Inflation and economic development in Latin America: Some new evidence

This article presents an evaluation of various relationships that explain shifts in economic structure. These are (1) inflation as measured by (a) the wholesale price index, and (b) sectoral price index; (2) changes in sectoral profits; and, (3) changes in alternate sectoral profits. Changes in sectoral profits (measured by sectoral price minus wholesale price) were more strongly correlated to changes in economic structure than either wholesale or sectoral price indices, while changes in economic structure are as expected when compared to changes in alternate sectoral profits in all but three of the years studied.     

Preliminary evaluation of the childhood experiences of violence questionnaire short form

Despite advances in child maltreatment research, accurate measurement of exposure remains a key issue. In this study, we evaluated a short form (CEVQ-SF) of the Childhood Experiences of Violence Questionnaire (CEVQ) in a sample of adolescents involved with child protection services in an urban city in Ontario, Canada. Focusing on the two most readily defined maltreatment types, physical and sexual abuse, we evaluated the short form's comparability with the full version of the CEVQ. Both versions had good internal consistency and moderate-to-good 2-week test-retest reliability. The criterion validity of the two CEVQ versions in comparison with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was satisfactory. Construct validity for both versions was demonstrated: physically and sexually abused youth had higher odds of reporting clinical traumatic symptoms compared with either type alone. The CEVQ-SF is as reliable and valid as its full version. Implications for its use in large population-based surveys are discussed.     

Fatal hypokalemic thyrotoxic periodic paralysis presenting as the sudden, unexplained death of a Cambodian refugee.

For the last decade, death investigators have been aware of an unexplained syndrome of sudden death occurring among young adult Southeast Asian refugees. Presented here is a rare instance of fatal hypokalemic periodic paralysis associated with thyrotoxicosis masquerading as the sudden, unexplained death of a Cambodian refugee. The usual features of this syndrome were present, including relatively occult thyrotoxicosis, paralysis upon awakening following a high-carbohydrate meal, and hypokalemia. This case illustrates the value of thorough background death investigation and also illustrates the potential of misinterpreting traditional folk medicine coin rubbing (Cao Gio) as signs of physical abuse.     

A note on seniority and political competition

Seniority conveys political power to legislators despite the fact that all legislators have equally valuable voting power. What prevents a coalition of junior members from exercising their political power to form a coalition and claim an equal share of the power by eliminating the benefits of seniority? Several models explain how valuable services are supplied by senior members, so the returns to seniority may be looked at as compensation for their services. This still does not explain why the providers of those services should be chosen based on seniority rather than on some other criterion.Seniority is used because it provides benefits to every member of the legislature. Legislators want to be reelected, and regardless of the seniority level of an individual in the legislature, the incumbent will always have more seniority when running for reelection than the challenger. Since voters benefit from being represented by more senior representatives, the seniority system enhances the reelection chances of even the most junior representative.     

The Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths: Development and Validation of a New Eriksonian Measure

An underexamined component of Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory is the concept of ego strengths. The eight ego strengths are present throughout the life span, but each have their ascendance in conjunction with successful psychosocial stage resolutions. Upon careful analysis of Erikson's writings, the Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths (PIES) was developed to assess this component of psychosocial theory. The measure was scrutinized by several Eriksonian scholars for its face and content validity. Then, two studies were conducted among college samples in the United States and Canada. Evidence for internal consistency was shown for the eight ego strengths, as well as on overall score. Convergent validity was shown between the PIES and assessments of identity achievement, self-esteem, purpose in life, internal locus of control, and sex roles. Discriminant validity was observed in negative correlations between the ego strengths and hopelessness, identity diffusion, identity moratorium, and personal distress. Suggestions for future research utilizing this measure are given.     

Factors Underlying the Growth of Local Government in the 19th Century United States

Early in the 19th century local governmentsspent less than either the federal or stategovernments. By the end of the 19thcentury local governments spent more thanthe federal and state governments combined. This growth is obviously related to thegrowth of cities, but cities continued togrow in the 20th century, while the localgovernment share of total governmentexpenditures fell, so the growth of citiescannot be the complete answer. Anexamination of expenditures and revenues intwo cities – Boston and Baltimore –suggests that no one component ofexpenditures was responsible for increasesin total spending. Rather, it appears thatthe primary causal factor was revenuegrowth. Cities rely heavily on propertytaxes, and the increasing value of taxableproperty allowed cities to raise increasingamounts of revenue, leading to increasedgovernment spending.