Intergovernmental Relations and Clean-Air Policy in Southern California

In 1989, California adopted a bold and comprehensive Air QualityManagement Plan (AQMP) to bring southern California into compliancewith federal air-quality standards by 2007. California's effortto control air pollution, as outlined in the AQMP, significantlyinfluenced the formulation of the 1990 federal Clean Air Act.This article analyzes the nature of this influence as well asthe way the new federal legislation bolsters specific provisionsof the AQMP. Also examined is whether the AQMP and the CleanAir Act are likely to bring southern California into compliancewith federal air-quality standards.     

A social impact assessment of the nuclear fuel services facility at west valley,New York

This paper sets forth a research methodology to evaluate the social impact of projects on people. The data and measurement techniques are drawn from a preliminary social impact assessment of the Nuclear Fuel Services facility in West Valley, New York. In addition to collecting socio-economic and demographic information on the region, a survey of West Valley area residents was conducted. Respondents were questioned about their level of awareness of the issues surrounding the plant, their knowledge about the issue sphere, the nature and level of awareness of the issues surrounding the plant, their knowledge about the issue sphere, the nature and level of their concern regarding the facility, and proposed policies to deal with the plant. A major finding is that residents living in the region are apprehensive about the health dangers that can result from radioactive contamination of the environment, and favor removal of the plant and restoration of the area. How the results of our study were incorporated into the policy making process is discussed at the conclusion of the paper.     

Are social class measures interchangeable?

This study analyzes the internal and external consistency of standard and alternative measures of stratification position. Researchers and theorists have used a number of concepts to describe individual's position within the stratification system, e.g., level of education, occupational prestige, and Marxist class position. The central issues of this paper are the degree to which each of the operationalizations of these concepts (current in the literature) are related to one another, the degree to which the operationalizations of each concept are related to the operationalizations of other concepts that measure stratification position, and the extent to which these operational measures are interchangeable. Using data collected in the SRC/CPS 1980 American National Election Study, we find the strongest relationships to exist among those indicators which measure the same concept (e.g., the NORC Prestige Scale and the Duncan SEI), although all indicators are positively related. Regression analyses employing different criterion variables as dependent variables and several measures of stratification position as independent variables reveal that these measures are not interchangeable.The authors are involved in an ongoing research project; the order in which their names appear is rotated.     

Measuring High-Technology Capacity Across the 50 States

This study conceptualizes and operationalizes state high-technology capacity and demonstrates its potential usefulness in comparative state studies. The analysis is primarily concerned with identifying and recording the amount of high-technology resources that are available in each state and that can be employed in public policy. Drawing upon a host of likely indicators of high-technology availability, the study identifies five dimensions of the concept and ranks the states along these dimensions. The work then analyzes the relationships between the five components of high-technology capacity and several state energy and environmental policies. Suggestions for future research are included at the end of the study.     

The dimensionality of partisan strength and political independence

This study explores the dimensionality of partisan strength and independence by analyzing the relationships between the traditional four-point partisan strength scale, a strength of independence scale, and other relevant variables in the 1980 and 1984 NES/CPS election studies. In particular, the investigation centers on the possible different explanations for independence. The findings tend to support explanations for independence that concern party attachment and civic responsibility. The data show that partisan strength and independence are separate components of party identification. Previous findings based on the use of the traditional partisan strength scale may therefore need to be reconsidered.     

An exploratory study of social class and energy issues

This paper analyzes the relationship between a Marxian class measure based upon individuals' relations to the means of production and three types of survey items dealing with energy and conservation issues; knowledge items, attitude items, and items concerned with behavioral change. We also compare the relationship between three commonly used measures of socioeconomic status (SES) (family income, personal income, and education) and these same items regarding energy and conservation. In this manner we attempt to determine whether a particular Marxian class measure can provide insights in this issue area which are not provided by the traditional measures of SES. Contrary to previous research, our major finding is that the three traditionally accepted indicators of SES are related to many more energy and conservation items than is our measure of Marxian class.The authors are engaged in a series of collaborative articles. The order in which our names appear in these works is rotated.