bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Death Clusters in a Nursing Home
Authors: Weiler Philip G. , Cooper James K.
Published: March 2007

The number of elderly residing in, and dying in, nursing homes is steadily increasing. In 1985, an investigation by the California attorney general's office was undertaken concerning a cluster of deaths in a single rural nursing home. The purpose of this study was to provide information for the investigation. The objectives of the study were to determine if there were excess deaths in the nursing home, and if so, to describe the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the policy implications for the quality of care in nursing homes. All the medical records for patients who died in a single nursing home between January 1, 1983 and April 30, 1985 were examined by the research team. Medical care was compared to desirable standards of care. A majority of the deaths, 52.5%, had major discrepancies from standard care that may have contributed to the patient's death. There were also major discrepancies in the cause of death between the death certificate and evidence from examination of the medical records. The data substantiated an unusual occurrence of deaths in the nursing home at the end of 1983 and again in early 1985, but no single factor or person could be identified as the major cause of the deaths. Although this is an isolated study of one nursing home, it is likely that these problems are not unique and the evaluation approach may be useful in other settings. It is recommended that nursing home deaths be routinely monitored, and that an unusual number of deaths should trigger an extensive investigation.
Institutional Loyalty and Job Satisfaction among Nurse Aides in Nursing Homes
Authors: Grau Lois , Chandler Barbara , Burton Brenda , Kolditz Doreen
Published: March 2007

The high rate of turnover among nurse aides employed in nursing homes has been associated with the low job status and the poor job benefits accorded workers. However, this is not always the case. Competitive benefit packages and limited labor market opportunities increase the likelihood that nurse aides in some nursing homes may stay on the job despite their dissatisfaction with it. The present study investigated "institutional loyalty," an attitudinal proxy for job turnover, among 219 nurse aides for its relationship to a number of job-related factors. Somewhat unexpectedly, the quality of the social environment of the nursing home was found to be as important as attitudes toward job benefits in accounting for institutional loyalty.
Comorbidity, Age, and Hospital Use among Elderly Medicare Patients
Authors: Grau Lois , Kovner Chris
Published: March 2007

This article reports the findings of a retrospective study of elderly Medicare patients (N = 8,915) discharged from New York City hospitals prior to the implementation of the Medicare Prospective Payment System in New York State. Its purpose was to investigate physical comorbidity, mental comorbidity, age, and other factors for their relationship with hospital use. Study findings suggest that age, as used in the diagnosis-related group (DRG) classification scheme, is less powerful than comorbidity as a predictor of hospital use. Dementia, which is not recognized as a valid comorbid condition by the DRG system, was also found to be positively associated with use.
The Health Impact of Living with a Cognitively Impaired Elderly Spouse
Authors: Moritz Deborah J. , Kasl Stanislav V. , Ostfeld Adrian M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify the health consequences of living with a cognitively impaired spouse in a sample of 318 spouse pairs, drawn from a representative sample of noninstitutionalized elderly individuals. Our principal findings were that (a) cognitive impairment in wives was significantly (p < .05) associated with elevated systolic blood pressure in husbands, whereas cognitive impairment in husbands was not associated with systolic blood pressure in wives; (b) cognitive impairment in wives was significantly (p < .05) associated with perceived declines in health status in husbands, but cognitive impairment in husbands was not related to perceived declines in health status in wives; (c) the relationships between wives' cognitive impairment and husbands' blood pressure and perceived health status were not mediated through limitations in activities of daily living in wives, chronic conditions in wives, or perceived inadequacy of emotional or instrumental support; and (d) cognitive functioning in one spouse was not related to health behaviors in the partner. Taken together, our results suggest that spouses of community-dwelling impaired individuals are not so severely affected that they cannot function normally. However, they suffer from health problems that can have serious consequences.
Coping Effectiveness in Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Shaw Rebecca J.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of perceived control in the selection and effectiveness of coping strategies used by nursing home residents. A path analysis of a model of coping effectiveness was conducted using a cluster sample of 100 nursing home residents. Respondents were assisted in completing the Importance, Locus, and Range of Activities Checklist, the Jalowiec Coping Scale, two self-anchoring ladders measuring coping effectiveness, and an item measuring perceived health. Mental status was measured with the Pfeiffer Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. Results demonstrated that mental status and functional ability were positively related to perceived control (p < .01). Perceived health and the use of secondary control (e.g., prayer, getting help from family, and depending on others) were the only two variables positively influencing coping effectiveness (p < .01 and p < .05, respectively). Longitudinal studies are recommended to investigate these relationships as they evolve.
Functional Impairment and Co-Disability in the Oldest Old
Authors: Zarit Steven H. , Johansson Boo , Berg Stig
Published: March 2007

Using a multidimensional approach, we explore rates of co-disability in a representative sample of the oldest old living in Sweden. Drawing from census data, 324 subjects ranging in age from 84 to 90 were identified and evaluated for five domains of functioning: sensory, mobility, physical activities of daily living (PADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and cognitive. Three patterns of functioning were found: (1) a minority of high-functioning subjects (23%) with no or only mild disability in any domain; (2) a group (17%) with IADL deficits only; and (3) a majority of subjects (55%) with multiple disabilities. These results suggest that an accurate portrayal of the oldest old requires a multidimensional approach in which the interrelations among domains of functioning are taken into account Of particular relevance for planning services and care is the heterogeneity of this population, which necessitates a flexible mix of supportive programs that match the resources and abilities of the individual.
Symptom Reporting During Physician Consultation
Authors: Stoller Eleanor Palo , Kart Cary S.
Published: March 2007

Most studies of physician consultation focus on decisions to contact health care providers. In this article, the authors examine decisions regarding which symptoms to report once people contact physicians. Data for the analysis were gathered through interviews and health diaries completed by a probability sample of 667 elderly people, based on a subsample of 152 respondents who consulted physicians during the 3-week reporting period. A qualitative analysis produced behavioral patterns underlying decisions to report some but not other symptoms experienced on the day of physician contact. Logistic regression was used to explore the extent to which predispositions of individuals that precede the onset of symptoms and the type of symptom experience explain the distribution of these reporting patterns. Variation in the percentages of people reporting particular symptoms indicates that these reporting patterns cannot be explained solely by the type of symptoms people experience. The decisions regarding which symptoms to report reflect respondents' attribution of cause, the impact of symptoms on their daily lives, and the broader health and social context in which they confront particular symptoms.
Perceived Adequacy of Instrumental Assistance
Authors: Chipperfield Judith G.
Published: March 2007

Beginning with the premise that cue recipients' perceptions of inadequate help may have long-tem negative consequences, this study examined whether seniors' perceptions related to patterns of well-being over a 12-year period. Patterns of change in physical health (i.e., number of chronic health conditions, self-rated health), psychological well-being (i.e., life satisfaction), and independence (i.e., functional and instrumental) were compared for older men and women who initially reported that their level of IADL assistance was either adequate or inadequate. Seniors who perceived their support as inadequate experienced more severe losses of independence. This was true for both men and women with respect to their ability to independently conduct instrumental ADLs. With respect to the ability to independently conduct functional that is, basic ADLs, it was true only for women. These findings may imply that perceptions of support inadequacy have a more detrimental effect for women than for men.
Leisure Activities and Service Knowledge and Use among the Rural Elderly
Authors: West Gale E. , Delisle Marc-André , Simard Clermont , Drouin Denis
Published: March 2007

This exploratory study uses Andersen's service utilization model to examine the relationship between the leisure activity patterns of older people and their knowledge and use of health and social services. Hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analyses of data from 418 people ages 65 and older in rural Québec revealed that leisure activity patterns may explain a greater amount of variation in service knowledge and use than conventional need characteristics such as physical and psychological health. Various activity patterns were significantly related to knowledge and use of services even after controlling for variables such as age and health status. Although some types of leisure activities appeared to augment knowledge and use of services, others seemed to deter it. Future explanatory models of service utilization among the elderly should be expanded to include leisure activity patterns.
Receptivity to Protective Garments among the Elderly
Authors: Zimmer Zachary , Myers Ann
Published: March 2007

Hip fractures among elders resulting from falls are a growing concern as the proportion of elders increases and health care costs mount. A recent innovation is the development of an undergarment worn to protect against hip injuries. This study attempted to determine whether a community population of elders would be receptive to wearing such a garment and the characteristics of those who would and would not be receptive. It was assumed that receptivity can be predicted by variables that have been shown to relate to risks of falling. Predictor characteristics represent three domains: demographic/predisposition, health/mobility, and social support. A logistic regression procedure was employed to determine the probability and odds of receptivity among elders given a profile of specific characteristics. Results were interpreted with reference to past research on risks of falling.
Risk of Behavior Problems among Nursing Home Residents in the United States
Authors: Jackson Mary E. , Spector William D. , Rabins Peter V.
Published: March 2007

This study identified personal risk factors associated with behavior problems among nursing home residents using data based on a national survey of nursing home residents. Data are based on the Institutional Population Component of the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey and include nursing home residents living in licensed facilities on January 1, 1987. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine characteristics of residents that place them at risk of behavior problems. Independent variables include physical functioning, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, psychiatric diagnoses, and demographics. Eleven behavior problems grouped into four categories based on factor analysis serve as dependent variables: wandering/safety, aggressive behaviors, collecting behaviors, and delusions/hallucinations. Risk factors emerging as predictors included sex (male), cognitive impairment, ADL dependency, incontinence, psychiatric history, receptive communication, walking, and difficulty seeing. Risk factors differ by type of behavior problem. Results suggest a multiple etiology in which biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors all play a role in generating behavior problems in the long-term care setting.
Elderly Persons' Interpretation of a Bodily Change as an Illness Symptom
Authors: Haug Marie R. , Musil Carol M. , Warner Camille D. , Morris Diana L.
Published: March 2007

Based on a community random sample of 406 elderly, factors that persuade an elderly person to interpret a bodily change as a symptom of illness are described. Three measures of such illness interpretation among 27 different bodily changes are used in analysis: giving an illness label to the change, consulting a physician for it, and/or using self-care for treatment. The three types of representations across all 27 bodily changes taken together, as well as among five typical complaints most commonly experienced, are reported. The findings show that the perceived seriousness of the bodily change and the general health context of the older person in which it has occurred are conducive to interpreting a bodily change as an illness symptom.
Pressure Ulcer Prevalence in Ohio Nursing Homes
Authors: Spector William D. , Fortinsky Richard H.
Published: March 2007

Pressure ulcers remain a common medical problem in nursing homes, despite the development of clinical guidelines for prevention and treatment. Prevention involves low technology but vigilant care. If the disease progresses, infections can develop, and surgery may be necessary to prevent death. This article examines pressure ulcer correlates in a representative sample of 15,121 nursing home residents in 1994 in the state of Ohio. The prevalence of pressure ulcers was 12%, 8% for Stage 2 or greater. The study found that many nursing home residents remain at great risk of developing pressure ulcers. Important risk factors included a history of cured pressure ulcers, new admission and readmissions, dependencies in activities of daily living, weight loss and dehydration, diabetes, edema, and incontinence. After controlling for clinical factors, residents in rural facilities were less likely to have a pressure ulcer. These findings suggest that the quality of pressure ulcer care in nursing homes could improve.
Social Network, Social Support, and Loneliness in Older Persons with Different Chronic Diseases
Authors: Penninx Brenda W.J.H. , van Tilburg Theo , Kriegsman Didi M. W. , Boeke A. Joan P. , Deeg Dorly J. H. , van Eijk Jacques Th.M.
Published: March 2007

Objectives:This study examines whether patterns of social network size, functional social support, and loneliness are different for older persons with different types of chronic diseases. Methods:In a community-based sample of 2,788 men and women age 55 to 85 years participating in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, chronic diseases status, social network size, support exchanges, and loneliness were assessed. Results:Social network size and emotional support exchanges were not associated with disease status. The only differences between healthy and chronically ill people were found for receipt of instrumental support and loneliness. Disease characteristics played a differential role: greater feelings of loneliness were mainly found for persons with lung disease or arthritis, and receiving more instrumental support was mainly found for persons with arthritis or stroke. Discussion:The specifics of a disease appear to play a (small) role in the receipt of instrumental support and feelings of loneliness of chronically ill older persons.
How Many Elders Receive Assistance?
Authors: Davey Adam , Femia Elia E. , Shea Dennis G. , Zarit Steven H. , SundstrÖm Gerdt , Berg Stig , Smyer Michael A.
Published: March 2007

Objectives:To examine models of informal support received by elders in the United States and Sweden and to test whether differences in informal support appear to stem from demographic differences between the nations alone or whether cultural and historical differences must also be considered. Methods:Samples with similar functional dependence, age 75 and older in the United States ( n= 4,677) and Sweden ( n= 1,378), were used to model cross-national differences in the association between country, age, sex, potential availability of kin support, and receipt of informal assistance. Results:Patterns of informal help were higher in the United States than in Sweden but were qualified by higher order interactions among age, sex, and availability of kin support. Discussion:Cultural differences predating current policies in both countries appear to influence informal support over and above what can be accounted for by demographic differences alone.
The Relationship between Self-Rated Health and Health Status among Coronary Artery Patients
Authors: Bosworth Hayden B. , Siegler Ilene C. , Brummett Beverly H. , Barefoot John C. , Williams Redford B. , Vitaliano Peter P. , Clapp-Channing Nancy , Lytle Barbara L. , Mark Daniel B.
Published: March 2007

Objectives:This study examined the descriptive relationship of self-rated health (SRH) with various psychosocial measures, sociodemographic variables, coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnostic/clinical measures, and medically abstracted comorbidities. Methods:The sample was 2,855 individuals from the Mediators of Social Support (MOSS) study who had at least 75% narrowing in more than one vessel, as indicated by a cardiac catheterization. Results:After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, individuals who rated their health as poor/fair had significantly worse performance on all psychosocial measures and were more likely to be female, non-White, and of a lower socioeconomic status than those who rated their health as being good or better. There were few differences on SRH across various diagnostic/clinical measures of health. Discussion:A single item measure of SRH may be useful; the generalizability of the item must be considered. In this sample of CAD patients, SRH was related more to psychosocial factors than to clinical and disease indicators.
Research on Giving and Volunteering: Methodological Considerations
Authors: O’Neill Michael
Published: March 2007

A1998-1999 survey of the giving and volunteering practices of 3,616 adult Californians yielded some methodological considerations concerning research on charitable behavior. The survey paid particular attention to prompting respondent recall, informal giving and volunteering, and possible race/ethnicity differences in charitable behavior. On several key measures, reported levels of giving and volunteering exceeded national estimates based on Independent Sector studies. Californians were found to engage extensively in informal as well as formal charitable behavior. Multivariate analysis controlling for income, educational attainment, and immigration status revealed no significant race/ethnicity-based differences in giving and volunteering.
Organizational Capacity and Organizational Effectiveness among Street-Level Food Assistance Programs
Authors: Eisinger Peter
Published: March 2007

Organizational capacity is a critical issue for street-level charitable organizations, such as food pantries and soup kitchens, which are increasingly involved as partners with government in the provision of social services. Capacity refers to a set of attributes assumed in the literature to bear on organizational effectiveness. This survey of food programs in the Detroit metropolitan area not only attempts to develop a capacity profile, but it empirically seeks to link the notion of capacity to effectiveness, that is, to mission fulfillment. The key attributes of organizational capacity that bear on mission fulfillment among this sample of organizations are the presence of a paid staff person and computerization of records. Institutionalization and seeking technical assistance from other organizations, other aspects of capacity, seem to do little to increase organizational effectiveness.
"The Role of Nonprofit Enterprise" in 1993: Hansmann Revisited
Authors: Steinberg Richard , Gray Bradford H.
Published: March 2007

Henry Hansmann's "The Role of Nonprofit Enterprise" (1980) has had a seminal influence on analyses of the law and economics of the nonprofit sector Hansmann argues that the "nondistribution constraint" makes nonprofits an efficient solution infields characterized by contract failure. This article surveys the literature that has extended, criticized, and tested Hansmann's ideas. We add our own criticisms and extensions, with particular attention to the case of hospitals, where nonprofits' tax exemptions have undergone an attack with little regard for Hansmann's theories. We conclude that despite some limitations and qualifications, the idea of contract failure remains central to the assessment of the role of nonprofit organizations and to the design of public policies affecting non-profits.
Total Cost Differentials in the Nonprofit Sector
Authors: Emanuele Rosemarie
Published: March 2007

Previous work has looked at wage differentials between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, without including the cost of fringe benefits in calculating these differentials. This article uses new data to examine the determinants of total compensation in the nonprofit, for-profit, and governance sectors. A significant negative effect from nonprofit status is found.
The Influence of Demographics and Distance on Nonprofit Location
Authors: Bielefeld Wolfgang , Murdoch James C. , Waddell Paul
Published: March 2007

This article investigates the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and the provision of nonprofit services for census block groups in Dallas County, Texas. We find that the number of health, education, and social service nonprofits in a given area is positively influenced by block group income, age, percentage minority, and racial heterogeneity, and negatively influenced by income heterogeneity and age heterogeneity. On further examination, we find a complex pattern of relationships between income and age and number of providers that suggests researchers should exercise caution when using these variables. Also, in all of our results the effects of the demographic variables are by far the strongest for nonprofits within one mile of the block group centroid; they weaken as they get farther from the centroid. This shows that nonprofits are most heavily influenced by the characteristics of the neighborhoods directly around them.
Bandwagon or Band-Aid? A Model of Nonprofit Incorporation by State
Authors: Abzug Rikki , Turnheim Joy K.
Published: March 2007

What accounts for the addition of new nonprofit organizations in different U.S. states? Do new nonprofit organizations answer calls for help (Band-Aid) or calls for proposals (bandwagon) at their inception? Are nonprofit entrepreneurs pushed by the failures of government and the market or pulled by the legitimacy of the organizational form? This comparative research models the level of nonprofit incorporation in different U.S. states given fragmented legal environments, variable organizational legitimacy, and different levels of social needs. Drawing from institutional, resource dependence, population ecology, and social movement theories and using data from state legal codes, judicial decisions, the U.S. census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Nonprofit Almanac, 1992-1993, we explore the environmental and interorganizational forces that influence the level of nonprofit incorporation by state.
Corporate Philanthropy: What Is the Strategy?
Authors: Marx Jerry D.
Published: March 2007

Strategic philanthropy, according to the literature, is becoming the state of the art in corporate contribution management. The term is defined in this study as the process by which contributions are targeted to meet business objectives and recipient needs. It represents the integration of philanthropy into the overall strategic planning of the corporation. Given this trend, this research examines the extent to which corporate philanthropy has become predominantly a business deal with direct and measurable financial returns to shareholders. The study presents the results of a national survey of corporate direct contribution programs. The 226 corporations that responded to the mailed questionnaire were primarily large corporations from over 20 different industries. The findings suggest that contributions made directly by corporations are primarily used in less tangible ways to meet responsibilities to employees and their communities.
Foucault's Heterotopia and Children's Everyday Lives
Authors: McNAMEE SARA
Published: March 2007

This article discusses Foucault's notion of the heterotopia and uses it in relation to the everyday social lives of children. The article uses data gathered from a study of children's use of computer and video games. It argues that childhood is subject to increasing boundaries, and that for children, `other' spaces are created through everyday leisure activities. Further, the spaces created through leisure are differentiated by gender. These spaces, or heterotopias pace Foucault, enable children to resist and escape control.
Social and Historical Approaches Regarding Street Children in Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) in the Context of the Transition to Democracy
Authors: FILHO GISÁLIO CERQUEIRA , NEDER GIZLENE
Published: March 2007

The social literature on street children, for the most part produced by NGOs, represents an effort to organize, disseminate and theorize this issue. Part of a democratic political-ideological territory, the analyses stress the socioeconomic aspects of poverty and social exclusion. Three basic themes can be identified: the family, high failure rates in school and child/adolescent labour. This literature gives us insight into one of the unpaid social debts that is a legacy of Brazil's 1964-84 military dictatorship: the plight of street children, that is, boys and girls who live in the streets or who make their livings through activities that take place there. The discussion must also take into account Brazil's dire economic crisis of the late 1970s. The article employs an interpretative perspective that stresses sociological, historical and cultural factors, without disregarding the economic factors that affect generalized impoverishment. It also underscores the special circumstances of the political transition from military rule to a constitutional state. The first civil government was empowered in 1984 and a new national law for children and adolescents was statuted in 1990. During this period (1984-90), antagonistic social and political forces have struggled to enforce numerous projects, in an environment where repressive authoritarian strategies for social control (the police and the justice system) have clashed with democratic propositions for full-time schooling and social welfare policies.
Children and Nationalism in a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Jordan
Authors: HART JASON
Published: March 2007

Based on fieldwork in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, this article describes the engagement of children with projects of nationalism. In their position of marginality to both the Jordanian nation-state and the emerging Palestinian national entity, the children of Hussein Camp are the objects of different visions for their own collective future. The article offers a description of these visions and the ways in which they inform the actions of their proponents. However, the principal focus is upon children as they engage with the discourses presented to them within a particular spatial and historical context.
Conflict in the Neighborhood
Authors: APTEKAR LEWIS , ABEBE BEHAILU
Published: March 2007

The article defines street and working children, emphasizing that the definition of street children always includes a negative moral attribute. These false perceptions of street children, when added to the inaccuracies of the way the children are presented in the press and by reports of international organizations, exaggerate their numbers and problems, and lead toward increasing the hostility children face. A three-concept taxonomy of hostility toward street children is presented. This includes penalinstructive hostility based on punishing children for inappropriate behavior; collective frustrated hostility based on ethnocentric social class attitudes toward the poor; and cultural hostility which is accounted for by differences attributed to sedentary and nomadic peripatetic cultures. Practical suggestions for using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to reduce hostility toward street children are presented.
What Can Trade Unions Do to Combat Child Labour?
Authors: MYRSTAD GEIR
Published: March 2007

Trade unions are fighting child labour as defenders of the most oppressed. Trade unions also have an objective interest in combatting child labour. The presence of large numbers of children in the labour market undermines the trade unions' bargaining position and makes it difficult to fight unemployment among adults. This article examines mainly practical activities by trade unions, and argues that trade unions can give the most significant contribution to the struggle against child labour by focusing on methods that are typical for or even exclusive to the trade union movement, in particular negotiations and collective bargaining.
Childhood, Agency and Education Reform
Authors: WYNESS MICHAEL G.
Published: March 2007

This article provides commentary on the relationship between childhood and agency within the context of education reform. The prominence of a `child-centred' social science and the trends in childcare policy, at least in some countries, towards the articulation of children's voices suggest possibilities for children as both research subjects and competent members of society. The article will address these possibilities through the analysis of a series of local and global issues connected to organizational, curricular and pedagogic changes in schooling. Although the focus is British pupils, reference is made to changes taking place in other countries. The position of pupils in schools is examined with reference to several themes: the role of the market and the individualizing of education; the need to produce `schooled' citizens by drawing attention to the relationship between the school and the wider community; and public concerns over behavioural and curricular standards. Reference is also made to children's potential as social agents in schools, but the main thrust of the argument is that recent education reform provides few channels for pupil participation.
Sustainability
Authors: Barkin David
Published: March 2007

Today's global economy cannot offer economic opportunities to large numbers of people throughout the world. Many people in the Third World are searching for alternatives, actively building new organizations or strengthening traditional social structures to defend themselves from national governments intent on promoting the globalized production system. If correctly understood, this resistance can become part of a broader effort to build a more just society-a society in which those who are traditionally left out could participate in reversing environmental damage and reducing the social costs of globalization. In this article, the broad outline of an alternative strategy to promote sustainable development emerges from an analysis of the traditional path of rural development in Latin America.
The Psychological Ideas of Amos Tversky and Their Relevance for Political Science
Authors: McDermott Rose
Published: March 2007

Amos Tversky died in 1996. Tversky's professional ideas and contributions revolutionized not only his own field of cognitive psychology, but that of economics as well. The purpose of this article is to systematically outline the meaning and potential significance of Tversky's insights for the study of political science. This discussion centers on three specific foci: judgment under uncertainty; decision-making under risk; and reason-based choice. Two noteworthy points emerge from this review and analysis. First, Tversky's work stresses the importance of reason-based choice, whereby individuals actively seek to generate, understand, and justify their decisions. Second, Tversky's work suggests that people do not act even `as if' they were the value-maximizers they are purported to be by more rationally based theories, such as expected utility. Rather, individuals function as problem-solvers who creatively construct their choices and resolve complex problems which require trade-offs between values and goals. In this way, preferences are created, rather than elicited, within the process and context of choice itself.
The Paradox of Integration in Intra-State Conflicts
Authors: Hadenius Axel , Karvonen Lauri
Published: March 2007

This article examines a seeming paradox in conflict theory. Integration and interdependence between groups is frequently seen as a conflict-preventing mechanism, and ample empirical evidence can be found in support of this view. All the same, it is apparent that conflicts do occasionally break out between interdependent groups and tend to be much more devastating than other conflicts; civil wars offer ample and tragic empirical illustrations. The authors argue that a security dilemma becomes acute in the relations between interdependent groups once the risk of a manifest conflict is there. It becomes imperative to try to strike first because the mutual vulnerability of the groups is so high. In connection with Lijphart's idea of consociationalism, the authors suggest that elite cooperation and power-sharing constitute potential ways out of the security dilemma. The creation of mutually credible, neutral institutions is the key to a lasting settlement of intra-state conflicts.
Problems of Cognition as a Challenge to Policy Analysts and Democratic Societies
Authors: Ostrom Vincent
Published: March 2007

Tocqueville offers an analysis of how cognitive limits and distortions are likely to place democracies at risk. Similar problems exist in policy analysis. Theoretical discourse, which increasingly distances itself from social reality, yields a large gap between theory and practice. A language which specifies elements and relationships for addressing multiple levels and units of analysis in analysing problematical situations and exploring alternative possibilities offers the prospect of being a better, though imperfect, tool for reckoning.
Policy Networks
Authors: Rhodes R. A. W.
Published: March 2007

This article has four objectives: to characterize briefly the literature on policy communities and policy networks; to provide a summary of, and to appraise critically, British contributions to the topic; to identify the problems with the concept; and to suggest future lines of development.
Why the Traditional Distinction between Public and Private Goods Should be Abandoned
Authors: Malkin Jesse , Wildavsky Aaron
Published: March 2007

In this paper we challenge the traditional distinction between public goods and private goods. Economists use a definition of public goods that rests on the inherent properties of the good itself. Referring to criteria such as non-rivalness and non-excludability, they assert that the distinction is fixed in nature and cannot be altered by human observes. We argue that the boundary between public and private goods is socially constructed. That is, what is a public good and what is a private good is not determined by fixed criteria; rather it is decided by society. Thus, what is a public good in one community might be a private good in another. It is this moveable boundary between public and private that makes it essential to analyźe public policy with values up front, not hidden behind the seemingly technical concept of public goods.
Democratization and Constitutional Choices in Czecho-Slovakia, Hungary and Poland 1989-91
Authors: Lijphart Arend
Published: March 2007

Czecho-Slovakia, Hungary and Poland have made different constitutional choices with regard to their new electoral systems (ranging from extreme proportional representation to a moderately majoritarian system) and with regard to parliamentarism-presidentialism (ranging from a semi-presidential to a pure parliamentary system). Stein Rokkan's two explanations of the adoption of proportional representation in Continental Western Europe around 1900, which can be logically extended to the choice of parliamentarism or presidentialism, turn out to be the best explanations for the constitutional choices of the three East European countries around 1990 as well: (1) the logic of democratization which requires a bargain between the old-established parties and the new parties; and (2) the needs of ethnically diverse societies. These factors were reinforced, but not fundamentally determined, by the attachment to single-member district representation, the distrust of political parties, the influence of earlier and foreign democratic models, and inaccurate assessments of partisan strengths.
Direction and Uncertainty in a Model of Issue Voting
Authors: Macdonald Stuart Elaine , Rabinowitz George
Published: March 2007

We extend the directional theory of issue voting from a strictly deterministic model to a model which incorporates voter uncertainty. In the model, each voter has a probability of preferring a given direction of policy with regard to an issue and each party has a probability of pursuing a given policy direction if elected. We examine the implications of the theory for representation and develop the link between directional and proximity theory as models of political change and realignment.
Theoretical Approaches to Social Democracy
Authors: Keman Hans
Published: March 2007

Social democracy has been widely studied in political science. More often than not these studies are flawed or even biased. I contend that this results from the fact that the `object' of analysis has been conceptualized in terms of a `subjective' understanding of social democracy and its presupposed relationship with the development of the welfare state. Hence the theoretical standing of these studies must be questioned. In this article I shall investigate a number of contemporary approaches to assess their theoretical quality. To this end I divide these studies into `project' orientated (focusing on strategic questions concerning the transformation of capitalism) and `model' driven (investigating the relation between political action and societal change). Then I go on to discuss this division in terms of `revisionism' and `reformism'. It appears that much of the literature has little to offer in terms of new insights into social democracy as a political actor and has hardly contributed to the development of a `theory' of social democracy. By way of conclusion I offer some ideas on the development of such a theory.
Further Comments on Penalty and Crime
Authors: Tullock Gordon
Published: March 2007

Punishment is defined as the properly discounted imprisonment that a criminal can expect if he commits a crime. The specific term in prison enacted by the legislature, however, may not deter crime. This is because the prospects for actually serving that sentence are small. Tsebelis apparently believes that the police sabotage legislature acts in order to reach their own goals. Assuming that the police are free from supervision that might be true, but the assumption is false.
The Political Economy of the Automobile - A Fifth Approach Transient Physical Neo-Postdistanciationalist Theory
Authors: Clavicle Hiram Q. , Patella H. G.W.J.G.C.
Published: March 2007

This is probably the most important article in political science of the post-war period. It argues that the theory of transient physical neo-postdistanciationalism can explain everything in need of explanation in politics and things that need no explanation at all. The theory is parsimonious yet powerful, and solves some timeless mysteries of human existence, including the theory of escalators, ball point pens, and Murphy's Law Number 283.
Center Parties and Systemic Polarization
Authors: Hazan Reuven Y.
Published: March 2007

This paper argues that strong center parties may lead to polarization, not moderation, and that we must reassess our assumptions regarding their contribution to healthy democratic systems. The relationship between the parliamentary strength of center parties and the level of party system polarization is examined with electoral data from 10 Western European countries between 1979 and 1989. The results show that as the center's share of parliamentary seats increases, this convergence of voters is offset by another concurrent trend which keeps the level of party system polarization constant. Two theoretical explanations are posited: as the center parties expand either the extremist parties increase as well, or an outward movement of parties takes place. Both theoretical explanations are tested empirically, and both are validated. The paper concludes with a theoretical assessment of these findings - and the crucial differences between the two explanations - for electoral competition, governmental durability, and democratic stability.
Relations between State, Capital and Labour in South Africa: Towards Corporatism?
Authors: Pretorius Louwrens
Published: March 2007

This article describes corporatist tendencies in South Africa and attempts an assessment of the future of corporatism in the country. Attention is given to general features of relations between state, capital and labour. The prospects for corporatism are explored by reviewing the history of corporatism in South Africa and by considering the views of activists and analysts, as well as salient structural features of institutions for interest representation and the participating organizations.
Power and Political Coordination in American and German Multi-Chamber Legislation
Authors: König Thomas , Bräuninger Thomas
Published: March 2007

Power in American and German multi-chamber legislation is determined either by an inter-institutional or an internal coalition problem of all inter-linked chambers. Hence, the complexity of multi-chamber systems relies on different subgames, different types of decision rules and different types of actors. Since collective actors such as parliaments or parliamentary chambers may not act as unitary actors, we examine the power distribution in both types of multi-chamber legislation by a game-theoretical method with regard to institutional settings and specific legislative schemes. We argue that the Shapley index is the most appropriate method for the comparative analysis of multi-chamber power. Our `parallel' research strategy is, thus, based on individual and corporate Shapley power shares which are subsequently added to collective chamber power. Our comparison of American and German legislation starts with an analysis of two-chamber parliamentary bargaining. Whereas this application corresponds to the bicameral parliamentary decision stage of conciliation and amending, our second application of Policy Leadership studies the checks-and-balances of all executive and legislative chamber actors. A third application is related to the situation of unified and divided government, and here we examine the power effects of institutional settings and party-oriented strategies in both types of multi-chamber legislation. In Germany, unified government excludes opposition actors, whereas American unified and divided government refers to the president's role in multi-chamber legislation.
Asymmetric Information, Delegation, and the Structure of Policy-Making
Authors: Epstein David , O'Halloran Sharyn
Published: March 2007

Congress uses varying degrees of specificity when passing legislation. Sometimes it writes very detailed, exacting laws; other times it leaves these details to implementing agencies. A natural positive question then arises: what factors are critical for understanding the degree of delegation used by Congress in a particular circumstance? This paper exploits the tradeoff between the distributive and informational effects of organizational design to examine congressional delegation. We argue that variations in the relative preferences of committee, floor (congressional median voter), and executive actors cause a rational floor voter to choose different forms of collective decision making. We find that homogeneity of committee-floor preferences leads to less delegation, while preference homogeneity between Congress and the executive leads to more delegation. We also argue that delegation emerges when actors are more risk averse or when the uncertainty characterizing the collective choice environment is large. We develop our logic using a game theoretic model of the policy-making process and draw out the empirical implications of our approach.
Memoro-politics, trauma and the soul
Authors: Hacking Ian
Published: March 2007

The mind very often sets itself on work in search of some hidden idea, and turns as it were the eye of the soul upon it; though sometimes too they start up in our minds of their own accord, and offer themselves to the understanding; and very often are roused and tumbled out of their dark cells into open daylight, by turbulent and tempestuous passions; our affections bringing ideas to our memory, which had otherwise lain quiet and unregarded. (Locke, Essay concerning Human Understanding, II.x.7)
A so-called 'fraud': moral modulations in a literary scandal
Authors: Lynch Michael
Published: March 2007

Physicist Alan Sokal achieved a moment of fame by announcing that he had succeeded in publishing an article in the cultural studies journal Social Text, which was 'sprinkled with nonsense' about developments in quantum gravity physics that supposedly converge with post- modernist themes. Sokal announced his hoax in an article in the liter ary magazine Lingua Franca. This touched off an intense flurry of commentary. Many commentators praised Sokal for exposing shoddy editorial standards in the cultural studies field, while others denounced him for committing scientific fraud. With few exceptions, both Sokal's celebrants and detractors accepted his claim that he did not believe what he said in the Social Text article. Under the circumstances, it is puzzling that they took seriously what he said in Lingua Franca, and did not con sider that he was once again 'successfully pretending to be himself'. In this paper, I suggest that the Lingua Franca article also achieved a parody, and that those who took Sokal seriously were once again taken in by the voice of scientific authority.
"Many routes enter the market place": housing submarkets for the urban poor in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Aina Tade Akin
Published: March 2007

"Many routes enter the market place"-housing sub-markets for the urban poor in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria highlights the diverse ways in which poorer groups find accommodation in Lagos, sub-Saharan Africa's largest city. The first sections describe the different kinds of 'popular settlement' and how people build, purchase or rent accommodation there. They also outline other unconventional options-for instance the shops, stalls, warehouses and garages where employees and apprentices sleep. Later sections describe the housing submarkets and conditions in a low-income settlement and discuss issues such as ownership of land and structures and the often complex relationships between landowners, landlords (who rent land but own the housing), landlords' agents and tenants.