Socially constructing an image in the automobile industry

Due to its large-scale, often unrecognized effects, corporate deviance in America is a societal concern that demands further attention. The present research provides deeper insight into the area, with the hope of furthering our knowledge and ultimately reducing the problem. Among the measurements presented are: 1) the corporate image socially constructed by General Motors (GM); 2) the “safety” of GM vehicles; and 3) GM's constructed safety-related image compared against its actual performance. GM's image was measured through a content analysis of Newsweek and Motor Trend magazines, while GM's safety-related performance was measured using various vehicle crash test data. Through advertising and marketing strategies, the auto industry has approached the general public with an alleged commitment to automotive safety. The present research tested those commitments, and although determinations of guilt are beyond the scope of the present research (for reasons discussed in the text), several conclusions regarding involvement in corporate deviance are provided. Those conclusions are discussed in the context of how they relate to crime and the societal implications they present. Suggestions for future research are presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Analyzing the 2000 National Election Study

Nancy Burns Center for Political Studies 4246 ISR, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-1248 e-mail: nburns{at}umich.edu (corresponding author) Michael J. Ensley Department of Political Science, 210 Woodburn Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 e-mail: ensley{at}indiana.edu Donald R. Kinder Center for Political Studies 4258 ISR, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-1248 e-mail: drkinder{at}umich.edu In an earlier report, two of us (Bowers and Ensley, 2003, NationalElection Studies Technical Report, www.umich.edu/nes) provideda general framework for understanding the particular strategyoutlined by Fogarty et al. (in this issue). Fogarty et al.'sstrategy is to make the face-to-face variables more like therandom digit dial (RDD) telephone variables by trimming theends in order to reduce the variance of the face-to-face (FTF)variables. Perhaps some scholars will want the FTF variablesto look like the RDD variables, but that would be a fix fora specific research question. Given the significant differencesin the representativeness of the samples, the processes of surveynonresponse, and the quality and character of the responsesbetween data taken from a National Area Probability sample inperson and data taken from an RDD telephone sample, researchquestions involving comparisons with other years in the 50-yeartime series will require different remedies.     

The Capitalist Peace: a New Way Forward for American Foreign Policy

Since the beginning of the republic, Americans have viewed their state as a “beacon of liberty.” This self-conception has caused Americans to think that they can be a force for positive change in the world. Over time, their outlook has facilitated increasingly aggressive efforts to democratization other countries, leading many to see America as an imperial power. It is my contention that regardless of other factors, Americans become the most invasive when liberal ideology, the very thing that makes them a “beacon of liberty” overpowers other ideological forces. Only by restoring a balanced debate about the merits of democratization by reintegrating other perspectives on America’s role in the world can they be the force for good they believe themselves to be.     

Government in an urban society

Abstract. The role of government is being increased by the growing demand for collective goods which only the public sector can supply but there has been no comparable political reform to meet the needs. The interaction of the various jurisdictions has become more complex and necessary. Although in the present period the forces of urbanization are dominant the problems cannot be solved within the existing powers available to municipal governments, nor in isolation from other levels of government. The major factor in the current unrest is imbalance of resources and responsibilities. No one has yet found a way to relate the capacity for most effective performance in the public sector with the capacity for the most effective use of public resources available to pay for them. The most serious aspect for the municipalities is that the taxes most capable of meeting the public demand are least suited to local administration. Some workable method must be found of reaching agreement on principles of governmental responsibility and of involving the municipalities, through consultation and collaboration, in the process of change. Everything seems to point to the desirability of extensive study and the staging of change so that various alternative solutions can be properly assessed. Sommaire. La demande croissante d'avantages collectifs que seul le secteur public peut fournir augmente l'importance du rôle du gouvernement mais sans qu'il y ait eu de réforme politique comparable pour répondre aux besoins. L'interaction des différentes juridictions est devenue plus complexe et plus nécessaire. A l'heure actuelle, les forces d'urbanisation dominent mais les gouvernements municipaux ne peuvent ni résoudre les problèmes qui en découlent avec les pouvoirs dont ils disposent, ni le faire indépendamment des autres niveaux de gouvernement. L'élément principal du malaise est le déséquilibre entre les ressources et les responsabilités. Personne n'a encore trouvé le moyen d'établir un rapport entre l'efficacité maximale des performances dans le secteur public et l'usage maximal des ressources publiques existantes pour les financer. L'aspect le plus grave de cette question pour les municipalités, c'est que les taxes qui peuvent permettre le mieux de satisfaire la demande du public sont celles qui se prêtent le moins bien à une administration locale. Il va falloir trouver une méthode pratique pour s'accorder sur les principes de la responsabilité gouvemementale et pour faire participer les municipalités au processus de changement par la consultation et la collaboration. Tout semble indiquer le besoin d'une étude approfondie et la nécessité de procéder par étapes de façon à pouvoir évaluer convenablement les différentes solutions possibles.