Controlled Direct and Mediated Effects: Definition,Identification and Bounds

Abstract. Results are given which provide bounds for controlled direct effects when nounmeasured confounding assumptions required for the identification of these effects do not hold. Previous results concerning bounds for controlled direct effects rely on monotonicity relationships between the treatment, mediator and the outcome themselves; the results presented in this article instead assume that monotonicity relationships hold between the unmeasured confounding variable or variables and the treatment, mediator and outcome. Whereas prior results give bounds that contain the null hypothesis of no direct effect, the results presented here will in many instances yield bounds that do not contain the null hypothesis of no direct effect. For contexts in which a set of variables intercepts all paths between a treatment and an outcome, it is possible to provide a definition for a controlled mediated effect. We discuss the identification of these controlled mediated effects; the bounds for controlled direct effects are applicable also to controlled mediated effects. An example is given to illustrate how the results in the article can be used to draw inferences about direct and mediated effects in the presence of unmeasured confounding variables.     

劳动争议调解制度的完善

劳动纠纷的特殊性决定调解在劳动争议解决中的重要性。但我国立法界对劳动争议调解重视不够,对其规定过于简单,造成实践中不能充分发挥调解在劳动争议处理中的作用。现针对劳动争议调解的实践,剖析当前关于劳动争议调解立法的不足,提出立法上的完善建议,以促进劳动争议调解实践的发展和劳动关系的和谐。     

论行政调解协议的效力——以构建统一调解制度为视角

法治的局限性、民事纠纷的复杂多样性、行政职能的广泛性等决定了行政调解在解决民事纠纷方面的重要作用,但我国现行法规范关于行政调解协议效力的规定却不明确,影响了行政调解制度功能的发挥。从立法政策学的视角来看,行政调解效力制度的完善应以构建统一调解制度为基本出发点,区分不同类型的行政调解,并赋之以不同的法律效力。属于自治型行政调解的,其调解协议具有民事合同的效力;属于裁断型行政调解的,由行政调解机关制作的行政调解书一经当事人签收,即具有执行力。     

调解程序中的律师：功能定位及障碍消减

律师职业伦理以利他性为中心。调解程序中律师的使命则应致力于向当事人提供法律信息,以利于当事人而不是代替当事人作出正确的决定,促进当事人自治的实现。但律师自身的利益诉求和职业惯性有可能成为承担这一使命的障碍。因此,应该建立律师参与调解的激励与约束机制,包括将法律援助引入调解程序、改革律师收费制度、建立相关费用的分散化机制等,以保障当事人接近律师的权利。此外,律师还可以通过直接担任调解员和参与律师的和解制度等方式促进合意的纠纷解决。     

法院调解：当事人“理性对话”的权利场域

法院调解是我国法院民事审判中一种占主导性地位的运作方式。随着民事诉讼改革的深入,法院调解制度面临一些新的问题。为应对这些新问题,首先要对法院调解进行合理的定位。法院调解应该不仅仅体现法官的;职权,更应当为当事人进行“理性对话”提供一个平台。     

Social Worker Supervision with Novice and Experienced Workers

ABSTRACT

This empirical study compares the perceptions of social work supervisors about the needs of novice and experienced social work supervisees. The respondents, 211 supervisors in public welfare agencies in Israel, provided novice workers more supervisory time in 6 of the 8 content areas examined: administrative matters; inspection and control; inter-organizational communication; client issues; job-related tensions; and personal tensions. Projects in the community were given priority to experienced rather than novice supervisees, and professional development was regarded by the supervisors as equally important for novice and experienced workers. Comparisons were also made between the actual and preferred supervisory time allotment.     

Adolescents,Online Marketing and Privacy: Predicting Adolescents’ Willingness to Disclose Personal Information for Marketing Purposes

The present study aims at exploring which factors predict the willingness of adolescents to disclose personal information in response to online marketing requests. Our analyses show that especially privacy concerns and perceived benefits explain a considerable portion of variance in both willingness to disclose profile data (e.g. age, hobbies, favourite products) and contact data (e.g. phone number, e‐mail address, home address). An interesting interrelationship was found between profile data and contact data disclosure. Contrary to our expectations, parental mediation strategies were only a weak predictor of teenagers’ willingness to disclose contact information. Policy implications that emerge from the central findings of this study are discussed.     

德勒兹的“块茎”与阿多诺的“星丛”概念之比较

块茎和星丛这一对概念,分别是德勒兹和阿多诺用来取代既定体系的理想模式。这两种模型互有异同,其中最关键的重合点在于它们都聚焦在新事物的产生过程。同时,这两种关系模型都打破了传统哲学中占据统治地位的同一性逻辑,转而提倡一种非等级化的关系。然而,在对关系的强调中,它们各自的重点却有所区别:块茎强调逃逸线,而星丛则更关注成员之间的共存于互相中介的关系。这种区别造成了这两种生产性的关系模式在异质性生产方面的巨大的区别。德勒兹的"块茎"模式在一定程度上是对批判理论的悲观性的超越。而理解这一区别,对于如何在今天的社会现实中将批判性与建构性相结合十分重要。     

Social Support

The purpose of this two year study was to understand the provision of social support to recently divorced women with children from the perspective of the primary support person. Each of 157 women identified her primary support. Friends, boyfriends, and parents were the most common sources of support. Two-thirds of the women changed their primary support person over the study period. The primary supports were interviewed three times over two years and asked to describe the support they provided and the reciprocity of their relationship. Eleven types of support were described with availing, direct support, distancing, and valuing identified most often. Availing was presented as the most helpful type of support and intruding, the least helpful. Reciprocity was perceived as slightly better than moderate.     

“Talking It Out”: A Computer-Based Mediation Process for Adolescents

SUMMARY

This article describes the development of a multimedia mediation program (“Talking It Out”) that helps young adolescents resolve conflict peacefully. The development and content are described, together with pilot test data from 16 pairs of disputing students. These case studies provide evidence of the popularity and effectiveness of computer-based mediation.