Coping with stress through the microcosms of home and family among arctic whalers and explorers

The essay examines an aspect of family life that has been ignored by many researchers: the role of representations of family and home for men whose work requires prolonged periods of separation and distance. Content analysis of diaries and correspondence (primarily written during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) shows that Arctic explorers and whalers engaged in activities reminiscent of those popular at home. We hypothesize that such activities may have helped the men to bear with an environment characterized by danger, discomfort, uncertainty, remoteness, isolation, and lack of privacy. Constructing these microcosms also engaged the crews' creativity and energy in relieving long stretches of unfilled time, and may have prepared them for a smoother re-integration upon their return home. The diaries and letters also expressed the voyagers' longings for their family and their developing of surrogate emotional ties with their ships and shipmates.     

An Empirical Example of the Condorcet Paradox of Voting in a Large Electorate

Social choice theory suggests that the occurrence of cyclical collective preferences should be a widespread phenomenon, especially in large groups of decision-makers. However, empirical research has so far failed to produce evidence of the existence of many real-world examples of such, and none in large electorates. This paper demonstrates the existence of a real cyclical majority in a poll of Danish voters' preferred prime minister, using pair-wise comparisons. This result is compared with those of a similar poll, but by using different voting methods, each resulting in different choices. The example demonstrates the empirical reality of cyclical collective preferences and the importance of the choice of institutions.     

The Youth Panorama of Northeast India

The article focuses on youth in Northeast India, particularly its youth panorama by tracing its history as well as the present. Northeast India was one of the last areas to be taken over by the British on the subcontinent. Most of its states share an international border. With 213 tribal communities, 175 languages and many non-tribal communities, the region presents a unique cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious profile not to be found in any other region in India.     

Managing the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: Paving a Path into the Future of International Law and Organization

Complex global interdependence continues to influence international legal and political affairs at the close of the twentieth century. As interdependence has tightened, non‐state actors have emerged in many policy areas as key political and service delivery players; often supporting increasingly prioritized human‐centered issues. Analysis of the global management of the HIV/AIDS pandemic suggests that use of international quasi‐legislation can be employed in order to create space within which to manage these changes, thus opening room for discussion about new approaches to meeting the challenges of a changing world.     

New Labour and the politics of depoliticisation

A number of commentators in the 1980s sought to explain the character of the Thatcher administration. By contrast, relatively little work has been produced that seeks to analyse the principles and governing strategies of the Blair government. Focusing primarily on economic management, this article offers a characterisation of statecraft under Blair in terms of the politics of depoliticisation. In summary, it argues that the Blair government has fused aspects of traditional economic management with new initiatives to create a powerful tool of governing organised on the basis of the principle of depoliticisation. Depoliticisation as a governing strategy is the process of placing at one remove the political character of decision-making. State managers retain arm's-length control over crucial economic and social processes whilst simultaneously benefiting from the distancing effects of depoliticisation. As a form of politics it seeks to change market expectations regarding the effectiveness and credibility of policy-making in addition to shielding the government from the consequences of unpopular policies.     

Sir Alexander Cadogan and Lord Halifax's 'Damascus road' conversion over the Godesberg terms 1938

The article challenges the recent perception that Lord Halifax was the hero of the Czech crisis in 1938, when in fact the real credit for his revolt against the Godesberg terms belonged to Sir Alexander Cadogan, the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office. It does on to argue that Halifax was ill suited by nature to be Foreign Secretary and that his subsequent record shows him to have been a natural appeaser, still loyal to Chamberlain, who argued for an accommodation with Hitler in the summer of 1940.     

Subjective Invulnerability,Optimism Bias and Adjustment in Emerging Adulthood

The relationship between subjective invulnerability and optimism bias in risk appraisal, and their comparative association with indices of risk activity, substance use and college adjustment problems was assessed in a sample of 350 (M _age = 20.17; 73% female; 93% White/European American) emerging adults. Subjective invulnerability was measured with the newly devised adolescent invulnerability scale (AIS). Optimism bias in decision-making was assessed with a standard comparative-conditional risk appraisal task. Results showed that the danger- and psychological invulnerability subscales of the AIS demonstrated strong internal consistency and evidence of predictive validity. Subjective invulnerability and optimism bias were also shown to be empirically distinct constructs with differential ability to predict risk and adjustment. Danger invulnerability and psychological invulnerability were more pervasively associated with risk behavior than was optimism bias; and psychological invulnerability counter-indicated depression, self-esteem and interpersonal problems. Results support recent claims regarding the “two faces” of adolescent invulnerability. Implications for future research are drawn.