Profiles of a Developmental Asset: Youth Purpose as a Context for Hope and Well-Being

While having a purpose in life has been theorized as a developmental asset, the extent to which adolescents cultivate a meaningful sense of direction is not well understood. In the present study, cluster analysis was used to classify adolescents by levels of purpose exploration and commitment. The sample (N = 318; 55% female) consisted of youth aged 14–18 and was predominantly White/non-Hispanic (76.3%). Results supported four meaningful yet distinguishable profiles of youth purpose that are largely consistent with theories on identity formation: Achieved, Foreclosed, Uncommitted, and Diffused. Hypothesized linkages with affect and hope were established across the profiles such that positive emotions and goal-directed thinking were most apparent among Achieved and Foreclosed youth and least apparent among Diffused and Uncommitted youth. Overall, findings demonstrate the inherent complexity in adolescents’ engagement with purpose and suggest a correspondence between stronger commitments to purpose and youths’ sense of personal agency and well-being.     

Chrik Poortman: A World Bank Professional

Chrik Poortman, an international civil servant, worked for the World Bank for more than three decades. This profile uses his career and experiences to illustrate the functions and roles played by World Bank staff at each level of its "flat" hierarchy and the capacities needed to face challenges that are unique to their ilk. Each section explores a different range of functions, including working as a country director, working as a vice president, and working as a member of the World Bank's senior management team.     

Bad for Men,Better for Women: The Impact of Stereotypes During Negative Campaigns

In this paper, we examine whether the impact of negative advertising on citizens’ evaluations of candidates depends on the gender of the candidates. Given common gender stereotypes, we expect negative campaigning aimed at women candidates will affect citizens differently than negative campaigning against male candidates. The results of our study, derived from a survey experiment conducted on a nationwide sample of more than 700 citizens, demonstrate that negative commercials are less effective at depressing evaluations of woman candidates, compared to male candidates. The findings are consistent and strong, across a range of forces that people use to assess competing candidates (i.e., affect and trait evaluations, people’s beliefs about issues, anticipated vote choice). The tight control of the experimental design, including randomization of respondents into different conditions that vary in only one way, demonstrates that the gender of the candidate influences people’s reactions to different types of negative commercials.

The New Partnership for Africa's Development: Social,Economic and Environmental Contradictions

Richard D. North: Life on a Modern Planet: A Manifesto for Progress. Manchester University Press, 1995.     

基于SNA视角的政府投资项目合谋关系研究

政府投资项目中腐败案件和工程事故的背后往往存在着合谋问题,合谋主体之间通过社会关系网结成合谋网络。本文从社会网络视角研究合谋关系结构特征,以上海"11.15"大火为例通过SNA分析政府投资项目中各利益主体之间的合谋关系及其利益关系。研究表明合谋关系网与利益关系网之间存在不一致性,合谋关系网中建设单位与总承包单位居于核心位置,合谋网络呈现多个中心性质。在结构洞位置,关键中间人通过收取建桥费获得高额合谋收益,而其他结构洞位置行为人通过收取过桥费获得合谋收益。合谋网络的核心结构行为人具有跨项目合谋特性,而其他行为人合谋具有单个项目性质。本文实现了微观具体主体行为与宏观关系网络相结合,拓展了社会网络分析方法在合谋领域的应用,丰富了对合谋关系的认识,强调在治理合谋问题时在关注合谋利益的同时,应关注关系网络。     

公共政策与社会政策：一个系统论的比较

公共政策与社会政策是多学科的交叉研究领域,二者行动主体和作用客体是存在差异的。公共政策的主体更多的是社会权威机构,以政府和利益集团为核心进行政策制定和决策分析;社会政策的主体是以政府为先导,更加依靠非政府的民间组织发挥政策制定和实施的功能。公共政策偏重权威资源的调配,其制定和决策更多是从宏观层面、整体布局上解决问题;而社会政策由于有社会民间组织的积极参与,使得它有可能关注具体而微的个体生活困境,直接面向需要解决困难的社会成员。