Confirmation Politics and The Legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court: Institutional Loyalty, Positivity Bias, and the Alito Nomination

Gibson, Caldeira, and Spence (2003a, 2003b, 2005) expound the theory of positivity bias in their analysis of the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court in the aftermath of Bush v. Gore. This theory asserts that preexisting institutional loyalty shapes perceptions of and judgments about court decisions and events. In this article, we use the theory of positivity bias to investigate the preferences of Americans regarding the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. More specifically, from the theory of positivity bias, we derive the hypothesis that preferences on the Alito confirmation are shaped by anterior commitments to the Supreme Court. Based on an analysis of a national panel survey, we find that those who have a high level of loyalty toward the Supreme Court rely much more heavily on what we term judiciousness—in contrast to ideology, policy, and partisanship—in forming their opinions on whether to confirm Alito. Thus, institutional loyalty provides a decisive frame through which Americans view the activity of their Supreme Court.     

Binge drinking and negative alcohol-related behaviors: A test of self-control theory

Binge drinking and alcohol-related behaviors have been viewed as major concerns on college campuses. Although national studies were conducted to describe these behaviors, less research attempted to explain them. Self-control theory is extended as a theoretical framework to explain both while considering other known risk factors. Using a sample of college students (n = 268) from a university in the southern United States, the additive and interactive effects of self-control were modeled to predict binge drinking and negative alcohol-related behaviors. A series of multivariate regression models showed that low self-control had effects on binge drinking and related behaviors. Binge drinking's effect on negative alcohol-related behaviors varied across levels of self-control.     

Book reviews

Legality and Politics, Lee Bridges, Chris Game, Owen Lomas, Jeremy McBride and Stewart Ranson, Avebury (Gower), 1987, pp. 147, £18.50 (hardback).

The Regeneration of Local Economies, Hugh Morison, Clarendon Press, 1987, pp. 212, £19.50 (hardback).

Public Issues, Private Pain ‐ Poverty, Social Work and Social Policy, Saul Becker and Stewart MacPherson (eds), Social Services Insight Books, 1988, £9.95.

The Local State and Uneven Development: Behind the Local Government Crisis, J . Duncan and M. Goodwin, Polity Press, 1988, pp. xviii + 297, £8.95.

Opening The Town Hall Door: An Introduction to Local Government, Jane Hutt, Bedford Square Press, pp. 96, 1988, £4.95 (paperback).

Finances et Pouvoirs Local: L'Experience Allemande, Vincent Hoffmann‐Martinot, puf/GRAL, Paris, 1987, pp. x + 352.

The Structure of Local Government in Europe, Eileen Martin Harloff, International Union of Local Authorities, The Hague, 1987, pp. 170.

Administering Central‐Local Relations, 1871–1919: The Local Government Board in its Fiscal and Cultural Context, Christine Bellamy, Manchester University Press, 1988, pp. 301, £29.95.

A History of Warwickshire County Council 1889–1989, D. J. Mitchell, Warwickshire County Council, 1988, pp. 249, £12.50.

Practical Charging Policies for Local Government, S. J. Bailey, Discussion Paper 20, Public Finance Foundation, 1988, pp. xvi + 181, £8.00.

Where to Find Business Information ‐ BiC Guidelines, Business in the Community and The Planning Exchange, 1987, pp. 22, £6.00.

Promotion and Publicity for Enterprise Agencies ‐ BiC Guidelines, Business in the Community and The Planning Exchange, 1987, pp. 23, £6.00. (Both available from The Planning Exchange, 186 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4HG.)

Performance Related Pay, A Fowler, Southern Provincial Employers’ Organization, 1988, pp. 65, £6.00.

Priority Hiring and Customized Training: A Guide to Employers and Agencies, Business in the Community (227A City Road, London EC1V 1LX), pp. 32, 1988, no price given.     

Evidence of a gene x environment interaction in the creation of victimization: results from a longitudinal sample of adolescents

A large body of research has revealed that aggressive personality traits and violent criminal behaviors are influenced by genetic factors. Surprisingly, however, no research has been devoted to investigating the potential genetic origins to adolescent victimization. In the current study, the authors address this gap in the literature by using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine whether different variants of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) are related to victimization, net of the effects of environmental measures. The results of the multivariate models revealed a significant gene X environment interaction in the creation of victimization for White males. Specifically, DRD2 interacted with delinquent peers to predict victimization. The authors discuss the implications of these findings.     

Does Truth Lead to Reconciliation? Testing the Causal Assumptions of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Process

Throughout the world, truth commissions have been created under the assumption that getting people to understand the past will somehow contribute to reconciliation between those who were enemies under the ancien regime . In South Africa, the truth and reconciliation process is explicitly based on the hypothesis that knowledge of the past will lead to acceptance, tolerance, and reconciliation in the future. My purpose here is to test that hypothesis, based on data collected in a 2001 survey of over 3,700 South Africans. My most important finding is that those who accept the "truth" about the country's apartheid past are more likely to hold reconciled racial attitudes. Racial reconciliation also depends to a considerable degree on interracial contact, evidence that adds weight to the "contact hypothesis" investigated by western social scientists. Ultimately, these findings are hopeful for South Africa's democratic transition, since racial attitudes seem not to be intransigent.