Finding and using technology-specific expertise

Successful technology transfer depends on the skills and knowledge of those who must implement new or rapidly advancing technologies. Often, new systems and technologies are delivered without proper preparation of the intended users. Thorough documentation is only part of the solution-during development, many important and technology-specific lessons are learned. These include problem diagnosis, troubleshooting techniques, and strategies for optimum utilization. Many such skills develop in response to incidents that occur during testing and evaluation and are rarely incorporated into formal documentation or instructional materials. Yet they can make the difference between skilled satisfied users and frustrated non-users. Gary A. Klein, who received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Pittsburgh in 1969, is chairman and chief scientist of Klein Associates Inc. (Fairborn, OH) an R&D company he founded in 1978 to do work in applied cognitive psychology. His principal research area is methods of knowledge elicitation that reflect the perceptual-cognitive aspects of expertise. He previously worked at the US Air Force Human Resources Laboratory. Beth Crandall holds a dual appointment as research associate and director of operations at Klein Associates Inc., which she joined in 1986. Her research interests include expert knowledge and decisionmaking skills, and methods for eliciting this information. She received her BS in psychology from Wright State University in 1978.     

Social Bridges Falling Down: Reconstructing a ‘Troublesome Population’ of Battered Women through Individual Responsibilization Strategies

The Bridges work preparation program is a deliberate government-sponsored strategy to help and empower battered women to take responsibility for their own lives. However, while the Bridges program promotes the freedom to make choices, in reality there is little choice when powerful governments coerce battered women to align their personal choices with government goals. The Bridges work preparation program presents ultimatums to powerless women in the same way that male batterers present ultimatums to their female victims. Ultimatums to battered women in order to stay in the Bridges program are that they take individual responsibility to be free of their abusers, to be alcohol and drug free, to have their children in day care, and to be motivated to get employment. The Bridges program arguably puts too much responsibility on individual battered women to extricate themselves from the everyday lives of assault and violence and distances government from its social responsibility for helping battered women. In order to help battered women, governments must engage in social programs assisting them to relocate from one welfare office to another and assist with day care, transportation, and cash. This assistance will make disengaging from batterers a real alternative. Otherwise, alternatives for battered women are dependence on batterers or dependence on the state for social assistance.     

Economists' policy views and voting

In Spring 2003, a survey of 1000 economists was conducted using a randomly generated membership list from the American Economics Association. The survey contained questions about 18 policy issues, voting behavior, and several background variables. The response was 264 (nonblank) surveys. The responses show that most economists are supporters of safety regulations, gun control, redistribution, public schooling, and anti-discrimination laws. They are evenly mixed on personal choice issues, military action, and the minimum wage. Most economists oppose tighter immigration controls, government ownership of enterprise and tariffs. In voting, the Democratic:Republican ratio is 2.5:1. These results are compared to those of previous surveys of economists. We itemize a series of important questions raised by these results.     

The electoral connection of ministerial selection in the UK

Many studies have examined the determinants of ministerial selection. However, the effect of electoral incentives on government post allocation has so far not been studied in the literature. Drawing on data from the United Kingdom over the period 1992–2015, this article investigates the relationship between the selection of ministers and the electoral interests of the actors in this selection process – party leaders and members of parliament (MPs). The findings demonstrate that the greater the electoral safety of constituencies, the more likely are MPs to have a higher office. The results reveal a broader conception of party strategy in government formation than previously documented. The paper thus suggests that electorates can affect the allocation of ministerial positions in the UK.