Self-Interest,Symbolic Politics,and Public Attitudes Toward Gun Control

Numerous studies have found that immediate and tangible self-interest has a minimal influence on public attitudes toward many policy issues. We examine public attitudes toward gun control in order to determine whether gun owners exhibit distinctive policy preferences. Our results indicate that self-interest strongly influences public preferences on gun control and that banning handguns evokes stronger self-interest effects than banning assault weapons or imposing a waiting period on purchases of firearms. We conclude by discussing why gun control evokes self-interested calculations among gun owners, the implications of our findings for self-interest theory, and suggestions for further lines of research.     

Enhancing learning in development partnerships

Through an analysis of practical examples and key literature, this article considers what will enhance learning in and between NGOs and other development partners. The authors explore how the types and qualities of relationship currently evolving in the development sector affect learning, drawing predominantly on experiences of relationships between Northern and Southern NGOs. The article identifies those aspects of relationships that foster learning and those that inhibit it, and offers recommendations to strengthen learning. The authors highlight the relevance of, the challenges posed by, and the potential of partnership work, as well as the impact of accountability demands, procedures, and processes on organisational relationships and on learning.     

An experimental validation study of the SASSI: Predicting alcohol related behavior in law enforcement applicants

This investigation evaluated the validity and utility of two versions of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI, SASSI-2; Miller, 1988, 1996) for determining alcohol related risks among law enforcement applicants. Three hundred and seventy applicants were assessed in two separate studies to determine the degree to which SASSI classification corresponds with self-reported a) number of drinks per month, b) admissions to having recently driven while intoxicated, and c) adminissions to having ever been worried about one's drinking behavior. Analyses revealed a pattern of poor discrimination for both versions of the SASSI, raising concerns regarding its use as a clinical assessment tool.