The efficacy of electronic group meetings

Telephone conference calls could be used to extend participation in public decision-making. In order to clarify the involved problems and prospects we conducted 16 nine-member conference calls discussing and voting on a public issue. The discussions were recorded for analysis and a questionnaire was administered. The meetings worked well despite the isolation of the participants and the lack of visual contact. Access to the floor was easy, attention good, and participation was eager. The participants felt that the analysis of the topic had been effective. The chairman's guidance of the discussion was judged effective, and his actions legitimate. Additionally, the data suggest what we might call greater intellectual elbow room—less pressure to go along with the group opinion than in face-to-face meetings, and more ease in changing opinions and positions. The disagreements about the issue did not spill over into emotional hostility. The participants were quite pleased with the conduct and efficacy of the electronic meetings. These findings suggest that a mass participatory system, based upon such electronic meetings, can also be used to provide wider involvement in decision-making in our society.This study is part of a much larger project exploring the use of technology to extend political participation. The project is supported by the National Science Foundation, grant # GI-29940. Dr. Amitai Etzioni and Dr. Stephen Unger are Co-Principal Investigators for the MINERVA Project, which is being carried out at the Center for Policy Research in New York. The author is particularly indebted to Dr. Etzioni for many important contributions to the conception, design and analysis of the study reported in this paper. Dr. Unger also made significant contributions to the development of the study. Camille Gubello, Joshua Freeman and Nancy Gershon were of central importance in conducting the experiments, assembling the data and preparing this report.     

Comparative Sociology of Legal Professions: An Exploratory Essay

The author surveys and compares the legal professions of 15 nations, including both civil law and common law countries. The essay is organized around the ways that legal professionals control their markets—first by controlling "production of producers" or who and how many enter the profession (with formal education or apprenticeship requirements, examinations, access to entry-level positions). Legal professionals also control "production by producers"—both external competitors and lawyers themselves. This occurs, for example, through definition and defense of the professional monopoly, control of competition between licensed professionals, and creation of demand. The discussion takes place against the background of the legal profession's recent history—assessing changes in its composition (by race, age, gender), in lawyers' practice settings, in the categories of work they perform, and in the income and status associated with these categories and with the profession in general.     

Sales and Use Tax Simplification and Voluntary Compliance

Because of difficulties collecting sales taxes on Internet sales, several states have engaged in an effort (the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, SSTP) to simplify their sales tax systems. One hope among SSTP proponents is that a simplified system will result in Internet vendors voluntarily collecting the sales tax. We address two issues:

• ? Will states adopt the extensive reforms proposed by the SSTP?
• ? Will vendors voluntarily collect the sales tax?

We argue that states are unlikely to adopt extensive reforms, but if they did, many vendors would voluntarily collect sales taxes.     

Trauma symptoms and life skill needs of domestic violence victims

This study identified the trauma symptoms and life skill needs of 84 domestic violence victims from three domestic violence programs. Women completed two self-report tools: Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) and Occupational Self Assessment (OSA). Staff members participated in focus groups regarding their perceptions of the women's needs. Women scored within the clinical range on the Defensive Avoidance (39.8%), Intrusive Experiences (30.1%), and Tension Reduction Behavior (24.1%) clinical scales of the TSI. On the OSA, the groups' priorities differed although all demonstrated a desire to function more independently. Their mental health functioning and prioritization of needs differed based on their level of involvement with the service delivery system. Staff members believe women lack skills in the areas of money management, seeking and obtaining employment, locating permanent housing, independently completing self-care and home management activities, managing stress, and parenting. The findings indicate that both mental health and life skills needs must be addressed.