Multinational corporations and the diffusion of world standards: A theoretical exploration

Studies in Comparative International Development -     

Spatial elections with endorsements and uninformed voters: Some laboratory experiments

This paper presents a laboratory experiment designed to examine voting behavior, within a spatial election framework, when subjects are only endowed with endorsement information. In the experiment, subjects are assigned ideal points on a single-issue dimension. With the aid of an endorsement, their task is to vote for the candidate whose position is closer to them. The results show that under these conditions, subjects are in fact playing a lottery, where the odds of being correct is a function of spatial location. The study points out that researchers should be aware of an “information bias” in models that use this particular information source.     

Adolescent identification and academic achievement: Reporting the awareness of similarity to role models

Individualized identification grids were administered to 16–18-year-old males (N=49) in order to chart the complex of identification they have established with their parents, peers, and school personnel. It was hypothesized that patterns of identification with particular acquaintances would vary as a function of individuals' level of academic achievement. The results of this study indicated that high achievers identified more often with their liked school personnel than did low achievers, and more often with their peers and school personnel than with their parents. Low achievers were shown to most often identify with their mothers and peer. Arguments for viewing identification as a cognitive process based upon reciprocal interpersonal involvement and mediated by situation-specific competence are presented.Current research interests are the interactional effects of skill competence and personal salience of skill areas on the formation of role model identifications in adolescence.     

Leadership with an Enduring Impact: The Legacy of Chief Burtell Jefferson of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.

On January 13, 1978, after nearly 30 years of public service, Burtell Jefferson became the first African American to serve as chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. This profile describes his personal and professional journey and describes—from the perspective of a cadre of active and retired police chiefs and chief executive officers—the impact of Jefferson's career on the Metropolitan Police Department and policing in America more broadly. Jefferson's story, an exemplary illustration of public sector leadership, has profound implications for contemporary efforts to ensure the equality of employment opportunity. Jefferson's career provides a model of effective leadership that is applicable across organizations and sectors. He not only led his organization well but also encouraged and developed generations of future leaders.