Do exemptions undermine environmental policy support? An experimental stress test on the odd‐even road space rationing policy in India

Policies sometimes exempt particular categories of regulatees for reasons of equity and political feasibility. Will the non‐exempt oppose the policy because they shoulder all of the policy costs? We outline an analytic framework for “stress testing” public support among the non‐exempt when they are provided negative information about exemptions and reduced policy effectiveness. Empirically, we study public support for the odd‐even road space rationing policy in India. Using a survey experiment with 2,182 car owners in Bangalore, we find considerable baseline support for this policy. While support among the non‐exempt erodes when they are told about exemptions, there is no additional erosion when they are told that exemptions reduce policy effectiveness. This suggests that the perception of fairness, not policy efficacy, drives the erosion of support among the non‐exempt. Yet the policy survives the stress test because the majority of respondents continue to support it, in spite of support erosion among the non‐exempt.     

Writing between the Lines: Examining Unprompted Handwritten Student Comments on a Campus Climate Survey

ABSTRACT

This study used data from an in-person paper-and-pencil climate survey administered to students in a random sample of classes at a four-year southeastern university. Respondents (N = 248) left unsolicited qualitative comments on the survey (N = 540). Grounded theory was used to determine if themes existed among them. Questions on school safety, rape myths, and resource knowledge prompted the most unsolicited comments (n = 111). Comments centered on clarification or opinions. Given the survey was adapted from a prior climate survey, unsolicited comments highlight areas of clarification and improvement for future iterations of climate surveys. Implications for campus safety are discussed.     

Assessing child-safe culture and practices in organisational settings: a validation and refinement of Kaufman's Organisational Safety Climate Survey

ABSTRACT

Using an Australian sample of employees (n?=?1068) we assessed the psychometric properties of Kaufman’s Organisational Safety Climate Survey and its practical utility for measuring child-safe culture within organisations. The 60-item survey was found to have adequate psychometric properties. Initial factor analyses indicated a unidimensional factor structure, despite the survey being originally conceptualised into four subscales. Cronbach’s α coefficients were .95 for the full survey, with subscales ranging from .65–.94. However, qualitative feedback from respondents indicated that the survey was somewhat laborious and repetitive, with some item ambiguity noted. Refinements to the survey resulted in a 24-item short-form survey. The psychometric properties of the short-form survey were re-assessed. Factor analyses indicated a three-factor solution. Despite a significant reduction in items, internal consistency of the scale was not compromised; reliability of subscales also improved. Validation of this short-form survey as an alternative, time-efficient measure to maximise employee participation and contribution, is recommended.     

描述、解释和预测:涉罪未成年人社会调查报告的三重使命

刑罚个别化及国家亲权理论,协同相关的法律规定,为涉罪未成年人社会调查提供了理论基础和制度保障。作为保护未成年人权益的一项重要制度,社会调查贯穿涉罪未成年人司法体系的整个过程。然而,由于社会调查的目标不够明确,执行缺少规范,导致社会调查报告的形式和内容多样、水平不一。因此,要树立调查报告的权威,应努力在社会调查报告中完成描述、解释和预测三重使命,推动制度与实践的良性循环。具体而言,第一要从横向和纵向的角度对涉罪未成年人越轨的风险性因素和保护性因素进行现实的和历史的、个体的和社会的描述;第二,将其生活经历和生活环境状况中的具体因素与其越轨行为建立起联系,解释其行为发生的原因;第三,根据以上资料,对涉罪未成年人的社会危险性进行评估,预测其犯罪行为再次发生的可能性。在综合以上内容的基础上,为司法机关进行定罪量刑提出建议。     

In search of identity: The field of forensic anthropology in Brazil—Profession and practice

The existing divergencies in the development of forensic anthropology (FA) around the world justify an analysis of its situation in each country/region. Our objective is to report information gathered directly from professionals acting in the field of forensic anthropology in Brazil, with the aim of highlighting the challenges of the discipline and contributing to its advancement. The research consisted of personal visits in Medico‐Legal Institutes (IMLs) in nine states of the country and semi‐structured interviews with 16 professionals. Detailed analysis of the Results suggests the field of forensic anthropology, despite the engagement and dedication of its professionals, cannot yet be considered a well‐structured discipline across the country. The academic background of professionals is highly heterogenous. The applied methods vary, and common protocol is not always followed. The demand highly exceeds the available human resources. The lack of comparative material Results in high percentage of cases remaining unsolved. Important divergences exist in terms of infrastructure and professional resources between the states. The limited cooperation between different IMLs and between different sections of the same IML—together with a general disbelief in the usefulness of anthropological examination in forensic cases—hampers FA’s development. There is a great openness for scientific collaboration and an abundance of material for research. Our research demonstrated structural, political, and academic limitations that affect the FA field in Brazil. However, the expertise and dedication of professionals point to human potential as the chief strength of this discipline that supports and enables research, providing high‐quality services in a challenging context.     

关于鸦片战争对中国影响的研究综述

鸦片战争是中国近代史的开端,开启了中国的近代化进程。对鸦片战争的研究一直是学术界研究的重要领域之一。不忘惨痛历史,才能走向伟大复兴。文章拟从政治、经济、思想文化和社会生活四个方面简单综述鸦片战争对中国的影响。     

A breaking-up of a pro-European consensus: Attitudes of Czech political parties towards the European integration (1998-2010)

This article represents a contribution to the debate over the attitudes of political parties to the European integration-one of the hot topics in contemporary political science. It explores the dynamics of attitudes of political parties in the Czech Republic to the EU and analyzes them in the context of parties primary ideologies. On the basis of the results of an expert survey the author interpretes the changes in the major features of “European” debate in the Czech Republic and offers a new classification schema of attitudes of political parties towards the EU, according to the preferences of economic and/or political dimension of European integration.     

The Effect of Victim Attitudes and Behaviors on Sexual Assault Victimization Severity: An Examination of University Women

The current study investigates a number of theoretically relevant victim characteristics to determine their impact on sexual assault victimization severity. Ordinary least squares regression analysis of survey responses from a sample of 204 university women indicated significant relationships between many of the variables of interest and increases in victimization severity. In particular, risk-taking behavior, delayed victim response strategies to sexual risk, increased number of lifetime sexual partners, and more frequent exposure to pornographic media significantly correlated with increasingly more severe forms of sexual assault. Future research directions and policy implications are discussed.     

Jailed Parents

Abstract

It is axiomatic in the literature that parenthood exacerbates the pains of imprisonment for women. A corollary is that it has a lesser impact on incarcerated men. We have attempted here to establish an empirical foundation for concluding that incarceration affects fathers and mothers differently. Using a national survey of jailed parents to compare mothers and fathers on a number of variables, we found clear differences which persisted through two survey years. Jailed mothers were more likely than jailed fathers to have minor children and to have been living with their minor children at arrest. Their children were more likely to have experienced a change in caretaking because of their arrest than were the children of jailed fathers. Incarceration does, in fact, pose greater problems for mothers than for fathers.     

The Politics of History and the “War of Monuments” in Estonia

Early commentators on the newly independent Belarusian state of the 1990s indicated that there was something lacking in Belarusian identity. The people did not seem to respond powerfully to the new symbols of the state, use of the national language intermingled with Russian, and economic concerns appeared to trump popular concerns with promoting Belarusian language or culture. Other former Soviet states were embracing ethnic national ideals, and as such, many assumed that Belarus should follow a similar path. However, as an examination of the history of the Belarusian territory demonstrates, a national ideal based on ethnicity was problematic in Belarusian society, and as such, the ethnic notions of Belarusian identity forwarded by some Belarusian elites failed to appeal to the masses. Instead, Belarus seems better suited to a more inclusive civic identity than an exclusive ethnic one. This research examines the nature of contemporary Belarusian identity, with particular attention to the civic versus ethnic aspects of that identity. We argue that although Belarusian identity is obviously in flux and subject to heavy debate, it is currently demonstrating more civic aspects than ethnic ones. This finding is based on original survey data obtained in Belarus in 2009 and 2010.