Do Citizens really care about federalism? public preferences for the administration of governmental programs

In this paper we present a secondary analysis of a survey of Alabama residents. The focus of that survey was individual attitudes toward a variety of policy areas, five of which could reasonably be administered at either the state or national level. Rather than simply asking what level of government should have responsibility, we asked respondents to construct national and state budgets which might, or might not, include appropriations for these and other policy areas. In general, individuals allocated funds to each policy area at both the state and national level. This means either that most citizens favor cooperative federalism, or more likely, people are primarily interested in seeing that certain programs are funded and do not much care what level of government administers a policy area. This latter interpretation is supported by the fact that no theory taken from the current fed-eralism literature is able to explain individual attitudes toward federalism as measured by these budget allocations. Most people simply do not have very strong feelings about which level of government should be responsible for any given program.     

What will work? the Costa Rican experience using silos in achieving universal health care 2000

The study of comparative and development administration frees governments from their parochial confines. It opens vistas onto global experiences of what has worked well for others elsewhere and enlarges the range of possible choices that might be made to improve domestic performance. After the World Health Organization in 1977 had adopted the goal “Health for All in the Year 2000,” the Pan American Health Organization opted for the strategy of achieving it though local health systems (SILOS). Costa Rica, the most likely candidate for successful implementation, adopted SILOS in the late 1980s but has run into many difficulties in making SILOS a reality. The difficulties and the impact that SILOS have made on the national health service of Costa Rica are examined and several lessons are drawn to illustrate once again how difficult comparative and development administration are in practice.     

What price mental health?

President Clinton aims to guarantee coverage not only to the severely disturbed but to all Americans. The cost, however, could be astronomical.     

So How Do You Feel about That? Talking with Provos about Emotion

Participation in political violence draws on identities and world views that have been shaped and influenced by emotion. This article uses data drawn from interviews conducted with 15 former members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army to highlight some of the ways that emotion is intertwined with decisions to use violence in pursuit of a substate political goal. Six themes emerge that help to demonstrate how participant's emotional lives have helped to build the identities, beliefs, and motivations that have led to violent acts. The study illuminates how the experience, elicitation, and management of emotions played an integral role in the participant's trajectory towards violence.     

What's Different about Exporters? Evidence from Colombian Manufacturing

Using a large panel of Colombian manufacturing plants, this paper finds that exporters are significantly larger, more capital intensive, have higher labour productivity, and pay higher wages than nonexporters three years before exporting for the first time. The differential in performance increases in the years leading to entry in the export market. After entry, sales, employment, and the proportion of skilled workers in the labour force keep growing significantly faster for exporters, but the growth of labour productivity and capital intensity is indistinguishable for exporters and nonexporters.     

Performing spiritual healing in the here and now: botánicas and holistic health care

Through ethnographic study of midwestern botánicas in Indiana, this research illustrates the multifunctional nature of these spaces. Research findings point to botánicas as working in the ‘here and now’, addressing immediate and emergent spiritual, financial, and health problems in a diverse community. Local religious leaders also perform divinations and healing in this space; thus the botánica both symbolizes and acts as a cross-cultural health system. I analyze a therapeutic form of traditional medicine through a focus on one of the main activities that takes place in botánicas – healings or limpias. Limpias cleanse a person, place, or object of any bad, evil, or harmful energy or sickness. I also explore the role of botánicas as a form of spiritual/medical diplomacy. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that botánicas serve as economically and culturally acceptable health care alternatives, offering a means to address otherwise unmet community needs.