bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ignorant Theory and Knowledgeable Workers: Interrogating the Connections between Knowledge, Skills and Services
Authors: Thompson Paul , Warhurst Chris , Callaghan George
Published: March 2003

This article builds on recent critiques of the knowledge economy to argue that key growth areas in future employment will be in low level service jobs rather than knowledge work as currently understood. The article discusses the knowledge, skills and competencies involved in interactive service work. It suggests that knowledge which is contextual, social or tacit has been taken to be of lesser value in relation to competitive advantage. It highlights the contrast, therefore, between the growth in interactive service work and the focus of the knowledge management literature on a small sub‐set of total employment. Two case‐studies of interactive service work, one drawn from a range of service sectors and the other from a call‐centre setting, provide empirical material which highlights the skills required by em‐ployers in this area. Technical skills were seen as less important than aesthetic and social skills. These cases highlight the management of social skills and competencies as critical to interactive service work. Workers need to develop an understanding of themselves that allows them to consciously use their emotions and corporeality to influence the quality of the service. This leads to the conclusion that the interactive service sector should not be conflated with knowledge work. Rather, it is more important to focus on the broader need for knowledgeability in work, and so broaden understanding of labour in the contemporary workplace.
Playing the Part: Reflections on Aspects of Mere Performance in the Customer–Client Relationship
Authors: Höpfl Heather
Published: March 2003

The paper seeks to address the ways in which organizations are selective in the aspects of employees which they want and value, and those which are implicitly rejected by the organization. As such, the paper considers Diderot’s famous comparison between acting and whoring in order to give emphasis to what might be termed ‘performed synedoche’ in the employee role. The paper draws on a range of examples from service occupations in order to explore what ‘performed synedoche’ might mean in practice. It concludes with a discussion of the necessary hypocrisy of certain aspects of the service role and examines the psychological costs which attach to this type of performance.
The Global Sports–Media Nexus: Reflections on the ‘Super League Saga’ in Australia
Authors: McGaughey Sara L. , Liesch Peter W.
Published: March 2003

Despite the social and (increasingly) commercial significance of sport and sporting bodies worldwide, they remain under‐represented in the mainstream management literature. One of the more recent and dramatic examples of the global sports–media nexus is the ‘Super League saga’ in Australia. This paper recounts the tale of the Super League saga, providing a holistic analysis of the events and competitive issues arising by drawing on literatures concerning the economic nature and value of sports leagues, the resource‐based view of the firm and the nature of psychological contracts in changing environments. The analysis confirms the general monopolistic tendencies of professional sports leagues in an increasingly global industry driven by the sports–media nexus, in accord with a number of comparable cases internationally. The particular conditions of the Australian marketplace that exacerbate this tendency beyond, for example, that found in the USA, and differences in the outcomes of battles between rival leagues are also considered. The Super League saga portrays the importance of effective management of resources key to the production of the ‘rugby league product’ including, among others, the often over‐looked importance of careful management of local resources for the success of global strategies, and, where human resources are key, the importance of psychological contracting. The holistic analysis of the Super League saga in Australia affords lessons that extend well beyond the realm of sports.
Adaptive Individual Differences Revisited
Authors: Buss David M.
Published: March 2003

Humans possess a complex array of evolved psychological mechanisms, only a subset of which is activated at any particular time. Attempts to reduce human sexual strategies to a single, rigid, invariant strategy, and to label departures from a single strategy as maladjusted, fail to accord with a large body of empirical evidence. Personality psychology cannot afford to ignore the rich repertoire of individual differences, some of which are adaptively patterned.
Empathy, Expectations, and Situational Preferences: Personality Influences on the Decision to Participate in Volunteer Helping Behaviors
Authors: Davis Mark H. , Mitchell Kyle V. , Hall Jennifer A. , Lothert Jennifer , Snapp Tyra , Meyer Marnee
Published: March 2003

Although considerable evidence indicates that dispositional empathy is associated with the degree of help that observers will offer needy targets, little is known about the effect of empathy on one’s initial willingness to enter situations in which such needy targets might be found. Three studies were conducted to evaluate two related propositions: (1) that dispositional empathy influences such situational preferences, and (2) that this influence is mediated by the expectancies one holds regarding the emotions likely to occur in those situations. Using hypothetical judgments, Study 1 found support for both propositions. Study 2, in which participants believed that their responses actually committed them to encountering needy targets, provided further support for the model, as did Study 3, which examined the experiences of actual community volunteers. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Creative Potential, Creative Achievement, and Personal Growth
Authors: Helson Ravenna , Pals Jennifer L.
Published: March 2003

We tested the idea that young people who have creative potential (are complex and unconventional) increase in intrapsychic awareness as they mature but often have difficulty with psychosocial growth, especially the development of a cohesive identity; and that for some women commitment to creative work solves the problem of psychosocial integration and leads to creative achievement. In a longitudinal sample of 109 women, these ideas were supported: Creative potential and creative achievement were both associated with intrapsychic growth but only creative achievement was associated with psychosocial growth. Regression analyses showed that the development of a cohesive identity from early to middle adulthood added to and interacted with creative potential in the prediction of creative achievement.
Comparing Personality Scales Across Time: An Illustrative Study of Validity and Consistency in Life‐Span Archival Data
Authors: Martin Leslie R. , Friedman Howard S.
Published: March 2003

The goals of this study were: (a) to examine whether personality scales, meaningful in contemporary terms, could be derived from archival data; and (b) to use these scales to aid our understanding of the relation of personality to mortality. NEO PI‐R data and a battery of archival items, taken from Terman's Life Cycle Study, were collected on two new samples (sample 1 mean age = 11.9, n = 167; sample 2 mean age = 22.2, n = 203). Measurement invariance of the archival scales was assessed, and validity was examined using both rational analyses and associations with the Five Factor Model. It was demonstrated that interpretable scales can be derived from 50‐ to 70‐year‐old archival data. The archival adult personality data were then used to predict mortality. Conscientiousness remains the strongest personality predictor of longevity. Criteria for establishing the validity of archivally derived scales are suggested.
The Impostor Phenomenon: Self‐Perceptions, Reflected Appraisals, and Interpersonal Strategies
Authors: Leary Mark R. , Patton Katharine M. , Orlando Amy E. , Wagoner Funk Wendy
Published: March 2003

Three studies tested theoretical assumptions regarding the impostor phenomenon. In Study 1, participants completed measures of impostorism, rated themselves, and indicated how they thought other people regarded them. Contrary to standard conceptualizations of impostorism, high impostors were characterized by a combination of low self‐appraisals and low reflected appraisals. Study 2 was an experiment designed to determine whether the behaviors associated with the impostor phenomenon are interpersonal strategies. Participants were told that they were expected to perform either better or worse than they had previously predicted on an upcoming test, then expressed their reactions anonymously or publicly. High impostors expressed lower performance expectations than low impostors only when their responses were public. When expectations for performance were low, participants high in impostorism responded differently under public than private conditions. Study 3 examined the possibility that high scores on measures of impostorism may reflect two types of impostors—true impostors (who believe that others perceive them too positively) and strategic impostors (who only claim that they are not as good as other people think). The results did not support this distinction; however, evidence for the strategic nature of impostorism was again obtained. Although people may experience true feelings of impostorism, these studies suggest that the characteristics attributed to so‐called impostors are partly interpersonal, self‐presentational behaviors designed to minimize the implications of poor performance.
A Motivational Perspective on Risky Behaviors: The Role of Personality and Affect Regulatory Processes
Authors: Cooper M. Lynne , Agocha V. Bede , Sheldon Melanie S.
Published: March 2003

The present study tested a motivational model in which personality influences on risky behaviors were hypothesized to be primarily indirectly mediated, by shaping the nature and quality of emotional experience as well as characteristic styles of coping with these emotions. This model was tested in a representative community sample of 1,666 young adults, aged 18 to 25 years old. Results revealed strong support for the model, indicating that broad traits related to neuroticism and extraversion promote involvement in alcohol use and risky sex via distinct pathways. Neurotic individuals were prone to engage in risky behaviors as a way to cope with aversive mood states, whereas extraverted individuals were more likely to engage in risky behaviors as a way to enhance positive affective experience. In contrast, impulsivity directly predicted some forms of risk taking, and interacted with extraversion and neuroticism to predict motives for risky behaviors. The model provides a highly general though not complete account of risky behaviors.
Temperament and Adolescent Substance Use: An Epigenetic Approach to Risk and Protection
Authors: Wills Thomas A. , Sandy James M. , Yaeger Alison
Published: March 2003

We outline an epigenetic approach to understanding the relation between simple dispositional characteristics and complex problem behaviors, with a focus on adolescent substance use. Epigenetic theory predicts that effects of temperament are mediated through self‐control and risk‐taking tendency, isomorphic attributes that are based in temperament but represent developmental elaborations of these characteristics. We describe how the research program has confirmed predictions from epigenetic theory, addressed additional questions embodied in the theory, and clarified the multiple pathways from temperament characteristics to life stress, social relationships, and motives for substance use. In a final section, we discuss implications for the study of problem behavior and psychopathology.
Doing and Being Well (for the Most Part): Adaptive Patterns of Narrative Self‐Evaluation During Bereavement
Authors: Bauer Jack J. , Bonanno George A.
Published: March 2003

Narrative self‐evaluation patterns were studied in relation to longitudinal measures of adaptation to the death of a spouse in midlife. Narrative self evaluations, identified in open‐ended interview transcripts at 6 months post‐loss, were coded as either positive or negative and as either doing‐based (evaluations of “what one does”) or being‐based (evaluations of “what one is”). These narrative variables were then compared with separate, clinical‐interview measures of grief at 6, 14, and 25 months post‐loss. Results confirmed three predictions. First, participants who made an optimal proportion of positive to negative self‐evaluations (approximately a 5:1 positive‐to‐negative ratio) had lower grief levels over time than did those who made either higher or lower proportions. Second, the tendency to focus on evaluations of what one does rather than what one is predicted lower grief levels over time. Third, participants who directly integrated doing‐based and being‐based self‐evaluations had lower grief levels over time than those who did not link the two. Implications for the narrative construction of personal meaning and identity in relation to adaptation are discussed.
Emotional Responses to Changing Feedback: Is It Better to Have Won and Lost Than Never to Have Won At All?
Authors: Brown Jonathan D. , Farnham Shelly D. , Cook Kathleen E.
Published: March 2003

Two experiments investigated how self‐esteem guides people'semotional responses to changing evaluative feedback. In both experiments, participants receivedan initial evaluation (either positive or negative) followed by a second evaluation (either positiveor negative). Emotional reactions to the second evaluation were then assessed. High self‐esteemparticipants found feedback that was consistently negative to be most distressing, whereas lowself‐esteem participants were most disturbed by feedback that changed from positive to negative.The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Personality in Cultural Context: Methodological Issues
Authors: Van De Vijver Fons , Leung Kwok
Published: March 2003

Methodological issues in cultural and cross‐cultural personality research are described. A taxonomy of these studies is presented, based on whether a study is exploratory or tests hypotheses, and whether or not contextual information is measured. Core methodological issues are bias and equivalence; a taxonomy and a brief overview of statistical procedures to examine equivalence are presented, with a focus on procedures for assessing structural equivalence (i.e., similarity of meaning of an instrument across cultures). Examples are given of studies in which cultural and cross‐cultural approaches, often seen as antithetical, have been fruitfully integrated. Finally, multilevel models are described in which personality characteristics are examined at individual and cultural level.
A Good Place to Bury Bad News? Hiding the Detail in the Geography on the Labour Party’s Website
Authors: Dorling Danny , Eyre Heather , Johnston Ron , Pattie Charles
Published: March 2003

But actually, he thought as he re–adjusted the Ministry of Plenty’s figures, it was not even forgery. It was merely the substitution of one piece of nonsense for another. Most of the material that you were dealing with had no connexion with anything in the real world, not even the kind of connexion that is contained in a direct lie. Statistics were just as much a fantasy in their original version as in their rectified version.
Is There an Alternative to ‘Schengenland'?
Authors: Kostakopoulou Dora
Published: March 2003

The process of ‘Schengenizing’ the law on immigration and asylum matters and the tensions generated by the intergovernmental pattern of cooperation, in the context of the European Union, have had negative effects upon the principles underpinning the European polities and the identities of their citizens and residents. A principled, enlightened and non-restrictive Union immigration policy would have to be based on the questioning of states ‘right’ to exclude aliens and on an alternative way of thinking about immigration. This entails ‘constitutionalization’ of immigration in the European Union and the creation of partnership arrangements among political units in supranational, national and subnational environments.
Shifting the Balance? Parliament, the Executive and the British Constitution
Authors: Flinders Matthew
Published: March 2003

This article examines the paradoxes of parliamentary reform. Focusing mainly on the House of Commons, the first section highlights the contradictory roles of parliament and utilizes a distinction between the ‘Whig’ and ‘Peelite’ conceptions of the Whitehall-Westminster model to demonstrate the ambiguities and tensions that exist. This framework is then applied to a case study of parliamentary reform under Labour governments since 1997 in the second section. The third section emphasizes that parliament cannot be studied in isolation. It suggests that the British constitution is at a critical historical, political and institutional juncture in which a number of inter-linked emerging agendas are altering the relationship between parliament and the executive. The significance of these emerging agendas is that, unlike internal reform of parliament, they are largely beyond the executive's control. The combined influence of these factors is likely to impel the executive, at some point, to support a coherent and far-reaching reappraisal of the structure, role and powers of parliament. Consequently the degree to which Britain ( de facto) remains a parliamentary state will be subject to intense and increasing debate.
Parliamentary Election Turnout in Europe since 1990
Authors: Siaroff Alan , Merer John W. A.
Published: March 2003

This article examines the cross-national variations in turnout for parliamentary elections in Europe since 1990 – a continent with a vast range in turnout levels and some clear subregional patterns, especially that of low turnout in East-Central Europe. A full range of socio-economic, mobilizational, party system, institutional, and contextual factors are examined for bivariate relationships with turnout. A multivariate model then indicates that cross-national turnout is higher where there is strictly enforced compulsory voting, in polarized two-party systems and countries with a high level of party membership, and where there are no relevant elected presidents or strong regional governments. Variances on these and other key factors are what accounts for the subregional pattern of East-Central Europe and the highest turnout case of Malta; however, Switzerland is confirmed to be a significant national dummy variable.
Why Do States Grant Asylum?
Authors: Schuster Liza
Published: March 2003

Recent legislation introduced by European states to limit access to asylum is an attempt to reinforce the State's control of admission to its territory However, while certain of these states have effectively ceased to permit immigration, none have indicated that asylum should cease to be granted. This paper examines the reasons why States continue to grant asylum and suggests that there are certain conditions which are necessary for granting asylum, in particular, that the benefits to the asylum granting State outweigh any costs.
Power and Contentment
Authors: Doyle James
Published: March 2003

In a recent article in this journal (Politics Vol. 17 No. 1), Colin Hay rethinks the radical conception of power developed by Steven Lukes. Hay argues that the failure to keep analytical and normative questions distinct means that Lukes mistakenly conflates the identification and critique of power relations. To circumvent this problem, Hay redefines the concept in terms which remove normative questions from the analysis of power. In this article, the contention is that the definition proposed by Hay does not meet his objective. It is argued that, contrary to Hay and other critics, the radical conception of power can be made to work within the terms originally articulated by Lukes.
Thinking ‘Globally’ about Peace in Northern Ireland
Authors: Cox Michael
Published: March 2003

Though many in Britain and Northern Ireland remain highly sceptical about the longer term intentions of the Provisional IRA, it is clear that its ceasefire of August 1994 represented a major turning-point in Irish history. The nature of the IRA decision however remains shrouded in controversy – made all the more controversial of course by its resumption of military activities followed eighteen months later by the announcement of another ceasefire. This article seeks to throw light on the original IRA decision by exploring some of the international pressures which led the organization to take the decision it did in 1994. While in no way seeking to downplay the importance of ‘internal’ factors such as war weariness and the Anglo-Irish agreement, it is suggested here that the decision itself makes little sense unless it is situated within a wider global context. It is also implied that if analysts had been more sensitive to the influence of the ‘global’ upon the ‘local’ conflict in Northern Ireland, they may have been less surprised than they were by the IRA announcement.
Civil Society and Democracy: The Gap between Theory and Possibility
Authors: Baker Gideon
Published: March 2003

In this essay, I first provide reasons for the reemergence of the idea of civil society and for its subsequent importance in contemporary democratic theory, particularly on the left. I then show how this new approach to civil society is premised upon the separation of spheres between state and society. Thus the place of civil society in such accounts of democracy and democratisation, although normative and therefore putatively universal, is actually based on western liberalism. This feature of civil society theory obscures democratisation as a contextualised process and therefore distorts descriptions of a normative core to democracy that it truly universal in scope.
The British Labour Party in the 1980s: The Battle over the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict
Authors: Edmunds June
Published: March 2003

Labour Party policy developments in the 1980s have been well-documented. However, the focus has tended to be on intra-party organisation and aspects of domestic and defence policy, with Labour's policy on international issues receiving comparatively little attention. Yet, some of the most interesting debates occurred in this area. One such concern was that over the party's policy towards the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, a set of nationalist rivalries that has long been a source of dilemma for the left. This paper examines how the party's previous pro-Israeli consensus broke down during the 1980s and the processes behind the eventual policy outcome, shedding light on the wider issue of policy change.
Willing Executors of Hitler's Will? The Goldhagen Controversy, Political Analysis and the Holocaust
Authors: Hay Colin
Published: March 2003

Daniel Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust (1996) has won its author a succession of accolades, from the American Political Science Association's prestigious Gabriel A. Almond Prize in comparative politics in 1994 to the even more prestigious Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik's Democracy Prize (awarded last in 1990). It has also occasioned an unprecedented and intense controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. In this article I consider the attribution of responsibility for the Holocaust in the Goldhagen thesis and the controversy this has spawned. I argue that despite Goldhagen's efforts to restore the conscious human subject to the perpetration of the Holocaust, the logic of his thesis in fact serves largely to absolve German subjects of culpability for an act of barbarism he regards as at least latent in an ‘exceptional’ and ‘eliminationist’ anti-Semitism that predates the rise of fascism. I take issue with Goldhagen's identification of Hitler's willing executioners as ‘Germans’, arguing that if human subjects are to be restored to the analysis of the Holocaust (as, indeed, they should be), it is imperative that we acknowledge the distinctly unexceptional character of ‘Ordinary Germans’ and, consequently re-examine our own culpability in this most modern of atrocities.
Epistemic Communities: A Reply to Toke
Authors: Dunlop Claire
Published: March 2003

This article contests the understanding of Peter M. Haas's ‘epistemic communities’ approach, forwarded by David Toke in his article in Politics of May 1999. It is argued that while Toke diagnoses the approach's failing correctly, the cause he identifies is off the mark. This particularly concerns his assertion of a positivist dogma underscoring the thesis, which is rejected as a misinterpretation of Haas. Rather, it is contended that the framework's inability to engage with the real world of politics, and the other groups therein, is a product of its lack of theoretical refinement and rigorous empirical examination.
Democracy in Practice: Muslims and the Labour Party at the Local Level
Authors: Purdam Kingsley
Published: March 2003

This article examines the nature of Muslim mobilisations in local party politics and the broader question of political representation in local democracy. Drawing on original qualitative and quantitative survey data, the Muslim presence in local politics in Britain is documented and the nature of some of the tensions concerning their membership of local Labour parties is examined.

It is clear that some concerns over whether the strategies used by Muslims to secure political presence in local politics are legitimate but there are also incumbent problems of discrimination, exclusion and stereotyping. This research suggests that there is a general feeling among Muslim councillors that Muslims have been unfairly accused of illegal practices of recruitment and have been treated unfairly within their local parties to an extent that goes beyond simple party and candidate competition. The article argues that while there is a need to ensure that all participation is democratic the concerns of Muslims themselves and the discrimination they have encountered should be addressed.
‘Attitudinally Feminist’? The New Labour Women MPs and the Substantive Representation of Women
Authors: Childs Sarah
Published: March 2003

In the period since the election of 120 women MPs to the House of Commons, discussion concerning their behaviour has been much in evidence. This article seeks to contribute to the analysis of whether women MPs seek to substantively represent women. It draws on qualitative interviews with more than half of the newly elected Labour women MPs. The paper demonstrates that more than two-thirds of the newly elected Labour women MPs are ‘attitudinally feminist’, one measure of whether women representatives will seek to ‘act for’ women. The article challenges, therefore, claims that women representatives have not sought feminised change in British politics.
The Structure of Vocational Interests for Diverse Racial-Ethnic Groups
Authors: Day Susan X , Rounds James , Swaney Kyle
Published: March 2003

We investigated differences in the circular structure of Holland's interest types across racial-ethnic groups (African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Caucasians; N = 11,610). The samples consisted of college-bound persons who completed the revised Unisex Edition of the ACT Interest Inventory (UNIACT; Swaney, 1995), as well as a comparison group of 10th graders ( N = 4,133) in the 1992 UNIACT norms sample. Analyses using a randomization test of hypothesized order, targeted principal components, and three-way multidimensional scaling suggest that Holland's model adequately represents the interest structures of both sexes in all the diverse samples.
Physical and Psychological Representations of Faces: Evidence From Morphing
Authors: Busey Thomas A.
Published: March 2003

Models of face recognition and classification often adopt a framework in which faces are represented as points in a multidimensional space. This psychological face space organizes the faces according to similarity and makes predictions for representational theories of faces. A variety of image-processing techniques have been used to create novel stimuli in this space that represent the average of a population or make a face appear more distinctive. The current research examined the relation between the stimuli created by these image-processing techniques and the underlying psychological representation as measured by multidimensional scaling (MDS) procedures. Morphing procedures were used to create 16 faces that were embedded in a set of 84 other faces. Similarity ratings between all possible pairs of faces were collected, and the data were analyzed using MDS procedures. Dimensions that emerged from the MDS solution included age, race, adiposity, and facial hair. In the MDS space, the morphs appeared more typical than the parents, as predicted by the geometric model. A number of biases were examined, including the tendency of the morphs to be less typical than predicted, which may be attributed to the effects of density near the center of face space. In addition, age and facial-adiposity biases were found. The results support the use of the face-space framework for models of face recognition, although image-processing techniques that are designed to create novel stimuli in this space may introduce systematic biases.
Self-Regulatory Failure: A Resource-Depletion Approach
Authors: Vohs Kathleen D. , Heatherton Todd F.
Published: March 2003

Three studies were conducted to test the behavioral consequences of effortful self-regulation. Individuals with chronic inhibitions about eating were exposed to situations varying in level of self-regulatory demand. Subsequently, participants' ability to self-regulate was measured. Two studies manipulated self-regulatory demand by exposing participants to good-tasting snack foods, whereas a third study required participants to control their emotional expressions. As hypothesized, exerting self-control during the first task led to decrements in self-control on a subsequent task. Moreover, these effects were not due to changes in affective state and occurred only when self-control was required in the first task. These findings are explained in terms of depletion of self-regulatory resources, which impairs successful volitional control.
How Pleasant Was Your Childhood? Beliefs About Memory Shape Inferences From Experienced Difficulty of Recall
Authors: Winkielman Piotr , Schwarz Norbert
Published: March 2003

People's beliefs about how memory works can affect their inferences from experienced difficulty of recall. Participants were asked to recall either 4 childhood events (experienced as an easy task) or 12 childhood events (experienced as a difficult task). Subsequently, they were led to believe that either pleasant or unpleasant periods of one's life fade from memory. When the recall task was difficult (12 events), participants who believed that memories from unpleasant periods fade away rated their childhood as less happy than participants who believed that memories from pleasant periods fade away. The opposite pattern was observed when the recall task was easy (4 events). This interplay of recall experiences and memory beliefs suggests that the judgmental impact of subjective experiences is shaped by beliefs about their meaning. It also suggests that the recall difficulty in clinical memory work may lead a person to make negative inferences about his or her childhood, provided the person shares the popular belief that memory represses negative information.
Grouping Has a Negative Effect on Both Subjective Contours and Perceived Occlusion at T-Junctions
Authors: Gillam Barbara , Chan Wing Man
Published: March 2003

Perceived occlusion of aligned T-junctions and subjective contours at implicit T-junctions are often assumed to be related but are rarely examined with respect to common mechanisms. Using the method of paired comparison, we measured the strength of perceived occlusion at explicit T-junctions and the strength of subjective contours at implicit T-junctions (using different subjects) along the aligned edges of eight sets of inducer shapes. Sets varied in the similarity of component shapes with respect to orientation, height, width, and color. With increasing shape similarity, there was a striking decrease in both the strength of subjective contours and the strength of perceived occlusion; the correlation between these two kinds of judgments was .97. We conclude that common mechanisms underlie these two percepts and that edge alignment is a much stronger indicator of occlusion for poorly grouped than for strongly grouped inducers.
The Local Government Review: An Inter‐Organizational Perspective
Authors: Leach Steve
Published: March 2003

This article uses Benson’s ‘political economy’ model of inter‐organizational relations to interpret inter‐authority relationships during the course of the local government review process in England (1992‐95) and in particular to explain the preparedness of large numbers of district councils to support proposals which implied their own destruction. Six more specific influences are identified which led to this outcome:

(i) The changing pattern of expectations and perceived possibilities as the Review progressed.

(ii) The conflictual context of relations within the network linking individual counties and districts, and their respective associations.

(iii) The influence of the districts’ national representative body ‐ the ADC ‐ which was arguing strongly for a ‘super‐district’ solution.

(iv) The plausibility of the view of some mergers as de facto takeovers of one authority by another.

(v) The special nature of local authorities as (party) political institutions as well as public sector bureaucracies.

(vi) The rationing of information through central‐local networks, in the context of ‘unclear rules’.

It is concluded that with certain modifications Benson’s framework provides a helpful explanatory mechanism.
The Importance of Being Trusted: Transaction Costs and Policy Network Theory
Authors: Hindmoor Andrew
Published: March 2003

Transaction cost economics is used to defend and develop policy network theory. Networks, like markets and hierarchies, are a form of governance structure. As one form of network, policy communities develop and survive because they reduce transaction costs that would otherwise threaten the exchange of resources between government and pressure groups. Policy communities alter outcomes and should be an important part of the explanation of public policy. Whilst of general relevance, the argument is illustrated with particular reference to the frequently hostile but ultimately successful negotiations between the British Medical Association and the Ministry of Health prior to the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.
Perceptions Of Federal Management In The Clinton Era
Authors: Bingman Charles F. , Pitsvada Bernard T.
Published: March 2003

This article examines aspects of planning, budgeting and reorganization in order to evaluate what improvements have been undertaken during the Clinton presidency to improve government performance in the United States national government 1 . The authors develop a model of government reform based upon a series of escalating steps. These are: (1) internal government improvements; (2) fundamental restructuring and reorganization of agency operations; (3) programme reforms, driven by internal management; (4) programme reforms – driven by policy and political change; (5) reform of the political system itself. The authors conclude that while the National Performance Review and Government Performance and Results Act are the centre‐pieces of this effort, reform will continue in the US after NPR

and GPRA wither away because the time is right for reform for a variety of reasons discussed in the article. The findings are then focused in a broader context in terms of their applicability to western democracies which could result in smaller more successful governments in the twenty‐first century.
British Steel And Government Since Privatization: Policy ‘Framing’ and the Transformation of Policy Networks
Authors: Dudley Geoffrey
Published: March 2003

Privatization has its own distinctive dynamics, resulting particularly from the institutional restructuring which tends to transform policy networks and communities. This happens principally for two reasons. Firstly, the crucial balance of resource dependencies is changed irrevocably, and established policy communities break down. Secondly, the separation between the principal actors tends to produce a ‘re‐framing’ of major policy issues. Here, Schön and Rein’s (1994) concept of issue ‘framing’ offers a useful metaphor for how actors give a coherent organization to a complex reality by selecting for attention a few salient features. At the same time, they argue also that the nature of ‘objective’ reality might be found in the world’s tendency to resist our interpretations, leading to a discovery of the limitations of particular frames. The case of British Steel offers a good example of the dynamics of this process. In the days of state ownership, the British Steel Corporation and government generally shared similar ‘frames’ on major issues. Since privatization, however, the two actors have tended to adopt separate ‘frames’ and have become more independent of each other. Multi‐arena politics, such as Europeanization, can drive them still further apart. Nevertheless, in recent years British Steel has come to appreciate some of the limitations of its own frame, and has sought to reconstruct its relationship with government. There is an imbalance in the resource dependencies, however, which precludes the reconstruction of a policy community
Prospects For Acquired Rights
Authors: Curwen Peter
Published: March 2003

A notable feature of European Union Directives is that they are initially somewhat loosely worded, necessitating constant (re)interpretation by the European Court of Justice. This process may itself eventually necessitate the publication of a new version of a Directive, once again creating tensions between member states. Few Directives illustrate this better than that concerned with the ‘acquired’ rights of employees in the case of business transfers which has recently been revised more than twenty years after its original publication. This article sets out to explore, mainly in the context of the UK: the context and content of the original Directive; its particular relevance for the increasingly popular practice of contracting out; the role played by the European Court of Justice in both clarifying and, arguably, clouding the issues; the process of revising the Directive. It concludes with an assessment of the current state of play.
Progrssive Regrimes, Partnerships and the Involvement of Local Communities: A Framework for Evaluation
Authors: Smith Mike , Beazley Mike
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the nature of community involvement in urban politics as it is played out through regeneration partnerships. At a theoretical level, it explores the potential for a community dimension to local governance, that is, a strategic influence for communities within local power structures. It is argued that the nature of involvement can be explicated by considering three concepts: power (as expressed by urban regime theory), participation and partnership. The paper explores these three broad themes and then focuses on the particular issues pertaining to community involvement in partnership working. Building on this frame‐work, the paper develops a model – a ‘wheel of involvement’– for analysing the effectiveness of community involvement in regeneration partnerships. This model enables the effectiveness of involvement to be ‘quantified by the use of a simple questionnaire survey. It provides a tool for academic researchers and practitioners concerned with evaluating partnerships to begin to explore the quality and level of community involvement in the process of urban renewal. The results of an analysis of two regeneration partnerships are presented as an illustration of the efficacy of the evaluative technique.
Models For Research into Decision‐MakingProcesses: On Phases, Streams and Decision‐Making Rounds
Authors: Teisman Geert R.
Published: March 2003

This article elaborates on the question of how complex decision making can be analysed. Three conceptual models are compared: the phase model, the stream model and the rounds model. Each model is based on specific assumptions about what decision making is and how it should be analysed. The phase model focuses on successive and distinctive stages in a process, i.e. defining a problem, searching for, choosing and implementing solutions. The stream model emphasizes concurrent streams of participants, problems and solutions, defining decision making as the connection between these streams. The rounds model combines elements of the other two models, in assuming that several actors introduce combinations of problems and solutions, and create progress through interaction. Each model generates specific insights, as is shown from the example of the ‘Betwe line’, a railway line intended for the transport of cargo, in the Netherlands. The phase model concentrates on decisions taken by a focal actor; the stream model focuses on the coincidentallinks between problems, solutions and actors; and the rounds model on the interaction between actors.
Ex‐Offenders, the Labour Market and the New Public Administration
Authors: Fletcher Del Roy
Published: March 2003

Policy makers are increasingly recognizing the importance of helping ex‐offenders into employment. This article outlines the disadvantages faced by those with a criminal record in the labour market and evaluates several approaches to meeting the needs of ex‐offenders seeking work. It finds that, despite recent policy developments, the changing nature of British public administration is undermining the ability of practitioners to respond appropriately to the needs of ex‐offenders. The article concludes that the real concern of policy makers is to show that they are doing something about the social context of criminal behaviour while at the same time drawing attention away from the increasingly centralized and authoritarian nature of our public agencies.
Transforming Administrative Policy
Authors: Christensen Tom , Laegreid Per , Wise Lois R.
Published: March 2003

Administrative policies and practices may evolve and change slowly and incrementally or they may be transformed intentionally. Intentional efforts to change administrative policy by transforming the structure, processes, or personnel of public sector organizations define an active administrative policy. Ideally, an active administrative policy takes as given that the organizational form to be used is open to choice, that administrative goals are clear, that a tight coupling exists between ends and means, that different organizational forms have different effects, and that there are criteria that may be used to assess those effects. This article focuses on the fulfilment of these preconditions in the three national contexts – Norway, Sweden and the United States of America – in order to determine the relevance of a transformative perspective for understanding the process of administrative change. We examine what impact constraints like polity features, historical‐institutional traditions and external pressure, particularly through popular international administrative doctrines like New Public Management ideas and financial crises, have on the possibilities to enhance an active national administrative policy.
The governance of urban regeneration: a critique of the ‘governing without government’ thesis
Authors: Davies Jonathan S.
Published: March 2003

This paper offers a critique of the concept of governance as networks. Using the complementary concept of regime governance, it argues that networks are not the primary mode of governance in the politics of urban regeneration in the UK. Drawing on primary and secondary material, it is argued that Central Government is becoming more influential in the local policy arena. In the ‘mix’ of market, hierarchy and network, hierarchy is more pervasive than network. It is therefore argued that partnerships should be treated as a distinct mode of governance. These conclusions demonstrate that despite the fashion for copying urban policies from the USA, local politics in the UK remain very different. Ironically, the transfer of policies developed in the USA has tended to entrench divergent practices and outcomes. The UK does not, therefore, appear to be moving toward the US model of regime politics. It is concluded that the partnership and network/regime models of governance should be subjected to rigorous comparative studies.
The relationship between politicians and administrators – a logic of disharmony
Authors: Hansen Kasper M. , Ejersbo Niels
Published: March 2003

The relationship between politicians (elected officials) and administrators (appointed officials) is the cornerstone to understanding the governing process and has always been highly debated in the public administration literature. Traditionally, the debate focuses on Weber’s clear separation between politicians and administrators and a criticism of the basic assumptions of Weber’s model. An alternative model is the Dichotomy–Duality–Model which gives a more varied description of the relationship between politicians and administrators. This article argues that in order to get a more thorough understanding of the complicated interaction between politicians and administrators, it is necessary to pay attention to the two groups’ logic of action. It is argued that politicians are driven by inductive logic of action while administrators are influenced by a deductive logic of action. These two opposites create a logic of disharmony between the two agents. Empirical findings from counties in Denmark support the present and the resistance of the logic, since management tools designed to create a harmonious relationship between politicians and administrators are unable to change the logic of disharmony.
University research and development of a microsatellite
Authors: Schoonwinkel Arnold , Milne Garth
Published: March 2003

Developing a microsatellite at a university is an effective means of training engineering students for an R&D career. Such a programme requires the adoption of many research and development processes from industry. This paper describes how tailored forms of systems engineering, project management and technology management were applied to develop a high technology product at a tertiary educational institution. This microsatellite development programme has produced students who are well prepared for the realities of engineering practice, and a research and development facility that earns research funding for the university.
Why crash pharmaceutical research?
Authors: Gittins John
Published: March 2003

In a competitive environment it is important to bring research projects to an early successful conclusion. A stochastic model of a typical pharmaceutical research project shows that it is often very desirable to allocate more scientists to a project than the number which is most efficient in terms of progress per scientist‐year.
Project selection by scoring for a large R&D organisation in a developing country
Authors: Rengarajan S. , Jagannathan P.
Published: March 2003

A project selection method has been derived for the R&D Division of an electrical equipment manufacturer in a developing country. In the method, a scoring model is used to select and rank projects which have a wide range of objectives and characteristics. The criteria used for selection relate specifically to the organisation's needs and culture, and they are weighted according to their relative importance as perceived by executives. The results of the study indicate the research culture of the R&D Division and reflect its environment. As such the paper illustrates a methodology which can be universally applied to large R&D organisations in developing or developed countries.