Individual Conceptions of Justice and Their Potential for Explaining Proenvironmental Decision Making

In Germany, community-based climate-protective decisions were measured on micro up to macro levels, and the role justice appraisals play in decision-making was investigated in comparison to responsibility-related and self-centered motives. Results reveal that in the field of carbon dioxide emission, gaps between those who are gaining profits and those who have to suffer from negative side effects are recognized by the community on a national as well as an international level. For gaining behavioral impact, the perception of these gaps needs to be regarded under a moral perspective and considered unjust. These justice appraisals are shown to be stable predictors of climate-protective commitments, even when powerful responsibility-related variables were included in the regression analyses. Self-centered motives proved to be of minor importance.     

Techniques of Knowing in Administration: Co‐production,Models, and Conservation Law

Law frequently demands the production, sometimes effortful, of adequate knowledge for decision making. This article explores the challenging epistemic demands made by nature conservation law during planning law approval processes for major offshore wind farms. It explores this area through the prism of co‐production: not only are ‘science’ and ‘facts’ socially and legally constructed, but in addition, scientific and factual findings shape society, and law and governance. Models are used in planning law to assess whether bird deaths associated with a proposed wind farm will have an adverse effect on the integrity of a protected site. As much as providing an accurate factual representation of the impact of a wind farm on biodiversity, the models contribute to the very possibility of governing the impact of these novel infrastructure developments on biodiversity.     

The Fates of Challengers in U.S. House Elections: The Role of Extended Party Networks in Supporting Candidates and Shaping Electoral Outcomes

Extended party network (EPN) theory characterizes political parties in the United States as dynamic networks of interest groups that collaboratively support favored candidates for office. Electoral predictions derived from EPN theory have yet to be tested on a large sample of races. We operationalize EPNs in the context of organized interest contributions to U.S. House campaigns. We deduce that support by a partisan community of interests signals the ideological credibility and appeal of a candidate. EPN integration overcomes voter ambiguity surrounding challengers’ ideological preferences, and resources provided by these coordinating interest groups promote a consistent message about the candidate. Using data from the 1994–2010 cycles, we apply network analysis to detect EPN support of challengers and find that EPN integration substantially improves the electoral prospects of challengers. The effect of EPN integration is distinct from that of campaign resources. The findings provide support for EPN theory, as applied to congressional elections.     

Migrantennetzwerke im Zeitverlauf — Junge russische Juden in Berlin

Soziale Beziehungen zu Einheimischen gelten in der Migrationssoziologie als eine zentrale Dimension des Akkulturationsprozesses. Auf der Basis einer Langzeitstudie über junge russisch-jüdische Migranten wird die Entwicklung sozialer Beziehungen zu Deutschen über drei Befragungszeitpunkte verfolgt. Dazu wurden aus Leitfadeninterviews Handlungsstrategien (Integration, Separation, Assimilation, Marginalität) rekonstruiert und unabhängig davon die Anzahl deutscher Netzwerkmitglieder mittels eines Network Questionnaire erhoben. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich erstens ein enger Zusammenhang zwischen Handlungsstrategien und der Anzahl tatsächlich genannter Netzwerkmitglieder. Zweitens wird deutlich, dass über die Hälfte der Migranten bei einer einmal eingeschlagenen Handlungsstrategie geblieben sind, während die anderen mehrheitlich von Separation zu Integration gewechselt haben. Hieraus folgt, dass zur Beschreibung von Akkulturationsprozessen eine Kategorisierung nach Handlungsstrategien sich nur dann empfiehlt, wenn mehrere Befragungszeitpunkte gegeben sind.     

The Organization of Space and the Character of the Urban Experience

The growth and spread of the city in the United States had revolutionaryconsequences for the everyday lives of Americans. Spatial arrangementschanged dramatically. In the process, not only was the organizationof the community altered in both scope and variety, but individualliberty was enhanced by increasing individual self-awarenessand choice. This article details the spatial changes to communityand domestic design that resulted from the American urban revolution.After these changes are outlined, a formal model of choice isdeveloped. The consequences for choice of various local densityand segregation patterns are discussed as well.