Notes on recent articles

An increasing number of studies in political communication focus on the “sentiment” or “tone” of news content, political speeches, or advertisements. This growing interest in measuring sentiment coincides with a dramatic increase in the volume of digitized information. Computer automation has a great deal of potential in this new media environment. The objective here is to outline and validate a new automated measurement instrument for sentiment analysis in political texts. Our instrument uses a dictionary-based approach consisting of a simple word count of the frequency of keywords in a text from a predefined dictionary. The design of the freely available Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary (LSD) is discussed in detail here. The dictionary is tested against a body of human-coded news content, and the resulting codes are also compared to results from nine existing content-analytic dictionaries. Analyses suggest that the LSD produces results that are more systematically related to human coding than are results based on the other available dictionaries. The LSD is thus a useful starting point for a revived discussion about dictionary construction and validation in sentiment analysis for political communication.     

Data Quality in Student Risk Behavior Surveys and Administrator Training

SUMMARY

This study examined the influence of survey validity screening on the results from three group-administered school surveys administered to samples totaling approximately 5500 students in 19 schools. The estimated levels of risk behaviors, antisocial behaviors, and victim experiences were substantially reduced when respondents who gave multiple inconsistent or extreme responses to other survey items were screened out of the data. The researchers also observed that the percentage of students giving inconsistent and illogically extreme responses was greater among those surveys given by an untrained administrator, raising the hypothesis that administrator training could be a critical factor in obtaining more consistent and trustworthy survey data. These results indicate that it may be important to train school staff in survey administration and to screen surveys for validity in order to improve the accuracy of student self-report surveys.     

公共行政研究方法及其走向评析

纵观百年公共行政发展过程的方法论,个人主义的理性思雏与经验的实用分析方法是其显著特征。本文认为,公共行政的研究方法,在保持现有研究方法的基础上,应引入哲学的形而上的反思与批判的研究方法,以提高公共行政方法研究的层面与视角;引入理性与非理性相统一的研究方法．以克服单一的理性思维与正向思维的研究方式与方法;引入伦理的研究方法,在尊重科学性的基础上,打破行政的以个体为核心价值理念的结构,调整好个人与个人、个人与组织、政府与社会的关系,建立良性的社会导向机制。     

Navigating the System: A How-To Guide for Implementing a Kinship Navigator Program

This article describes key programmatic and evaluation elements that guided the implementation of the San Diego County YMCA Kinship Navigator Program. A 3-year demonstration project funded by the Administration on Children Youth and Families designed to build a regional navigator system in collaboration with the local child welfare agency to support kinship caregivers. Kinship caregivers (relatives and non-relatives) play a significant role in the well-being of the children in their care. The findings suggest that successfully implemented kinship navigator models are a viable preventive intervention for addressing the needs of kinship families.     

从侦查方法到侦查方法论:侦查学理论研究的必由之路

侦查方法论是关于侦查方法的学问或理论。侦查方法论可分为两个基本层次,第一层次是侦查方法论的原则或原理,它构成侦查方法论体系的理论基础,并对各种侦查方法的适用发挥着整体性的导向功能;第二层次是各种侦查方法,它构成侦查方法体系的主干部分,在解决各类案件时发挥作用。侦查方法论对侦查实践及侦查学学科发展有着不可替代的特殊价值。     

现代经济学的方法论特征

注重研究方法的科学性和自洽性;突出模型分析和数学方法及数理逻辑的应用,并把对经济现象和经济活动的研究过程纳入一个可控制的系统中,这不仅增强了理论本身的可靠性,同时又使之获得了广阔的发展空间.     

当代法律方法论的转型——从司法三段论到法律论证

以司法三段论为主的法律方法论在现代社会受到各种挑战正日益失去解释力和说服力。本文立足于当代哲学和社会思想发展的趋向和基础 ,研讨了在此背景下法律方法论正发生一场深刻的转型 ,即从传统的司法三段论逐渐转向以法律解释和法律论证为理论维度的法律方法论。     

刍论ICSID仲裁庭对“投资”的界定

《解决国家与他国国民间投资争端公约》的缔结历史表明,长期的协商和谈判并未促成缔约国间就投资一词的含义达成统一意见。同时,由于ICSID仲裁庭的组成依个案而不同,对于投资的界定每个仲裁庭的方法也并不完全相同。根据ICSID仲裁庭过去的判例,仲裁庭主要依据两种方法对投资进行界定。ICSID仲裁庭应当在充分地尊重缔约国因接受ICSID仲裁体制所让渡的主权权利的基础上,严格地解释《解决国家与他国国民间投资争端公约》及双边投资保护条约中投资的含义。因此,笔者认为确有必要改进仲裁庭根据《维也纳条约法公约》界定投资的方法。     

国际环境损害责任的私法化

在国际环境损害问题上追究国家责任的不可行性 ,使国际环境损害责任制度呈现出越来越明显的私法化趋势已多年。但是 ,由于国际法学界在相当长的时期内囿于传统的法律模式和思维方法 ,对这一问题的法律阐释和编纂始终没有取得突破性进展。直到最近 ,联合国国际法委员会的报告才突破了这一问题。从理论上对国际环境损害责任私法化的内容和法学方法论问题进行系统的分析、探讨 ,对发展国际环境法具有重要意义。     

迪尔凯姆的社会学研究方法管窥——以《自杀论》为视角

迪尔凯姆指出，社会学要想成为一门真正的社会科学，就必须与各种浅见划清界限，并将独立于行动者意识与意志的社会事实作为自己的研究对象。迪尔凯姆将这一指导思想运用在其著作《自杀论》中，以具有集体意向的自杀率为研究对象，对自杀进行了溯源分类，并通过用经验的结论反复进行比较以提出理论假设，进而用演绎鉴别方法检验得出的结论是否可信来验证理论。迪尔凯姆结束了社会学史上理论研究与经验研究相脱节的局面，《自杀论》则为社会学实证研究提供了经典范例，但其也存在定义不清晰和理论不具有证伪性的不足。