Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Citizens For Peace Minutes 11-13-07, Linda J. Lieder

Citizens for Peace

The 4th Anniversary meeting of the Citizens for Peace opened at 7:00 pm with a welcome by President, Colleen Mills. She introduced Yusif Barakat, who led the group in a Native American Blessing: Prayer of the Six Directions. The many members and visitors then enjoyed a fabulous International themed buffet, with delicious dishes made by members. After enjoying the diverse selection of foods, Colleen shared a DVD clip of the Live Earth concert featuring Melissa Etheridge singing a very inspiring song – “Imagine That”.

Offensive Realism And Central & Eastern Europe After The Cold War, Dylan Kissane

Dylan Kissane

At the end of the Cold War, John Mearsheimer published the article, “Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War”. The widely-cited piece included four predictions for the post-Cold War European geopolitical landscape founded on the theory of offensive realism, the realpolitik approach that Mearsheimer had established and developed over more than a decade of scholarship. However, the emergence of a post-Cold War and pan-continental peace suggests that something was wrong with Mearsheimer’s predictions and, by implication, the theory that informed them. This article argues that Mearsheimer’s mistake was to rely on a theory that assumed the …

Impuestos Y Justicia Distributiva. Una Revisión Normativa De La Propuesta De Murphy Y Nagel, Cristian Pérez Muñoz

Cristian Pérez Muñoz

Recently, Liam Murphy and Thomas Nagel have presented an interesting and controversial proposal to evaluate normatively a tax system (Murphy y Nagel 2001, 2002; Murphy 2005a, 2005b). Basically, they argue that a tax scheme will be just only if it finds its place in a just set of economic and legal institutions. In this work I analyze their proposal. Firstly, I review and present their main ideas. Secondly, I examine some institutional consequences that would suppose the application of their proposal in order to choose a specific tax system. Fundamentally, in this section I evaluate the proposal of Negative Income …

Masking Identification Of Discrete Choice Models Under Simulation Methods, Lesley Chiou, Joan L. Walker

Lesley Chiou

We present examples based on actual and synthetic datasets to illustrate how simulation methods can mask identification problems in the estimation of discrete choice models such as mixed logit. Simulation methods approximate an integral (without a closed form) by taking draws from the underlying distribution of the random variable of integration. Our examples reveal how a low number of draws can generate estimates that appear identified, but in fact, are either not theoretically identified by the model or not empirically identified by the data. For the particular case of maximum simulated likelihood estimation, we investigate the underlying source of the …

The Role Of Religious Values In Politics, Darrin P. Dixon

Darrin P Dixon

No abstract provided.

To Cross Or Not To Cross? Subjectivization And The Absent State In Cyprus, Olga Demetriou

Olga Demetriou

This article is an ethnographic exploration of the process through which citizens come to conceptualize their identities as political subjects in rapidly changing contexts. The focus of the article is the lifting, in 2003, of a ban on crossing between the northern and southern parts of the island of Cyprus, which had been instituted in 1974. The article examines how this new political change affected state rhetoric, and concentrates on the reactions of Greek-Cypriot citizens to this shift. These data are related to the wider discussion on the political theory of subjectivity and the concept of ‘event’, where, it is …

A Dynamic Model Of Sectoral Agglomeration Effects, Nicole Andréa Mathys

Nicole Andréa Mathys

This note derives a theoretical model that justifies the dynamic specification used in empirical works investigating the impact of agglomeration effects on regional industry-specific labour productivity. It extends the seminal multi-regional framework of Ciccone (2002) to allow for sectoral disaggregation and a temporal dimension. As a result, present productivity becomes a function of past productivity and other contemporaneous and lagged control variables.

A Product-Market Theory Of Industry-Specific Training, Hans Gersbach, Armin Schmutzler

Armin Schmutzler

We develop a product market theory that explains why firms provide their workers with skills that are sufficiently general to be potentially useful for competitors. We consider a model where firms first decide whether to invest in industry-specific human capital, then make wage offers for each others' trained employees and finally engage in imperfect product market competition. Equilibria with and without training, and multiple equilibria can emerge. If competition is sufficiently soft, firms may invest in non-specific training if others do the same. Thereby, they avoid having to pay high wages in order to attract trained workers.

The Simple Economics Of Risk-Sharing Agreements Between The Nhs And The Pharmaceutical Industry, Pedro P. Barros

Pedro P Barros

The Janssen-Cilag proposal for a risk-sharing agreement regarding bortezomib received a welcome signal from NICE. The Office of Fair Trading report included risk-sharing agreements as an available tool for the National Health Service. Nonetheless, recent discussions have somewhat neglected the economic fundamentals underlying risk-sharing agreements. We argue here that risk-sharing agreements, although attractive due to the principle of paying by results, also entail risks. Too many patients may be put under treatment even with a low success probability. Prices are likely to be adjusted upward, in anticipation of future risk-sharing agreements between the pharmaceutical company and the third-party payer. An …

Lessons For Democratic Transitions: Case Studies From Asia, Tom Ginsburg

Tom Ginsburg

In an era when democratization is stalled or in retreat in many parts of the world, it is important to highlight the successful democratic experience of East and Southeast Asia in recent decades. Five consolidated democracies have emerged since the mid-1980s; only Thailand has seen some backsliding with the 2006 coup. The Asian cases provide insights into several major debates in the democratization literature, including the relative importance of culture, history, economic structure, and the optimal sequencing of political and economic reform. This article reviews these issues, with particular attention to the role of outside powers in underpinning democratization. Ultimately, …

El Proceso De Selección Del Candidato Presidencial Del Pan En 2005, Flavia Freidenberg, Victor Alarcón-Olguín

Flavia Freidenberg

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Theorising Politics, Cillian Mcbride

Cillian McBride

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of Combinatorial Auctions, Peter Cramton, Yoav Shoham, Richard Steinberg

Peter Cramton

No abstract provided.

Disability Rights In Ireland: Chronicle Of A Missed Opportunity, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Judy Walsh

Jurgen De Wispelaere

This article critically examines the Disability Act 2005 which regulates access to public services for disabled people in Ireland. We examine the competing conceptions of disability rights advanced by the government and the disability sector during the debate on the legislation and offer an interpretation of disability rights as the justiciable right to challenge. The Disability Act 2005 is then evaluated in light of the proposed framework. We outline a number of ways in which the absence of a justiciable right to challenge fails to safeguard the dignity, empowerment and participation of disabled people. We contend that, despite protestations to …

Introduction: Theorising Politics, Cillian Mcbride, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Shane O'Neill

Jurgen De Wispelaere

This is the introduction to a special issue of Irish Political Studies on "Recognition, Equality, Democracy", to appear in December 2007 as a journal and sometime in 2008 as an edited collection published by Taylor & Francis.

Why Bayes Rules: A Note On Bayesian Vs. Classical Inference In Regime Switching Models, Dennis L. Gärtner

Dennis L Gärtner

By means of a very simple example, this note illustrates the appeal of using Bayesian rather than classical methods to produce inference on hidden states in models of Markovian regime switching.

African Periodicals And Popular Culture, Charles Muiru Ngugi

Charles Muiru Ngugi

No abstract provided.

Voting, Wealth Heterogeneity, And Endogenous Labor Supply, Chetan Ghate

Chetan Ghate

We examine the link between voting outcomes, wealth heterogeneity, and endogenous labor leisure choice in the majority voting – endogenous growth frameworks of Alesina and Rodrik (1994) and Das and Ghate (2004). We augment these frameworks to incorporate leisure dependent utility and allow households to vote over factor specific income taxes. When agents vote over factor specific taxes, we show that the asymptotic convergence of factor holdings does not imply unanimity over the growth maximizing tax policy in the steady state. Unanimity over growth maximizing policies holds only when agents vote over a general income tax, and when agents vote …

What Does Usage Tell Us About Our Users?, Carol Tenopir, Eleanor Read, Maribeth Manoff, Gayle Baker, David Nicholas, Donald W. King

Carol Tenopir

No abstract provided.

Mental Training For Combat Sports, Randy Borum

Randy Borum

No abstract provided.

The Politics Of Vodou: Aids, Access To Health Care And The Use Of Culture In Haiti, Catherine Benoît

Anthropology Faculty Publications

During the past few years, the AIDS campaign in Haiti has been targeting Vodou officiants and organizations. These awareness and training programmes in- form officiants about the transmission and prevention of AIDS, tests for HIV and anti- retroviral drugs, or even try to encourage them to become involved in a medical referral system. These culturalist interventions are grounded in an essentialist concept of culture that can have harmful effects on the targeted groups. The concept of culture underlying such interventions is deconstructed along with the categories of tradi- tional medicine and the ‘tradipractitioner’. An approach to public health is advocated …

Base Realignment And Closure Impact On Industry In El Paso, Tx And Doña Ana, Nm: Workforce Growth, Training Needs And Access To Federal Government Contracts, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden, Daniel J. Quiñones, Elizabeth K. Gibson, Dannette De Leon, Michael F. Vargas

IPED Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Disneyfication Of New Orleans: The French Quarter As Facade In A Divided City, J. Mark Souther

History Faculty Publications

The article discusses the development of New Orleans, Louisiana as a tourist attraction. The author suggests that Hurricane Katrina allowed the public to perceive racial and economic divisions in New Orleans. He suggests the French Quarter of New Orleans was developed for tourism due to its historic architecture. An attempt to attract military bases to the region during World War II failed due to the labor market and competition, leading to a focus on tourism. The author compares the city's appearance to that of Disneyland and suggests urban renewal relocated African Americans to ensure the development of the French Quarter.

National Mine Action Plan For Completion - Mauritania, Government Of Mauritania

Global CWD Repository

The National Mine Action Plan developed by the Government of Mauritania, written in 2007, to achieve goals and outcomes sought by the Mine Ban Treaty and Ottawa Convention.

Lost And Found: (Re)-Placing Say Ka In The La Milpa Suburban Settlement Pattern, Jon B. Hageman, Brett A. Houk

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The site of Say Ka, less than 4 km from the major center of La Milpa, has generated a large degree of interest among researchers in northwestern Belize in part because of its elusiveness. After being recorded by archaeologists in 1990, Say Ka was "lost"; attempts to relocate it failed for nearly a decade (Figure I). It was fortuitously rediscovered in 1999, and three seasons of excavation began in 2004. This paper considers the history of Say Ka, its rediscovery, the results of initial excavations, and the possible implications of this minor center for studying the La Milpa suburban zone.

Tigard-Tualatin School District Enrollment Forecast Update, 2008-09 To 2011-12, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Vivian Siu

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

The Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD) enrolled 12,460 students in Fall 2007, an increase of 153 students (1.2 percent) from Fall 2006. Growth was concentrated in the secondary grades, with increases of 59 students (2.1 percent) in middle school grades 6-8, and 93 students (2.4 percent) in high school grades 9-12. Elementary grades K-5 enrolled only one more student in Fall 2007 compared with Fall 2006. This report presents the results of a demographic study conducted by the Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC). The study includes analysis of population, housing and enrollment trends affecting the District in recent years, …

The Rise Of Agricultural Animal Welfare Standards As Understood Through A Neo-Institutional Lens, Elizabeth Ransom

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In recent years agricultural animal welfare standards have increasingly been placed on the agenda of international, regional, and national governance bodies, as well as private agrifood organizations. Standards, long the domain of economists, are now recognized as one of the most significant emerging practices for governing food, and as such, a growing number of scholars have focused on the role that powerful actors have in setting standards and the distributional benefits of standards implementation. However, much of the existing literature relies on consumer-demand arguments for explaining the rise of animal welfare standards. This article uses sociological neo-institutionalism, specifically institutional isomorphism, …

Migration, Trade, And Development, Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas, The Tower Center For Political Studies, Southern Methodist University, Department Of Economics At Southern Methodist University, Jno E. Owens Foundation

eBooks

"Migration and trade are more prevalent today than ever before in the history of the world. The United States is the recipient of about one-third of the world’s migrants and accounted for a quarter of the world’s output and 13 percent of the world’s trade in 2005. But the global significance of the U.S. economy is slowly declining, and while the effects of migration and trade on the U.S. economy have been examined time and again, questions concerning the impact of migration and trade on development in low-income countries are of growing importance.

Simple, neoclassical economic models predict that prices …

Last Issue Of Omj Before The Transition To Palgrave Macmillan!, William P. Ferris

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Teaching & Learning Section, Steven Meisel

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.