Representative Bureaucracy and Partisanship: The Implementation of Election Law

Studies of representative bureaucracy argue that public administrators hold attitudes that are generally representative of the public and will implement policy in accordance with those attitudes. However, studies of representative bureaucracy generally have not considered the partisanship of local administrators. Many local election officials affiliate with a political party, and there is concern that partisan officials will manipulate election procedures to help their party. The authors analyze a survey of local election officials about their attitudes toward provisional voting. Findings show that Democratic local election officials have significantly more positive attitudes toward provisional voting programs in highly Democratic jurisdictions and significantly less positive attitudes in highly Republican jurisdictions. No such relationship occurs for Republican administrators. In addition, positive attitudes toward provisional voting are associated with more provisional votes being cast and counted in the 2004 presidential election. This work questions whether representative bureaucracy—when it concerns partisanship—is always a desirable outcome.     

Exit, Loyalty, and Collective Action Among Workers in a Simulated Business Environment: Interactive Effects of Group Identification and Boundary Permeability

Past research on the effects of boundary permeability and tokenism (open boundaries with restricted access) suggests that when options for individual mobility exist, members of low status groups tend to exit their group and attempt to enter higher status groups. We hypothesized that the effects of boundary permeability on preferences for individual vs. collective action would depend upon prior levels of in-group identification, such that people who are more identified with their group would remain loyal and choose collective action, even under conditions of high boundary permeability. To test this hypothesis, a 2 (High vs. Low Group Identification) × 2 (High vs. Low Permeability) experimental design was employed to assess preferences for exit and loyalty in the context of a simulated business environment. For both rating measures and behavioral choices, the interaction hypothesis was supported. Implications for group loyalty and strategies of tokenism are discussed.     

Contemporary Prevalence and Prevention of Micronutrient Deficiencies in Refugee Settings Worldwide

Scant research has been conducted that systematically evaluatesinterventions to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in refugeepopulations, despite documentation of considerable prevalenceand continued outbreaks of micronutrient deficiency among thesepopulations. Refugees are especially at-risk for micronutrientdeficiency given their circumstances of origin, current residentialenvironment, and typical dependence upon food aid. Interventionspromoting reduction of micronutrient deficiency in refugee settings,including food fortification and dietary diversification, arerarely systematically evaluated for impact in reducing micronutrientdeficiency in refugee populations. As a result, little is knownabout the most effective prevention strategies for reductionof micronutrient deficiency in refugees. In fact, evidence suggestsperhaps that nutritional interventions with demonstrated effectivenessin other populations and locales may not be readily adaptableto refugee situations. Sustainable prevention interventionsaimed at reducing micronutrient deficiency in refugee populationsneed to be implemented and tested systematically to create anevidence base for good practice.     

Diluting the evidence required to show unfair advantage and detriment?

The Court of Appeal for England and Wales has asked the ECJwhether it is sufficient, for a finding of a link and/or unfairadvantage and/or detriment, that the earlier mark is uniqueand famous and calls to mind the later mark on dissimilar goods.     

EMPIRICAL AND ETHICAL PROBLEMS WITH CUSTODY RECOMMENDATIONS:

This article proposes a four-level model of clinical inferences to analyze the psychological evaluation process in custody matters. At each level the authors summarize the status of the relevant psychological literature and conclude that, as clinicians respond to the ultimate issues (e.g., who should be the custodial parent) the empirical foundation for such conclusions is tenuous or non-existent. A jurisprudence argument is also made that such opinions should be routinely excluded from the fact-finding process. Given the significant potential for specific custody recommendations to limit personal liberties and the trajectory of a child's life, the paucity of relevant research available in this area, and profound evidentiary issues, such recommendations should be viewed as ethically inappropriate. A model for what clinicians can ethically say to courts is proposed.