bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Globalization of Production and Women in Asia
Authors: Gills Dong-Sook S.
Published: July 2017

Globalization of production represents a new organization of production processes, accompanied by technological advances and neoliberal ideology, which emphasizes the separation of politics from economics. Emanating from these changes, labor relations are being altered, in particular by world trends of the flexibilization and feminization of labor. Women's labor constitutes a foundation of the international competitiveness of most Asian countries. The forces of economic globalization expose women in Asia to diverse mechanisms of exploitation in complex ways. There is no single pattern but rather an array of complex ways in which gender hierarchy, national capital, foreign capital, and the state negotiate and adapt to globalization. Women's social movements have been part of the social actions that have strengthened the counterhegemonic movements against capital-led economic globalization. Women's labor is an important social force that can resist neoliberal global trends and contribute to an alternative globalization based on democratization and greater social inclusion.
Predatory Globalization and Democracy in the Islamic World
Authors: Pasha Mustapha Kamal
Published: July 2017

The rise of Islamic activism worldwide, including the appearance of illiberal politics in Islamic cultural areas (ICAs), is usually seen as a reaction to globalizing modernization. Based on the assumption of an elective affinity between Western cultural assets and liberal democracy, most analysts neglect to see globalization, particularly, in its predatory form, as a constitutive condition of Islamism. Accentuating the cultural divide within ICAs, predatory globalization strives to constrict political space for democratic expression. The growing disconnect between an already fractured political community and an increasingly illegitimate state provides Islamicists the opening to capture key institutions in civil society or to create alternative avenues of communal identity, participation, and civic action. Prospects for building a liberal democratic order hinge mainly on a resolution of the internal dialectic within ICAs. The unstoppable march of predatory globalization, however, appears unlikely to yield either the political space or the historical time to bridge the deep chasm within ICAs.
Democratizing Globalization and Globalizing Democracy
Authors: Gills Barry K.
Published: July 2017

The article begins with a critique of the failure of the present world order, based on its exclusivity and reliance on a traditional international relations paradigm, including nationalism and cultural particularism. The post-cold war impetus toward universal liberalism has brought about conditions rendering this paradigm untenable. Globalization requires a new political order if universal economic liberalism is to be stable. However, there remains a clash of paradigms rather than a clash of civilizations, and a new balance is needed between realist, liberal, and Marxist paradigms. An alternative world order will require democratizing globalization and globalizing democracy and will rest on articulating radical new conceptions and practices of citizenship bridging local, national, regional, and global political spaces. New concepts and values such as global justice, global solidarity, global democracy, and global citizenship are taking form and informing the course of the democratic revolution on the global scale.
Decriminalization of Drug Use in Portugal: The Development of a Policy
Authors: Van Het Loo Mirjam , Van Beusekom Ineke , Kahan James P.
Published: July 2017

Drug use is an increasing problem in Portugal. In response, following the advice of a select committee, the Portuguese government has recently issued a number of laws implementing a strong harm-reductionistic orientation. The flagship of these laws is the decriminalization of the use and possession for use of drugs. Use and possession for use are now only administrative offenses; no distinction is made between different types of drugs (hard vs. soft drugs) or whether consumption is private or in public. Although most people favor decriminalization in principle, doubts have been expressed about the way the law will be implemented because the law only sets a framework for those communities that wish to undertake such activities--it is an enabling law. This has led to a considerable lack of clarity and increases the risk of dissimilarity of implementation in different parts of the country. The future will show the effects.
Harm Minimization in a Prohibition Context—Australia
Authors: Bammer Gabriele , Hall Wayne , Hamilton Margaret , Ali Robert
Published: July 2017

Australia ranks high internationally in the prevalence of cannabis and other illicit drug use, with the prevalence of all illicit drug use increasing since the 1970s. There are two distinctive features associated with harms from injecting drug use--high rates of death from heroin overdose and low rates of HIV infection. Australia has largely avoided a punitive and moralistic drug policy, developing instead harm minimization strategies and a robust treatment framework embedded in a strong law enforcement regime. Two illustrations of Australian drug policy are presented: legislation that provides for the expiation of simple cannabis offences by payment of a fine and the widespread implementation of agonist maintenance treatment for heroin dependence.
Science, Ideology, and Needle Exchange Programs
Authors: Schechter Martin T.
Published: July 2017

Needle exchange programs (NEPs) to prevent HIV transmission among injection drug users are accepted in many countries but remain at the center of heated debate in the United States. In 1997, the author published a study of injection drug users in Vancouver showing an explosive outbreak of HIV. An incidental finding was higher HIV rates among frequent attendees of the local NEP. While this was expected because NEPs attract users at highest risk, opponents of needle exchange applied an unsupportable causal interpretation to this finding. If frequent NEP attendees had higher HIV rates, so the interpretation went, NEPs must be responsible for promoting the spread of HIV. Despite the author's admonitions against this misinterpretation of the data, it was used as part of a successful campaign to oppose U.S. federal funding of needle exchange. Regrettably, biased or even misleading interpretations often occur in the volatile interface of imperfect science and ideological debate.
The Drug Market in Iran
Authors: Raisdana Fariborz , Nakhjavani Ahmad Gharavi
Published: July 2017

This article reviews the history of the opium and heroin market in Iran, presents recent figures on the economics of drug trafficking, summarizes factors that influence supply and demand, and quantitatively analyzes the market. It analyzes economic causes and motives of supply and demand, plus risk of seizure, and the socioeconomic characteristics of consumers and retailers. All these factors support conclusions about price trends, their causes and results, the function of the market and the individual motives of its people of the different socioeconomic groups, particularly the youth.
Integrating Environmental Justice and the Precautionary Principle in Research and Policy Making: The Case of Ambient Air Toxics Exposures and Health Risks among Schoolchildren in Los Angeles
Authors: Morello-Frosch Rachel , Pastor Manuel , Sadd James
Published: July 2017

Two policy frameworks, environmental justice and the precautionary principle, have begun to transform traditional approaches to environmental policy making and community organizing related to public health. Despite having several important overlapping policy goals, little effort has been made to purposefully integrate these two frameworks. This article discusses preliminary research on environmental inequality in ambient air toxics exposures and associated health risks among schoolchildren in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Results indicate that children of color, namely, Latinos and African Americans, bear the highest burden of estimated cancer and noncancer health risks associated with ambient air toxics exposures while they are in school. The implications of these study results for controversial policy decisions related to school siting and construction in urban districts are discussed within the context of environmental justice and the precautionary principle.
The Precautionary Principle and Public Health Trade-Offs: Case Study of West Nile Virus
Authors: Tickner Joel A.
Published: July 2017

During the summer of 1999, the West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne virus, made its first appearance in North America. Public health officials throughout New England were forced to quickly respond to a novel threat, in many cases resorting to pesticide spraying that carried real but uncertain risks. This article explores the tensions faced by public health officials when making decisions regarding uncertain risks, particularly when there might be trade-offs between those risks. It examines the role of the precautionary principle--a guide to decision making under uncertainty--in trying to mediate these trade-offs. It is concluded that by exploring and implementing a wide range of preventive options, including a broad range of perspectives in decision-making processes, using a multidisciplinary scientific lens and systems perspective to examine risks, and developing methods to monitor public health interventions for signals of problems, such trade-offs can be minimized or avoided in a truly precautionary manner.
Biotechnology at the Dinner Table: FDA's Oversight of Transgenic Food
Authors: Krimsky Sheldon , Murphy Nora K.
Published: July 2017

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has statutory authority for protecting the safety and quality of the food supply, provides the oversight for genetically modified foods cultivated and marketed within the American agricultural system. This article examines the FDA's policies on genetically modified foods including its voluntary consultation program and its proposed rule on premarket notification and data submission. The FDA's consultations of foods modified for delayed ripening and herbicide tolerance are reviewed. The article also discusses the FDA's science-based approach for evaluating whether there are any potential adverse health effects of genetically modified food products. The agency has chosen an approach to risk assessment that takes account of both product characteristics and the process through which the food is developed.
Should One Start or Continue a Line of Research? Stakeholders' Interests and Ethical Frameworks Give Different Answers
Authors: Neutra Raymond Richard
Published: July 2017

Society often turns to scientists to decide what research should be done, but the author has observed that scientists bring different interests and ethical frameworks to this decision than do other societal stakeholders. These differences are described. When there are public policy arguments about whether to start or maintain a line of public interest research, it is important to make explicit the interests and assumptions of the various stakeholders, including the scientists, and to let this information inform the public policy discussion.
Corporate Responsibility for Toxins
Authors: Markowitz Gerald , Rosner David
Published: July 2017

From the beginning of its history, industry has responded to calls for government regulation by arguing that voluntary compliance was sufficient to ensure that it acted responsibly. Here we outline three cases that raise broad policy questions concerning the degree to which we can trust industry to control its own behavior with regard to industrial pollutants. First, we outline the experience of Americans with the lead industry, the producer of a well-known industrial toxin. Second, we look at the silica-using industries, whose central mineral caused innumerable deaths and disabilities to exposed workers in the 1930s. Finally, we trace the efforts of the plastics industry to keep knowledge about the carcinogenic potential of vinyl chloride secret from the government.
The Cost of Caring
Authors: England Paula , Folbre Nancy
Published: July 2017

Caring work involves providing a face-to-face service to recipients in jobs such as child care, teaching, therapy, and nursing. Such jobs offer low pay relative to their requirements for education and skill. What explains the penalty for doing caring work? Because caring labor is associated with women, cultural sexism militates against recognizing the value of the work. Also, the intrinsic reward people receive from helping others may allow employers to fill the jobs for lower pay. Caring labor creates public goods--widespread benefits that accrue even to those who pay nothing. For example, if children learn skills and discipline from teachers, the children's future employers benefit, with no market mechanism to make the pay given to care workers reflect these benefits. Even when the public or not-for-profit sectors do step in to hire people to provide such services for those too poor to pay, the pay is limited by how much decision makers really care about the poor. Finally, the fact that people feel queasy about putting a price on something as sacred as care limits the pay offered--as paradoxical as it is to pay less for something when it is seen as infinitely valuable!
Police Force or Police Service? Gender and Emotional Labor
Authors: Martin Susan Ehrlich
Published: July 2017

Police work involves substantial emotional labor by officers, who must control their own emotional displays and those of citizens, who often are encountered at their worst—injured, upset, or angry. Although policing often is viewed as masculine work that focuses on fighting crime, it also requires that officers maintain order and provide diverse services, which officers tend to disdain as feminine activities. This article explores the varieties of emotional labor, the rules regulating emotional displays in policing, and the role of gender in shaping these occupational and organizational norms. It identifies variations in the norms regulating emotional labor across policing assignments, interactional situations, and the gender of both the officers and the citizens in an encounter. It also reviews coping mechanisms for regulating emotions—including socialization, organizational rituals, humor, and off-duty social activities—and the dilemmas that norms related to emotional labor pose for women officers.
Emotional Labor in Job Evaluation: Redesigning Compensation Practices
Authors: Steinberg Ronnie J.
Published: July 2017

Few client-oriented organizations compensate those who perform emotional labor. Traditional job evaluation systems, used by employers to construct a wage hierarchy, fail to recognize the value of emotional labor. Through the pay equity movement, this bias was identified. This article offers a technical attempt to design a new job content questionnaire and evaluation framework that measure the actual tasks, activities, and situations in which incumbents of differentially female jobs perform emotional labor. Four general dimensions of emotional labor are discussed: human relations skills, communication skills, emotional effort, and responsibility for client well-being. These instruments offer the most detailed measurement of the components of emotional labor available and represent a starting point for refinement of this increasingly important type of work.
Diffusion of Tobacco Control in North America
Authors: Studlar Donley T.
Published: July 2017

Tobacco control has grown enormously across advanced industrial countries over the past two decades. This article assesses the process of the diffusion, by networks, of innovations in tobacco control both within Canada, sometimes considered a world leader in tobacco control, and across the border with the United States. Advocacy groups, both governmental and nongovernmental, have had a role in spreading ideas about tobacco control from one jurisdiction to another, on both the federal and state/provincial level. In contrast to the usual North American pattern of public policy leadership by the United States, followed by Canada, in tobacco control the identity of the leader and follower varies, as does the level at which leadership is exercised.
Morality Policy Reinvention: State Death Penalties
Authors: Mooney Christopher Z. , Lee Mei-Hsien
Published: July 2017

How does morality policy change as it diffuses? Social learning theory holds that later adopters learn from earlier adoptions to modify, or reinvent, a policy to fit their needs better. But because of its technical simplicity, saliency, and conflicts of basic values, morality policy may not be amenable to policy learning. We develop and test three reinvention hypotheses reflecting distinct roles for learning. Our analysis of U.S. state death penalty policy supports each hypothesis but under different political conditions. We conclude that, when possible, policymakers make morality policy in their usual way, by incremental steps and learning from previous adoptions. But when basic moral conflicts surface, considerations other than policy learning drive reinvention.
From the Streets to the Internet: The Cyber-Diffusion of Contention
Authors: Ayres Jeffrey M.
Published: July 2017

The Internet has been widely credited with sparking a revolution in everything from consumer shopping habits and the management of stock portfolios to the practice of popular democracy. It is also leaving its mark on the dynamics of popular contention. Political protest traditionally relied heavily on claims makers' gathering in the streets to contest power holders. The Internet is altering this dynamic by electronically promoting the diffusion of protest ideas and tactics efficiently and quickly across the globe. Less concerned with such constraints as time and geographic space, it has caught policymakers off guard with its ease of public accessibility and immediacy of impact. This cyber-diffusion, however, has a cautionary side: while significantly enhancing the potential for disparate individuals and groups to collectively pool resources and strategy, the Internet also holds the power to turn unreliable and unverifiable information into a global electronic riot.
Empirical Bayes Estimation of Certain Estimable Parameters of Degree Two
Authors: Tiwari Ram C. , Zalkikar Jyoti N.
Published: July 2017

Using empirical Bayes framework of Korwar and Hollander (1976), a sequence of empirical Bayes estimators is defined for estimating certain estimable parameters of degree two. Asymptotic optimality of the sequence relative to Ferguson Dirichlet process prior is established. Exact risk expressiona are derived.
On Calinski's Property in Row-And-Column Designs
Authors: Ceranka Bronislaw , Kozlowska Maria
Published: July 2017

Row- and-column designs having a property described in Pal (1977), referred to herein as C-property, are considered in general. A neccessary and sufficient condition for a row-and-column design to have C-property is derived.
Construction of α-Resolvable PBIB Designs
Authors: Kageyama Sanpei , Mohan R. N.
Published: July 2017

We present two construction methods of (affine) α-resolvable 2- or 3-associate partially balanced incomplete block (PBIB) designs, which may have a new block structure.
Systems of Double Sampling Plans for Fixed Sample Sizes
Authors: Majumdar Anup
Published: July 2017

In situations where sample sizes are fixed from economic, administrative or other practical reasons, decision parameters for a double sampling plan may be determined such that the sum of producer's risk and the consumer's risk is minimised. The paper presents the necessary results for constructing double sampling plans for such systems.
Merging of Treatments in Certain Partially Efficiency Balanced Block Designs with Two Different Numbers of Replications
Authors: Ceranka B. , Mejza S.
Published: July 2017

A procedure of construction merging treatments in balanced block designs with two different numbers of replications (an alternative name of inter-and intra-group balanced designs) is considered from the point of view of the concept of partially efficiency balanced block designs. It is proved that the designs considered belong to block designs with at most three efficiency classes.
A Regression-Type Estimator in Two-Stage Sampling
Authors: Sahoo L. N.
Published: July 2017

A regression-type estimator in two-stage sampling is considered when the auxiliary information is available for the first-stage units in the population. The suggested estimator is found to be more efficient than the regression estimator suggested by Sukhatme et al. (1984).
On the Sequential Detection Problem
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Uttam
Published: July 2017

In this paper, for an infinite sequence of independent random variables, we have considered the problem of estimation of an unknown point ( q) where a change in the distribution of the random variables occurs. Attaching suitable scores for the observed values. of the random variables, a stopping rule based on the cumulative sums of these scores has been proposed. Some asymptotic results useful for studying the performance of the proposed procedure havo beon obtained.
The Cummulants and an Exact Expression of Generalized Logistic Distribution
Authors: Singh Karan P.
Published: July 2017

A generalization of the logistic distribution proposed by Prentice (1975) is very useful for approximating the continuoui distributions and for data analysis. In this paper, an expression for the rth cumulant of the generalization is derived. The generalized logistic (GL) distribution of Prentice (1975) can be expressed as an incomplete beta function. In particular when both shape parameters are integers, the cumulative GL distribution function can be simply expressed as a sum of binomial probabilities. The exact expression of the cumulative GL distribution function when one of the shape parameters is not an integer is derived.
Characterization of Some Discrete Models by Properties of Residual Life Function
Authors: Hitha N. , Nair N. Unnikrishnan
Published: July 2017

In this article tho geometric, negative hyper geometric, Warning aod uniform distributions are characterized in terms of certain properties of the residual life function.
A Note on the Variance of the Uniformly­Minimum Variance­Unbiased­Estimator of the Reliability Function of Exponential Life Distributions
Authors: Sinha S. K.
Published: July 2017

We obtain the upper bound to the uniformly­minimum­variance­unbiased estimator of the reliability function of the exponential life distributions.
Blocking with Rotatable Designs
Authors: Khuri A. I.
Published: July 2017

The article considers the effect of blocking on the rotatability property of a response surface design. It is shown that unless the blocks are chosen in a particular manner, a rotatable design may become nonrotatable under blocking. If, however, the rotatable design also blocks orthogonally, then rotatability is preserved. More general conditions for maintaining rotatability with blocking are given. We call such a property block rotatabtlity,

AMS Subject Classification: Primary 62Kl0; Secondary 62JOS.
A CLT When Summands Come Randomly from r Populations
Authors: Dattatraya Kirkire Prashant
Published: July 2017

Let { Xn} be a sequence of mutually independent random variables (r.v.s.) defined on a probability space ( Ω, β, P) with respective distribution functions (d.f.s.) { Fn }, all of which belong to the domain of normal attraction of a symmetric stable law with characteristic exponent a, 0 < a⩽2. Suppose further that at most r of the d.f.s. { Fn } are distinct, i.e. Fn ε { G1, G2,... Gr}.

A Central Limit Theorem type result is proved when the number of variables among { X1 , X2, ... , Xn} that follow a Gj is a r.v. satisfying certain conditions.
A Condition of Balance in a Connected Block Design
Authors: Siatkowski Idzi
Published: July 2017

For a general balance, defined by Calii!ski (1977), of a connected block design a necessary and sufficient condition is given.
Decomposing the Marginal Homogeneity Model into Two Models for Square Contingency Tables with Ordered Categories
Authors: Tomizawa Sadao
Published: July 2017

For square contingency tables with ordered categories, this paper decomposes the well-known marginal homogeneity (MH) model (Stuart 1955) into an extended MH model and the model of equality of row and column marginal means. When the MH model fits the data poorly, this decomposition may be useful for knowing the reason why the MH model fits the data poorly. Such examples are given.
Marginal Distribution of a p-th order Integer Valued Autoregressive (Inar(p)) Process Having Minification Structure
Authors: Jayakumar K.
Published: July 2017

A pth order integer valued autoregressive process having minification structure is introduced and its solution, in the stationary case, is obtatned. This result gives rise to a characterization of the well known discrete Pareto type III (ZipfIII) distribution.
Estimation of Variance of Regression Estimator in two Phase Sampling
Authors: Singh Sarjinder
Published: July 2017

In the present investigation, an improved strategy in two phase sampling for estimating the variance of the regression estimator has been developed. The proposed technique has been found to be more efficient than the strategy adopted by Hidiroglou and Sarndal (1995, 1998). The proposed strategy here is analogous to the higher order calibration approach proposed by Singh, Horn and Yu (1998). Many new estimators for estimating the variance of regression estimator have been studied theoretically as well as empirically.

AMS (2000) Subject Classification: Primary 62D05; Secondary 62F10.
Petrological Mixing ­ A Regression Approach
Authors: Chatterjee Aditya , Sarkar Subho Sankar , Nandi Suvas
Published: July 2017

The geochemical processes of fractional crystallization of a magma, partial fusion of a rock and assimilation or hybridization of rock(s) and/or magma(s) are generally termed as petrological mixing process. In the present paper a unified attempt has been made to describe the three processes under the purview of regression model. As the data involved are essentially compositional in nature, their suitable log-ratio transforms have been utilized and the constrained least squares principle has been applied to reach a meaningful solution. A highly accommodative procedure is suggested so as to describe any specified d~gree of fractional crystallization of magma or of partial fusion of a rock. The paper concludes with applications of the proposed method on data available from i) Rajmahal Trap, Eastern India (fractional crystallization) ii) Bihar Mica Belt, Eastern India (partial fusion) and iii) Kilauea Volcano, Hawai (formation of hybrid magma).

AMS (2000} Subject Classification: Primary: 62J05, 62P99; Secondary: 90C20.
Estimation of the Scale Parameter of Generalized Exponential Distribution Using Order Statistics
Authors: Thomas P. Yageen , Sreekumar N. V.
Published: July 2017

In this paper we have developed an estimator for the scale parameter of generalized exponential distribution using an appropriate Ustatistic defined by the Best Linear Unbiased Estimator (BLUE) based on order statistics of a random sample of size 2 as the kernel. We have compared our estimator with the maximum likelihood estimator and an unbiased estimator based on sample mean.
Discrete Models Characterized by Bivariate Conditional Mean Residual Life
Authors: Asha G. , Nair N. Unnikrishnan , Sankaran P. G.
Published: July 2017

The concept of the univariate mean residual life (mrl) function is generalized to the bivariate case in the discrete set up and its properties are studied. This bivariate mrl is utilized to characterize bivariate distributions by its functional form .
Distribution of Parallelism
Authors: Dasgupta Ratan
Published: July 2017

The distribution of some characteristics of industrial jobs e.g. the distribution of parallelism are often approximated by the folded normal distribution. Under certain conditions, we shall derive the distribution of parallelism and fit a real data set to the theoretical distribution.
Evaluating HIV prevention for women prostitutes in Cardiff
Authors: Blakey Virginia , Frankland Jane
Published: July 2017

This paper presents an evaluation of a pilot project aimed at reducing HIV transmission risks among women prostitutes and their clients in Cardiff. The project was implemented by the South Glamorgan Community Drug Team, and was funded and monitored by Health Promotion Wales. The paper reviews the project's success in meeting its objectives in terms of building contacts with the client group; assessing their needs in terms of HIV prevention; carrying out an appropriate programme of health education; and achieving referrals to other health and welfare agencies. It concludes with a discussion of the lessons that can be learned from the project.
A survey of condom distribution throughout general practice in Camden and Islington
Authors: Parham Alan , Turner Bridget , Yarwood Joanne
Published: July 2017

The Medical Audit Advisory Group (MAAG) survey reports on the Camden and Islington Family Health Services Authority (FHSA) initiative in 1993/4 to distribute free condoms to general practices. Ninety-two practices were contacted and 49 were visited. Practice nurses appear to be taking a major role in distributing the condoms. Distribution, education and advertising were identified as the main issues challenging the practices. More advertising may improve patient choice and increase distribution in terms of the Health of the Nation goals. Educational provision needs to be developed to maximise the investment already made in the initiative.
Suicide, Violence and Child Abuse: A Review of the Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Social Problems
Authors: Rossow Ingeborg
Published: July 2017

The literature on empirical studies of alcohol consumption and its impact on three categories of social problems—suicide, violence, and child abuse—is reviewed. A large literature on alcohol consumption and its impact on suicide and violence comprises empirical studies applying various methods and designs. The rather consistent findings across these studies show that more drinking is associated with a higher risk of experiencing suicidal behavior or violence. Moreover, frequent intoxication seems to be a key factor in alcohol's role in suicide and violence. The empirical studies on alcohol consumption and child abuse are less extensive, the findings are less consistent in demonstrating an association, and many studies have been met with methodological criticism. This is clearly an area where more research, applying various and strong designs, is needed. More knowledge on how and why alcohol consumption is associated with these social problems should also be among future research challenges.
The Changing Field of Preventing Alcohol and Drug Problems in Finland: Can Community-Based Work be the Solution?
Authors: Holmila Marja
Published: July 2017

This paper analyzes the changing environment of community-based prevention and its evaluation research in Finland. The last ten years have changed the field considerably, and the field of preventive work is being reorganized on both the state level and the local level. The paper shows that growing expectations are directed to the local level, while the national-level policies are being dismantled. The development of community-based prevention research in Finland is also described, and the situation at the beginning of the 1990s is compared with that in 1997.

There is considerable demand for increased professionalism, knowledge, clarity of organization, evaluation and research if preventive work is to respond to any of the expectations directed toward it. Good scientific analyses and evaluation of preventive action offer the challenge for future research.
Between Culture and Nature: Intoxication in Cultural Studies of Alcohol and Drug Use
Authors: Sulkunen Pekka
Published: July 2017

Theoretical attempts to formulate cultural theories of drinking and drug use have traditionally stemmed from norm theory or functionalism. These tend to reduce drinking and drug practices to intoxication alone or to neglect intoxication altogether. The semiotic turn in the 1980s brought “meaning” to the focus of cultural studies. This article proposes, following Bruno Latour, that cultural practices and discourses should be seen as translations of each other. Intoxication is a proto-semiotic fact between culture and nature, not being completely meaningful but not possible without meanings either. This is the reason why images of intoxication are powerful translations of social relationships and the relationships between humans and nature. It is especially powerful language to articulate status distinctions that are shaky or confused, such as between youths and adults.
Young People in a Wet Culture: Functions and Patterns of Drinking
Authors: Beccaria Franca , Guidoni Odillo Vidoni
Published: July 2017

In this paper we take into consideration data from three qualitative research studies on young people and alcohol carried out in Italy from 1997 to 1999. We analyze these data searching for meanings and functions of alcohol consumption and abuse in youth subcultures in a wet society, with particular attention to the functions of the peer group: drinking socialization, abuse control, gender role and drinking styles. In addition, we analyze whether current research and health-promotion projects mainly underlining the damages caused to young people by drinking are right, or if there are also positive drinking aspects that could be useful in prevention actions.
Attitudes toward Alcohol Policy in Six EU Countries
Authors: Hemström Örjan
Published: July 2017

This study explores differences between Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy regarding public attitudes toward alcohol control policy (measured by a statement that the government has a responsibility to keep down how much people drink). Cross-national representative samples of around 1,000 respondents 18–64 years old in each country were analyzed. A large majority of people in Italy and Sweden (about 75%) supported governmental responsibility for alcohol control. This was the case for 60% in France and for 48% in the UK, whereas in Finland and Germany those who were supportive constituted a minority (38% and 29%). After controlling for social factors in logistic regressions, this pattern was unaltered and clearly significant. The attitude was strongly related to alcohol consumption: in all six countries, non-drinkers and low consumers were most supportive and high consumers least supportive. Limitations of the data and potential explanations of the findings are discussed.
A Study of the Alcohol Policy Development Process in the United States: Theory, Goals, and Methods
Authors: Greenfield Thomas K. , Giesbrecht Norman , Kaskutas Lee Ann , Johnson Suzanne , Kavanagh Lynn , Anglin Lise
Published: July 2017

The project identified factors influencing U.S. federal alcohol policy formation and especially the role of research. It explored the applicability of John Kingdon's “Policy Stream” model involving three interacting policy streams: problem recognition, policy alternatives, and politics. Each stream is necessary but insufficient for policy formation, and coupling streams in “windows of opportunity” is a key to moving legislation. Federal alcohol-policy cases studied included excise taxes, alcohol promotion policies, federal agency reauthorization, and federally mandated health warnings. Data sources included key-informant interviewing with snowball sampling and archival data. We qualitatively analyzed government documents, scientific journals, print and electronic media, trade magazines, and newsletters. Sixty-four in-depth interviews were completed with public health activists, alcohol industry representatives, researchers, journalists, and people in executive and legislative branches of the government. We summarize methods used and challenges overcome, and provides an overview of the project's activities, with results detailed elsewhere in this special issue.
The Alcohol Policy Development Process: Policymakers Speak
Authors: Greenfield Thomas K. , Johnson Suzanne P. , Giesbrecht Norman
Published: July 2017

We investigate the policymaking activities of members of the federal alcohol-policy community, including efforts to raise issues on the agenda, develop policy alternatives, and influence political decisions. Qualitative data (observations, attitudes, and activities in relation to alcohol policymaking dynamics) from 64 key-informant interviews inform this analysis of strategies and tactics. The paper draws on archival data, including interest-group newsletters and government documents. It describes the various perspectives from which Congress, federal agencies, industry groups (alcohol producers, national trade organizations, broadcasters, and advertisers), public health activist organizations, researchers, and journalists view the process of federal-level alcohol policymaking. While there are considerable differences in problem-framing strategies and paradigms, alcohol policymakers view the dynamics in ways consistent with political scientists' theories based on general health policy. Insights gained have the potential to improve understanding of public policymaking in the alcohol area and could help to advance public health policy objectives.
Division in the Ranks: An Analysis of Alliances and Dissension in the Alcohol Industry and Advocacy Communities
Authors: Kaskutas Lee Ann
Published: July 2017

Neither the alcohol industry nor the advocacy community is a monolithic entity. Dominant industry players include beer, wine, and distilled spirits manufacturers, who compete for consumers. The public health advocacy community often competes for state and federal budget allocations against other health issues as well as among themselves. This paper describes the relationships within and between the alcohol industry and the advocacy worlds and explores underlying reasons for the divisiveness and cohesion that exist among the players. Findings are based on 64 in-depth qualitative interviews with key informants in these communities. The differing positions that players take on a variety of alcohol control policies stem from assumptions and historical events as well as from shifting priorities of the public and politicians. The industry is divided on global environmental policies like taxation and television advertising, while the public health community demonstrates fragmentation in its valuation of key targeted policies, such as responsible beverage service and underage drinking programs.
The 2003 Slovenian Alcohol Policy: Background, Supporters, and Opponents
Authors: Snowden Aleksandra J. , Pridemore William Alex
Published: July 2017

High levels of wine, beer, and spirits consumption have historically characterized Slovenian drinking culture. The geographical location of the country provides an ideal environment for wine production, historical ties with the Austro-Hungarian Empire contribute to the tradition of beer drinking, and the custom of home distilling has resulted in a considerable level of spirits consumption. This combination of factors contributes to the high level and cultural acceptance of alcohol consumption in Slovenia. Alcohol-related harm in Slovenia was recognized as a problem as early as 1834, and since then Slovenian public health experts have implemented various programs and policies in an attempt to reduce alcohol-related harm and alcohol consumption in general. A report published by Slovenian public health experts and presented to the Slovenian Ministry of Health in the late 1990s showed that alcohol consumption and related harm were among the highest in the European region, and that there was a need for a policy to reduce consumption and alcohol-related harm in the country. This article outlines the events leading up to this policy. Although business interests and some politicians and public health experts opposed the policy, it was passed by the Slovenian National Assembly on January 28, 2003. Descriptive data revealing a subsequent decrease in the rate of registered alcohol consumption and in deaths due to liver disease, cirrhosis, and suicide may represent preliminary indicators of the effective implementation of the Act.
Under-Estimation of Alcohol Consumption among Women At-Risk for Drinking during Pregnancy
Authors: Witbrodt Jane , Kaskutas Lee Ann , Korcha Rachael , Armstrong Mary Anne
Published: July 2017

This study adds to a growing literature showing that definitions for “standard drinks” are often difficult to conceptualize and that people often underestimate their actual drink sizes. As part of an intervention aimed at reducing negative neonatal and maternal outcomes, insured at-risk women were asked to identify the vessels from which they drank each of six beverages (n=266). We calculated differences between their actual and standard drink sizes. Additionally, differences were compared to those reported in an earlier study of uninsured inner city minority women that used identical vessels methodology. Over half of the spirits, fortified wine and malt liquor drinkers underestimated the actual number of ounces their drinks contained. Most spirits drinkers (90%) and approximately three-quarters of the wine and malt liquor drinkers drank larger-than-standard drink sizes, with the median drink size 1.5 to 2.0 times larger than the standard size for those beverages. Heavier drinkers (≥3 drinks per sitting) were more likely than lighter drinkers to underestimate their drink sizes. Findings were similar to those in the previous study using identical drink size measurements. Accurately assessing true drink sizes is underscored when the social, health and epidemiologic consequences associated with miscalculation are considered.
Structural and Personal Factors Related to Access to Housing and Housing Stability among Urban Drug Users in Hartford, Connecticut
Authors: Dickson-Gomez Julia , Convey Mark , Hilario Helena , Corbett A. Michelle , Weeks Margaret
Published: July 2017

Several policies criminalizing drug use significantly impact drug users' access to housing. This article explores the impact of housing policies on active drug users' access to housing and structural and personal factors related to their homelessness and housing stability. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 65 active cocaine or heroin users at baseline, three and six months. Participants were purposively sampled to reflect a variety of housed and homeless statuses. Interviews were analyzed to explore the processes associated with changes in housing status. Factors that led to homelessness included arrest, eviction, absence of housing subsidies, and lack of social support. Participants reported being evicted, and losing housing subsidies, welfare entitlements, and important social relationships following arrest. Criminal histories also limited their ability to find employment and permanent housing. Factors that led to housing stability included having family support, housing subsidies, and social supportive services. Active drug users can maintain independent housing when provided appropriate structural supports including rental subsidies and social services. But arrest disrupts drug users' housing stability. Programs to appropriately house those released from jail could help decrease homelessness among this population.
Drinking patterns and drinking-related benefits, harm and victimization experiences: reports from community-based general population surveys
Authors: Giesbrecht Norman , West Paulette
Published: July 2017

This paper focuses on relationships between various measures of drinking and self-reported adverse and positive experiences related to drinking. It uses data collected in three Ontario communities in 1994 from a combined representative sample of 3,000 adults age 18 and over. The relationships between drinking patterns and consequences are examined by using the drinkers’ own causal attributions. We use different independent variables to calculate consumption, and we explore relationships between these drinking patterns and self-reported positive or negative consequences of drinking—including minor to more serious adverse or “victimization” experiences related to others’ drinking. We also provide commentary on the relative merits of using different drinking measures to understand drinking-related experiences. Multiple regression models are developed for three different predictions: perceived benefits of the respondent's own drinking; harm due to one's own drinking; and “victimization” experiences resulting from drinking by others.
A Tax Paradise in the Making? Alcohol Regulations in the Åland Islands
Authors: Karlsson Thomas
Published: July 2017

When the European Union decided to end tax-free sales within the EU, it was considered such a serious threat to the welfare of the Åland Islands that its continuation was set as a precondition for a membership in the EU. To enable the continuation of tax-free sales a tax border was set, allowing tax-free sales on boat and air traffic between Åland and continental Finland. Tax-free alcohol has also to a large extent influenced the drinking habits of the Ålanders. About 30% of the alcohol consumed by Ålanders is bought on board the ferries. The tax border has its drawbacks, but the overall effects have been positive. For example, the number of passengers traveling to Åland from continental Finland increased by almost 50% from the previous year. The tax border also means that tax-free alcohol can be bought on almost all routes to and from Åland. It also seems certain that the easier access to tax-free alcohol will increase alcohol consumption on Åland.
The Impact of Credit and Debit Cards in Liquor Stores on Opinions and Consumption Patterns
Authors: Wells Samantha L. , MacDonald Scott A. , Giesbrecht Norman
Published: July 2017

Credit card users, debit card users, and other drinkers were compared in terms of demographic characteristics, opinions, financial problems, and alcohol consumption patterns before and after the introduction of credit and debit cards at government-operated liquor stores. Significant opinion shifts were detected, with more favorable opinions about credit cards reported after the regulatory change. Credit card and debit card users drank significantly more alcohol than other drinkers, but no change was found in terms of alcohol consumption patterns. Time series analyses suggested that no significant changes occurred in alcohol sales.
Lesbian Social Drinking: The Role of Alcohol in Growing up and Living as Lesbian
Authors: Parks Cheryl A.
Published: July 2017

Lesbians reportedly use alcohol more frequently and in greater quantities than heterosexuals, conceivably placing them at greater risk for alcohol-related problems. Past theorists have suggested psychosocial variables such as stress or the centrality of the gay bar to account for these findings. Researchers have not examined lesbian drinking within its historical, social, and cultural contexts.

This paper reviews findings of a qualitative interview study examining sexual identity development and alcohol use patterns of 31 self-identified lesbian social drinkers. Findings reveal the importance of multiple contexts to understanding lesbian drinking. The author proposes a correspondence between identity development and alcohol use, as both are affected by the changing social conditions of different historic eras. The normalized presence of alcohol in lesbian contexts and norms related to its use present distinctive dilemmas for alcohol problem identification and treatment with this population. These findings have several implications for practice with lesbian clients.