bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Critique of Neo-Malthusian Marxism: Society, Nature, and Population
Authors: Burkett Paul
Published: July 2005

Recent decades have seen a rethinking and renewal of Marxism on various levels, beginning in the 1950s and 1960s when New-Left movements in the developed capitalist countries combined with Maoist, Guevarist, and other Third-World liberation struggles to challenge the ossified theory and practice of Soviet-style communism and traditional social democracy. More recently, the rethinking of Marxism has been driven largely by the collapse of the Soviet Union and its official Marxist ideology, and by the movement toward neoliberal ‘free market’ policies on a global scale, which together have brought forth a tidal wave of frankly pro-capitalist as well as ‘postmodern’ left varieties of ‘end of history'-type thinking. The contemporary challenge to Marxism, however, also has a positive side in the form of popular revolts against the neoliberalisation of the global economy – the Chiapas rebellion in Mexico, the December 1995 public sector upheavals in France, and many others, not to mention the heroic struggle of the Cuban people against the threat of recolonisation by US and global capital. Here the challenge is to incorporate the changing forms of working-class movement, and their new prefigurations of post-capitalist society, into the theory and practice of Marxian communism.
Risk Society and its Discontents
Authors: Zizek Slavoj
Published: July 2005

Recent theory of ideology and art has focused on the strange phenomenon of interpassivity – a phenomenon that is the exact obverse of ‘interactivity’ in the sense of being active through another subject who does the job for me, like the Hegelian Idea manipulating human passions to achieve its goals (the ‘cunning of Reason/List der Vemunft’).
Was Lenin a Marxist? The Populist Roots of Marxism-Leninism
Authors: Clarke Simon
Published: July 2005

Lenin's name has been coupled with that of Marx as the co-founder of the theory of ‘Marxism-Leninism'. However, despite his emphasis on the role of revolutionary theory, Lenin's original theoretical contributions to the development of Marxism were very limited. His talents were those of a determined revolutionary, in the populist tradition of Chernyshevsky, and a brilliantly effective propagandist and political organiser. His contribution to ‘Marxism-Leninism’ was to modify Marxist orthodoxy in such a way as to integrate the political and organisational principles of revolutionary populism into Marxism, on the basis of Plekhanov's ‘dialectical materialism', whose distinctive interpretation of Marxism was Lenin's constant guide and inspiration. In this paper I want to argue that Lenin never broke from the theoretical and political traditions of Russian populism, but completed Plekhanov's project by assimilating Marxism to the very different theoretical framework of populism.
So The Party's Over? Marxism and Political Strategy After ‘the Fall’
Authors: Hay Colin , Chodos Howard
Published: July 2005

It hardly needs saying that the Left in the advanced capitalist economies is in a state of severe disarray. Inspired, or perhaps more accurately, dis-inspired, by the dull conflation of globalisation and welfare retrenchment that marks the neoliberal orthodoxy of the times, the former social-democratic Left has abandoned all socialist advocacy. It marches instead towards a ‘Centre’ that itself continues to drift rightwards. Meanwhile, at least in the industrially developed world, serious movements and parties to the left of social democracy have become harder and harder to find.
Problems of Leninism
Authors: Ehrenberg John
Published: July 2005

We live in strange, frustrating and paradoxical times. Like other trends on the left, Marxism is immobilised by theoretical confusion and practical ineffectiveness just when a relentless state-led war against the working class is nearing the end of its second decade, the greatest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in human history has reasserted the centrality of class with a vengeance, the international capitalist financial system teeters on the edge of collapse, whole countries are bankrupt, and hundreds of millions of people are undergoing absolute immiseration and devastating attacks on their standard of living. The gap between what the objective situation demands and what the Left has to offer is so profound that public affairs has become little more than a debate between a powerful right and an eviscerated ‘centre’ – all this at a time of unprecedented crisis and opportunity. Indeed, we do not even seem to know what to talk about. Reminders of how theoretical blind alleys and historic openings have often gone hand in hand may help us orient ourselves to broad trends, but they only underline how essential it is that we begin addressing the profoundly important questions of contemporary life. Until we do, we should not be surprised that people put their trust in angels, consult soothsayers, and are not interested in what we have to say.
Political Action, Context and Conjuncture
Authors: Shandro Alan
Published: July 2005

Concerned to remedy the ‘state of severe disarray’ that immobilises the left in advanced capitalist countries, Howard Chodos and Colin Hay set out to inquire into ‘the organisational conditions that are necessary to the radical transformation of capitalism'. This disarray is expressed in the drift of social-democratic parties in the wake of the neoliberal mainstream, the inability of a fragmented and disappearing radical Left to orient either itself or spontaneous resistance to the global neoliberal agenda, and the failure of the ‘new’ social movements as a vehicle of ‘broader social transformation'. Against this background of fragmentation, dispersal and division, the authors spell out their central contention: the idea that ‘there is a distinctively creative component to politics', as the claim that organisation in general and the political party in particular provide the necessary context for the actualisation of ‘belief-dependent emergent capacities'. Fulfilling a ‘multi-dimensional mediating function', the party provides ‘an indispensable context in which we can define who we are and what we stand for', a locus for the definition of commonalities, and hence it constitutes a basis for strategic action.
Realistic Organisation?
Authors: Joseph Jonathan
Published: July 2005

These are difficult times for the Marxist Left and many tough questions are being asked. Unfortunately two extremes often come to the fore. One position takes an ultra-revisionist course, questioning the very foundations of Marxism. Another takes a profoundly dogmatic approach, defending orthodoxy in knee-jerk fashion.
The Necessity of Value Theory: Brenner's Analysis of the ‘Long Downturn’ and Marx's Theory of Crisis
Authors: Smith Murray
Published: July 2005

The publication last year in New Left Review of Robert Brenner's book-length essay ‘Uneven Development and the Long Downturn: The Advanced Capitalist Economies from Boom to Stagnation, 1950-1998’ has already provoked more discussion and controversy on the socialist Left than any other political-economic analysis in recent memory. Predictably, it has also elicited a number of highly critical response from proponents of Marx's theories of labour value and economic crisis. Amongst other things, Brenner has been charged with a one-sided preoccupation with capital-to-capital (competitive) relations at the expense of the capital-wage labour (class struggle) relation, with misinterpreting and dismissing Marx's law of the falling tendency of the rate of profit, and with ignoring Marx’s value categories entirely.
Horizontal Relations: A Note on Brenner's Heresy
Authors: Wood Ellen Meiksins
Published: July 2005

One fundamental assumption seems to underlie – explicitly or implicitly – every critique of Brenner I have seen: that there can be no such thing as a Marxist theory of competition, the ‘horizontal’ relation among many capitals, that does not presuppose the ‘vertical’ class relation between capital and living labour. To start (if not also to end) with the relation between capital and living labour is the only way to establish one's Marxist credentials (establishing those credentials does, by the way, seem to be the critical, even the sole, issue for those who engage Brenner's argument on that plane, without considering the empirical or explanatory power of his argument). In support of that assumption, more than one critic has invoked Marx's comment that competition does not produce or explain capitalist laws of motion but merely executes them, as their visible manifestation in the external movements of individual capitals. Predictably, too, some critics have gleefully turned against Brenner the charge he has famously levelled against other Marxists: that his focus on competition and the market makes him a ‘neo-Smithian’.
Introduction Hal Draper: A Biographical Sketch
Authors: Johnson Alan
Published: July 2005

Hal Draper was born in Brooklyn in 1914, to East European Jewish immigrant parents. In 1932 he became active in the Student League for Industrial Democracy and the Socialist Party youth section, the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL). A leader of the Student Strikes Against War, he became an associate editor of Socialist Appeal in 1934. In 1937, the socialist youth, led by Draper and Ernest Erber, voted to support the Fourth International after Trotsky's followers entered the Socialist Party (SP). Draper opposed the subsequent split in the SP, which Trotsky and James P. Cannon deliberately provoked, but left with the Trotskyists and became the national secretary of the Socialist Workers’ Party's youth group, a member of its first National Executive, and the secretary of the party's National Education Department. Irving Howe, a YPSL comrade, later recalled his admiration. Draper was, ‘genuinely learned in Marxism, with a mind that marched from one theorem to another as if God were clearing his way’, a youth leader who ‘would speak for us with a razored lucidity’ in debate with the Stalinists. Draper was part of the minority when the SWP split in 1940 over two issues, the ‘Russian question’ and the ‘bureaucratic conservatism’ of James P. Cannon's internal party regime. Draper became a founder member of the Workers’ Party (WP) , led by Max Shachtman, which developed an analysis of the Soviet Union as neither a ‘workers’ state’ nor state capitalist but a new form of exploiting class society, bureaucratic collectivism. The WP refused to ‘defend the Soviet Union’ and developed a distinctive democratic revolutionary Marxism, summed up by the slogan, ‘Neither Washington nor Moscow but the Third Camp of Independent Socialism!’. And, in reaction to Cannon's monolithic conception of the party, the WP developed a highly democratic internal political culture marked by ‘an atmosphere of genuine tolerance’ unceasing internal debate carried in the public press, and untrammelled rights for minorities.
Capitalism, Competition and Profits: A Critique of Robert Brenner's Theory of Crisis
Authors: Calliinicos Alex
Published: July 2005

The Marxist theory of crisis has fallen on hard times. Marx's ‘law of the tendency of the rate of profit to fall’ (TRPF), generally seen, at least in recent times, as the basis of the theory, is now widely rejected by economists who regard themselves as broadly working in his tradition. This state of affairs is in large part a consequence on the larger assault on mounted on the theoretical structure of Capital by self-proclaimed supporters of Piero Sraffa during the 1970s. Analytical Marxism, during its brief efflorescence in the 1980s, took for granted the validity of the Sraffian critique. One of this school's more vulgar advocates published an ‘obituary’ of the TRPF which dismissed Marxists' attachment to the theory as a result of the influence of ‘“extra-scientific” considerations’ on them. The editors of a dictionary of Marxian economics expressed the hope not long ago that the resolution of the debate provoked by the Sraffian critique would be to ‘release Marxian ideas on crises, growth, imperialism, the social and economic evolution of forms of production, and so on, into the mainstream of economics’.
A Missed Opportunity: Orthodox Versus Marxist Crises Theories
Authors: Carchedi Guglielmo
Published: July 2005

Brenner's ‘The Economics of Global Turbulence’ is a review of the world economy in the second half of the 20th century and its momentous changes. It deals with a wide range of issues and developments and is supported by a wealth of statistical and historical material. At the same time, it debunks many of the myths upon which recent (economic) history has been written. Perhaps even more importantly, it seeks the causes of crises in the laws of motion of capital itself (a point made from a different perspective by this review as well).
Brenner on Distribution
Authors: Lévy Dominique , Duménil Gérard
Published: July 2005

This paper discusses one important component of the analysis of the decline of the profit rate in recent decades in Robert Brenner's Economics of Global Turbulence. Our single focus in this paper is Brenner's implicit theory of distribution.
Footnotes and Fallacies: A Comment on Robert Brenner's ‘The Economics of Global Turbulence’
Authors: Harman Chris
Published: July 2005

A spoonful of oil can ruin a barrel of honey. One footnote can destroy the coherence of a 262 page article.
Perspectives on Brenner
Authors: Laibman David
Published: July 2005

There is a new trend among academically trained philosophers and political theorists to address issues in political economy that were formerly the preserve of Marxist economists.
Notes on Competition, Capitalist Crises, and Class
Authors: Bonefeld Werner
Published: July 2005

At the time of writing, history appears to be accelerating. The socalled Asian crisis, the disaster in Russia, and the Brazilian downturn show with brutal force that the long drawn-out crisis of capitalist accumulation has reached another impasse. Where might it all end?
Riding the Long Wave
Authors: Husson Michel
Published: July 2005

Robert Brenner's contribution to the history of post-war capitalism provides a stimulating basis for the opening of a debate on this subject. I will begin with some critical remarks before putting forward a number of alternative propositions on the functioning of contemporary capitalism.
Capitalism's Recurrent Self-Criticism: An Evaluation of Bob Brenner's Global Economics
Authors: Walker Richard
Published: July 2005

A joyless irony of our time is that, just as Marxism as political doctrine has been declared dead, Marxist economics has never been better argued and empirically defended. Bob Brenner's The Economics of Global Turbulence is a good example. As an overview of the global economy from World War Two to the present it is unequalled. Here is the historian at work, leaving few stones unturned and the exhaustive treatment makes for daunting reading. But an exploration of fifty years of global economy is not a stroll through the daisies and the serious reader comes prepared for a long hike.
Ethics, Politics and the Potential of Dialogism
Authors: Brandist Craig
Published: July 2005

When, in the early 1980s the ideas of post-structuralism seemed rampant within academic critical theory, the appearance of the flawed English translation of Mikhail Bakhtin's central essays on the novel seemed to offer a very promising alternative perspective.1 Bakhtin's model of discursive relations promised to guard the specificity of discourse from being obscured by a web of determinations, while allowing the development of an account of the operations of power and resistance in discourse that could avoid the nullity of Derrida's hors-texte and the irresponsible semiotic hedonism of the later Barthes. Marxist theorists such as Raymond Williams, Terry Eagleton and Allon White immediately and effectively seized upon the translated work of the Bakhtin circle to bolster their arguments, but, as translations of the earlier and later philosophical material appeared, it became apparent that the relationship between work of the circle and the Marxist tradition was very problematic. With this, the American anti-Marxist Slavists – some of whom had been responsible for certain of these translations – moved onto the offensive, arguing that Bakhtin's work was fundamentally incompatible with, and in principle hostile to, Marxism. Occasionally, they went further, arguing that Bakhtin was quite unconcerned with politics and questions of power, being an ethical, or even a religious philosopher before all else. The Americans did have a point. Bakhtin certainly was not a Marxist and the Marxism of some of his early colleagues and collaborators was of a rather peculiar sort. Furthermore, the key problematic area was indeed Bakhtin's ethics which, it became ever more apparent, underlies his most critically astute and productive work and serves to blunt its political edge. Important points of contact between the work of the Bakhtin circle and Marxist theory do persist, however, as Ken Hirschkop and Michael Gardiner, among others, have continued to register. In this article, examining some of the sources of Bakhtin's philosophy, which have only just been revealed in the new Russian edition of his work, we shall analyse the features of Bakhtin's ethics that stifle the political potential of dialogic criticism, and we will suggest ways in which that potential may be liberated.
Abstract Labour and Capital
Authors: Kay Geoffrey
Published: July 2005

As soon as he had observed labour to be ‘first of all, a process between man and nature', Marx turned to conscious determination. ‘Man not only affects a change of form in the materials of nature, he also realises his own purpose in these materials. And this is a purpose he is conscious of. It is purpose which distinguishes labour from the activities of animals. Marx called the purposive character of labour ‘an exclusively human characteristic’ and the term indicates its fundamental importance in his thought. As it is purposive activity, so labour is ‘a specific productive activity appropriate to its purpose, a productive activity that assimilate[s] particular natural materials to a particular human requirement'.3 Since ends are specific by definition, this has to be the case, and neither absence of skill nor indifference effect the issue one way or the other. Work does not cease to be particular (i) because it demands no special capacities - tightening screws and stacking shelves do not stop being different kinds of activity by virtue of the fact that anyone can perform them; or (ii) because no store its set by its distinctive qualities. In its accounts, capital may treat different kinds of labour uniformly as a cost of production, but this does not alter the fact that the labour it employs comprises different types of labour: ‘the fact that the production of use-values or goods is carried on under the control of a capitalist and on his behalf does not alter the general character of that production'.4 In which case, we ask, what is labour which is not particular? If labour is always and necessarily a specific productive activity, what is abstract labour — ‘homogenous labour’ which, by definition, is not specific?
The Outstanding Namibian Maritime Boundaries with Angola and South Africa
Authors:   Moller
Published: July 2005

The main objective of this article is to give an overview of the outstanding Namibian maritime boundaries with South Africa and Angola. At present there are no disputes over these boundaries and a process of negotiation is ongoing between the governments to finalise these agreements. This process started after the independence of Namibia in 1990. However, so far, progress in the matter has been slow. Remarkably, the absence of formal agreements between these states have not deterred potential investors interested in the exploitation of the offshore natural resources (oil, gas and fisheries) in these areas. Various intergovernmental co-operation efforts have been entered into to regulate the offshore activities within these maritime areas. This article deals with the underlying issues of the delimitation process and the ongoing co-operation efforts between the countries in the absence of formal maritime delimitation agreements.
The Quiet Invasion: Legal and Policy Responses to Aquatic Invasive Species in North America
Authors:   Doelle
Published: July 2005

Invasive species are a serious threat to biological diversity and cause economic losses to such industries as agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry. The magnitude of the aquatic invasive species problem has increased exponentially with the expansion of world trade. In response, there have been some efforts made internationally and domestically to prevent, eradicate and control aquatic invasive species in recent years. This article provides an overview of those efforts. It is becoming clear, however, that the response to date has been inadequate, and much remains to be done. New pathways and new invasions are still being discovered, often at a stage when invaders have become well established, thereby making prevention, eradication and control very expensive and difficult to achieve. This study provides a survey of legal tools available to address aquatic invasive species, and suggests possible responses.
A European Approach to Human Rights? Universality Explored
Authors:   Leino
Published: July 2005

Countering the universalist tradition of rights, this paper examines a number of European jurisdictions from legal, historical and philosophical perspectives in order to determine whether there exists a common European conception of rights. Through a comparison of a number of specific rights the author observes that there are fundamental differences in the understanding of rights even within the Member States of the European Union. The assumption of rights as universal appears as unfounded as rights are not the same even in all parts of Europe. This conclusion has implications on issues like the Post-Nice Process, the limits of integration, EU enlargement and the use of human rights arguments in the EU external relations.
Democratic Theory and Minority Rights: Internal and External Group Rights in a Global Democracy
Authors: Plog
Published: July 2005

No Abstract
On the Doctrine of Systemic Discrimination and its Usability in the Field of Education
Authors: Gynther
Published: July 2005

No Abstract
Equality for Ethnic Minorities – International and Danish Perspectives
Authors: Justesen
Published: July 2005

No Abstract
Changing Hands: Governance and Transformation in Hungary's Financial Sector
Authors:   Meagher
Published: July 2005

The early 1990s in Hungary saw rapid institutional change and severe economic downturn. Credit relations and the financial system generally suffered from widespread corruption, including the exchange of loans for bribes, self-enrichment schemes, and manipulation of such procedures as bankruptcy, state-initiated debt restructuring programs, and banking supervision processes. The cost of this early rash of corruption and later episodes through the 1990s easily runs into the hundreds of millions of dollars.Many countries in similar circumstances have failed to come to grips with these problems, with disastrous results—the paradigm example being Russia's experience leading up to the crisis of 1998. There, rapid privatization (in the absence of functioning safeguards and market institutions) opened the door to massive self-enrichment by enterprise insiders, and a loosely supervised banking system facilitated the rise of the oligarchs. Hungary saw the beginnings of this in the early 1990s. Its experiments with market socialism had ushered in a complex and murky business environment. Hybrid (state-private) corporate groups, in many cases run by former state managers, linked enterprises, banks, and the state in a collusive mutual embrace.What could be done? Economic restructuring to transform heavily corrupt incentives had to take first priority. Thus, the choices confronting Hungary in the early 1990s were tough and the stakes high. In the event, Hungary escaped the trap of failed transition. The main steps in its reform were the implementation (and adjustment) of a legal reform package known as “legislative shock therapy”, a (highly flawed) debt restructuring process, and robust privatization—especially of state holdings in the banking sector. These reforms revolutionized ownership incentives and imposed transparency on the system. The influx of foreign owners, together with the growing strength of markets and public sector institutions, brought banks and enterprises under the effective discipline of corporate governance and regulation. This helped create one of the strongest financial sectors in the region, a vibrant economy, and a reasonably well-governed and competitive marketplace. Corruption in the financial system, nearly a way of life in 1991, became far more episodic and manageable. The disciplines imposed by the applicable international regimes, especially the EU, have played an important role. There are lessons here for policymakers around the world.
Transposing the “True and Fair View” Concept in the Legislation of Hungary and Poland in the Context of EU Enlargement
Authors:   Millan,   Dragneva
Published: July 2005

This article examines the transposition of the “true and fair view” requirement of the Fourth and Seventh Company Law Directives into the legal systems of Hungary and Poland in the context of the preparation for accession to the European Union. In doing so, the study contributes to the general debate on the adoption of the acquis of the Union by the candidate member states by focusing on a concept which is distinguished by the lack of a common definition at the level of the EU, by significant divergence in its transposition in the different current member states, and by its close link with wider aspects of ancounting tradition, institutional development, and legal culture. At the same time, by drawing on previously conducted research on the transposition of the concept in the legislation of EU member states and in some candidate member states, we aim to contribute to the picture of the state of accounting harmonisation within the (enlarged) Union.
Russia's Constitutional Court and a Decade of Hard Cases: A Postscript
Authors: Simons William
Published: July 2005

Much attention has been focused on the promulgation of legislation as a bellwether of change in Russia since the beginning of perestroika in the mid-1980s; for a brief period at the beginning of the 1990s, there was even a "war of laws". In the 2000s, legislative activity continues unabated—albeit usually charged with less emotion and devoted to more thorough analyses, if not always wide-ranging discussions, of signifi cant policy issues. The implementation of transition-era legislation is also sharing the limelight in recent years. Dispositions of the USSR Committee of Constitutional Supervision (and, later, of the RF Constitutional Court) are prime examples of a prism through which to view the interpretation and implementation of reform-era legislation in the RF. The outcomes of the controversies resolved by the Court could themselves be a bellwether in ascertaining the degree to which reforms in the Russian legal, political, and economic systems are being anchored in the rule of law. For example, the banning of secret laws from the Russian landscape was the outcome of an early landmark Court case. Yet the hangover of an old policy of only partially disseminating information on the judicial interpretation of Russian legislation still remains. This, in turn, stymies further efforts to cement the pieces of the rule of law puzzle more firmly together. While citizens have been entitled for more than a decade to access the full texts of RF laws, they (or their representatives) can only view a part—albeit one that is far greater than in Soviet times—of the work of the judiciary. This is due to a distinctly narrow view of state acts that, alas, does not encompass the gamut of RF judicial dispositions. So, at the beginning of the 2000s, the RF Constitutional Court still applies a fine-line, technical distinction between its two classes of dispositions: postanovleniia and zakliucheniia , on the one hand (that are subject to mandatory publication), and opredeleniia (that are only selectively published) on the other hand. The use of this approach as a filter, limiting access to judicial information in the RF, is especially remarkable in light of the fact that the use of an analogous practice by the legislative branch has been declared unconstitutional. The Court's approach to accessing judicial information throws, in effect, a mantel of secrecy around a not-insignifi cant category of high-court dispositions. This puts the Court at loggerheads with attempts in other sectors of society to strengthen the evolving rule-of-law regime in Russia. This roadblock notwithstanding, the interpretation and application of reform legislation are not longer hidden from full view owing to a unique compilation of published—as well as unpublished—RF Constitutional Court dispositions from the fi rst decade of its operation. The present postscript outlines the research effort that has produced this compilation; it also argues for the rapid enactment of a full-publication policy at all levels of the RF judicial system.
A Note on the Protection of Intellectual Property on the Internet: A Russian Perspective
Authors: Motsnyi Igor
Published: July 2005

The article deals with the fascinating and uneasy relationships between the Internet and intellectual property. The author intends to give a concise overview of this problem in light of Russian law and international legal standards. Some decisions of Russian courts will be examined. This problem is rather new for Russia; and the main difficulty is that neither judges nor other legal professionals have yet become used to working with IP on the Internet. This note will look into copyright in the Internet and analyze the controversy of domain names-trademarks. Special attention will be devoted to the issue of linking and technological measures for copyright protection. A draft law that aims to amend existing Russian copyright legislation will be analyzed. This draft, if adopted, will bring significant changes to the traditional copyright system of Russia. The author will argue that the approach used by the drafters is deficient and can, in fact, yield negative results for the parties concerned. The article compares the draft with the relevant provisions of US and the EU legislation and international treaties.
Tourism Demand and Output in the U.S. Tourism Satellite Accounts: 1998-2003
Authors: Mak James
Published: July 2005

The Bureau of Economic Analysis’s (BEA) latest estimates of the U.S. travel and tourism satellite accounts for 1998-2003 do not account for changes in the prices of travel goods and services. This brief article estimates real travel and tourism output and demand by using a travel price index computed by the Travel Industry Association of America. The article shows that after accounting for price changes, U.S. tourism output and demand in 2003 did not surpass their pre-2001 peaks, as was suggested by the BEA.
Climate Change and Small Island Tourism: Policy Maker and Industry Perspectives in Barbados
Authors: Belle Nicole , Bramwell Bill
Published: July 2005

Tourism in many small island developing states is vulnerable to potential impacts of climate change. Policies related to climate change and tourism depend on value-driven decisions made in the context of uncertainty and complex socioeconomic, cultural, and political relationships. Debates on policies for climate change and tourism are influenced by varied individual and group responses. This article examines the views of policy makers and tourism managers in Barbados on potential climate change impacts on the island’s tourism industry, and their preferred policies in response to them. Many considered it very likely there will be damage to coastal tourism facilities, beach changes, and adverse effects on marine ecosystems. Both groups saw increasing public awareness as the most appropriate policy response. Tourism managers were less inclined to regard policy responses as very appropriate, perhaps being more cautious about policy interventions. Future research directions for “postnormal science” related to this topic are also identified.
Modeling Tourism Advertising Effectiveness
Authors: Kim Dae-Young , Hwang Yeong-Hyeon , Fesenmaier Daniel R.
Published: July 2005

This study builds on previous research on the impact of tourism advertising and argues that there are a number of likely routes through which tourism advertising influences destination choice. Data were obtained from a survey that examined the impact of Illinois travel advertising and was conducted during the fall of 2001. The results confirm that there are strong linkages among top-of-mind awareness, ad awareness, requesting travel information, and the likelihood of visiting a destination, and therefore, these constitute important routes to influencing destination choice. Differences in the effects of advertising by media channel also appear to be substantial.
Tourism Distribution Channels: The Visitors’ Perspective
Authors: Pearce Douglas G. , Schott Christian
Published: July 2005

This article extends research on tourism distribution channels, a topic dominated by studies of providers and intermediaries, by addressing the use of multiple channels from the visitors’ perspective. The article reports the results of intercept surveys of international and domestic independent visitors, and their use of a range of distribution channels to make travel, accommodation, and attractions arrangements at two New Zealand destinations: Rotorua and Wellington. Emphasis is given in turn to the different functions of distribution—information search, booking, and payment—and to the factors that influence the channels selected for each of these functions. Similarities and differences are found among the three sectors and between the destinations and segments analyzed.
Recent Developments in Econometric Modeling and Forecasting
Authors: Li Gang , Song Haiyan , Witt Stephen F.
Published: July 2005

Eighty-four post-1990 empirical studies of international tourism demand modeling and forecasting using econometric approaches are reviewed. New developments are identified, and it is shown that applications of advanced econometric methods improve the understanding of international tourism demand. An examination of the 22 studies that compare forecasting performance suggests that no single forecasting method can outperform the alternatives in all cases. The time-varying parameter (TVP) model and structural time-series model with causal variables, however, perform consistently well.
Modeling Tourism Demand Dynamics
Authors: Rosselló Jaume , Aguiló Eugeni , Riera Antoni
Published: July 2005

This article applies a combination of a diffusion model and a traditional tourism demand model for visitor demand estimation. The diffusion model assumes that information is transmitted to a society’s potential consumers through various different information channels. The traditional model suggests, however, that tourism, according to economic theory, depends mainly on fares, income, exchange rates, and dummy variables. Using data for tourists to the Balearic Islands, we found evidence that individuals undergo a prior process of acquiring information before deciding to visit a particular destination.
Adverse Drug Reactions and Avalanches: Life at the Edge of Chaos
Authors: Frattarelli Daniel A.C.
Published: July 2005

Although many reports have described the incidence of adverse drug reactions, none have explained their variable severity or why they happen. Because human physiology shares many of the features of other complex adaptive systems, reactions to drug therapy were examined mathematically for specific patterns to show (1) that the severity of adverse drug reactions follows a distribution seen in other complex adaptive systems, called a power law distribution, and (2) that preventable reactions occurred for reasons fundamentally different from those that underlie the nonpreventable reactions. Two reports detailing adverse drug reaction incidence and severity were evaluated: a meta‐analysis of prospective adverse drug reaction studies and a prospective cohort study. Incidence of drug reaction was plotted as a function of severity and fit to an equation. The incidences of overall and nonpreventable drug reaction, plotted as a function of severity, followed a similar power law distribution regardless of sample size or the nature of the population or drugs studied. An exception to this was the preventable reactions, which were described by a different type of equation. Response to pharmacotherapy exhibits many properties of systems with self‐organized criticality. An exception to this is the preventable reactions, which seem to be fundamentally different from the nonpreventable ones. These observations suggest that the presence and the distribution of severity of reaction to pharmacotherapy is a consequence of our adaptation as biological systems, and although adverse reactions can be made less frequent, a certain percentage will not be preventable.
Methodological Pitfalls in the Study of Religiosity and Spirituality
Authors: Berry Devon
Published: July 2005

The number of studies demonstrating a relationship between religiosity and spirituality and physical and psychological health have increased rapidly during the past decade. There are significant disputes in the literature regarding the methodological quality of research in this area. Despite nursing scholars’ interest in this area, no thorough review of the methodological critiques is available. The purpose of this study is to review areas of methodological difficulty in the study of religiosity and spirituality by identifying contemporary methodological critiques, critically evaluating the critiques and the underlying issues, and making suggestions for methodological advancement in the field. Three main areas of methodological critique exist: construct measurement, study design, and data analysis. Research in this area should aim for conceptual clarity, deliberate design, and appropriate analysis. Considerations of these critiques are instructive for nursing research done in the area of religiosity and spirituality.
The Sociocultural Context of Korean American Men’s Smoking Behavior
Authors: Kim Sun Seog , Son Haein , Nam Kyoung A
Published: July 2005

The purpose of this article is to explore the sociocultural context wherein Korean male immigrants learned and maintained smoking behavior. Participants were 11 current and 11 former cigarette smokers who resided in New York City. The participants attended one of four focus groups and talked about their experiences of smoking initiation, changes in smoking behavior over time, smoking in Korea and the United States, strategies used for smoking cessation, and suggestions for a smoking cessation program. The focus group interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Themes were identified from answers to the five topic questions and then compared across the four focus groups. Smoking is a common thread in Korean men’s social world and a prime component of Korean men’s gender identity. In contrast, smoking in the United States is increasingly being stigmatized.
Evaluating Clinical Decision Rules
Authors: Shapiro Susan E.
Published: July 2005

Clinical decision rules (CDRs) are decision support tools that synthesize evidence into bedside tools for practice. Before adopting CDRs into practice, nurses must be assured that there is sufficient evidence in the literature that the rule performs as expected, can do so in a variety of settings (especially in settings similar to one’s own), and that using it will likely result in improved patient outcomes at no additional cost (or conversely, that it will lower costs with no adverse effect on clinical outcomes). This article provides a framework for clinical nurses to evaluate CDRs. The framework focuses on the processes used to establish the external validity of the rule, and the evidence that using the rule results in improved patient or systems outcomes, including cost-effectiveness. The Braden Scale is used as an example and is evaluated using the framework described.
The Resilience of Self-Esteem in Late Adulthood
Authors: Collins Amy L. , Smyer Michael A.
Published: July 2005

Objectives: The authors examined the resilience of self-esteem after loss in the lives of older adults. Specifically, the authors investigated the relationship between loss and change in self-esteem during a 3-year period.Method: A subsample of older adults ( n = 1,278) from the Americans’ Changing Lives Study was used to examine loss in the domains of health, financial security, or work and career and self-esteem before and after the loss.Results: There was a small but significant decrease in self-esteem between Wave I and Wave II of the study. Loss in one of the domains explained less than 1% of the variance in self-esteem change.Discussion: The low incidence of loss and small change in high levels of self-esteem are further evidence of resilience in older adults’ psychological well-being. The implications for older adults’ use of cognitive strategies to manage losses and promote gains are discussed.
Psychosocial Factors Influencing the Practice of Preventive Behaviors Against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Among Older Chinese in Hong Kong
Authors: Tang Catherine So-Kum , Wong Chi-Yan
Published: July 2005

Objectives: This study explored psychosocial factors that influenced the practice of preventive behaviors against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among older adults.Method: A total of 354 older Chinese were telephone interviewed during the outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong. They were asked about their perceived health threats, efficacy beliefs, and the practice of SARS preventive behaviors. Results: Only 40.7% of the elderly participants practiced the recommended SARS preventive behaviors. Elderly participants who perceived greater personal vulnerability to the disease, who possessed greater self-efficacy, who had greater confidence in local health authorities, and who had lower educational attainment were more likely to adopt the suggested SARS preventive behaviors.Discussions: This study supported the conceptual framework that specified perceived health threats and efficacy beliefs as the two core dimensions of motivating factors in adopting SARS preventive behaviors.
Prospective Study of Black-White Differences in Food Insufficiency Among Homebound Elders
Authors: Sharkey Joseph R. , Schoenberg Nancy E.
Published: July 2005

Objective: This study examines race differences in the association of sociodemographic and health-related characteristics with change in food sufficiency status over 1 year in homebound older adults.Method: Using sociodemographic and health-related data collected during two in-home assessments as part of the North Carolina Nutrition and Function Study, logistic regression models (binary and nominal outcomes) adjusted for covariates and examined the characteristics associated with 1-year change in risk (RFI) and presence (FI) of food insufficiency among a random sample of 268 home-delivered meals participants.Results: Not having enough money for food and having to prepare cheaper and smaller meals was associated with increased RFI and FI at 1 year; having to borrow money for food, loss of food stamps, and inadequate income increased the odds among Whites, and increased medication use among Blacks.Discussion: The findings suggest that race, independent of other characteristics, is associated with diminished food sufficiency over 1 year.
The Fox News Factor
Authors: Morris Jonathan S.
Published: July 2005

This aricle analyzes data from the Pew Research Center’s 1998 to 2004 Biennial Media Consumption Surveys to identify demographic and behavioral factors that predict Americans’ exposure to cable and broadcast nightly news. While many predictors are significant across sources, much of the evidence indicates the audiences are unique. The network news audience is becoming increasingly older, and the Fox News and CNN audiences are becoming increasingly polarized. Compared to the CNN audience, Fox News watchers are less likely to follow stories that are critical of the Bush administration but more likely to follow entertainment-based news stories. The findings also suggest that Fox News watchers enjoy news that shares their personal views, while the CNN and network news audiences prefer news that has more in-depth interviews with public officials. Finally, evidence suggests that the Fox News watchers were more likely than nonwatchers to underestimate rather than overestimate, the number of American casualties in Iraq.
The Influence of Celebrity Endorsements on Young Adults’ Political Opinions
Authors: Jackson David J. , Darrow Thomas I. A.
Published: July 2005

This research contributes to our understanding of the increasing mixture of entertainment and politics by examining the impact of the political statements made by celebrities on the opinions of Anglophone Canadian youth. A recent survey of young Canadians enrolled in first-year university political science courses indicates young people’s level of agreement with certain political statements is increased by the endorsement of these positions by Canadian celebrities from the realms of popular music and sports. These results suggest that celebrity endorsements make unpopular statements more palatable, while increasing the level of agreement with already popular opinions.
Terrorism as a Context of Coverage before the Iraq War
Authors: Fried Amy
Published: July 2005

This article examines terrorism as a context in the major newsmagazines’ coverage of Iraq in the prewar period. Contexts and associated issues help create news frames, which can affect judgments of events and policies. This investigation relies on the issues of Time and Newsweek published in September 2002 and from the first issue of January 2003 through the March 24, 2003, issue and includes analysis of the issues’ cover art, graphics within news stories, and Iraq and terrorism stories. During this period, newsmagazines frequently juxtaposed terrorism and Iraq and used graphics that linked Iraq to terrorism and terrorists.
Organization Development: A Question of Fit for Universities
Authors: Torraco Richard J.
Published: July 2005

The problem and the solution. This article offers a theoretical framework for viewing the case studies of change in universities presented in subsequent articles. Two dramatically different strategies for effecting change in higher education are presented—organization development (OD) and top management-driven change. How effective is OD-based change in universities? Does top management-driven change offer a more appropriate explanation of change than OD? In this article, readers are asked to consider the different assumptions, purposes, and means for change represented in these two change approaches when reading the case studies that follow.
Major Change at Babson College: Curricular and Administrative, Planned and Otherwise
Authors: Cohen Allan R. , Fetters Michael , Fleischmann Fritz
Published: July 2005

The problem and the solution.Making meaningful change in academic institutions is hard enough, but it often stops completely at radical curriculum reform. Babson College had external feedback that suggested change was needed. Three major initiatives at Babson—strategic planning including radical curriculum change, total quality, and reengineering—never formally utilized organization development (OD) but followed many of the practices and principles. Not only did the change processes lead to a transformation in the academic programs, but other major administrative changes were implemented. As a result, Babson was able to change tiers. Lessons about OD in academia are drawn including the need to manage the degree of participation rather than assume it is lacking. OD must be adapted to any organization, and in academia, that is especially true. Even the names of tools become critical. Sustaining change is always a challenge, as is the need to recruit people with the skills and attitudes that match the organization’s culture.