HOPE VI: A Promising Vintage?

Public housing policies in distressed communities if they are to succeed, must be based on much more realistic assumptions than they are now. We look at HOPE VI, a public housing policy that not only changes the physical environment, but also social services, job training, work opportunities, transportation, child care and other support services. HOPE VI goes a long way to improving public housing policies for distressed communities.     

Globaler Wettbewerb und Unsicherheiten beim Einstieg in den Arbeitsmarkt

Hintergrund des Beitrages ist die Beobachtung, dass sich durch zunehmenden globalen Wettbewerb die Beschäftigungsstrategien von Firmen verändern und prekäre Beschäftigung und Arbeitslosigkeit für immer mehr Erwerbstätige wahrscheinlich werden. Dabei ist aber anzunehmen, dass die konkreten Formen prekärer Beschäftigung und die differenzielle Betroffenheit bestimmter Beschäftigtengruppen vom nationalen institutionellen Kontext abhängen. Ziel des Artikels ist es, zum einen die Abhängigkeit vom institutionellen Kontext zu skizzieren und zum anderen empirisch zu untersuchen, in welchem Ausmaß bestimmte Personengruppen beim Einstieg in den Arbeitsmarkt im Deutschland der 80er und 90er Jahre von prekärer Beschäftigung und Arbeitslosigkeit betroffen sind. Es wird analysiert, inwieweit das Risiko befristeter Verträge und Arbeitslosigkeit nach Bildung, Ausbildung, Klassenlage, Geschlecht, ethnischer Herkunft und Region (Ostdeutschland vs. Westdeutschland) ungleich verteilt ist. Es zeigt sich, dass sowohl hoch wie niedrig qualifizierte Gruppen überproportional von befristeten Arbeitsverträgen betroffen sind; befristete Beschäftigung erhöht das Risiko von Arbeitslosigkeit, schließlich variiert das Arbeitslosigkeitsrisiko deutlich nach Bildungsabschluss, Klassenlage, Region und ethnischer Herkunft.     

Does mobility increase the productivity of inventors?

Although labor mobility has been recognized as a key mechanism for transferring tacit knowledge, prior research on inventors has so far hardly discussed the impact of a move on inventive performance. Additionally, existing research has neglected the differences in gains from a move between high and lower performing inventors. This paper adds to the current R&D literature by presenting a jointly estimated quantile regression to compare the coefficients of the explanatory variables at different points of the performance distribution. Additionally, dummy variables are used to compare inventive performance prior and in the aftermath of a move. Results reveal that inventors at the upper end of the performance distribution are better able to benefit from a move to draw level with or to overtake non-movers in the post-move period. Whereas at the bottom of the performance distribution a higher level of education has a positive impact on inventive performance, education does not matter significantly at the upper end of the performance distribution. Data for the analysis was derived from a survey of German inventors (N = 3,049).

Group Treatment for Spouse Abuse: Are Women with PTSD Appropriate Participants?

Eighty four abused women seeking therapy with their husbands were accepted into a group treatment program for spouse abuse. In the current study, we evaluated the treatment outcome of those women (n = 27) diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD diagnosis, itself, did not differentiate those women who dropped out of treatment. Results indicated, however, that across all women, avoidance symptomatology significantly differentiated treatment completers from dropouts. Although women with PTSD began treatment in worse condition (lower marital satisfaction, higher depressive symptomatology, greater fear of spouse), post-assessment revealed they achieved positive treatment gains parallel to those of women without PTSD. Women with PTSD improved on each outcome variable measured, including a reduction in fear of spouse. Women with PTSD also did not differentially drop out of either treatment condition (men's/women's versus conjoint groups) which lends support to the appropriateness of conjoint treatment for spouse abuse.     

Injuries of the Head from Backface Deformation of Ballistic Protective Helmets Under Ballistic Impact

Modern ballistic helmets defeat penetrating bullets by energy transfer from the projectile to the helmet, producing helmet deformation. This deformation may cause severe injuries without completely perforating the helmet, termed “behind armor blunt trauma” (BABT). As helmets become lighter, the likelihood of larger helmet backface deformation under ballistic impact increases. To characterize the potential for BABT, seven postmortem human head/neck specimens wearing a ballistic protective helmet were exposed to nonperforating impact, using a 9 mm, full metal jacket, 124 grain bullet with velocities of 400–460 m/s. An increasing trend of injury severity was observed, ranging from simple linear fractures to combinations of linear and depressed fractures. Overall, the ability to identify skull fractures resulting from BABT can be used in forensic investigations. Our results demonstrate a high risk of skull fracture due to BABT and necessitate the prevention of BABT as a design factor in future generations of protective gear.