of psychological functions may be revealed, but that sensitive tests and large samples are needed to establish the range of deficits and improvements with time. Differences in patient selection with respect to severity of the acute clinical state and delayed deterioration apparently contribute importantly to the discrepance in previously reported outcome.
A measure of parental stress in mothers with small children: dimensionality, stability and validity
Authors: Östberg Monica , Hagekull Berit , Wettergren Sigrid
Published: March 2003

Self‐reported parental stress was investigated in three samples of mothers with small children, using a Swedish version of the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Dimensionality in experienced stress using items from six PSI Parent Domain subscales and eight new items was examined in factor analyses of data from a nationwide representative sample. Cross‐validation proved the chosen factor pattern to be stable. Based on an oblique 5‐factor solution new subscales were constructed. A second order factor analysis indicated influence from a higher order factor, seen as a general parental stress construct. High alpha coefficients revealed that homogeneous subscales had been formed. Test‐retest correlations indicated good stability over a mean time period of 30 days. Influences from maternal background variables were found, but no relation to child age or gender. Global estimates of parental stress, reported child problems, mothers' scoring on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and two measures of social support all correlated significantly with overall parental stress, and with some subscales. The justification of the subscale approach to parental stress was discussed. It was concluded that the PSI in its present form could be used as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring experienced parental stress in mothers of young children.
Immunity and health after bereavement in relation to coping
Authors: Lindstrøm Toril Christine
Published: March 2003

Coping was examined as an intervening variable between the stressor of bereavement and its effects on subjective health and immunity in thirty‐nine recently bereaved Norwegian women. Coping was defined as: “positive response outcome expectancies”. Data were collected approximately one month after the death of the husband, and twelve months thereafter. Data collected were: expected coping success (self‐scoring), subjective health (UHI), anxiety and depression (GWB), and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) with components (C3, C4). Statistics were: frequencies, paired t‐test, ANOVA, and MANOVA. Permissions and confidentiality were in accordance with the Helsinki‐declaration. Coping was found to be related strongly to health and to health changes. Few relations were found between immunity and health. Coping, health, and anxiety and depression formed a triangle of interrelations. It was concluded that coping defined as “positive response outcome expectancies” may be a predictor of the adaptational outcome after a crisis.
Do traumatic events influence cognitive schemata?
Authors: Jind Lise
Published: March 2003

Within the field of crisis psychology empirical research on the subject whether cognitive schemata are influenced by victimization, and whether possible changes in cognitive schemata are related to post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is somewhat sparse. In the present study cognitive processing of 602 parents, who had lost an infant, were examined. Among other things results showed a significant relationship between level of cognitive processing and symptoms of PTSD. When items selected to reflect fundamental assumptions about the self and the world were assessed, there were only few differences between parents who had lost an infant, and the control group. Furthermore, there were numerous significant relations between items selected to reflect fundamental assumptions and symptoms of PTSD. The results are discussed in relation to central theories within the cognitive area of crisis psychology and recommendations for future research are offered.
Common pathways in mental imagery and pain perception: An fMRI study of a subject with an amputated arm
Authors: Hugdahl Kenneth , Rosén Gunnar , Ersland Lars , Lundervold Arvid , Smievoll Alf Inge , Barndon Roger , Thomsen Tormod
Published: March 2003

The present paper reviews data from two previous studies in our laboratory, as well as some additional new data, on the neuronal representation of movement and pain imagery in a subject with an amputated right arm. The subject imagined painful and non‐painful finger movements in the amputated stump while being in a MRI scanner, acquiring EPI‐images for fMRI analysis. In Study I (Ersland et al., 1996) the Subject alternated tapping with his intact left hand fingers and imagining “tapping” with the fingers of his amputated right arm. The results showed increased neuronal activation in the right motor cortex (precentral gyrus) when tapping with the fingers of the left hand, and a corresponding activation in the left motor cortex when imagining tapping with the fingers of the amputated right arm. Finger tappings of the intact left hand fingers also resulted in a larger activated precentral area than imagery “finger tapping” of the amputated right arm fingers. In Study II (Rosen et al., 2001 in press) the same subject imagining painful and pleasurable finger movements, and still positions of the fingers of the amputated arm. The results showed larger activations over the motor cortex for movement imagining versus imagining the hand being in a still position, and larger activations over the sensory cortex when imagining painful experiences. It can therefore be concluded that not only does imagery activate the same motor areas as real finger movements, but also that adding instructions of pain together with imaging moving the fingers intensified the activation compared with adding instructions about non‐painful experiences. From these studies, it is clear that areas activated during actual motor execution to a large extent also are activated during mental imagery of the same motor commands. In this respect the present studies add to studies of visual imagery that have shown a similar correspondence in activation between actual object perception and imagery of the same object.
The Meta–Contrast Technique: Relationships with personality traits and cognitive abilities in a healthy male study sample
Authors: Persson Roger , Karlson Björn , Österberg Kai , Ørboek Palle
Published: March 2003

The relationship between defensive strategies as measured by the Meta–Contrast Technique (MCT) and self–reported trait anxiety, trait aggression and defensiveness, as measured by the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP), was investigated in 83 healthy men. Further aims of the study were to describe and document how a healthy and demographically well defined group of subjects responded to the MCT, and to investigate whether age, personality traits and cognitive abilities influenced the reports of picture recognition thresholds in the MCT. The results indicated no agreement between the conceptualization of anxiety as measured by the MCT and anxiety as measured by the KSP inventory. Nor was there any agreement between defensive strategies in the MCT and trait defensiveness as defined with the KSP. However, age, personality traits, and cognitive abilities all contributed to explain the variations in the threshold values of recognition of stimuli pictures, all of which are of central importance in the scoring of MCT protocols.
On the Markov Equivalence of Chain Graphs, Undirected Graphs, and Acyclic Digraphs
Authors: Andersson Steen A. , Madigan David , Perlman Michael D.
Published: March 2003

Graphical Markov models use undirected graphs (UDGs), acyclic directed graphs (ADGs), or (mixed) chain graphs to represent possible dependencies among random variables in a multivariate distribution. Whereas a UDG is uniquely determined by its associated Markov model, this is not true for ADGs or for general chain graphs (which include both UDGs and ADGs as special cases). This paper addresses three questions regarding the equivalence of graphical Markov models: when is a given chain graph Markov equivalent (1) to some UDG? (2) to some (at least one) ADG? (3) to some decomposable UDG? The answers are obtained by means of an extension of Frydenberg’s (1990) elegant graph‐theoretic characterization of the Markov equivalence of chain graphs.
Parametrically Guided Non‐parametric Regression
Authors: Glad Ingrid K.
Published: March 2003

We present a new approach to regression function estimation in which a non‐parametric regression estimator is guided by a parametric pilot estimate with the aim of reducing the bias. New classes of parametrically guided kernel weighted local polynomial estimators are introduced and formulae for asymptotic expectation and variance, hence approximated mean squared error and mean integrated squared error, are derived. It is shown that the new classes of estimators have the very same large sample variance as the estimators in the standard non‐parametric setting, while there is substantial room for reducing the bias if the chosen parametric pilot function belongs to a wide neighbourhood around the true regression line. Bias reduction is discussed in light of examples and simulations.
Semiparametric Likelihood Based Method for Goodness of Fit Tests and Estimation in Upgraded Mixture Models
Authors: Qin Jing
Published: March 2003

We use Owen’s (1988, 1990) empirical likelihood method in upgraded mixture models. Two groups of independent observations are available. One is z1, ..., zn which is observed directly from a distribution F(z). The other one is x1, ..., xm which is observed indirectly from F(z), where the xis have density ∫p(x|z) dF(z) and p(x|z) is a conditional density function. We are interested in testing H0: p(x|z) = p(x|z; θ), for some specified smooth density function. A semiparametric likelihood ratio based statistic is proposed and it is shown that it converges to a chi‐squared distribution. This is a simple method for doing goodness of fit tests, especially when x is a discrete variable with finitely many values. In addition, we discuss estimation of θ and F(z) when H0 is true. The connection between upgraded mixture models and general estimating equations is pointed out.
A Generalized Bayes Rule for Prediction
Authors: Corcuera José Manuel , Giummolè Federica
Published: March 2003

In the case of prior knowledge about the unknown parameter, the Bayesian predictive density coincides with the Bayes estimator for the true density in the sense of the Kullback‐Leibler divergence, but this is no longer true if we consider another loss function. In this paper we present a generalized Bayes rule to obtain Bayes density estimators with respect to any α‐divergence, including the Kullback‐Leibler divergence and the Hellinger distance. For curved exponential models, we study the asymptotic behaviour of these predictive densities. We show that, whatever prior we use, the generalized Bayes rule improves (in a non‐Bayesian sense) the estimative density corresponding to a bias modification of the maximum likelihood estimator. It gives rise to a correspondence between choosing a prior density for the generalized Bayes rule and fixing a bias for the maximum likelihood estimator in the classical setting. A criterion for comparing and selecting prior densities is also given.
Exact Distributional Results for Random Resistance Trees
Authors: Barndorff‐Nielsen Ole E. , Rydberg Tina Hviid
Published: March 2003

With a view to the study of, for instance, arterial trees, this paper presents some exact distributional results on finite trees with (reciprocal) inverse Gaussian and gamma resistances. In particular, it is shown that under the specified model the conditional distribution of the minimal sufficient statistic given the total resistance of the tree is a convolution of gamma distributions and two‐dimensional reciprocal inverse Gaussian distributions.
The Semiparametric Normal Variance‐Mean Mixture Model
Authors: Korsholm Lars
Published: March 2003

We study the normal variance‐mean mixture model from a semiparametric point of view, i.e. we let the mixing distribution belong to a non‐parametric family. The main results are consistency of the non‐parametric maximum likelihood estimator and construction of an asymptotically normal and efficient estimator for the Euclidian part of the parameter. We study the model according to the theory outlined in the monograph by Bickel et al. (1993) and apply a general result (based on the theory of empirical processes) for semiparametric models from van der Vaart (1996) to prove asymptotic normality and efficiency of the proposed estimator.
Adaptive Estimation of the Integral of Squared Regression Derivatives
Authors: Efromovich Sam , Samarov Alexander
Published: March 2003

A problem of estimating the integral of a squared regression function and of its squared derivatives has been addressed in a number of papers. For the case of a heteroscedastic model where smoothness of the underlying regression function, the design density, and the variance of errors are known, the asymptotically sharp minimax lower bound and a sharp estimator were found in Pastuchova & Khasminski (1989). However, there are apparently no results on the either rate optimal or sharp optimal adaptive, or data‐driven, estimation when neither the degree of regression function smoothness nor design density, scale function and distribution of errors are known. After a brief review of main developments in non‐parametric estimation of non‐linear functionals, we suggest a simple adaptive estimator for the integral of a squared regression function and its derivatives and prove that it is sharp‐optimal whenever the estimated derivative is sufficiently smooth.
Discretely Observed Diffusions: Classes of Estimating Functions and Small Δ‐optimality
Authors: Jacobsen Martin
Published: March 2003

Ergodic diffusions in several dimensions, depending on an unknown multivariate parameter are considered. For estimation, when the diffusion is observed only at finitely many equidistant time points, unbiased estimating functions leading to consistent and asymptotically Gaussian estimators are used. Different types of estimating functions are discussed and the concept of small Δ‐optimality is introduced to help select good estimating functions. Explicit criteria for small Δ‐optimality are given. Also some exact optimality conditions are presented as well as, for one‐dimensional diffusions, methods for improving estimators using time reversibility.
Sieve Empirical Likelihood and Extensions of the Generalized Least Squares
Authors: ZHANG JIAN , GIJBELS IRÈNE
Published: March 2003

The empirical likelihood cannot be used directly sometimes when an infinite dimensional parameter of interest is involved. To overcome this difficulty, the sieve empirical likelihoods are introduced in this paper. Based on the sieve empirical likelihoods, a unified procedure is developed for estimation of constrained parametric or non‐parametric regression models with unspecified error distributions. It shows some interesting connections with certain extensions of the generalized least squares approach. A general asymptotic theory is provided. In the parametric regression setting it is shown that under certain regularity conditions the proposed estimators are asymptotically efficient even if the restriction functions are discontinuous. In the non‐parametric regression setting the convergence rate of the maximum estimator based on the sieve empirical likelihood is given. In both settings, it is shown that the estimator is adaptive for the inhomogeneity of conditional error distributions with respect to predictor, especially for heteroscedasticity.
In Search of the Government in Local Government: Coalition Agreements and Office Payoffs in Norway
Authors: Martinussen Pål E.
Published: March 2003

The politics of European local government is often assumed to take place in a rather depoliticised and non‐partisan environment. This feature is especially apparent in Norway, where local government institutions are designed to create a high degree of consensus and accommodation. No local cabinet takes office, and therefore no formal roles of a majority government and an opposition are offered. This paper tells a different story, however. Following the 1999 elections many municipalities are now experiencing partisan cooperation based on binding political agreements. In these cases the common practice of proportional distribution of the important political positions is replaced with a ‘winner takes all’ principle, as only the majority constellation is rewarded with office payoffs. Given that this form of cooperation is the closest analogue to any cabinet formation at the local level, it is clearly of interest to uncover under which conditions it occurs. The empirical analysis therefore uses variation in structural, socioeconomic and political characteristics to predict the local coalition behaviour. The empirical model captures some important determinants in the variation of structural characteristics, and, as expected, explicit and binding coalition agreements are found in the large and central municipalities. Socioeconomic setting is furthermore important, since municipalities with a high degree of financial autonomy and poor policy performance experience this kind of formalised cooperation more frequently. Systematic effects are also found for political characteristics, with electoral volatility, party fragmentation and functional organisation models all increasing the probability of coalition agreements.
Stepmother as electron: Positioning the stepmother in a family dinner conversation
Authors: Dedaić Mirjana N.
Published: March 2003

This article proposes a discourse analysis of a family dinner conversation in which the participants are a father, a stepmother and a teenage daughter. Such analysis has social relevance insofar as roles within the stepfamily have not been either socially reshuffled or academically defined. The age‐old myth about the wicked stepmother has provided the symbolic and discursive placement of stepmothers in contemporary American society in lieu of societal efforts to realistically define such a role. Thus, each case must define itself. My research examines a stepfamily's discourse about food as a window through which to view discursive strategies of inclusion and exclusion. I find that, in a situation where the child is a female teenager, a stepmother's identity is defined by positioning actively undertaken through the stepdaughter's discourse. Integrating a new parent into an existing unit is made far more difficult if the stepmother is seen as an outsider, who may be admitted to membership of the household, but not necessarily to the family.
New Keynesian Versus New Classical Theories of Aggregate Supply: Evidence from the Oecd Countries
Authors: Madsen Jakob B.
Published: March 2003

Using annual and quarterly data for the OECD countries this paper tests four theories of aggregate supply, namely the sticky wage, the sticky price, the worker misperception and the producer misinformation models. The empirical estimates suggest that the short run aggregate supply curve is positively sloped as a result of price and wage stickiness. Furthermore, the slope of the aggregate supply curve is found to be a positive function of the rate of inflation which is consistent with the sticky price model.
Patients, Doctors and Contracts: An Application of Principal‐Agent Theory to the Doctor‐Patient Relationship
Authors: Scott Anthony , Vick Sandra
Published: March 2003

The doctor‐patient relationship has been the main focus of principal‐agent theory in health care. This paper focuses on communication between doctors and patients within the doctor‐patient relationship as a method by which the utility of the principal (patient) can be maximised. Patients’ preferences for various attributes of the doctor‐patient relationship are examined using a discrete choice experiment. Individuals were presented with pairs of hypothetical scenarios describing GP visits that differed depending on the attributes of the doctor‐patient relationship. In the time‐constrained GP consultation, the results show that being able to talk to the doctor is the most important attribute, followed by patients’ understanding of the doctor’s explanations, waiting time for an appointment, and the amount of information transferred to the patient. Quality of information is more important than its quantity. The extent to which patients were involved in decision making had no influence on the choice of visit, although it was important to patients who were relatively young and female. Policies aimed at involving patients in decision making should be targeted at specific groups of patients only. The results have implications for the training of doctors in communication skills as a response to market failure caused by asymmetry of information.
Estimating Coaching Efficiency in Professional Team Sports: Evidence from English Association Football
Authors: Dawson Peter , Dobson Stephen , Gerrard Bill
Published: March 2003

This study provides a review of the literature on sporting production functions with an emphasis on different input‐output specifications and alternative estimation procedures. Empirical evidence is reported for English association football on the robustness of estimates of coaching efficiency to changes in estimation methods and the definition of team performance and playing talent inputs. A measure of player quality based on predicted start‐of‐season transfer values is developed. It is found that the estimation of coaching efficiency is sensitive to the choice of time‐invariant efficiency models versus time‐varying and inefficiency effects models. It is also found that the results are little affected by different measures of team performance but are highly sensitive to the use of an ex post financial expenditure input measure. Ex ante input measures based on start‐of‐season player characteristics or predicted transfer values are recommended as more appropriate on both theoretical and empirical grounds.
Trends in Disaggregated Import and Export Prices in Europe: Implications for the Trade and Wages Debate
Authors: Brenton Paul , Pinna Anna Maria
Published: March 2003

We consider carefully the evidence from traded prices (as proxied by unit values) concerning the transmission of the effects of globalisation to domestic labour markets. Using standard index number techniques we decompose changes in sectoral import and export unit values into movements due to changes in pure prices of the initial bundle of goods imported or exported and changes due to upgrading of that bundle. Looking at the imports of selected European countries of textiles, clothing and footwear relative to engineering products we find evidence of strongly falling pure prices of the unskilled intensive products relative to the skilled products in the 1980s. This reinforces the view that import prices can capture the impact of globalisation in terms of falling relative prices for products produced with the intensive use of unskilled labour. However, the trends are not common across all the unskilled sectors; footwear is clearly an exception. In the absence of detailed domestic data, we look for reactions by domestic firms to increased import competition in movements in the price and composition of exports. We find evidence of stiff price competition from imports being associated with similar movements in export prices and no support for the view that import competition from low–wage countries has led to upgrading of the quality of exports.
Latent and Sensible Energy Flux Over Deforested Land Surfaces in the Eastern Amazon and Northern Thailand
Authors: Giambelluca T.W. , Nullet M.A. , Ziegler A.D. , Tran L.
Published: March 2003

Land cover change may impact watershed hydrology and regional climate by altering land‐atmosphere exchanges of energy and water. Conversion of forest to pasture has previously been shown to decrease the rate of evaporation (including transpiration) because of reduced aerodynamic roughness, less canopy rainfall interception and greater canopy resistance during dry periods. However, less is known about the effects of forest replacement land covers other than pasture. In this study, field measurements of meteorological processes, stomatal resistance, and Leaf Area Index (LAI) were taken over various deforested land surfaces in the eastern Amazon Basin and in northern Thailand. Based on these measurements, evaporation and sensible heat flux were estimated over each site. Results show the degree to which different land covers replacing tropical forest affect energy partitioning. In comparison with forest, non‐irrigated, actively and recently cultivated sites had sharply lower rates of evaporation. Secondary vegetation generally had higher rates of evaporation than actively or recently used sites. The proportion of energy used for evaporation increased rapidly with age in secondary vegetation. Evaporation rates at sites eight and 25 years after abandonment in the Thailand study area were enhanced by positive sensible energy advection from nearby cultivated areas, and were similar to those of primary forest. Differences in dry season evaporation rates of 3‐, 8‐ and 25‐year secondary vegetation are explained, in part, by the differences in canopy resistance. Minimum canopy resistance was 223, 61 and 58 s m −1 , respectively at the 3‐, 8‐ and 25‐year sites.
Rolling Back the State and Physical Development Planning: The Case of Barbados
Authors: Pugh Jonathan , Potter Robert B.
Published: March 2003

The focus of this paper is the recent preparation of the Third National Physical Development Plan for Barbados. Interestingly, this blueprint for the future development of the country was prepared by Canadian consultants, under the auspices of Inter‐American Development Bank funding, and thereby ostensibly represents the rolling back of the State in the context of physical development planning. The paper briefly examines the origins of town and country planning in Barbados and the wider Caribbean before critiquing the Third Plan produced in 1998. Emphasis is placed on salient issues such as operationalising sustainable development, the involvement of local stakeholders, the role of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) in the planning process, and the production of Community Plans. Throughout, it is shown that whilst the State appears to have been “rolled back”, government has retained its strong‐hold over the course of physical development planning, principally by “tactics” which have served to minimise the degree to which members of the public and non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) have been able to participate.
Corporate Greening of Foreign Transnationals in Singapore
Authors: Perry Martin , Singh Sanjeev
Published: March 2003

The environmental performance of transnational corporations (TNCs) may need to be updated to include evidence of increased corporate environmental responsibility. This is a challenge to geographical perspectives that have been critical of the environmental performance of TNCs. The paper reports the findings of a survey of TNCs with branches in Singapore. Using the survey evidence, TNCs are classified according to their degree of participation in a range of voluntary environmental initiatives. According to the classification, there is a similar proportion of low and high performers but a dominance of medium level activity that can involve little organisational change. A significant association between organisational size and environmental activity is found. Respondents most frequently report that corporate environmental standards motivate environmental action in Singapore. Overall the survey evidence indicates that few TNCs are significantly changing their environmental behaviour. The absence of citizen, NGO and government pressure on TNCs is reducing the extent of voluntary environmental action in Singapore and expectations of widespread corporate greening overlook organisational differences in their opportunity to benefit from investment in environmental management. It is concluded that voluntary corporate environmentalism does not reduce the need for government regulation.
Development of Reasoning and the Tension between Scientific and Conversational Inference
Authors: Waters Lorraine J. , Siegal Michael , Slaughter Virginia
Published: March 2003

We report two studies designed to examine the role of conversational understanding in young children’s scientific reasoning. The results indicate that performance can be influenced by the degree of specificity in questioning. Under nonspecific questioning, accurate reasoning was associated with both vocabulary comprehension and pragmatic ability whereas under specific questioning it was associated only with vocabulary comprehension. Findings are discussed in terms of the conversational knowledge that is required for success on measures of scientific reasoning.
Mothers’ Representations of Relationships with their Children: Relations with Parenting Behavior, Mother Characteristics, and Child Disability Status
Authors: Button Suzanne , Pianta Robert C. , Marvin Robert S.
Published: March 2003

Representational models of mother‐child relationships were assessed through interview for 112 mothers of children ages 14 to 52 months. Fifty‐eight (51.8%) children had a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, 19 (17%) were diagnosed with epilepsy, while the remaining 35 (31.3%) had no diagnosis. Relations were examined between dimensions of representations (compliance, achievement, secure base, enmeshment, worry, pain) and maternal age, education and stress; diagnostic group and child developmental status; and mother’s behavior with the child in a problem‐solving task. Mothers for whom boundary violations were represented were also less focused with child achievement and experienced more worry and pain in the relationship. More severe disability status was associated with less compliance and more pain in representations. Longer time since diagnosis was positively correlated with painful representations. Representations were unrelated to child gender, child age, maternal education or age, or parenting stress. With educational level controlled, mothers’ support for the child and positive affect in a problem‐solving task were negatively related to representations of worry about the child’s future. Boundary concerns were predictive of mothers’ pressuring behavior in the problem‐solving task. Findings suggest representations are related to caregiving behavior apart from other maternal characteristics, and that mothers’ representations reflect variability in their children.
A Home‐based Description of Attachment in Physically Disabled Infants
Authors: Tessier Réjean , Tarabulsy George M. , Larin Stéphanie , Laganière Josée , Gagnon Marie‐France , Trahan Johanne
Published: March 2003

This study investigated attachment security and behavior in 34 physically disabled
infants and 26 non‐disabled infants by using convergent, categorical (secure, avoidant
and ambivalent) and continuous (Attachment Behavior Q‐Set) measures of the relationship,
based on the same set of home observations. Proportions of attachment classifications
were not different for disabled and non‐disabled infants, but insecure infants in
the disabled group scored consistently lower on the AQS security score than non‐disabled
insecure infants. This result suggests that while proportions of attachment classifications
may not vary as a function of infant status, insecure disabled infants are more insecure
than insecure non‐disabled infants. An analysis of 5 behavioral dimensions of the
AQS showed that secure infants emitted the same kinds of attachment behaviors without
regard for infant status. Insecure disabled infants, however, showed lower levels
of secure base behavior and physical contact with mother than their non‐disabled
counterparts, and showed a marginal tendency to fuss more as well. Discussion focuses
on the potential benefits of using convergent, categorical and continuous measures
of attachment in the study of both typical and atypical groups of infants.
Development NGOs and the Challenge of Partnership: Changing Relations between North and South
Authors: Lewis David
Published: March 2003

This paper reviews the changing relationships between Northern development NGOs (NNGOs) which are organizations with their roots in industrialized countries, and local southern NGOs (SNGOs) which exist in many aid‐recipient countries. It draws on selected experiences from the Bangladesh context. There are three main changes which have taken place. Firstly, many NNGOs in the past decade or so have moved from implementation of development projects towards a partnership approach in which they fund and attempt to work with SNGOs. This has increasingly led to the idea of NGO "capacity‐building" as a key objective, but a significant growth in SNGO capacity in a country such as Bangladesh increasingly renders such objectives less meaningful. Secondly, official bilateral or multilateral development donors are increasingly moving towards the direct funding of Southern NGOs rather than the previous model of funding through Northern NGOs in the partnership approach. This leaves many NNGOs in an uncertain position. Thirdly, the need to respond to international emergencies in the post‐cold war order has led governments increasingly to fund NNGOs to undertake relief and emergency work on a contractual basis. This trend also potentially raises questions about the viability of their longer‐term development work. All three sets of changes are contributing to an uncertain future for NNGOs, which arguably face an "identity crisis", and they will need to adapt carefully to the emergence of new global social policy agendas if they are to continue to be effective.
The Impact of a Restructured Canadian Welfare State on Atlantic Canada
Authors: MacDonald Maureen
Published: March 2003

The Canadian welfare state, like welfare states elsewhere, has undergone significant reform and restructuring. This paper examines what has occurred and the impact it has had on Canada’s poorest and most underdeveloped region, the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. Although the central and western regions have also experienced a reduction in federal expenditures, no other region has been more negatively affected by federal fiscal and social policy reform and downsizing. Health care and education have experienced the worst cuts. The significant loss of federal government transfers to this region has ruptured a historic social contract. This in turn has triggered a radical restructuring and downsizing of provincial and municipal public administrations, commensurate with job losses in important sectors of the labour market, such as universities, hospitals and schools. In the last five years the rate of unemployment and poverty has risen sharply, personal and household incomes have declined, and entire communities are on the brink of extinction owing to out‐migration. The irony, however, is that for Atlantic Canadians the retrenchment of the federal state has led to greater public willingness to consider social democratic political parties and policy alternatives that are not only different from prior fare, but which do not represent a flight to a rather unsatisfactory past.
Doing The Right Thing: Labour’s Attempt to Forge a New Welfare Deal Between the Individual and the State
Authors: Heron Emma , Dwyer Peter
Published: March 2003

This paper explores the rhetoric behind the Labour Government’s welfare reforms. Recent publications and statements emanating from the new administration indicate the extent to which Labour feels comfortable with notions of communitarianism and stakeholding. The influence and (potential) impact of these two concepts upon welfare policy is explored through the works of Macmurray, Etzioni, Hutton and, in spite of his departure from Government, Field. The paper argues that in attempting to create a welfare system based largely on conditions of work, set firmly within a framework of self‐help and individual responsibility, Labour’s reform agenda is concerned with the establishment of a new moral order for welfare in which individuals are urged to “do the right thing”: that is, to take control of their own welfare and ultimately to be responsible for meeting their own needs whenever possible. The Government presents this attempt to forge a welfare settlement between the individual and the state as both new and inclusive. However, it is concluded that such claims are contentious as the Government’s “new” approach echoes old individualistic ideas about the causes and solutions to poverty, and may also result in the exclusion of some citizens from publicly financed welfare.
Researching Risk in the Probation Service
Authors: Kemshall Hazel
Published: March 2003

This paper will draw upon research and consultancy experience across a number of projects on risk assessment and management in the Probation Service between 1993 and 1999. The projects reflect a range of sponsors and funders, from central government bodies such as the Home Office and the Scottish Office, to professional, managerial and employment bodies such as the Association of Chief Officers of Probation and the Central Council of Probation Committees, to individual Probation Service areas. The projects have required engagement with different levels of staff and different vested interests, including the professional/union bodies representing the management and officer grades respectively, in addition to central government policy makers. All the projects have had an applied policy and practice focus. The paper begins with a review of current ethical and political dilemmas in research on offender risk assessment, and then contemporary responses to ethical dilemmas are critically reviewed, followed by an outline of ‘practice guidance’ for researchers. The paper concludes by arguing that researchers in the social arena should be subject to the same standards of defensible decision making as their counterparts in social care practice, and that essential to such defensibility is the transparent demonstration of the ‘grounds’ upon which ethical decisions are made.
Partners in Evaluation: Modelling Quality in Partnership Projects
Authors: Ross Liz , Kemshall Hazel
Published: March 2003

The concept of partnership as a way of describing relationships between public, private and voluntary agencies can take many forms. The evaluation of quality in the delivery of services by these partnerships is recognized as complex given the differing perspectives not only of the two partners but of the various other stakeholders, including service users, and the potential for added value arising from the partnership itself. This paper focuses on the partnership arrangements between Probation Services and voluntary agencies, identifying the specific characteristics of partnerships in the field of crime management. Drawing on research undertaken for one Probation Service the paper explores the concepts of value for money, inputs, outputs, outcomes and quality, and their measurement in partnership projects. A model is then offered for the more effective evaluation of projects where two different agencies are involved and a practice example is attached.
The Rise and Fall of the UK’s First Tax Credit: The Working Families Tax Credit 1998–2000
Authors: McLaughlin Eithne , Trewsdale Janet , McCay Naomi
Published: March 2003

The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), introduced in 1998/9, was regarded as the most important and easily the most redistributive measure introduced by the New Labour administration elected in 1997. WFTC is, however, scheduled to end, and to be replaced by another tax credit in 2003. This paper reviews the birth, brief life and “death” of WFTC in the period 1998–2000 and examines the structure of eligibility for WFTC in one UK region.
Merger in the British Voluntary Sector: The Example of HIV/AIDS Agencies
Authors: Harris Margaret , Harris Jane , Hutchison Romayne , Rochester Colin
Published: March 2003

This article explores the policy and organizational drives towards cooperation and merger within the voluntary sector. We draw together theoretical and empirical literature on the topic and identify six factors which may be hypothesized to be associated with a decision to cooperate in the voluntary sector: adverse macro‐economic conditions; the search for an organizational niche; severe resource dependency; a drive for organizational growth; funders’ concern about duplication of provision; and perceived crisis. We then present a case study which provides detailed data about the circumstances leading to a decision to merge by several independent voluntary agencies working in the HIV/AIDS field. We analyse the multiplicity of factors which drove the agencies and the complex interrelationships between those factors. Policy pressures, pragmatism and the personal values of key managers are found to be particularly important. Finally, we consider the implications of our study for policy analysis and future research.
A Triumph of Hope over Experience? Modernizing Accountability: The Case of Complaints Procedures in Community Care
Authors: Preston‐Shoot Michael
Published: March 2003

Complaints procedures are one component of maintaining and improving the quality of community care services. However, how effective are they in providing a means of redress for service users? This article presents the findings from four research projects, which included complaints procedures in their survey of service users’ experiences of community care provision. These findings are compared with the outcomes of similar research projects. The article concludes by evaluating the Department of Health’s consultation proposals on complaints procedures, and other policy documents, in the light of the research findings.