On the (relative) unimportance of a balanced budget

This paper explores the reasoning underlying Milton Friedman's preference for a small, unbalanced budget over a large, balanced one. Because the marginal return from government spending is less than the marginal cost (measured in terms of the amount of income private individuals remain free to spend), government expenditures have more of an adverse impact on the economy in his view than does the method of financing that spending. Using a panel data set comprising the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, we report evidence from the years 1967 through 1992 that growth rates in income per capita tend to be higher in states with smaller public sectors. Moreover, we find that while both deficits and taxes reduce the rate of income growth in a state, the negative impact of government spending is considerably larger at the margin.     

An accidental death caused by the absorption of phenol through skin. A case report

This paper reports the postmortem toxicological findings for a person who died shortly after being painted with benzyl benzoate as a scabicide with a brush that had been steeped in 80% phenol and not thoroughly washed before use. The paper also describes the circumstances leading up to the death.     

The impact of complexity and reform on congressional committee output

Some investigators argue that recent reforms in Congress have made it more difficult for Congress to do its job, while others contend that growing complexity in the larger congressional environment has had this result. We test these competing explanations using selected measures of congressional committee inputs and outputs over a period of eight Congresses, 1961–1975. Analysis based on pooled time-series and cross-section data reveals that reform had no direct impact on our measures of committee inputs and outputs once the effects of underlying trends attributable to complexity in the external environment are controlled. Similar conclusions emerge when we compare committees in complex and noncomplex environments and also when we compare committees differentially affected by reform. We discuss methodological and policy implications of our findings.     

Judging presidential character: The demise of Gary Hart

This article investigates the public reaction to the scandal which effectively ended Gary Hart's quest for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination. Employing NES panel data covering the period in which the scandal surfaced, and integrating arguments drawn from research on attitude change, media priming, and candidate evaluation, this analysis of the Hart case illuminates more general questions about how citizens respond to media communications during the course of an election campaign and of the factors that facilitate or inhibit attitude change. The investigation lends support to contemporary theories of attitude change that emphasize citizens' levels of political involvement and prior predispositions; uncovers evidence of media priming as views about controversial standards of morality were newly engaged in defining citizens' post-scandal evaluations of Hart; and yields evidence that negative responses to Hart in the wake of the scandal were tempered among citizens who typically weigh policy criteria alongisde candidate characteristics when formulating their overall candidate evaluations.     

Examining the relationship between routine activities theory and social disorganization: An analysis of property crime victimization

A property crime victimization survey was conducted of households in both high and tow crime neighborhoods in one southern city. A response rate of 68.5% was obtained. The study tested the premises of both the routine activities and social disorganization theories as they contribute to the likelihood of property crime victimization at the individual level. It was found that routine activities theory explained 28% of the property crime variance in the socially disorganized area (high crime) while only explaining 11% of the same variance in the low crime area. Separate measurements were used to establish the level of social disorganization in the two geographical areas. The beta coefficients reveal that in the high crime area, those most likely to be property crime victims are white, single homeowners who are not at home from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., who have relatives living in their neighborhoods, and who interact with their neighbors. These findings lend marginal support to the routine activities model.     

Reconsidering gender and public administration: five steps beyond conventional research

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a needed reconceptualization of the study of gender and public administration that is sensitive to emerging issues of public-service renewal. Five central themes are examined and new research directions illustrated. The first theme is the nature of commitment. We argue in favour of the development of new social ecological models for the study of work and suggest ways in which personal projects analysis as a methodology can illuminate the nature of commitment and efficacy. Second, we challenge the utility of studying fixed job needs and motivations, arguing that examination of “free traits” and organizational niches may provide a deeper understanding of the pursuits of public servants. Third, we urge researchers to move beyond assumptions about chilly organizational climates. Our finding of a striking linkage for women between perceptions of climate and appraisals of work projects adds a new dimension to the study of organizational climate. Fourth, the paper suggests that, rather than focusing on different management styles, future research should concentrate on the nature of and organizational support for projects of “managing people.” Fifth, we address the question of whether things are getting better for women in the public service. We conclude that a sensitive answer to this question goes beyond numbers and beyond conventional research. Sommaire: Dans cet article, nous proposons une reformulation nécessaire de l'étude des questions concernant le sexe et l'administration publique, afin de mieux tenir compte de la nouvelle problématique du renouveau de la fonction publique. Nous examinons cinq grands thèmes et nous esquissons de nouvelles orientations de recherche. Le premier thèmes et nous esquissons de nouvelles orientations de recherche. Le premier thème est celui de la nature de l'engagement. Nous préconisons la mise au point de nouveaux modèles socioécologiques pour l'étude du travail, et proposons des moyent par lesquels la méthodologie de l'analyse individuelle des projets peut éclairer la nature de l'engagement et de l'efficacité. Deuxièmement, nous mettons en doute lutilité d'étudier les besoins et motivations fixes d'emploi, car l'emamen des «traits de personnalité non-permanents» et des créneaux organisationnels permerttrait peut-ětre de mieux comprendre les actions des fonctionnaires. Troisièmement, nous encourageons les chercheurs à aller au-delà d'assomptions concernant un climat organisationnel rébarbatif. Nous avons constaté un lien frappant, chez les femmes, entre la perception de ce climat et l'évaluartion des projets de travail, ce qui vient ajouter une nouvelle dimension à l'étude du climat organisationnel. Quatrièmement, plutǒt que de s'attarder sur les différents styles de gestion, la recherche future devrait proter sur la nature des projets de «gestion des personnes» et sur leur soutien organisationnel. Cinquièmement, nous essayons de concluons que, pour répondre à cette question, il faut aller au-delà des chiffres et des recherches traditionnelles.