Building Ethical Capital: Perceptions of Ethical Climate in the Public Sector

This article examines influences on public servant perceptions of ethical climate in the public sector. The array of beneficial outcomes produced by perceptions of a positive ethical climate, the existence of government programs aimed at improving ethical climate, and implications for government accountability and trustworthiness all argue for a better understanding of the sources of these perceptions. Empirical analyses of survey responses from employees of the U.S. federal executive branch show that individuals in leadership positions perceive the ethical climate more positively. Conversely, work tenure tends to worsen perceived ethical climate, although supervisory status attenuates this negative effect. Ethics training, interaction with ethics officials, and perceived knowledge about ethics topics consistently influence perceptions of ethical climate and advice‐seeking behavior in a positive way. A set of results related to advice‐seeking behavior serves to reinforce the important role of ethics officials.     

Civil Rights,Federalism, and the Administrative Process: Favorable Outcomes by Federal,State, and Local Agencies in Housing Discrimination Complaints

Some theorists argue that cooperative intergovernmental relations are critical to policy implementation in the United States. This assertion is explored in the context of fair housing enforcement by comparing favorable administrative outcomes in fair housing complaints at the federal, state, and local levels from 1989 to 2004. What conclusions can be drawn from this systematic comparison of intergovernmental enforcement in one policy area over an extended period of time? First, cooperative federalism works well in fair housing enforcement. Second, of special significance, state civil rights agencies resolve complaints in favor of complainants nearly as often as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and localities sometimes do so even more frequently.     

A GraveMisfire?

<正>A"deaf review"of Jiang Wen’s much maligned latest film Gone With the Bullets It was hard to go anywhere in Beijing in December 2014 without being assailed by posters advertising Chinese auteur Jiang Wen’s latest movie Gone With the Bullets.I was drawn to the film’s beautiful promotional material showing Jiang’s character with one of the film’s female leads adversarially juxtaposed against Ge you’s character and another female     

Intimate Partner Violence and Risk for Child Neglect during Early Childhood in a Community Sample of Fragile Families

The current study explores the relationship between child neglect and intimate partner violence (IPV) in a longitudinal community sample of 1,740 families with young children, with a special focus on the association between specific typologies of both neglect behaviors and IPV. We focused on families followed across early childhood, because infants and toddlers are at the greatest risk of exposure to neglect (the most prevalent type of child maltreatment), and this period spanning the transition to parenthood presents heightened risk for IPV. We found evidence that coercive IPV is an important driver of the connections between IPV and subsequent neglect through affecting the mother’s well-being and ability to provide basic care and nurturance. Implications for intervention and future work addressing definitions and pathways to neglect are discussed.     

Sexual Identities and Protesting Among College Students: Exploring Political Distinctiveness Mediation Factors

This study examines the links between sexual identity and participation in political protests. Among a sample of college students (N?=?2175), we determined that sexual minority students were three times more likely to join a protest than heterosexual students. “Political distinctiveness” theories are used to explain this sexual identity gap in protesting. Following a series of path analyses, we conclude that marital status, exposure to discrimination (as a victim or observer), connections to LGB communities, participation in political groups, and liberal identities mediate the sexuality difference in protesting. Conversely, measures of educational attainment, exposure to multicultural classes, and internalized homophobia were not mediators.