Assessing the Effect of Incentive Regulation on Productive Efficiency in Telecommunications in the United States

The use of incentive regulation in telecommunications in the United States requires accurate measurement of the change in productivity. An approach to measuring productivity change, the Malmquist index approach, is introduced that not only provides a measure of that change but also allows for a decomposition into two mutually exclusive and exhaustive components—changes in technical efficiency over time and shifts in technology over time. Using annual data on four output measures and six input measures for the period 1988 to 1999 for nineteen local exchange carriers, the results indicate that productivity increased by about 5.5 percent per year. This growth is due primarily to innovation rather than improvements in efficiency. Of the nineteen LECs in the sample, eleven were operating efficiently throughout the entire 1988–1999 period. Of the remaining eight, four showed a slight improvement in efficiency while the efficiency of four declined. In the aggregate, however, there was virtually no change in efficiency. Finally, a comparison is made between two methods of estimating the change in productivity. The conventional growth accounting approach yields a lower estimate of the rate of change in productivity than the Malmquist index approach yield. The difference between these estimates is interpreted as the lower bound of the bias associated with the conventional growth accounting approach to measuring the growth in productivity.     

China's Christian universities,winter, 1948–49

Central Asia Peoples of Central Asia. By Lawrence Krader. Vol. 26 of the Uralic and Altaic Series. American Council of Learned Societies. Indiana University and Mouton and Co., The Hague, 1963. Pp. 319. Maps. Index. $4. Dutch Guilders, 14. 50.

Russia in Central Asia. By Michael Rywkin. Russian Civilization Series. New York, Collier Books; London, Collier‐Macmillan Ltd., 1964. Pp. 191. Maps. Index. 7s. 6d.

South Asia The Poems of Khushhal Khan Khatak. With English Verse Translations by Evelyn Howell and Olaf Caroe. London, Oxford University Press for the Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, 1963. Pp. 98. 15s.

Charsada. A Metropolis of the North‐West Frontier. By Sir Mortimer Wheeler. London. Oxford University for the Government of Pakistan and the British Academy, 1962. Pp. 130. XLV Plates. Index. 63s.

The China‐India Border. The Origins of the Disputed Boundaries. Chatham House Essays: 2. London, Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1964. Pp. 192. Maps. Bibliog. 12s. 6d.

Peking versus Delhi. By George N. Patterson. London, Faber, 1963. Pp. 310. Maps. Bibliog. Index. 35s.

The Last Years of British India. By Michael Edwardes. London, Cassell, 1963. Pp. 250. Maps. Index. 25s.

Portrait of India. By Bradford Smith. London, Robert Hale, 1963. Pp. 189. Illus. Sketch map. Index and Glossary. 18s.

Tilak and Gokhale. Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India. By Stanley A. Wolpert. University of California Press, 1962; London, Cambridge University Press, 1963. Pp. xv + 370. Notes. Bibliog. Index. $7.50. 60s.

Battles of the Indian Mutiny. By Michael Edwardes. London, Batsford, 1963. Pp. 216. Illus. Maps. Index. 25s.

The Builders of the Mogul Empire. By Michael Prawdin. London, Allen and Unwin, 1963. Pp. 198. Maps. Illus. Bibliog. Index. 32s.

South‐West Asia The Yemen. Imams, Rulers and Revolutions. By Harold Ingrams. London, John Murray, 1963. Pp. xi +164. Sketch map. Illus. Index. 21s.

Egypt in Revolution: An Economic Analysis. By Charles Issawi. London, Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1963. Pp. 357. Appendices. Tables. Index. 45s.

The Arabs and the World: Nasser's Arab Nationalist Policy. New York, Published for the Council on Foreign Relations by Frederick A. Praeger; London, Pall Mall Press, 1963. Pp. 338. Map. Bibliog. Index. $6.50. 42s.

Arab Rediscovery of Europe. A Study in Cultural Encounters. By Ibrahim Abu‐Lughod. Oriental Studies Series, No. 22. Princeton University Press: London, Oxford University Press, 1963. Pp. 188. Bibliog. Index. 38s.

The Arabs. By Arnold Hottinger. London, Thames and Hudson, 1963. Pp. 344. Maps. Illus. Index. 42s.

Palestine: Loss of a Heritage. By Sami Hadawi. Texas, The Naylor Co., 1963. Pp. 148. Map endpapers. Appendices. $4.95.

The Heritage of Persia. By Richard N. Frye. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1962. Pp. xvii + 317. Illus. Maps. Appendices. Bibliog. Index. 50s.

South‐East Asia The Two Viet‐Nams—A Political and Military Analysis. By Bernard B. Fall. Praeger, New York and London, 1963. Pp. xii+493. Maps. Charts. Bibliog. Index. 50s.

From Colonialism to Communism: A Case History of North Vietnam. By Hoang Van Chi; introduction by P. J. Honey. London: Pall Mall Press, 1964. Pp. 252. Maps. Index.” 40s.

Primer for Revolt: The Communist Takeover in Viet‐nam. By Truong Chinh. Introduction by B. B. Fall. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1963. Pp. 211. $5. 35s.

Street Without Joy. Insurgency in Indo‐China, 1946–63. By Bernard B. Fall. London, Pall Mall Press, 1963. Pp. 379. Illus. Sketch maps. Index. 35s.

The New States of Asia. By Michael Brecher. London: Oxford University Press, 1963. Pp. xiv+215. Index. 30s.

The Republic of Korea. A Political and Economic Study. By W. D. Reeve. London, Oxford University Press for the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1963. Pp. 197. Bibliog. Index. 30s.

The March on Delhi. By A. J. Barker. London, Faber, 1963. Pp. 302. Illus. Sketch maps. Bibliog. Index. 42s.

Far East Chinese Communist Literature. Edited by Cyril Birch. Praeger, London and New York, 1963. Pp. 254. 40s.

China Only Yesterday, 1850–1950. By Emily Hahn. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Pp. 335. Map. Index. 36s.

A Dream of Tartary. The Origins and Misfortunes of Henry P'u Yi. London, Allen and Unwin, 1963. Pp. 292. Illus. Map endpapers. Index. 30s.

Biography Layard of Nineveh. By Gordon Waterfield. London, John Murray, 1963. Pp. x+533. Map. Illus. Index. 55s.

Travel The Journey's Echo. Selections from Freya Stark. Foreword by Lawrence Durrell. London, John Murray, 1963. Pp. 224. Illus. 21s.     

Integrating DSM-IV Factors to Predict Violence in High-Risk Psychiatric Patients

Abstract:  This study incorporated Axis-II and Axis-IV factors in DSM-IV to test the relationship between predicted risk for violence assessed in the psychiatric emergency room and actual violence during hospitalization. Psychiatric nurses lack an objective instrument to use during the acute psychiatric assessment. The retrospective study comprised consecutive psychiatric admissions ( n  = 161) in one tertiary veterans' hospital. Statistical testing for the predictive power of risk factors, relationships between variables, and violent events included nonparametric tests, factor analysis, and logistic regression. Of the 32 patients who committed violence during hospitalization, 12 had committed violence in the psychiatric emergency room. Statistical significance was shown for violent incidents and dementia, court-ordered admission, mood disorder, and for three or more risk factors. The 13-item Risk of Violence Assessment (ROVA) scale suggests validity and sensitivity for rating DSM-IV factors and psychosocial stressors to predict risk for violence during hospitalization. Replication studies are recommended to strengthen validity of the ROVA scale.     

Alcohol ingestion and age of death in hanging suicides

Retrospective review of 100 consecutive, nondecomposed cases of suicide because of hanging was conducted at Forensic Science SA, Australia. Alcohol was detected in 38 cases (38%). The percentage of victims who had ingested alcohol significantly decreased with age (r(2)=0.81), with alcohol detected in 57.1% of those aged ≤24 years, compared to 28.5% of those aged between 55 and 64 years, and 0% of those aged ≥65 years. A similar linear relationship between alcohol ingestion and age was found for cases with blood alcohol levels >0.05 g/100 mL (r(2)=0.73). The mean ages of those with detectable alcohol (35.2 years) levels >0.05 g/100 mL (35.1 years) and levels >0.1 g/100 mL (37.2 years) were all significantly less than in those with no detectable alcohol (44.4 years) (p<0.005, <0.005, <0.05 respectively). A clear relationship between alcohol ingestion and younger age was shown in hanging suicides.     

THE “EYE OF THE BEHOLDER”: PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS ABOUT THE BEST INTERESTS OF A CHILD

Child custody evaluations (CCEs) are a central feature of parenting litigation in many North American jurisdictions. However, there has been little recent research comparing CCE decisions about children's interests with decisions made by judges. This article presents empirical research about the extent to which Ontario judges accept custody and access recommendations from CCEs employed by Ontario's Office of the Children's Lawyer. The central finding was that the judges fully agreed with the CCEs only about half of the time. Possible explanations for this finding are explored, the most salient of which is the effect of delay in Ontario family litigation. In conclusion, the article suggests that a more efficient synthesis of the judicial and CCE decision‐making processes might be more consonant with the best interests of children involved in these disputes.