Voter turnout and candidate choice: A merged theory

An alternative approach to the explanation of voting behavior is offered, suggesting that the starting point of electoral decision making is individuals' recall of their behavior in the last similar situation. Whether or not this recall is accurate is irrelevant in our model, since the voters' reasoning proceeds from their belief about their earlier behavior, whether or not it is correct. Using this approach we are able to treat voting from a unified perspective, rather than adopting the current stance of treating the turnout decision as separate from and preceding the candidate choice decision.     

Absolute and relative support among citizen-voters for local law enforcement agencies: Correlates with selected dimensions of political ideology

During the last twenty years numerous studies have been published regarding public support for local law enforcement agencies. These studies have typically focused on three determinants of support-the social status of the citizen, citizen fear or actual victimization of crime, and the nature or frequency of citizen-police contacts. This somewhat exploratory research evaluates the impact of political ideology upon citizen support for law enforcement agencies. The thrust of the investigation builds upon much more limited considerations of ideology in earlier studies. An assessment and comparison of support according to absolute/diffuse measures and relative/specific measures of citizen-voter support are presented. Political ideology is defined in the context of contemporary liberal-conservative perspectives and operationalized according to nominal (self-identification)and issue-oriented techniques.     

A logistic diffusion model of political mobilization

Some useful simplification of the theory of political mobilization is achieved by treating the ideology of a mobilizing agent as an innovation. The process of political mobilization is then treated as a process of innovation diffusion. This perspective allows the development of the necessary linkage between the micro and macro level components of the process. The theory is tested using extended time series for seven societies: the United States, Britain, Sweden, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.     

Critical Review: the politics of sovereign debt

In this article, I interrogate what is meant by ‘the politics of sovereign debt’, and examine how various authors, especially David Graeber, have addressed this question. More specifically, I seek to extend my contribution to the goals of the ‘Repoliticizing Debt’ workshop, which inspired this special issue, by proposing a theoretical framework for understanding the role of sovereign debt in mediating the contradictions of neoliberal capitalism, and by challenging dominant treatments of the sovereign debt crisis currently underway in Greece. I argue that the existing literature fails to help grasp the complexity of sovereign debt as a social relation, and that debt must be understood as what Marx refers to as ‘fictitious capital’, that is, capital backed not by a commodity transaction, but by a claim on future value. The management of confidence in the value of fictitious capital through the use of the ‘golden noose’ of debt is the key process to be understood in order to grasp the complexity of sovereign debt crises.     

A Comparison of Histomorphometric Data Collection Methods*

Abstract: Although many variables that skeletal biologists examine have been standardized, the actual techniques used to collect these data from bone thin sections vary. This project compares different methods of obtaining data (relative cortical area values) for histomorphometric research. One visual and three digital methods of histomorphometric data collection are compared: (i) Merz microscopic eyepiece counting reticule, (ii) flatbed scanner, (iii) overlaying multiple images of a thin section, and (iv) digital SLR camera with macro settings. The discussion includes a comparison of usability factors such as cost, time, user‐experience, and ease‐of‐use, which vary for each method. Values from the different methods are compared using ANOVA tests to evaluate inter‐method, inter‐observer, and intra‐observer variability. Intra‐observer error was greater for the microscopic method, although the error values are concomitant with experience. We found no statistically significant differences between the four methods examined, but certain caveats must be addressed when these methods are used.     

An Overview of the Courts Catalyzing Change Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Study

This paper presents an overview of the Courts Catalyzing Change: Achieving Equity and Fairness in Foster Care Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Study. In the fall of 2009, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) began a study to examine the effects associated with judges' use of the Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard. For this study, data were gathered from case file information (both court and agency files) and from courtroom observations of more than 500 children in Los Angeles, California; Omaha, Nebraska; and Portland, Oregon. Data from a baseline sample were collected at each of the three sites, and judicial officers at each site were randomly assigned to either a Benchcard group or a control group. Benchcard implementation appears to be associated with more discussion and higher quality discussion of key dependency topics during preliminary protective hearings. Benchcard implementation also corresponds to increased judicial inquiry and parental engagement. Benchcard use also was associated with more family placements—placement with a charged parent, a non‐charged parent, or a relative—at the initial hearing and even more family placement at adjudication when comparing the same judges before and after Benchcard implementation. Similarly, the percentage of children who were reunified with the charged parent at the initial hearing and the adjudication hearing increased after Benchcard implementation.