Beyond labeling: The case of the mentally retarded

This paper provides a review of the sociological literature on the mentally retarded. It attempts to analyze the reasons why the mentally retarded have been so thoroughly de-valued in our society that even social scientists ignore them as an object of study. The literature that does exist is primarily confined to the mildly retarded and generally applies labeling theory to understand the processes by which individuals unable to succeed in institutions such as schools are diagnosed as retarded. Studies employing labeling theory either ignore the severely retarded or allow the medical model as the only appropriate framework for understanding these populations.The failure to include the severely retarded in the general analysis of the problems of the handicapped by labeling theorists indicates a deficiency in the theory rather than the group excluded. A more critical perspective on the handicapped is required which ties the analysis to the study of other surplus populations such as the poor, the illiterate and other disposessed groups. The treatment of the severely retarded provides a looking-glass into the way our society can so de-value a dependent population that its very survival can be questioned.A version of this paper was presented to the Southern Sociological Society Meetings, Memphis, Tennessee, 1982.     

Spectacular metamorphosis and an erotic device in the self-promotion campaign of a satellite television channel

In contrast to the increased popularity of gay and lesbian representations in the visual media of the early 2000s, the imagery of androgynous, inter-sex and transgender subjectivities, particularly in television commercials, is conspicuously limited. This article distinguishes three main categories of cinematic (mis)representation of gender transgression: the opportunistic lipstick, the “authentic” lipstick, and the fabulous lipstick. It examines this classification through the analysis of a unique, self-promotional television commercial broadcast by Yes+, an Israeli digital television channel whose visual contents often transgress the limits of mainstream television. Although the discussed advert conforms to the commercial imperative to attract Israeli audiences by all means, it is much more polysemic than one might notice at first glance. This study problematizes the sensational aspects of this “spectacular drama,” embraces its diverse erotic identifications and re-examines the price of queer visibility in the age of exploitive striptease culture.     

Human Resources Wasted in Government? - Who's counting?

U.S. taxpayers spend over $80 billion a year to meet theFederalcivilian payroll. Yet there are signs that a significant part of this investment is being wasted. For example, about $2 billion of the total is spent to pay employess who are on sick leave and, in a recent year, over 18 percent of the workforce left government service. While controls are placed on many government assests to guard against waste, similar concern is not directed at the waste of human resources. There are many questions we can’t answer, such as what it costs when workers file grievances and EEO complaints, what it costs for excessive use of leave, and whether supposed cost saving steps (e.g. cutting training funds) really save money in the long run.Pressure to improve government’s productivity, cut the deifcit, and improve quality ofservice to taxpayers makes better control of our human resources Terry Newell is chief of the Special programs Branch, Horace Mann learning Center, U.S. Department of Education. This article was written by him in his private capacity. No official support or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education is intended or should be inferred investment essential. There are at least two broad strategies we can use. First, we can analyze human resource costs across and within agencies to see where there are opportunities for savings. For example, analysis of sick leave using available data suggests that some agencies use considerably less sick leave than others and that there may be a pattern to such use. Attempts to reduce sick leave use seem possible and offer the prospect of substantial savings. Second, we can analyze human resource policy options to determine the full cost implications of decisions before they are made. When done, we may find that some policy options promise short run savings but will be more costly than alternatives over the long haul.Use of human resource cost analysis, while rudimentary at present, will increase in the future because it is necessary to contain costs and because the technology is available to allow government-wide data analysis.     

Unpacking the Global Perspective: Examining NISPAcee Region-Focused Public Administration Research in American Scholarly Journals

Comparative and international public administration research in the United States (US) has enjoyed moments of both prestige and inattention over the last several decades, variation that is important in that it reflects the efforts of a scholarly field to contribute to improved individual and organizational performance. These contributions are, in and of themselves, worthy of attention and critical reflection. This article examines public administration research focused on the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe region published in US-based academic journals from 1997 to 2012, discussing trends that have characterized empirical and conceptual research during that period. The article concludes with comments on collaboration in public administration research.     

The effects of an experimental intensive juvenile probation program on self-reported delinquency and drug use

In the late 1990s Ventura County, California, USA, implemented the South Oxnard Challenge Project (SOCP), designed to provide intensive, multi-agency services to youth on probation. SOCP built their program guided by Clear’s “corrections of place” model, which argued that community corrections could decrease offender risk by focusing on restorative principles rather than on coercion. SOCP was designed as a randomized experiment, comparing youths in the experimental group with those on routine probation. Researchers interviewed youths in both the experimental and control groups 1 year after random assignment. This article reports on self-reported crime and drug use, finding few significant differences across groups. Specifically, we find that SOCP youths were significantly more likely to indicate that they had committed a violent crime generally, although a majority of both groups indicated they had done so. We found that those in SOCP who robbed people also did so significantly more often than did the comparison group. In the control group, youths reported committing homicide significantly more often, but this was a rare event. Among those youths who reported taking part in gang or posse fights, those in the control group did so significantly more often. Finally, youths in the control group were significantly more likely to have used ecstasy on more days during the previous month than were those in the SOCP.

Forensic mitochondrial DNA analysis of 116 casework skeletal samples

Between February 1999 and May 2005, 116 DNA extractions were completed on skeletal remains from routine casework. Overall, at least a partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profile was obtained on 83.6% of samples. Skeletal remains fell into two general categories: (1) samples for body identifications submitted by law enforcement and (2) samples submitted to answer historical or family identity questions. Body identification cases were more likely to yield full mtDNA profiles, whereas historical cases were more likely to result in partial profiles. Overall, the ability to obtain a full or partial profile primarily reflects the difference in the average age and condition of the samples in these two categories and thus, difference in the quantity and quality of the DNA. Cremated remains were uniformly unsuccessful, whereas infant/fetal remains were uniformly successful. Heteroplasmy in skeletal remains was observed at a rate similar to that in hair ( approximately 10%). For body identification cases, skeletal remains had the same mtDNA profile as the accompanying reference sample in 50% of cases.     

Community sustainable-development indicators: a useful participatory technique or another dead end?

This article undertakes a critical re-evaluation of a DFID-funded project in South Africa which ran between 1998 and 2001. The evaluation sought to test whether the development of community-led indicators would improve governance. Since the project ended, a series of papers have been published that are critical of such participatory methods, arguing particularly that they are apolitical and adopt a technocratic approach. In the light of these criticisms, this article re-assesses the DFID project, following on from the initial evaluation carried out by the author in 2001. Sobantu, a black township in Pietermaritzburg, was one of the original project sites. It was chosen as the subject for research because the local implementing agency was a politically astute, well-connected institution that understood the political nature of the process required to develop the indicators. Although the project achieved some positive outcomes, the long-term commitment to the indicators has since been compromised. This was in large part due to the inability of community members to engage meaningfully with key municipal service providers. However, recent changes to the South African planning regime might provide opportunities for the indicators to become more useful again.