bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Financial Crisis of the Local Authorities in Israel: A Resource‐Based Analysis
Authors: Carmeli Abraham , Cohen Aaron 
Published: March 2003

The financial crisis affecting many of the local authorities in Israel has a significant influence on their ability to supply municipal services of an appropriate amount and quality. So far, studies have been addressed to the financial crisis from a political approach by discussing aspects such as the problematic interrelation between central and local governments together with resource allocation. In this paper we investigate the financial crisis of many local authorities in Israel from a strategic point of view. However, this is by no means to argue that other approaches such as institutional and political ones are not important. Rather, the paper investigates whether the financial crisis affecting many Israeli local authorities is a result of their own strategies and practices.Specifically, we have used the resource‐based approach to explore the nature of their joint crises and the potential strategic responses that the local authorities should adopt in order to move into a more favourable state. In particular, we examine three resource‐based systems: customer‐oriented, organizational culture, and human resources, as the strategic roots of this crisis. We also examine the way they could produce a sustainable competitive advantage and could lead local authorities from the present position to a better one. The article recommends that the heads of local authorities should move to a resource‐based strategy in order to perform both more efficiently and effectively.
The threat of organizational downsizing on the innovative propensity of R&D professionals
Authors: Bommer Michael , Jalajas David 
Published: March 2003

Downsizings, re‐engineering, and restructuring continue to be strategic initiatives employed by the management of US companies. Although the lay‐offs that result from these activities have yielded some short‐term benefits for companies, over the long term, the ability of the firm to innovate new products and processes may be compromised.In this article four antecedent variables of individual innovation are identified: a willingness to take risks, a willingness to make suggestions, the degree to which one is motivated by the job, and the degree to which one is motivated by fear. A model is developed and hypotheses proposed to test the effect of the threat of downsizings on these four factors. The results of our study revealed that these threats have a significant effect on all four factors in a direction which is detrimental to the propensity of R&D professionals to be innovative.The article concludes with suggestions for R&D managers in a downsizing environment to foster the innovation process at the individual level.
The philosopher and the Fly Bottle
Authors: Dilman İlham 
Published: March 2003

Wittgenstein said that what he does in philosophy is ‘to show the fly out of the fly bottle’ (Philosophical Investigations¶309). He is, himself, both the fly, his alter‐ego, and the philosopher who turns the fly around. This is a transformation in his vision of and perspective on those matters which tempted him, through the questions it posed for him, into the bottle, there to be trapped – trapped into a form of scepticism, realism, or one of its many reductionist satellites, for instance. The transformation which releases him into the open takes philosophical work which unearths unspoken assumptions and subjects them to criticism. As for the movement into and out of the bottle, this is the philosophical journey in the course of which the philosopher comes to a new understanding of the matters he questioned in a way that led him into the bottle.To come to such a better understanding, therefore, the philosopher has to have the courage of his temptations and not be afraid to give up what he holds on to. What he learns in coming out of the bottle belongs to the work that frees him from the compelling pictures that held him captive within the space of opposed theories held together by common assumptions. It cannot be acquired or conveyed independently of such work. It is in this sense that philosophy is a struggle with difficulties which each philosopher has to face and work through himself. The difficulties are not in him, but they are his– they are difficulties for him. He has to work on them. That is why, while he can learn from others, he cannot borrow from them, build on or go on from what they have established.In the first section of the paper I put on some flesh on this. But what I provide is still a thumb‐nail sketch. The question ‘what is philosophy?’ is itself a philosophical question, like any other, and can only be ‘answered’ like them. It is only that with which we are familiar – in our mastery of the language we speak or in our experience of life –that can raise philosophical questions for us. Thus contrast ‘what is knowledge?’, ‘what is thinking?’ with ‘what is cancer?’, ‘what is osmosis?’. The question ‘what is philosophy?’ similarly can only be asked by a philosopher, someone who has asked and struggled with its questions. Otherwise it is a request for information to which the full answer is: you have to study philosophy if you really want to find out.It follows that what I say about the way philosophical questions are to be answered applies equally to the question about the nature of philosophy. Hence I can do no other than provide a thumb‐nail sketch for those who have themselves struggled with philosophical questions.As for what I provide in the following three sections, they are no more than illustrations of a way of working on those sample questions – questions on which hopefully the reader will have thought himself. I am able to offer such illustrations only because I have myself been caught up by these questions and have worked on them and discussed them more fully elsewhere (see Bibliography).
Measuring Attitudes Towards Inequality
Authors: Amiel Yoram , Creedy John , Hurn Stan 
Published: March 2003

Individuals' attitudes to inequality aversion are measured using survey data, based on the leaky‐bucket experiment, for several groups of students in Australia and Israel. Three forms of social welfare function are estimated. It is found that measures of inequality aversion can be obtained with some precision and that these estimates are substantially lower than the values typically used by those measuring inequality and examining optimal tax structures. Furthermore, a welfare function based on the Gini inequality measure is generally found to give a better fit than forms based on constant relative or constant absolute inequality aversion. JEL Classification: C91; D63
Do Monetary Unions Make Economic Sense? Evidence from the Scandinavian Currency Union, 1873–1913
Authors: Bergman U. Michael 
Published: March 2003

Popular propositions as to what constitutes a successful single currency area are examined by looking at the Scandinavian Currency Union (1873–1913) formed by Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Applying a frequently used indicator of the desirability of monetary union, we study the symmetry of country‐specific structural shocks (measured net of the non‐Scandinavian influence) in these three countries. It is found that country‐specific shocks are not highly symmetric. This conclusion is also supported by the absence of clear‐cut differences between the pattern of structural shocks in Belgium and structural shocks in the Scandinavian countries. This suggests that the three Scandinavian countries did not form an optimum currency area during the period 1873–1913. JEL classification: F15; F33; N13
Progressive Taxation and Wage Setting: Some Evidence for Denmark
Authors: Lockwood Ben , Sløk Torsten , Tranaes Torben 
Published: March 2003

The proposition that a progressive tax system contributes to wage moderation is studied using Danish earnings data disaggregated by occupation, gender and earnings level. Our main conclusions are that income‐tax progression affects wage setting, but whether it moderates or exaggerates wage pressure is income dependent. An increase in progressivity reduces the pre‐tax earnings of middle‐income workers (manual male workers and moderate income earners among both male and female non‐manual workers). The reverse is found for high‐income earners (non‐manual male workers), in that an increase in progressivity tends to raise pre‐tax earnings. Finally, there is no significant effect of tax progressivity on the wages of low‐income earners. JEL classification: H3; J3; J5; J6
A Simple Model of Commodity Taxation and Cross‐border Shopping
Authors: Nielsen Søren Bo 
Published: March 2003

This paper sets up a simple model in which two countries, differing in geographical extent, engage in commodity tax competition originating in opportunities for cross‐border shopping. The non‐cooperative tax equilibrium and various coordination initiatives are examined in the benchmark model and in two model extensions incorporating (i) costs of transportation for goods and (ii) border inspection. Among the more surprising results are the following: with (i), pure profits accrue to sellers near the border, but subjecting them to tax may lower the country's total tax revenue; with (ii), the volume of cross‐border shopping may well increase. JEL classification: H20; H87; H26
Ecological Dumping under Monopolistic Competition
Authors: Pfluger Michael 
Published: March 2003

The competitive choice of emission taxes by two governments is analysed in a model of monopolostic competition with capital mobility where pollution externalities are regional. Assuming that governments have no other policy instrument apart from emission taxes at their disposal, I show that governments choose inefficiently low (high) taxes if the importance of emissions in production is small (large) relative to transport costs and the mark‐up. In contrast to the previous literature, the marginal disutility of pollution is not among the parameters which separate the non‐cooperative choice of emission taxes from the social planner's choice. JEL classification: F1; H7; Q2
Multinational Firms and Technology Transfer
Authors: Glass Amy Jocelyn , Saggi Kamal 
Published: March 2003

We construct an oligopoly model in which a multinational firm has a superior technology compared to local firms. Workers employed by the multinational acquire knowledge of its superior technology. The multinational may pay a wage premium to prevent local firms from hiring its workers and thus gaining access to their knowledge. In this setting, the host government has an incentive to attract FDI due to technology transfer to local firms or the wage premium earned by employees of the multinational firm. However, when FDI is particularly attractive to the multinational firm, the host government has an incentive to discourage FDI. JEL classification: F13; F23; J41; L13; O14; O33; O38
Dopamine and cognitive functioning: Brain imaging findings in Huntington’s disease and normal aging
Authors: Bäckman Lars , Farde Lars 
Published: March 2003

Recent brain imaging studies in Huntington’s disease (HD) and normal aging suggest a relationship between central dopaminergic neurotransmission and cognitive performance. Results demonstrate substantial losses in dopamine (DA) function in both HD and aging. Moreover, HD patients and older adults show deficits across multiple cognitive domains, including episodic memory, speed of processing, and executive functioning. Although few studies are available at present, there is converging evidence that multiple measures of pre‐ and postsynaptic DA biochemistry are (a) highly interrelated, and (b) strongly associated with the cognitive deficits that accompany HD and aging. There is also emerging evidence that DA neurotransmission influences cognitive performance independent of HD or age. In general, the research reviewed in this article indicates that the nigrostriatal DA system is an important component of a frontostriatal circuitry that is critically involved in cognitive functioning.
Adolescent Peer Groups and Social Identity
Authors: Tarrant Mark 
Published: March 2003

Abstract This study investigated processes by which adolescents form positive evaluations of their peer groups. One‐hundred and fifteen male and female adolescents aged 14–15 years made a series of comparisons between their own peer group (the ingroup) and a group of which they were not a member (the outgroup). In line with the predictions of social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979), participants behaved consistently in ways which favoured the ingroup: compared to the outgroup, the ingroup was associated to a greater extent with positive characteristics (e.g. being fun, nice, and honest) and to a lesser extent with negative characteristics (e.g. being ignorant, unfriendly, and boring). Their responses were also related to levels of identification with the ingroup: at higher levels of identification participants reported more favourable evaluations of their groups. These findings extend earlier research and show how the benefits derived from group membership in adolescence are in part realised through intergroup processes.
An Experimental Analysis of Children's Dislike of Aggressors and Victims
Authors: Courtney Mary Lynne , Cohen Robert , Deptula Daneen P. , Kitzmann Katherine M. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract We experimentally examined social contextual factors that might moderate children's dislike for aggressors and for victims of aggression, by varying both the aggressor's behavior (aggressive toward multiple children versus aggressive only toward one child) and the victim's behavior (passive versus assertive). Children (117 male and female fourth to sixth graders) listened to one of four scenarios describing the experiences of boys at a summer camp and rated how much they liked the aggressor, the victim, and the other children in the scenario; children also reported how much they thought the aggressor, victim, and others liked each other. Overall, and consistent with previous research, children disliked aggressors the most, followed by victims and then by the other children in the scenarios. Importantly, children's liking was influenced by the social context in which the aggression occurred, particularly in regards to how the victim responded. Aggressors (general or focused) were liked more if their victim was assertive rather than nonassertive. Furthermore, children liked nonassertive victims less than assertive victims, particularly a nonassertive victim in response to a general aggressor. Inferred liking among the group members also was dependent on the social context of the provocation. This research highlights the need to consider aggression as more than a set of behaviors. Aggression is a social event embedded within a social context and interpersonal relationships must be considered.
Greek Policy towards Immigration and Immigrants
Authors: Kiprianos Pandelis , Balias Stathis , Passas Vaggelis 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe policy of Greek authorities towards immigrants is the subject of this paper. By the term “policy” we mean both the legal framework concerning immigration and the practices of Greek authorities and their agencies regarding immigrants. We argue that this policy is defined by the commitments and the obligations undertaken by Greece as a member of the EU, but also by the number, the ethnic composition, the economic and social situation of immigrants, the attitudes of Greeks towards them and, also, the effects of their presence. In this context, the policy is characterized by dilemmas and hesitations. This is due to the attitudes of Greek opinion and concerns about the possibility that the immigrants could in the long term create problems of national integration. Those main concerns are counterbalanced, to some extent, by the contribution of immigrants to the economy. Like other members of the EU, Greek authorities have tried twice, in 1997 and in 2001, to legalize the illegal immigrants. Legalization seems to benefit both the immigrants and the Greeks. Crime rates have been reduced and xenophobia is losing ground. On the other hand, recent studies have shown that the situation of the immigrants has started to improve. Despite these positive developments, the dilemmas of immigration policy have already registered in everyday life and allow for various hostile practices towards the immigrant population.
4. Reasoning with Partial Knowledge
Authors: Pólos László , Hannan Michael T. 
Published: March 2003

We investigate how sociological argumentation differs from classical first-order logic. We focus on theories about age dependence of organizational mortality. The overall pattern of argument does not comply with the classical monotonicity principle: Adding premises overturns conclusions in an argument. The cause of nonmonotonicity is the need to derive conclusions from partial knowledge. We identify metaprinciples that appear to guide the observed sociological argumentation patterns, and we formalize a semantics to represent them. This semantics yields a new kind of logical consequence relation. We demonstrate that this new logic can reproduce the results of informal sociological theorizing and lead to new insights. It allows us to unify existing theory fragments, and it paves the way toward a complete classical theory. Observed inferential patterns which seem “wrong” according to one notion of inference might just as well signal that the speaker is engaged in correct execution of another style of reasoning. —Johan van Benthem (1996)
Age and Gender in Women’s Accounts of Their Health: Interviews with Women in South Wales
Authors: Charles Nickie , Walters Vivienne 
Published: March 2003

In‐depth interviews with 35 women in a working‐class community in South Wales suggest that there are generational differences both in the ways women talk about health and in their health experiences. These are linked with women’s differing social circumstances; changes over time in the ways in which health and ill health are explained; and the physical changes which are an unavoidable part of embodiment.The ability to perform their roles with respect to social reproduction was a key element in women’s definitions of their health. Older women talked about arthritis and the ways in which it was a challenge to keep doing things while younger women talked about the stress they felt in juggling the roles of mother, wife, daughter and worker. Younger women were also more likely to talk about the problematic nature of gender relations and high levels of unemployment. Age thus structures women’s health problems and the ways they explain them.
The emergence and implications of a mental health ethos in juvenile justice
Authors: Armstrong Sarah 
Published: March 2003

AbstractStudy of the interaction of mental health and justice systems tends to focus on the ways that the respective realms inadvertently ‘capture’ each other's target populations. There has been little research into a system‐level analysis that can answer questions about how styles, organising principles and institutional values of one system relate to and are sometimes incorporated by the other. This paper reconsiders juvenile de‐institutionalisation in Massachusetts to document the emergence of a mental health ethos in the state's juvenile justice system of community‐based treatment. The emergence of this ethos superficially bears out an influential thesis in the sociology of punishment that penal practice has now become charactised by an amoral actuarialism. A more sophisticated criminological awareness of developments in mental health and the sociology of medicine would show how a mental health ethos might instead be understood to challenge the actuarial thesis, by providing a framework that reconciles the traditional aims of retribution and rehabilitation in punishment.
Differential Elimination–Completion Algorithms for DAE and PDAE
Authors: Reid Gregory J. , Lin Ping , Wittkopf Allan D. 
Published: March 2003

Differential–algebraic equations (DAE) and partial differential–algebraic equations (PDAE) are systems of ordinary equations and PDAEs with constraints. They occur frequently in such applications as constrained multibody mechanics, spacecraft control, and incompressible fluid dynamics.A DAE has differential index r if a minimum of r+1 differentiations of it are required before no new constraints are obtained. Although DAE of low differential index (0 or 1) are generally easier to solve numerically, higher index DAE present severe difficulties.Reich et al. have presented a geometric theory and an algorithm for reducing DAE of high differential index to DAE of low differential index. Rabier and Rheinboldt also provided an existence and uniqueness theorem for DAE of low differential index. We show that for analytic autonomous first‐order DAE, this algorithm is equivalent to the Cartan–Kuranishi algorithm for completing a system of differential equations to involutive form. The Cartan–Kuranishi algorithm has the advantage that it also applies to PDAE and delivers an existence and uniqueness theorem for systems in involutive form. We present an effective algorithm for computing the differential index of polynomially nonlinear DAE. A framework for the algorithmic analysis of perturbed systems of PDAE is introduced and related to the perturbation index of DAE. Examples including singular solutions, the Pendulum, and the Navier–Stokes equations are given. Discussion of computer algebra implementations is also provided.
History, Linguistic Theory, California's CLAD, and the Oakland Public Schools Resolution on Ebonics: what are the Connections?
Authors: Croghan Michael 
Published: March 2003

In this paper, I will trace the historical, linguistic, and educational contexts for the resolution passed by the Oakland Public Schools (OPS) School Board on December 18, 1996. I will argue that the OPS resolution did not spring from some spontaneous urge, nor from a drive to acquire federal funds. On the contrary, the OPS resolution is: (a) a sensible and sagacious extension of the linguistic and cultural history of the African‐American community; (b) a reasonable and logical implementation of research and theory that has come to light from linguistics and education research over the past 25 years, and (c) a natural and intrinsic desire on the part of African‐American parents to have their children's teachers acquire the principles, strategies, and competencies that frame California's Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development (CLAD) Teacher Certification and Credential.It is necessary to provide some of the evidence from the cultural, linguistic history of African people in Diaspora, and to provide in detail the nature of the bi‐lingual and bi‐cultural [sic] experiences involved. It is crucial that academics, scholars, teachers, students, parents, and members of our community groups have the opportunity to learn to respect these experiences. (DeFrantz, 1995: 54, emphasis added)