Possible causes of tax evasion

Only a limited number of empirical investigations, into possible causes of tax evasion, have been carried out. Most of these have been conducted since 1970 and they have been carried out in countries other than Australia. Much of the published research was reviewed lo develop a set of hypotheses which were then tested with Australian data. The results of those tests are reported in this article. It appears that several things might influence taxpayer's behaviour and in Australia, the exchange indicator could be one of the important influences.     

Unemployment and economic psychology: An introduction

Starting from literature a short sequential scheme is being presented, including contextual and causal factors of employment, phenomenal aspects of unemployment, moderator variables, effects and lastly interventions and solutions.General aspects as well as more restricted aspects of unemployment as an area of research within economic psychology are mentioned. The contributions within this issue are discussed in connection with the scheme and the different aspects that were distinguished.     

The roles of inflation and consumer sentiment in explaining Australian consumption and savings patterns

Qualitative and quantitative measures of inflation, unemployment and consumer sentiment are incorporated into traditional models of the allocation of consumers' income. Quarterly survey data collected by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research are used. Both current and expected levels of variables are considered.Equations are estimated for expenditure on motor vehicles, household durabls and non-durable goods as well as for household saving. The non-traditional variables are found to be significant, although the traditional price and income variables still dominate. In several cases qualitative variables prove to be superior to their quantitative counterparts.     

How changes in price and salary affect economic satisfaction: Information integration models and inference processes

Preliminary studies demonstrated the interactive effects of changes in salary and inflation rate on feelings of personal satisfaction, and showed that the effects of price increases in different cost categories could he described by a weighted average model. Participants in the main study were presented with varying hypothetical economic situations which included salary changes (raises) as well as specific price changes. A ratio model was found to describe how raise levels and price increases were combined. The rationality of this model was discussed in terms of how variations in price and income would affect the amount of a given commodity that could he purchased. On some trials only partial information was presented. Low ratings of personal satisfaction were produced when information about raises was missing, and high ratings were produced when information about price increases was missing. These results were discussed in terms of inferences people make when a key source of information is missing.     

Psychophysical laws in risk theory

In this article specific hypotheses on the shape of a rational agent's risk preference function are derived from psychophysical laws. Weber's law is used to establish the hypothesis of constant relative risk aversion for a myopic expected-utility maximizer. Weber's law. Fechner's law and a modified version of Koopmans' preference functional are shown to generate a family of multiperiod preference functionals which are either of an additive logarithmic or a multiplicative Cobb-DougIas type. This family has very appealing implications in a world of stochastic constant returns to scale. For the actual decision the multiperiod optimizer exhibits constant relative risk aversion as does the myopic optimizer. However, with the passage of time. the degree of this risk aversion, in general, moves towards unity. Moreover, it is worth noting that the agent neither has to make the consumption decision simultaneously with the selection of an optimal risk project nor needs any information about the future except his or her own preferences.     

Economic psychology

Economic psychology studies the economic behavior of consumers and entrepreneurs. Economic behavior involves decisions on money, time, and efforts. The models of Katona and Strümpel are discussed and a new model is proposed. This new model stresses the cyclical character of economic behavior on a micro and a macro level. Economic psychology is related to organizational psychology, marketing research, mass communication research, economic sociology, and the household production approach. A proposition of the aims and scope of the Journal of Economic Psychology concludes this introductory article.     

A revised behavioral model of consumer durable demand

A general model of consumer demand for durable goods has recently been proposed by Pickering (1978,1981). Of particular note is the use of expectations of both personal financial and general economic conditions to capture the consumer's willingness to buy. However, it is argued first that these two expectations have Jointly interdependent rather than unique contributions to consumer confidence. In addition, it is proposed that the concept of expectations should be extended to specific product attributes as well. Pickering's model is subsequently revised to incorporate the conceptual modifications.     

Revealed versus hidden attributes as determinants of percieved product quality

Consumers' quality perception being interpreted as an overall product evaluation process, attribute importance is introduced as a mediating variable between the quality judgment and informational value of cues. Furthermore, all product attribute being classified into two different categories, revealed vs. hidden attributes, it is hypothesized that extrinsic cues can influence consumers' product evaluation only on the hidden quality attributes but not on the revealed quality attributes.     

Perception of changes in the cost of living

A survey of 122 Christchurch residents revealed systematic underestimation of the extent to which costs in New Zealand have risen during the period 1967–1983. The extent of the underestimation was largely unaffected by demographic and attitudinal variables measured and was not reflected in or related to estimates of the inflation rate. The results are consistent with previous experimental work showing systematic misperception of exponential growth.     

Evaluation in the community mental health centers program: A bold new reproach?

The Federal Community Mental Health Centers Program (CMHC)-from 1963 to 1981-was heralded as a revolution in mental health care. Championed by many, and severely criticized by others, the actual impact of the program on the nation's mental health remains unclear. The authorization to evaluate the CMHC Program came originally from congressional legislation (PL 90-174), and later from the policies and regulations of NIMH under a series of Federal laws, notably PL 94-63. From 1976-1980, two dominant evaluation strategies were prevalent: funds expended by NIMH each year for studies of CMHC services or program-wide evaluations, and a much larger expenditure by CMHCs to conduct their own, independent evaluations following federal guidelines. As the Center's Program was turned over to the states in the form of block grants (PL 97-35), a group of professionals involved with setting and carrying out federal CMHC evaluation policy of both varieties met in public forum to debate the impact of these two evaluation approaches. While some participants cited gains in evaluation technology and impact upon local management of CMHCs, others found the lack of a coordinated and systematic approach to evaluating the CMHC Program to have been an opportunity missed. The impact of CMHC evaluation efforts are also discussed in terms of their major contribution to the field of evaluation research as a whole.     

Ecologically defining the mistreatment of adolescents

Ecologically defined, the problem of adolescent/family conflict for otherwise “normal” families is a reaction to crisis in the life cycle of the family. A family's success in weathering the crisis is indicated by their successful maturation to the next stage of the cycle; we can assume that in such cases the ratio of stress to coping ability was such that the family could integrate that stress. When conflict escalates to abuse and neglect, however, the indication is that stress has outstripped coping ability, and the implication is for stress-reducing intervention quite unlike the standard existing interventions in either the juvenile justice or child welfare systems, which negatively label family members, make them adversaries, fragment their coping capabilities, and even subject them at times to situations worse than those for which they needed help originally. The interventions called for are those that support beleaguered families; that are based on conceptualizations of people as adaptable and capable of solving their own problems if they are given adequate supports.     

Practical problems associated with programme evaluation in third world countries

Problems in conducting programme evaluation in third world countries can be divided into four interrelated categories: those associated with design, personnel, time, and budget. Some of the problems in each of these areas are considered and suggestions for dealing with them are presented.     

The use of participant observation in evaluation research

In the last several years considerable interest has developed in the use of qualitative methods in evaluation research. Recent works indicate that the tradition of qualitative research has much that will be useful to evaluation researchers. This paper does not seek to cover the range of qualitative methods available to the evaluation researcher but rather is concerned with one methodology in that tradition, participant observation. The paper describes the methodology of participant observation for those who are interested in its characteristics and for those who would like to consider it for evaluation or other types of research. Examples are given of how it has been used and references to additional sources of information are included as well. The paper is organized into three sections: characteristics of participant observation, when it is appropriate to use it, and specific techniques of the method.     

A behavioral model of the demand for consumer durables

It is argued that models of the demand for consumer durables would be strengthened by the introduction of a behavioral element reflecting the nature of the decision making process within the individual household. A possible behavioural model is described. It is suggested that this would consist of the following elements: general economic confidence of the consumer (derived from personal expectations and attitudes to the general economic situation): general durable purchasing orientation (including willingness to devote resources to durable purchasesand house moving expectations); specific product choice considerations (including orders of acquisition of new durables: the implicit depreciation of existing equipment; perceptions of the characteristics of new products; purchase expectations). Such a model is more extensive than that normally described by others working in this field. The interaction between the different variables is discussed. It is shown that all these elements can be estimated through regular surveys and so the model can be made operational for forecasting purposes. However, it needs to be recognised that there are also unexpected even as which will affect the outcome in individual circumstances and the nature of these is also considered.     

The GOAT1 effects impact upon educational R and D

The GOAT (Goodbye To All That) Effect is introduced as a special research and evaluation “outcome” effect characterizing decision-making unduly influenced by abandoning “write-off” tendencies, especially in the face of mounting problems. GOAT behavior can enter into educational decision-making all too easily because it finds a congenial atmosphere in education's habit of fluctuating with the latest trends and vogues and because it can use the prevailing systems analysis approach in much of educational management and evaluation as a blind. The “gradual refinement” approach offers an antidote to the GOAT Effect primarily because it is a fundamentally different approach from systems analysis and directly opposes the faddish orientation of current education.     

The behavior of the battered child: A behavioral deficiency syndrome resulting from developmental interferences and reactive learning

Behavioral observation of battered children reveals a generalized syndrome consisting of apathy, social isolation, emotional constriction, aggression, and intellectual, motor and language retardation. This syndrome is considered to be a ‘behavioral deficiency syndrome.’ Developmental interference imposed by abusive parents upon the child, and subsequent reactive learning by the child are discussed as etiological factors in the development of this syndrome. Implication of these etiological factors for therapy of the abusive family are also discussed.     

Evaluating employee assistance programs. A review of methods, outcomes, and future directions

Renewed interest in assisting troubled employees has led to an upsurge in the development of employee assistance programs, coupled with demands for demonstrable effectiveness. This review examines the nature and scope of these programs, their administrative and methodological context, and the types and outcomes of evaluation studies conducted thus far. Proposals for improving future investigations through a number of different approaches and strategies are then made.     

The teaching-family model: Research and dissemination in a service program

The Teaching-Family Model serves as an example of how research can be used as feedback to change a residential treatment program for youths. Further, research can serve to modify training and evaluation of the program as well. The feedback loop established by continual research and evaluation serves to improve program quality, thus facilitating dissemination as the model is adopted by more agencies.From 1967 to 1980, the Teaching-Family Model expanded from one group home in Kansas to more than 150 homes across the United States. Through both successes and failures, proponents of the Teaching-Family Model learned that research and evaluation can and must be a part of the treatment delivery system rather than an occasional adjunct.     

Avoiding evaluation cooptation. Lessons from a renal dialysis evaluation.

An evaluation of the impact of terminating contracts to transport low-income patients for renal dialysis demonstrates how evaluators may become apologists for management and conduct studies too narrow for effective decision making. The evaluation found that patients continued to receive treatment; their death rates had not increased. Changes in their economic and emotional status were not studied; consequently, the evaluators erroneously concluded that the clients had not been seriously harmed. The article reviews the process the evaluation used. The authors conclude that to avoid cooptation, evaluators need independent information available through conducting and analyzing pilot studies and meeting with program constituents. To avoid overly narrow studies, the next level of management should participate in their design. To use the information effectively, evaluators need to see themselves as advisors rather than technicians.