Expanding the levels of analysis of fdi for improved understanding of policy issues: the case of mexico

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows are a key component of the restructuring and external integration now underway in many Latin American national economies. This paper suggests that understanding of policy issues concerning FDI can be enriched by two complementary shifts in the levels of analysis of FDI, each of which entails more detailed attention to the strategies and operations of multinational corporations (MNCs). At the macro-level, we show why it is beneficial to expand beyond the normal analytic concern with aggregate total FDI flows to focus instead on the separate, disaggregated components of those flows--that is, equity, reinvested earnings and other long-term and short-term capital flows between parent firms and their affiliates, as recorded in the national balance of payments capital account. The microlevel shift emphasizes the importance of focusing on varieties of types of FDI, not only across different foreign investors but within individual companies as well. It demonstrates the significance of switching from the usual concentration on firms as a whole to instead accentuating examination of individual projects and products--especially the dichotomy between market-access projects producing for the host country domestic market and production-efficiency projects producing for export markets, including the home country market. These two shifts in the level of analysis complement one another, and they interact in the sense that the mix of component flows can depend in part on the type of FDI. These analytic themes are developed using evidence concerning FDI in Mexico, with special reference to the automotive industry. Such improved comprehension of FDI is particularly germane for Latin American countries that are contemplating liberalization of foreign direct investment rules or have already undertaken them and witnessed the ensuing increase of inbound FDI.     

Distinguishing accurate from inaccurate eyewitness identifications with an optional deadline procedure

Abstract

Two experiments examined the efficacy of an optional deadline lineup procedure for distinguishing correct from incorrect eyewitness identification decisions. The procedure involved briefly presenting the lineup, removing the lineup from view, then giving participants the option of either making an identification decision or viewing the lineup again. When compared with participants operating under a forced deadline (i.e. forced to respond after the brief presentation) or standard lineup instructions, the optional deadline procedure identified participants with an impressive probability of having made a correct identification when used with target-present lineups and biased instructions. With unbiased instructions, the optional deadline produced clear discrimination between correct and incorrect identification decisions for choosers and, importantly, also for non-choosers. Possible strategies for improving the efficacy of the procedure are suggested.     

A dextromoramide-related fatality

A 38-year-old man was found in his car suffering from a heart attack. Serum analysis by capillary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of dextromoramide (Palfium), methadone, and lidocaine. The serum concentrations at admission to the hospital were: 1.9 micrograms/mL of dextromoramide, 0.4 micrograms/mL of methadone, and 0.4 micrograms/mL of lidocaine. A serum alcohol analysis performed using headspace gas chromatography was negative.     

Production appraisal of police patrol

Due to the increase in public expenditures for police protection during the past decade, it has become increasingly important to accurately measure patrol and service productivity. This article reviews conventional patrol and service practices and offers specific suggestions for improvement of patrol productivity.     

Centering Minoritized Students in Campus Interpersonal Violence Research

Journal of Family Violence - Campus interpersonal violence - defined as sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, and stalking - is a social problem that has received widespread...     

Class,Race Issues,and Declining White Support for the Democratic Party in the South

The Democratic Party in the South has experienced a major loss of white voters in recent decades. Two major hypotheses have been proposed to explain this change. The dominant explanation in recent years has been that race issues have driven whites from the Democratic Party in the South. In this view, defections from the Democratic Party have occurred because whites oppose the party's positions on race issues. In contrast, others have suggested that class divisions have emerged as important, with affluent whites increasingly supportive of the Republican Party because they find its positions more compatible with their interests. Using NES data, this article assesses the evidence for these hypotheses, examining the impact of income position and race issues on partisan behavior since 1952. While both factors affect partisan support, income has come to have a relatively greater effect on partisan support than race issues. The evidence clearly indicates that class divisions in the South have steadily increased and that affluent whites have steadily shifted to the Republican Party. The implications are significant for understanding the dramatic changes in the South in recent decades. Much has been made of the tensions over race issues, and the findings presented here lend further support to the importance of race issues in southern electoral politics. However, these findings also suggest that class divisions are a steadily increasing source of political cleavage in this region. The current state of electoral politics in the South cannot be properly understood unless both of these factors are taken into account.     

Individual Conceptions of Public Service Motivation

Many scholars and practitioners of public administration converge on the belief that some individuals are predisposed to perform public service. James L. Perry (1996) recently clarified the public service motivation (PSM) construct and proposed a measurement scale. The present study builds on and extends this important stream of research by examining how individuals view the motives associated with public service. Specifically, we use an intensive research technique called Q-methodology to examine the motives of 69 individuals. We identify four distinct conceptions of PSM: individuals holding these conceptions are referred to as samaritans, communitarians, patriots, and humanitarians. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Caucuses in Collaborative Governance: Modeling the Effects of Structure,Power, and Problem Complexity

ABSTRACT

This article explores societal culture as an antecedent of public service motivation. Culture can be a major factor in developing an institution-based theory of public service motivation. In the field of organization theory, culture is considered a fundamental factor for explaining organization behavior. But our review of the literature reveals that culture has not been fully integrated into public service motivation theory or carefully investigated in this research stream. This study starts to fill this gap in the literature by using institutionalism and social-identity theory to predict how the sub-national Germanic and Latin cultures of Switzerland, which are measured through the mother tongues of public employees and the regional locations of public offices, affect their levels of public service motivation. Our analysis centers on two large data sets of federal and municipal employees, and produces evidence that culture has a consistent impact on public service motivation. The results show that Swiss German public employees have a significantly higher level of public service motivation on the whole, while Swiss French public employees have a significantly lower level overall. Implications for theory development and future research are discussed.