bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The State Role in Jump-Starting School University Collaboration: A Case Study
Authors: Teitel Lee
Published: March 2007

This article describes and analyzes an ambitious project in which a state department of education instigated, facilitated and, in effect, "jump-started" the formation of professional development school partnerships between middle schools and teacher preparation institutions. After a brief case summary, the article explores the options available to a state department of education wishing to promote school/university collaboration. It concludes by drawing on the literature on inter organizational relations to discuss how the success or failure of such an endeavor might be assessed.
Assessment, Equity, and Diversity in Reforming America's Schools
Authors: Winfield Linda F. , Woodard Michael D.
Published: March 2007

National standards and assessments are being proposed as a strategy for improving schools in the United States. However, proposed federal policies for implementation raise serious concerns about the extent to which national standards and assessments alone will help improve the quality of public education for all or whether it will serve to deepen the already severe educational and economic cleavages that exist in this nation, especially along racial/ethnic lines. We examine the implications of this policy for equity and diversity in terms of antecedent instructional conditions, the proposed test, the testing context, and the diversity of learners to be assessed. Without a strong and serious commitment to opportunity to learn, this policy serves as a symbolic and political fiction rather than an instrumental one in improving schooling outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged urban and racial/ethnic minority students.
Policy Challenges Surrounding the Shift Toward Outcome-Oriented School Finance Equity Standards
Authors: Monk David H.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the implications of progress toward understanding more about the transformation of resources into educational outcomes for thinking about equity standards in educational finance. A distinction is drawn between two types of progress that are being made: (a) gains in understanding the ingredients of effective schooling and (b) gains in reaching consensus about the purpose of schooling and the ability to measure educational outcomes along multiple dimensions. The article draws attention to the potential for these developments to point in contradictory directions for thinking about equity standards and proposes steps that can be taken to resolve the difficulties. The proposed next steps involve generating a new class of performance indicators that combine elements of opportunity to learn and performance standards and the conduct of collaborative studies wherein the focus is on the discovery of site-specific solutions.
The Kentucky School-Based Performance Award Program: School-Level Effects
Authors: Kelley Carolyn
Published: March 2007

This study examines the implementation of the Kentucky school-based performance award program in 16 elementary, middle, and high schools in the fall of 1996. Distinct differences were found between award- and non award-winning schools. Alignment of school goals and resources, including curriculum, professional development, and principal leadership were key enabling conditions associated with award schools. The state intervention strategy for helping initially unsuccessful schools enabled these schools to develop organizational conditions associated with award-winning schools. The data suggest a model of teacher motivation that builds on previous research in education and on empirical research on employee motivation.
Toward Understanding Education Policy: An Integrative Approach
Authors: Berkhout Sarie J. , Wielemans Willy
Published: March 2007

This study was initiated within the context of a collaborative project between the writers that aimed at comparing the centralization/decentralization dynamics in Europe and South Africa. The need for a comprehensive theoretical model of the education policy process that would enable this comparison in countries with diverse and changing education governance structures, but that are being shaped by similar forces within the global context, resulted in this critical review of more recent theoretical journal articles on education policy. Based on the notion that education policy forms part of a process that endeavors to impose values on the future and therefore as part of the power struggle to control the future of education, the article reflects a critical review of some of the prominent notions underpinning and shaping the education policy debate, as well as proposes an integrative macro theoretical mapping of the education policy process.
Race, Class, and Gender in Education Research: Surveying the Political Terrain
Authors: Foster Michele
Published: March 2007

This article explores the issues of race and prejudice that permeate research. It does so by examining two aspects of educational research on race: conceptual shifts about issues of race, class, and gender, and the politics of citation. Newer, alternative research paradigms help free researchers from the racist, sexist, and class baggage from the traditional, positivist approach. The article concludes with suggestions on how researchers can “right the wrong” of past and current education research on race.
The Politics of School Choice Research: Fact, Fiction, and Statistics
Authors: Powers Jeanne M. , Cookson Peter W.
Published: March 2007

This article examines past and present research on school choice within its larger political context, focusing on market-driven choice programs such as vouchers and charter schools. Although methodologically and theoretically the domain of choice research is in its infancy, a growing number of increasingly sophisticated studies of choice programs allow us to start drawing more definitive conclusions about the effects of choice on students and schools. After a brief overview of the larger political context in which choice research takes place, we examine in detail the current state of knowledge on school choice: who is participating in choice programs, the effect of choice on parent and student satisfaction and student achievement, and the impact of choice programs on school districts and school reform. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of the politics of research on market-driven choice for American education.
Pharmacists in State Government The Regulatory Perspective
Authors: Culmo Cynthia T.
Published: March 2007

Responsibilities encountered as director of the Drugs and Medical Devices Division of the Texas Department of Health are discussed. The author explains how her twelve years of experience in the practice of pharmacy provided a limited background for the responsibilities of a career in state government. Specific challenges in the areas of drug scheduling, substance abuse programs and regulation of dietary supplements are described. Challenges to operating within the state system are detailed.
Self-Reported Benefits of T’ai Chi Practice by Older Women
Authors: Taggart Helen M.
Published: March 2007

Self-rated health is a powerful and consistent predictor of self-care capability and health outcomes including mobility, morbidity, and mortality. Exercise is important for health and functioning of older adults. Although daily physical activity is advocated for reducing many health risks and maintaining mobility, older women are generally not heeding the message. Exercise interventions for older women should be age appropriate. T’ai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art, involves an integration of the mind and body in slow, circular movements and changes in the center of gravity. Although there is a growing body of literature on the health benefits of t’ai chi exercises, few studies focus on the self-assessment of health benefits of t’ai chi for older women. This within-participants, single-factor study of women aged 72 to 96 years resulted in statistically significant improvement in self-assessed health as well as numerous self-reported benefits after 3 months of t’ai chi exercise participation.
Imagine this! Infinite Uses of Guided Imagery in Women’s Health
Authors: Bazzo Debbie J. , Moeller Ruth Ann
Published: March 2007

Guided imagery, the use of focused concentration of formed mental images, provides the mechanism of an independent nursing intervention to facilitate mind and body healing. Nurse healers can channel clients to personal restorative potentials and independent health through this powerful and inexpensive tool. In a variety of outpatient, inpatient, chronic care, and home care settings, nurses can introduce this treatment modality early on and for lifelong use for any number of nursing diagnoses. Specific conceptualizations for women’s health are presented here. By unleashing your own and your client’s imagination, the endless possibilities of guided imagery applications and resulting self-empowerment become apparent.
The Effect of Race and Health-Related Factors on Naming and Memory
Authors: Whitfield Keith E. , Fillenbaum Gerda G. , Pieper Carl , Albert Marilyn S. , Berkman Lisa F. , Blazer Dan G. , Rowe John W. , Seeman Teresa
Published: March 2007

Objectives: The purpose of the analyses was to examine the impact of health-related variables on race differences in neuropsychological functioning (Boston Naming Task). Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the MacArthur Successful Aging Study, the authors examined the relationship of demographic characteristics, health status, health habits, physical functioning, and speed of performance to naming and incidental recall of items from the Boston Naming Task. Participants were 1,175 healthy African American and European American older persons 70 to 79 years old. Results: Regression analyses indicated that although race differences persisted for confrontational naming after controlling for demographic and health factors, there was no effect due to race for incidental recall scores or for savings scores for recall. Discussion: The racial differences found in test performance may reflect differences in cultural appropriateness of the material rather than differences in ability.
A Prediction Model of Aerobic Exercise in Older Adults Living in a Continuing-Care Retirement Community
Authors: Resnick Barbara
Published: March 2007

Objectives: The purpose of this studywas to test a model of exercise behavior in older adults. It was hypothesized that gender, marital status, chronic illness, mental and physical health, self-efficacy and outcome expectations, fear of falling, and past exercise behavior were directly and/or indirectly associated with current exercise behavior. Methods:In this descriptive study, interviews were conducted with 201 older adults living in a continuing-care retirement community. Results:Twelve paths were significant, and the model accounted for 40% of the variance in exercise behavior. Self-efficacy expectations, outcome expectations, and prior exercise were directly associated with current exercise; health status, gender, and marital status were indirectly associated with current exercise behavior through self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Discussion:Recognizing and treating mental and physical health problems may directly influence self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to exercise. Moreover, interventions that strengthen self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to exercise may improve exercise behavior.
Access to Health Care for Older Persons in the United States
Authors: Auchincloss Amy H. , van Nostrand Joan F. , Ronsaville Donna
Published: March 2007

Objective:To determine the contributions of personal, structural, and neighborhood characteristics to differential access to health care for older persons in the United States. Methods:This study used the 1994 National Health InterviewSurvey, ages 65 and older ( n= 12,341), 1990 census block group data, and data on health professional shortage areas. Logistic regression was used to model the probability of problems accessing care. Results:The likelihood of access problems increased sharply with decreasing gradients of family income and for those lacking private health care insurance. Rural areas and poor areas were at a disadvantage in accessing care, whereas residents of neighborhoods that were homogeneous in ancestral heritage appeared better able to access care. Discussion:Considering the high association between neighborhood and personal characteristics, it is notable that any neighborhood effects remained after combining them with personal effects.
The Importance of the Self-Concept and Coping Responses in Explaining Physical Health Status and Depression among Older Women
Authors: Essex Marilyn J. , Klein Marjorie H.
Published: March 2007

This study examined a model specifying the links among the physical, functional, and subjective components of physical health status and depression among older women, and assessed the effects of the self-concept (i.e., health confidence and self-esteem) and coping responses (i.e., direct action, positive cognitive, and passive cognitive coping) at each point in the model. Based on cross-sectional interview data with 274 older women, a series of regression analyses indicated that the self-concept and coping responses were significantly involved at each step of the health process but that the specific effects of the self-concept were different earlier than later in the model. Earlier in the model, self-esteem and physical health status indirectly influenced subsequent health status through their effects on health confidence and the cognitive coping responses. At the final point in the model, physical health status continued to operate indirectly through health confidence and the cognitive coping responses, however, health confidence and positive cognitive coping responses then directly affected self-esteem which, together with health confidence, subsequently had direct negative effects on depression. These results were interpreted within a social psychological framework that incorporated self-concept theory with cognitive theories of depression.
Age Differences in the Etiology of the Relationship between Life Satisfaction and Self-Rated Health
Authors: Harris Jennifer R. , Pedersen Nancy L. , Stacey Candace , McClearn G. E. , Nesselroade John R.
Published: March 2007

This study explores age differences in the genetic and environmental influences that may mediate the relationship between life satisfaction and self-rated health. The participants are from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA), which includes 99 pairs of identical twins reared apart, 166 pairs of identical twins reared together, 238 pairs of fraternal twins reared apart, and 221 pairs of fraternal twins reared together. A mailed questionnaire included four items inquiring about perceived health and the 13-item shortened version of the Life Satisfaction Index, which yielded a general principal component for life satisfaction. Important age differences were found in the etiology of individual differences for each scale and in the factors that mediate the relationship between the measures. In the group younger than 65 years, the correlation between life satisfaction and perceived health can be explained entirely by environmental influences. For the group aged 65 and older, both genetic and environmental effects contribute substantially to the relationship. These age differences may reflect age-related changes, cohort effects, or both.
Estimates and Determinants of Valid Self-Reports of Musculoskeletal Disease in the Elderly
Authors: Hughes Susan L. , Edelman Perry , Naughton Bruce , Singer Ruth H. , Schuette Patrick , Liang George , Chang Rowland W.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the extent and nature of bias associated with self-reported versus standardized physician-examination/assessment-based accounts of musculoskeletal disease in a sample of 406 persons chosen to represent an aging and dependency continuum. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disease based on standardized physician examination/assessments was 97%. Using the standardized findings as the criterion, the self-report underestimated prevalence by 16%. Overall, the results indicated that self-reports of musculoskeletal conditions by the elderly capture the vast majority of persons with painful or functionally significant disease and are most valid for persons from ages 65 to 74 but do not reflect the presence of asymptomatic joint pathology. Standardized physician examinations/assessments would more accurately determine the presence of risk factors in epidemiological studies of musculoskeletal disability.
Age Differences in the Breast Cancer Management of Rural Women
Authors: Howe Holly L. , Lehnherr Melinda , Keller Jane , Katterhagen J. Gale , Fountain Marsha
Published: March 2007

This article describes the effect of age on the pattern of access to breast cancer care among rural women diagnosed in 1986-1989. Cases were identified by the Illinois State Cancer Registry and information on breast cancer management was obtained through review of hospital records and physician survey. Case follow-back was more than 99% complete. State-of-the-art breast cancer management was defined by the Physician Data Query (PDQ) and included diagnostic evaluation, prognostic evaluation, and stage-specific definitive treatment. The data did not indicate age differences in bilateral diagnostic mammography, performance of hormone receptor assays, radiation therapy, and stage-appropriate treatment. Tumor staging and axillary node dissection did differ by age with significant negative trends in the multivariate model. Also, women younger than 55 years were the most likely to receive separate diagnostic biopsy, limited surgery, and chemotherapy, whereas women 55 to 74 years were most likely to receive hormone therapy. Although rural populations may experience barriers to some aspects of state-of-the-art breast cancer management, age does not always exacerbate them.
A Phenomenological Alternative to the "ADL Research Tradition"
Authors: Porter Eileen Jones
Published: March 2007

Since the development of the Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living, ADL tools have been used to describe older persons' status and to predict outcomes. It is suggested that this approach is grounded in an ADL research tradition. An alternative that is based upon Husserl's phenomenology is proposed. A phenomenological study of older widows' lived experience is described. Distinctions between phenomenological inquiry and the ADL research tradition are addressed in terms of focus (tasks vs. lived experience) and interpretation of key terms such as independence.
Living with an Impaired Elderly Person: The Informal Caregiver's Physical and Mental Health
Authors: Jutras Sylvie , Lavoie Jean-Pierre
Published: March 2007

Although it is acknowledged that providing an elderly relative with informal assistance can be stressful and burdensome, previous research does not provide clear evidence of the impact of informal caregiving on the physical and mental health of caregivers. The objective of this research was to compare health indicators of coresidents of elderly people who have physical or cognitive impairments with those of two comparison groups: individuals living with a nonimpaired person aged 55 or over and individuals who were not living with a person of that age. Samples were drawn from the Quebec Health Survey database. Although very few differences in physical health were observed between coresidents (n = 292) and individuals in the comparison groups, coresidents systematically presented poorer psychological health indicators. This result supports previous findings related to the low level of psychological well-being of informal caregivers. This suggests that informal caregivers should be regarded as a target population for which health and social services should be carefully planned.
Prior and Current Costs in Capitated Health Plans
Authors: Manton Kenneth G. , Newcomer Robert , Lowrimore Gene R. , Vertrees James C.
Published: March 2007

We compared the prior and current costs of persons age 65 and older enrolling in a Social/Health Maintenance Organization in each of four sites with samples of persons using standard Medicare benefits in each site. Analyses were adjusted for individual health differences using case mix scores. Costs were examined in the year before S/HMO enrollment or prior to the sampling of a person using regular Medicare services as well as costs during the study. Costs during the study are analyzed using a two-stage procedure where first the propensity to enroll in a S/HMO is modeled and then costs derived from either Medicare sources or shadow prices assigned to service units provided in a S/HMO are modeled. The costs for case mix groups with different health and functional characteristics varied significantly. Cost differences between case mix classes differed between the S/HMO and FFS populations.
Mental Health Services and the Mortality of Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Castle Nicholas G. , Shea Dennis G.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the impact of mental health services on the mortality rate for mentally ill nursing home residents. Previous research has documented the unmet need for mental health services among nursing home residents. Some research using small data sets has indicated patient benefits from treatment. This article examines the issue using data from the nationally representative National Nursing Home Survey. In a series of multivariate logistic regressions, treatment for mental illness provided by either general practice physicians or by mental health specialists appears to have few impacts on mortality. A statistically significant treatment effect is found only for residents with schizophrenia, other psychoses, or anxiety disorders when treated by mental health specialists. The results are discussed with reference to ongoing reforms for mental health care in nursing homes.
The Conceptualization and Effect of Control Beliefs on Exercise Attendance in the Elderly
Authors: Estabrooks Paul , Carron Albert V.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the study was to compare the relative merits of two approaches to the measurement of perceived behavioral control for the prediction of attendance in an exercise program in an elderly population. The first approach was to conceptualize perceived behavioral control in the traditional manner outlined by Ajzen (1987). The second approach was to conceptualize control beliefs as two distinct constructs: scheduling self-efficacy and perceived barriers to exercise. Participants (N = 157, average age = 68 years ± 7.87, 74% female) were volunteers from elderly exercise classes. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires assessing the constructs at Weeks 5 and 9 of a 16-week exercise program. Attendance was monitored and used as the dependent variable. Results revealed that in an active elderly sample, (a) scheduling self-efficacy is a superior conceptualization for control beliefs than perceived behavioral control, (b) neither attitude nor subjective norm predict intention or attendance in an exercise program, and (c) perceived barriers to exercise are not related to exercise intention or attendance.
Primary and Secondary Control-Enhancing Strategies
Authors: Chipperfield Judith G. , Perry Raymond P. , Menec Verena H.
Published: March 2007

Objectives:The major goal of this article was to assess the link between controlenhancing strategies and health in an older population. In particular, the use of primarycontrol strategies, which involve modifying the environment (e.g., actively persisting) and compensatory secondary-control strategies, which involve modifying the self (e.g., expecting less of oneself) was studied. Methods:Participants ( n= 241) in a large-scale longitudinal study were interviewed to assess their use of strategies and their health. Results:Health (physical and perceived) was found to vary for those using primary and compensatory secondary-control strategies; however, the nature of this variation depended on age. Discussion:The findings may indicate that primary-control strategies have positive health implications for the young-old but that these same strategies become detrimental to health in late life. The findings could further suggest that compensatory secondary-control strategies become increasingly more adaptive in late life.
Clients Speak
Authors: West Paulette M. , Graham Kathryn
Published: March 2007

Objectives:To describe the important aspects of the Lifestyle Enrichment for Senior Adults (LESA) program from the clients’ perspective and why these aspects were important to them. Methods:The study used a participatory approach. Researchers collaborated with counselors and clients to develop an evaluation that (a) respected the experiences and knowledge of people in the program and (b) provided an accurate assessment of the important aspects of the program from the clients’ perspective. One-to-one interviews were conducted with 52 clients. Results:Clients’ relationships with counselors, the positive emotions experienced during individual and group counseling, and the program’s flexibility were of key importance. Allowing clients to choose their level of involvement and the general acceptance of drinkers also contributed to perceived benefits of the program. Discussion:The benefits of client-centered addictions therapywarrant closer examination. Senior adults’motivation for behavior change may be highly sensitive to the relational aspects of the treatment approach.
Does Civil Society Stop the Downward Spiral of Bad Government or Speed It Up?
Authors: Brooks Arthur C.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the nonprofit sector’s impact on good government. Through a brief synthesis of several literatures, the author constructs two competing hypotheses. In the first, nonprofit activity acts as a self-correcting force for the public sector; in the second, the third sector accelerates bad government’s downward spiral.The authors hows that the key element in deciding between these hypotheses is the relationship between confidence in government and participation in civil society.
Education and Advance Care Planning in Nursing Homes: The Impact of Ownership Type
Authors: Bradley Elizabeth H. , Walker Leslie C.
Published: March 2007

The study examined the association between ownership type and community benefit as measured by organizational approaches to patient, family, and community education. As a case study of the broader class of educational efforts, the inquiry focused on educational efforts regarding a central patient care issue for nursing homes: the use of life-sustaining medical treatment. Results indicated that nonprofit and for-profit nursing homes were equally likely to conduct educational efforts concerning advance care planning. However, nonprofit nursing homes were more likely than for-profit nursing homes to have ongoing, rather than sporadic, discussions about advance care planning; to broaden such discussions beyond life-support wishes; and to have ethics committees to support advance care planning. Other empirical research has demonstrated ownership differences in both cost and quality of care. This study offers new evidence regarding additional ways in which nonprofit long-term care facilities may be distinguished from their for-profit counterparts.
War Versus Ghosts
Authors: TARIFA FATOS , KLOEP MARION
Published: March 2007

Several studies have shown that one of the main worries among schoolchildren everywhere is the fear of war and nuclear weapons. The present work is an attempt to investigate whether this holds true for Albanian children, whose country is actually politically unstable and potentially threatened by war. We asked 435 Albanian and 265 Swedish children to name their greatest fears. While the results for the Swedish sample paralleled the findings of other studies conducted in Western Europe and the United States, the results for the Albanian children differed considerably from them. These results are discussed against the background of Albania's peculiar history and its prevailing patriarchal traditions, which still have an impact on parental educational styles and on children's development.
Confirmation Dynamics: A Model of Presidential Appointments to Independent Agencies
Authors: Nokken Timothy P. , Sala Brian R.
Published: March 2007

Many scholars contend that senators defer to the president on appointments to executive branch positions. Others assert that presidential appointments are highly constrained by senatorial `folkways'. Still others argue that the bureaucracy is essentially uncontrollable via political appointments. In this paper, we present a stylized spatial model of presidential appointments and agency policy-making to explicate the conditions under which senators will constrain presidential appointments to independent agency boards. A key parameter for determining presidential influence is the direction (or absence) of policy drift induced by career bureaucrats' policy preferences. We show that presidential capture of independent agencies follows from favorable bureaucratic drift, but typically does not arise under adverse or zero drift. We illustrate the model via a simulation of appointments over time to an idealized agency board, identifying conditions under which rapid policy convergence on presidential preferences is possible.
Myths and Meanings of Voting Power
Authors: Felsenthal Dan S. , Machover Moshé
Published: March 2007

These are comments on the Symposium `Power Indices and the European Union' in the July 1999 issue of this Journal. We point out several common inter-connected confusions and errors concerning the meaning of voting power. We stress the vital distinction between two different intuitive notions of voting power. We emphasize the need for a unified approach to the study of a priori and actual voting power. We show that the family of `strategic' measures proposed by some of the participants in the Symposium are a natural generalization of the Banzhaf measure
Party Dominance and the Logic of Electoral Design in Mexico’s Transition to Democracy
Authors: Diaz-Cayeros Alberto , Magaloni Beatriz
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses the role of electoral institutional design in Mexico’s transition to democracy. Our argument is that electoral rules facilitated party dominance through two mechanisms: electoral rules disproportionately rewarded existing majorities and, at the same time, discouraged potential majorities from forming. More specifically, the rules rewarded parties that could win a majority of the vote in single-member districts; but at the same time, rewarded minority parties with seats from multi-member districts, mitigating Duvergerian incentives to coordinate behind a single challenger. In the short run, seats from multi-member districts benefited opposition parties by significantly reducing entry costs; in the long run, however, these seats helped sustain party dominance, by discouraging coordination among opposition parties and voters.
Why Do Societies Collapse?
Authors: Brunk Gregory G.
Published: March 2007

The oldest answered question in the social sciences is ‘Why do societies collapse?’. I advance a theory of the collapse of societies that is based on self-organized criticality, which is a nonlinear process that produces sudden shifts and fractal patterns in historical time series. More generally, I conjecture that weak, self-organized criticality is ubiquitous in human systems. If this conjecture is correct, it would not only explain the source of total societal collapses but the pattern of most other sorts of human calamities and even the frequency distribution of many mundane day-to-day events.
Party Decline in the West A Skeptic's View
Authors: Reiter Howard L.
Published: March 2007

In an attempt to test theories of the decline of political parties, survey data from the United States, Great Britain, Sweden and Norway are presented, and the literature on those nations is reviewed as well as that on France and West Germany. The conclusion is that party decline is by no means universal, nor does it take the same form where it does appear, or among the same social groups. Therefore far too much generalizing has been done, and the decline of party should be considered a nation-specific phenomenon rather than one that applies across most western industrialized nations and for similar reasons.
Contemporary Theory of Institutions in Perspective
Authors: Sened Itai
Published: March 2007

This paper proposes an answer to the question: `What constitutes an adequate explanation to any generic institution?' I argue that if we adhere to a `rational choice' approach to the study of institutions, to explain an institution we must identify a set of actors, able to impose their will on enough of the relevant players, and an event that this coalition anticipates and in which it expects to be better off with the institution than without it. The first two sections contain tentative definitions and state basic requirements from any attempt to explain any institution. Sections 3 and 4 discuss recent attempts to explain different institutions in two interrelated subfields of contemporary social science - the spatial theory of electoral competition (3), and non-cooperative game theory (4). I conclude with an outline of a positive approach to a deductive theory of institutions.
Why Self-Interest Means Less Outside of a Social Context
Authors: Wildavsky Aaron
Published: March 2007

Rational choice theories could be improved, their scope broadened, and their explanations made more powerful by asking not only `How do people go about getting what they know they want?' but also `Why do people want what they want in the first place?'. The advantages of combining a theory of goal direction, which is the operational base of rational choice, and a theory of preference formation are manifold: a monistic conception of cause as self-interest is replaced by a pluralistic conception of culture allowing for a variety of motives for action; master objectives, which play out over a sequence of moves, supersede immediate objectives that cover only the next act; concentration on how institutional rules influence incentives, though valuable in and of itself, gives way to a parallel consideration of how individuals shape institutions; and the overwhelming concentration on material self-interest, which discomforts so many social scientists who might otherwise be well disposed to rational choice explanations, opens up into a diversity of selves who construct a variety of interests in the service of different ways of life (or cultures).
Bureaucrats as Public Policy-Makers and Their Self-Interests
Authors: Egeberg Morten
Published: March 2007

That public bureaucrats, like most other people, might pursue their private interests as voters, job applicants and union members is hardly surprising. It is the postulate that bureaucrats' self-interested behavior penetrates their role as public decision-makers that represents a challenge, empirical-theoretically as well as normatively.

To assess the assumption that bureaucrats' self-interests affect bureaucrats' decisions in their capacity as officials (the self-interest hypothesis), two main points are made. First, the probability that self-interests are conceived and made operational in different issue areas is considered. Second, it is argued that the explanatory power of bureaucrats' self-interests has to depend on characteristics of the self-interest phenomenon itself, for instance whether it is dealt with as a variable or a constant. Moreover, it has to depend on the relative importance of other explanations.
When is Size a Liability?
Authors: Brams Steven J. , Fishburn Peter C.
Published: March 2007

Riker's `size principle' predicts that only minimal winning coalitions (MWCs) will form in n-person zero-sum games that satisfy certain conditions. After summarizing the logic of this principle, a model is proposed in which n players can be ordered from most to least weighty. Two different kinds of MWCs are distinguished:

• those in which every member is `critical' (member-MWCs); and

• member-MWCs that have the smallest weight (weight-MWCs).

A member is critical when its defection causes an MWC to become losing. A listing of the possible categories of member-MWCs indicates that their numbers rapidly increase with the number of players (2, 6, 20, and 116 for n = 3, 4, 5, and 6 players). Three quantitative measures of bargaining power show that less weighty players may, on occasion, be more powerful than more weighty players. Possible empirical manifestations of the inverse relationship between weight and bargaining power in parliamentary coalitions and international politics are discussed.
More Reasons to Resist the Temptation of Power Indices in the European Union
Authors: Garrett Geoffrey , Tsebelis George
Published: March 2007

Jan-Erik Lane and Sven Berg, and Manfred Holler and Mika Widgrén, agree that power index analysis of the EU cannot take into account its institutional structure. For us, this is a sufficient condition for its failure as a research program. Nonetheless, they go on to argue that power indices are better suited than our analysis to address questions of institutional design under conditions of uncertainty. We demonstrate, however, that the way they model uncertainty (outcomes are uniformly distributed across the possible `states of the world') means that their conclusions depend heavily on the partition of these states of the world. As a result, power-index-based analyses of institutional design are not informed by the factors that should be included (institutions and strategies) and instead rely on a priori mathematical formulas and analysts' questionable assumptions about the partition of future states of the world.
An appraisal of environmental consequences of urban development in Alexandria, Egypt
Authors: Hamza Ahmed
Published: March 2007

An appraisal of environmental consequences of urban development in Alexandria, Egypt describes population growth and urban development, transport, industrial and air pollution, public health, water and sanitation, and garbage collection and disposal. The government response is discussed and shortcomings identified with measures suggested to half and reverse pollution levels and environmental degradation.
The role of municipal government in the protection of historic centres in Latin American cities
Authors: Hardoy Jorge E. , Gutman Margarita
Published: March 2007

The role of municipal government in the protection of historic centres in Latin American cities discusses the current and potential role of municipal government in reversing the deterioration in historic centres. It also outlines a new approach to conservation which can be implemented despite existing resource constraints. Central to this approach is a strategy for each centre which both addresses the needs and priorities of the many poor inhabitants and makes full use of the central location, commercial vitality and tourist appeal. Constructive" conservation gives as much importance to the social and political lives of the inhabitants as to the protection and rehabilitation of buildings.
Women and water in rural Maharashtra
Authors: Rao Brinda
Published: March 2007

Women and water in rural Maharashtra examines the consequences of water scarcity for poor rural women in India, and how responses to this scarcity impact on other aspects of women's struggle. The paper shows how a shortage of water and other ecological resources can either prevent or encourage the success with which women can obtain productive resources.
Respiratory diseases of mothers and children and environmental factors among households in Jakarta
Authors: Surjadi Charles
Published: March 2007

Respiratory diseases of mothers and children and environmental factors among households in Jakarta examines the links between the indoor environment and respiratory diseases in mothers and children. The author highlights the frequency with which mothers and children suffer from such diseases and how their occurrence is associated with certain environmental characteristics-for instance, for children with damp housing and inadequate provision for the collection of garbage and for mothers with the absence of ventilation in the kitchen.
Schizophrenia as a permanent problem Some aspects of historical evidence in the recency (new disease) hypothesis
Authors: Turner T.H.
Published: March 2007

The historical prevalence of schizophrenia as a persisting medical and social problem has been challenged by a 'recency hypothesis' suggesting that a new form of illness arose in the nineteenth century. The notion of a viral infection has been in the forefront of such claims. Assessment of diagnostic attitudes, the effects of urban industrialism, the economics of asylum care and the forms of illness presentation do not seem to support such a hypothesis. The value of historical evidence in focusing research and clinical care is stressed, as is the need for a conception of aetiology that is not limited to germ theory.
Historical continuities and discontinuities between religious and medical interpretations of extreme fasting
Authors: Habermas Tilmann , Beveridge A.
Published: March 2007

Taking anorexia nervosa as an example, the attempt to write a history of a syndrome is defended on methodological grounds. Different approaches are considered: intellectual histories of concepts, histories of syndromes and the reconstruction of cultural influences on a syndrome. An early description of two cases of anorexia nervosa that have been rediagnosed retrospectively is presented and the intellectual and institutional context which made it possible is reconstructed. This early description represents a rare link between religiously-inspired forms of extreme fasting and the secular forms of fasting which have been identified by medical writers as anorexia nervosa. Finally, consideration is given to the influence of the Church and the degree to which the process of secularization affected the differences in the interest taken in extreme fasting by medicine in France, Germany and Italy.
A nosological reflection on the Περι Παρθενιων Elucidating the origin of hysterical insanity
Authors: Catonné Jean-Philippe , Renoton-Commin Hélène , Hodgkiss Andrew
Published: March 2007

The treatise Diseases of Girls belongs to the Hippocratic collection. It probably dates from the end of the fourth century BC. A careful semiological survey suggests a diagnosis of hysterical insanity, a syndrome favoured by late nineteenth-century clinicians. Hippocrates' treatise seems to be the very first description of it in the history of Western rational medicine. This assertion is supported in two ways: by an elaboration of the modern diagnosis of hysterical insanity based on the work of Janet and Freud and by exclusion of the possibility of a religious origin, in the cult of Artemis, for the ancient syndrome. As a conclusion to this dual examination, we explore the relationship with the concepts of contemporary, mostly Anglo-Saxon, authors and international classifications (DSM III-R and I.C.D.-10).
Evidence for the existence of schizophrenia in medieval Islamic society
Authors: Youssef Hanafy A. , Youssef Fatma A. , Dening T.R.
Published: March 2007

It has been claimed that descriptions of schizophrenia-like disorders were rare before 1800 in the Western world. Historical evidence from medieval Islamic society shows that madness was common in that society. Despite the limitations of the evidence, we propose that medieval Islamic physicians probably diagnosed and treated many cases of schizophrenia.
The moral government of idiots: moral treatment in the work of Seguin
Authors: Simpson Murray K.
Published: March 2007

This paper considers the role which moral treatment played in the treatment of idiots in the nineteenth century and particularly in the work of Édouard Seguin. It uses this discourse to identify some of the key elements of the definition of what constituted the 'moral', viz. teleology, discipline and humane treatment. By way of interpretation, moral treatment and the 'physiological method' of treating idiocy are presented as being based more on utility in securing the ends of social and productive subjects than on humanitarian notions of care or treatment. In addition, the paper supports the view that moral treatment allowed physicians to claim effectiveness in a field in which success had otherwise eluded them.
Mario M. Cuomo Decides to Run: The Construction of a Political Self
Authors: Wiesner Marcus J.
Published: March 2007

This report is based on a hermeneutic, or interpretive investigation of a portion of the diary of Governor Cuomo of New York State, published in 1984, under the title Diaries of Mario M. Cuomo: The Campaign for Governor. The study, which was undertaken as a doctoral dissertation project, analyzed the role of his diary as narrative, in giving form and substance to Cuomo's inner and political selves. It investigated two propositions: (a) that narrative was used to create a convincing, even compelling political self that the author claimed represented his authentic self, and (b) that the writing of the narrative was therapeutic in reconciling the political self on display to his inner self.

Systematic analysis revealed a `shadow' story, a subtext that told the story of Cuomo's self-serving and intentional undermining of Governor Hugh Carey, to whom he was publicly connected, but whom he wanted to replace. The contrivance found in Cuomo's narrative undermined acceptance of both the authenticity of his self-representation and the evidence of its self-therapeutic use. The notion is discussed that narrative may have served Cuomo as a medium for embodying an emerging self, a transformative means for him to instantiate the personal-social identity he claimed.

The implications of the use of interpretive review to produce data-supported claims of `truth' about human activity are elaborated. The clues the study offers to understanding Cuomo's future political behavior are noted.
Division and Rejection: From the Personification of the Gulf Conflict to the Demonization of Saddam Hussein
Authors: Rojo Luisa Martín
Published: March 2007

This paper analyses the process of exclusion of Saddam Hussein, in a Spanish newspaper, El País, in the period just before the Gulf War. This exclusion procedure is articulated on two axes: division and rejection (Foucault, 1964). `Division' means establishing an inclusive us and an exclusive them, in this case, him. This move therefore entails a personification of the conflict, which produces immediate feelings of identification or rejection, and simplifies how the war is understood. Both effects are reinforced by the second move of the exclusion procedure: `rejection'. Once the two camps are established an imaginary dimension, related to the ideology of consensus and ethnic prejudices, is evoked in order to create an image of Saddam Hussein in which he plays the stranger, the irrational being, the madman, the beast and, ultimately, the personification of evil. These are the villain's attributes in the fairy tale of the just war (Lakoff, 1992), which is the script of the event activated by the newspaper for the conceptualization of the conflict and its protagonists. On the other hand, a positive image is created for a unique and ideological us, in which, as readers, we are included and absorbed.
Gender, Culture and Authority in a University Life Sciences Laboratory
Authors: Conefrey Theresa
Published: March 2007

Many studies document the disproportionately high attrition rate of women in science, especially at early points in their careers. This ethnographic and conversational analytical study of a university life sciences laboratory group goes beneath statistical findings to explore one reason often cited by women who have dropped out of science: a `bad lab experience'. A detailed analysis of the interactional patterns or culture of the laboratory group suggests that discursive practices reinforce a conflation of gender, culture, and authority creating a climate that may be experienced as `chilly', or even `hostile', by some female members.