Showing papers in "Social Science Journal in 1993"
TL;DR: The authors examined whether the decriminalization of marijuana in eleven states has affected self-reported usage of drugs and found that the demand for drugs is highly inelastic with respect to incremental changes in the legal sanctions for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
Abstract: This study examines whether the decriminalization of marijuana in eleven states has affected self-reported usage of drugs. Generally, decriminalization is not found to significantly impact drug use. An implication is that the demand for drugs is highly inelastic with respect to incremental changes in the legal sanctions for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
134 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that groups can best be understood by changing the unit of analysis from an individual group to the set of groups pursuing common agendas, or an interest group sector.
Abstract: Interest group activity is always affected by the political environment in which groups operate. As a result, effective study of public interest groups must situate them in a larger political context. We propose a means of doing so by building on theoretical and empirical studies of both social movements and interest groups. We argue that groups can best be understood by changing the unit of analysis from an individual group to the set of groups pursuing common agendas, or an “interest group sector.” Drawing from both empirical and theoretical literature, we establish both the necessity and the theoretical parameters for a sectoral analysis, and offer a basic framework for such an analysis. We demonstrate empirical support for a sectoral approach by looking at the periodicity of group formation in five public interest sectors. We then propose a six stage framework to describe a cyclic process of issue emergence, resource mobilization, organization building, and their relation to the policy process. We conclude by discussing the potential policy impact of interest group mobilization and institutionalization, and its relationship to democracy.
83 citations
TL;DR: In this article, statistics were assembled from countries which receive children for intercountry adoption and showed that at least 170,000-180,000 children were involved in international adoption in the past decade; international adoption has increased by 62 percent during this period; and 90 percent of the children involved during the decade came from only ten sending countries.
Abstract: Statistics were assembled from countries which receive children for intercountry adoption. This data suggests that at least 170,000–180,000 children were involved in international adoption in the past decade; that international adoption has increased by 62 percent during this period; and that 90 percent of the children involved during the decade came from only ten sending countries. Sixty-eight sending countries were identified during the decade, a dramatic increase from the twenty-two sending countries identified in 1980. Although data was available from only fourteen receiving countries, at least twenty receiving countries were identified during the study. Asia has been the predominant sending region of the world, but if current patterns continue South America will soon become the major sending region. Every region of the world except Asia has increased both the number of children sent abroad and its share of world totals.
65 citations
TL;DR: In this article, Cohen's typology of Jewish involvement is employed to assess levels of ethnic behavior and affiliation and to determine whether manifestations of ethnic identity do or do not have behavioral and affiliative consequences.
Abstract: Symbolic ethnicity is a variant of straight-line assimilation theory that predicts an attenuation of the connection between ethnic identity and both ethnic behavior and group affiliation, the result of persistent or heightened interest in the former and decline in the latter. This study utilizes survey data from a midwestern Jewish community to test this thesis. We do so in two stages. First, Cohen's typology of Jewish involvement is employed to assess levels of ethnic behavior and affiliation. Second, we attempt to determine whether manifestations of ethnic identity do or do not have behavioral and affiliative consequences. Our findings do not support the symbolic ethnicity argument.
41 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a contextual analysis is performed to identify how characteristics of the local area labor market affect the earnings of black workers in the public and private sectors, and the results suggest that the public sector may shelter black workers from structural barriers to earnings attainment, thus providing blacks with a special niche in the economy.
Abstract: Does public sector employment provide black workers with a special niche that shelters their earnings from the negative effect of segregation? A contextual analysis is performed to identify how characteristics of the local area labor market affect the earnings of black workers in the public and private sectors. The focus is on the influence of residential segregation, a structural factor that contributes to the disadvantaged position of blacks in the labor market. The results show that segregation negatively affects the earnings of blacks in the private sector but has no effect on the earnings of blacks in the public sector. These findings suggest that the public sector may shelter black workers from structural barriers to earnings attainment, thus providing blacks with a special niche in the economy.
15 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the extent to which the chief justices on the United States Supreme Court self-assign the majority opinion in salient cases and found that 35% of the majority opinions were written by chief justices.
Abstract: This study examines the extent to which the chief justices on the United States Supreme Court self-assign the majority opinion in salient cases. The period covered is 1801 until the summer of 1989. I discovered that the chief justices as a group self-assigned 35% of the majority opinions in salient cases. Some chief justices, however, self-assigned at a much higher rate than others. The range extends from Marshall (89%) to Fuller (15). Two senior associate justices— Justice Brennan and the first Justice Harlan—were more advantaged in opinion assignments in salient cases than Chief Justices Rehnquist and Fuller. I also discovered that the chief justices were somewhat more likely to self-assign when the final vote was unanimous.
15 citations
TL;DR: The statistical technique of cluster analysis is used to demonstrate that the international state system contains three delineable state groups (labeled great, middle and small states).
Abstract: This discussion is extracted from a larger research project in which an attempt is made to remedy the conceptual difficulties surrounding the “middle state” in international relations by defining the middle state vis-a-vis other types of states and without reference to any single dominant ontological framework. In this section of that project, the statistical technique of cluster analysis is used to demonstrate that the international state system contains three delineable state groups (labeled great, middle and small states). This article also demonstrates the use and usefulness of the cluster technique in international relations research.
12 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that the internationalization of corporate capital through direct foreign investment combined with the steady growth of transnational enterprise in recent decades heralds the rise of a transnational class based largely on corporate enterprise.
Abstract: In recent years, numerous individuals from the business and academic professions have constructed an ideological justification for the spread of transnational enterprise. Invoking classical Free Trade doctrine, the “Corporate Cobdenites” argue that the proliferation of transnational corporations within an interdependent world economy holds forth the promise of international peace, prosperity, and a growing freedom for all people. The historical significance of liberalism as the ideology of capitalism invites scrutiny of the modern Free Trade doctrine in light of the issue of power. Employing the theory of “postimperialism” advanced by Richard L. Sklar, I argue that the internationalization of corporate capital through direct foreign investment combined with the steady growth of transnational enterprise in recent decades heralds the rise of a transnational class based largely on corporate enterprise. This development, moreover, signals the eclipse of the era of capitalist imperialism by the new stage of corporate international capitalism in the era of postimperialism. Modern Free Trade ideology justifies the rise of transnational corporate power by defining the global marketplace as a realm of freedom apart from the coercive domain of nation-states. In the tradition of American constitutionalism and corporate-liberal reform, moreover, the Corporate Cobdenites promote the consolidation of transnational corporate power by applying the logic of the corporate reconstruction of American society to international relations and the world market.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an empirical exploration of the relationship between intertemporal and intratemporal patterns of housing costs and the corresponding patterns of married women's labor force participation was conducted using individual data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for 1980 and Census data from 1970 and 1980.
Abstract: Regional patterns in married women's labor force participation rates have been durable over time as have regional patterns in housing costs. Over the decade of the 1970s rates of married women's labor force participation rose dramatically as did the cost of housing. This article is an empirical exploration of the relationship between intertemporal and intratemporal patterns of housing costs and the corresponding patterns of married women's labor force participation. Using individual data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for 1980 and Census data from 1970 and 1980, this study shows that married women's labor force participation is related to patterns of housing costs in 1970 and 1980, but not the growth of housing costs over the decade. One can conclude that women are more likely to be employed where amenities valued by families such as good schools, and low crime rates are costly. One cannot conclude that substantial inflation of housing costs “pushed” married women into the labor force at greater rates during the 1970s.
8 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that the types of investing activities in which Keynes typically engaged (currency / commodity speculation and stock market investing) were those he believed not only provided the opportunity for personal profit but also enhanced social welfare.
Abstract: Roy Harrod's positive but cursory assessment of the propriety of John Maynard Keynes' personal investing activities has been indirectly questioned in recent years, suggesting the need to reexamine those activities. This article undertakes that task by first establishing that Keynes' writings indicated his awareness of the social implications of financial investing; and second, by utilizing those writings as the standard against which to judge his investing behavior. The latter comparison of his words and actions reveals that the types of investing activities in which Keynes typically engaged (currency / commodity speculation and stock market investing) were those he believed not only provided the opportunity for personal profit but also enhanced social welfare. These findings point to the conclusion that Keynes was a socially responsible investor.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the pattern of growth of transfer payments and property incomes in the context of national economic cycles, and explored the implication of those findings on metropolitan and nonmetropolitan Nevada economies.
Abstract: The growing relative number, the improved economic well-being, and the migration of elderly retirees is not only reshaping the social and economic structure of many areas, it is also modifying both long-term and short-run patterns of economic growth. Transfer payments and property incomes, two of the most important source of elderly income, have been among the leading sources of national income growth over the past several decades. Unlike most labor-related industry sources of earnings, the level of transfer payments and property incomes received by the residents of the region is not directly dependent upon local economic activity. Consequently, as transfer payments and property incomes of elderly retirees become increasingly important sources of income and purchasing power within a region, they also can alter regional short-run cyclical patterns of income growth. This article examines the pattern of growth of transfer payments and property incomes in the context of national economic cycles, and explores the implication of those findings on metropolitan and nonmetropolitan Nevada economies.
TL;DR: In this article, a content analysis of 107 federal court cases involving American Indian tribal sovereignty and federal pleary power rendered between 1870 and 1921 is presented, focusing on the U.S. Supreme Court's Indian Law jurisprudence.
Abstract: This article is a content analysis examination of 107 federal court cases involving American Indian tribal sovereignty and federal pleary power rendered between 1870 and 1921. Our focus, however, is the U.S. Supreme Court's Indian Law jurisprudence; thus ninety of the cases analyzed were Supreme Court opinions. The cases seemingly entail two separate braces of opinions. One brace included decisions which affirmed tribal sovereignty. The other brace entailed cases which negatively affected tribal sovereignty. These negative decisions generally relied on doctrines such as plenary power, the political question doctrine, or the so- called “guardian-ward” relationship. We argue that the Supreme Court, as a partner in the ruling national alliance, generally deferred to the legislative branches during this critical historical era, Indian treaties and extra- constitutional rights notwithstanding. In seeking to explain the two separate, though not unrelated sets of opinions, we focus on the Court's role in formulating public policy towards American Indian tribes in four major issue areas: congressional power, criminal law, allotment and membership, and natural resources. And we attempt to explain how and why the Court's perception of these issues were transformed over time and how these changes affected tribal sovereign rights. Finally, we develop a synthetic, abstract model of judicial decision-making which provides some explanatory power regarding why the Court decides Indian related issues the way it does.
TL;DR: The bubble economy: The Japanese economic collapse as mentioned in this paper was a major cause of the Japanese economic crisis in the early 1990s, and it was studied extensively in the 1990s and 2000s.
Abstract: (1993). The bubble economy: The Japanese economic collapse. The Social Science Journal: Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 295-297.
TL;DR: The authors examined a game-theoretic approach by Carter and Irons which tests the proposition that "economists" behave differently than "non-economists", by supplementing an economics experiment among college undergraduates with a survey of the students' previous exposure to economics and found that students who understand basic economic axioms will employ this logic in decision-making processes.
Abstract: This article examines a game-theoretic approach by Carter and Irons which tests the proposition that “economists” behave differently than “non-economists.” By supplementing an economics experiment among college undergraduates with a survey of the students' previous exposure to economics we lend support to the hypothesis that students who understand basic economic axioms will employ this logic in decision-making processes. However, by controlling for the students' present field of study, we find contrary evidence to the Carter-Irons theory, that the students who grasp the basic economic axioms will self-select economics as a field of study. Despite our improvements to the Carter-Irons test, little additional evidence is provided to determine if economists are born or made.
TL;DR: This paper found that law enforcement received the greatest share of increases in the criminal justice system budgets, and lower courts produced the greatest increases in productivity due to increase in budget, and concluded that the court system, and specially the superior court system represent a bureaucratized institution.
Abstract: We collected California data by county involving total criminal justice system budgets, law enforcement budgets, court budgets, and the total number of criminal justice system personnel for the years 1976 through 1986. Rates of change for each county variable were calculated and compared to determine: (1) which criminal justice agency benefited the most from increases in funding at the system level, and (2) which branch of the court system had the greatest rate of increase in productivity due to increases in operating budget. We found that law enforcement received the greatest share of increases in the criminal justice system budgets, and lower courts produced the greatest increases in productivity due to increase in budget. We concluded that the court system, and specially the superior court system represent a bureaucratized institution, and state legislature attempts to improve the functioning of the court system by allocating additional funds, most often produce little positive change in operations.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that a critical analysis of the market in the Treatise is presented, and that the task of government is how to reconcile a common good and private interest.
Abstract: This article argues that Hume presents a critical analysis of the market in the Treatise. His intention is to demonstrate how property works against a common good. An important part of Hume's discussion is how rules are used to justify property. Hume carefully considers each justification, indicating the shortcomings of each. For Hume, the task of government is how to reconcile a common good and private interest.
TL;DR: The authors showed that neither coupling is cogent, but that all three thinkers provide essential dimensions for a political theory which moves beyond such distinctions, and that they can be seen as complementary to each other.
Abstract: Hannah Arendt's political theory seemingly lends itself to both a “premodern” coupling with Eric Voegelin and a “postmodern” coupling with Martin Heidegger. Closer comparison between all three thinkers reveal not only that neither coupling is cogent, but that all three thinkers provide essential dimensions for a political theory which moves beyond such distinctions.
TL;DR: A detailed report on ground-water contamination by toxic synthetic organic chemicals in Mount Vernon, Iowa was presented to 120 water professionals from the American Mid-West as discussed by the authors, who strongly supported positive action to limit further pollution of the aquifer.
Abstract: This article addresses the problem of declining water quality in small communities through an examination of the views of a panel of water resource experts. It is based on the premise that sound decision-making may be facilitated when such problems are confronted by experts, rather than individuals or particular interest groups. A detailed report on ground-water contamination by toxic synthetic organic chemicals in Mount Vernon, Iowa was presented to 120 water professionals from the American Mid-West. In spite of incomplete information, the experts strongly supported positive action to limit further pollution of the aquifer. However, the problem was defined as strictly a community issue that warranted minimal financial support from the state or other agencies. There were some differences of opinion between the experts based, in part, on length of ground-water experience, but a general consensus prevailed that policy-making must take local factors into consideration.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the issue of gender bias in economic statistics and its implications for research and policy-making, and raise important questions about the role of ideology in statistical measurement and interpretation.
Abstract: Growing concern about the social and economic status of women has fostered inquiry into the nature and extent of their economic activity. Such studies have drawn attention to the inadequacy of data in this area. Scholars in both the industrialized and developing nations argue that traditional statistical measures of production and employment tend to underrepresent the economic activity and contribution of women. The problem is rooted in the definition and measurement of women's work and raises important questions about the role of ideology in statistical measurement and interpretation. This article examines the issue of gender bias in economic statistics and its implications for research and policy-making.
TL;DR: The authors compare the presentation of the presidency by three post-Watergate presidents to the textbook presidency, and find that while presidents do present a more realistic portrait of a president's economic and legislative leadership, they describe life in the White House, and their roles as Chief of State, Publicly Accountable Leader, and Commander in Chief, in ways that more frequently support than modify the textbook version of the Presidency.
Abstract: Recent research shows that idealized accounts of the presidency still dominate pre-college textbooks on American government. Little attention has been given to presidential presentations of the office and their relationship to the textbook presidency, despite the symbolic significance of the presidency and a president's opportunity to further define or refine the institution through rhetoric. This study compares the presentation of the presidency by three post-Watergate presidents to the textbook presidency. This study finds that while presidents do present a more realistic portrait of a president's economic and legislative leadership, they describe life in the White House, and their roles as Chief of State, Publicly Accountable Leader, and Commander in Chief, in ways that more frequently support than modify the textbook version of the presidency.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine several key decisions, including the Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) and the case of Butcher's Union Co. v. Crescent City Co. (1884), which marked out the Court's approach to the economic due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment.
Abstract: The late nineteenth-century Supreme Court rulings on the constitutionality of state labor laws offer a fertile field for application of models of economic regulation. This study examines several key decisions, including the rulings on the famous Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) and the case of Butcher's Union Co. v. Crescent City Co. (1884), which marked out the Court's approach to the economic due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment. The interest group model of regulation is found to be of limited value in understanding the Court's limitations on state police powers. It is argued instead that the market failure model, as interpreted in the framework of the common law's approach to economic regulation, provides a more credible explanation of the Court's opinions. They are better understood in light of the common law distinction between the legitimate and illegitimate application of regulation under state police powers.
TL;DR: In this article, the history of licensing practioners and role of the Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners in regulating and molding the practice of psychology in Nevada is described.
Abstract: This article describes the history of licensing practioners and role of the Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners in regulating and molding the practice of psychology in Nevada. It discusses the environment in which Nevada psychologists live and work, their demographic characteristics, as well as their education and training. Employment, mobility, and the geographical distribution of psychologists are also addressed. Particular emphasis is placed on the problems and the challenges faced by the Board in a high stress, swiftly changing state.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate whether a variety of state-level political and contextual variables are associated with split delegations and whether the impact of these variables has changed over time.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to investigate whether a variety of state-level political and contextual variables are associated with split delegations. Additionally of interest is whether the impact of these variables has changed over time. Results indicate that state characteristics help account for the variance in split delegations in the United States Senate although their level of importance varies over time. It appears that state characteristics are more important during politically quiescent times, whereas other forces (most likely, national forces) are more important during periods upheaval or reshuffling. Further, the most important local explanations of greater number of split delegations vary depending on time period. In the dealigning era, open seats are most explanatory while in the maintaining era, party competition is the strongest single explanatory variable in relationship to incidents of split delegations.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on contacting officials in a way that avoids many of these problems, focusing on the mobilization of officials in response to various neighborhood problems and restricting the analysis to individuals who perceive a particular neighborhood situation as a big problem.
Abstract: Research on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the mobilization of officials has produced conflicting results. A number of conceptual and methodological problems may have contributed to such results. In this study, we examine the effects of SES on contacting officials in a way that avoids many of these problems. Focusing on the mobilization of officials in response to various neighborhood problems and restricting the analysis to individuals who perceive a particular neighborhood situation as a big problem, we found that income has no effect on the likelihood of contacting officials and education has a weak though inconsistent effect. We also found that the best predictors of contacting officials were having gotten together with neighbors to solve the problem and being a member of a block club.
TL;DR: The National Collegiate Athletic Association, founded in 1905, has without doubt been the most dominant voice in the governance of intercollegiate athletics as mentioned in this paper. Yet, there have been challenges to the scope and power of the decisions of the NCAA, specifically decisions of its enforcement arms.
Abstract: The National Collegiate Athletic Association, founded in 1905, has without doubt been the most dominant voice in the governance of intercollegiate athletics. Nonetheless, there have been challenges to the scope and power of the decisions of the NCAA, specifically decisions of its enforcement arms. A major question addressed by the Supreme Court evaluates claims that the NCAA is not a state actor and hence its decisions do not need to comport explicitly to due process requirements.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the nature of macroeconomic interdependence in the world economy and questions whether traditional Neoclassical solutions can avoid the associated problems and argues that those problems are really manifestations of the problems with typical government macropolicies.
Abstract: This article discusses the nature of macroeconomic interdependence in the world economy and questions whether traditional Neoclassical solutions can avoid the associated problems. It further argues that those problems are really manifestations of the problems with typical government macropolicies. The article includes a brief discussion of the Post Keynesian and Neoclassical schools of thought in economics and concludes that efforts by economist to devise guidelines for international coordination bodies are useless in the absence of radical changes in domestic macropolicies.