Factors associated with the positive well-being of grandparents caring for their grandchildren

Prior research on grandparent caregivers has focused on stress, depression, and other negative outcomes. This paper describes research on factors that are associated with grandparents' positive well-being. In particular, it investigated the extent to which the perception of grandparental stress and grandparents' resources are associated with grandparents' well-being, after controlling for sociodemographic and health factors. A sample of 129 grandparents had individual interviews. Using a hierarchical block multiple regression analysis, the authors found that a low perception of stress related to caring for grandchildren and resources were responsible for a high level of wellbeing. The findings of this study suggest that social workers can best help grandparent caregivers by lowering their perception of stress and enhancing their informal supports and community resources. This can be incorporated into supportive, strengths-based individual or family counseling.     

Majority rule and general decision rules

For ann-member body making dichotomous decisions, decision rules can be formulated as simple games. Of all possible decision rules, majority rule maximizes the average reponsiveness of the body to individual preferences. It is the unique decision rule which does this whenn is odd, but not whenn is even. Other conditions limit the choice of decision rules whenn is even.     

大俄罗斯主义思想体系及其当代政治表现

主要从彼得大帝时代起 ,在民族自我反省过程中 ,大俄罗斯主义逐渐发展成为世界性征服思想体系 ,其核心要素就是 :( 1 )根深蒂固且极力张扬的民族救世主义及其“帝国转移”理论 ;( 2 )基于地缘安全和意识形态对抗进行地理扩张的帝国思想 ;( 3)国家思想的一元化以及在此基础上追求民族一致性的理想 ;( 4 )帝国的俄罗斯化。作为一种政治文化 ,大俄罗斯主义对俄罗斯国家理想、对外政策、发展道路无不产生了深远影响 ;而作为一种世界性征服思想体系 ,大俄罗斯主义特别强调俄罗斯文明与西方文明之间的对抗性 ,结果造成了俄罗斯与周边国家特别是与欧洲之间严重的安全两难和国家政治与社会结构日趋脆弱。在大俄罗斯主义思想体系中 ,国家思想一元化是俄罗斯民族和国家同一性的根本所在 ,是大俄罗斯主义的重要特征 ,但也是其致命的弱点。前苏联国家意识形态解体后 ,到目前为止俄罗斯还没有一个一元化的国家思想 ,所以当今俄罗斯政坛上 ,意识形态多元化意味着大俄罗斯主义的退潮。     

The exchange and allocation of decision power

Traditional theories of multi-person choice takes as exogenous data the allocation of decision power, that is, they assume the answer to the question of who-decides-what. This paper applies the standard economic theory of scarce resource allocation to explain observed allocations of decision power using as an illustrative example the allocation of power across committees in the U.S. Congress.     

Two-parameter decision models and rank-dependent expected utility

This paper extends the existing literature concerning the relationship between two parameter decision models and those based on expected utility in two main directions. The first relaxes Meyer's location and scale (or Sinn's linear class) condition and shows that a two-parameter representation of preferences over uncertain prospects and the expected utility representation yield consistent rankings of random variables when the decision maker's choice set is restricted to random variables differing by mean shifts and monotone meanpreserving spreads. The second shows that the rank-dependent expected utility model is also consistent with two-parameter ranking methods if the probability transform satisfies certain dominance conditions. The main implication of these results is that the simple two-parameter model can be used to analyze the comparative statics properties of a wide variety of economic models, including those with multiple sources of uncertainty when the random variables are comonotonic. To illustrate this point, we apply our results to the problem of optimal portfolio investment with random initial wealth. We find that it is relatively easy to obtain strong global comparative statics results even if preferences do not satisfy the independence axiom.     

Rank-dominant strategy and sincere voting

Theory and Decision - This study considers a voting rule wherein each player sincerely votes when he/she has no information about the preferences of the other players. We introduce the concept of...     

Ambiguity and decision modeling: A preference-based approach

In this article, we develop a model that permits a decision maker's preferences to depend on the decision maker's ambiguity about the probability of an event that is relevant for decision-making purposes. We deal with ambiguity through preference modeling, with ambiguity leading to modifications in the utilities of outcomes. The behavior of ambiguity premiums and probability premiums as the payoffs are varied depends on the nature of the modifications in utilities. Particular forms of the model that arise under different sets of assumptions about preferences include additive, bilinear, and ratio forms. We conclude with a brief example and some thoughts about potential generalizations and implications of the model.     

Pre-commitment and flexibility in a time decision experiment

An agent with dynamically inconsistent preferences may deviate from her plan of action as the future draws near. An exponential discounter may do exactly the same when facing an uncertain future. Through an experiment we compare preference-based vs. uncertainty-based explanations for choice reversal over time by eliciting choices for pre-commitment and flexibility. Evidence of widespread commitment favors a preference-based explanation.

Coherent decision analysis with inseparable probabilities and utilities

This article explores the extent to which a decision maker's probabilities can be measured separately from his/her utilities by observing his/her acceptance of small monetary gambles. Only a partial separation is achieved: the acceptable gambles are partitioned into a set of belief gambles, which reveals probabilities distorted by marginal utilities for money, and a set of preference gambles, which reveals utilities reciprocally distorted by marginal utilities for money. However, the information in these gambles still enables us to solve the decision maker's problem: his/her utility-maximizing decision is the one that avoids arbitrage (i.e., incoherence or Dutch books).     

The application of the Olmstead decision on housing and eldercare

This article reviews the Supreme Court's interpretation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and discusses its application for the frail older person. The parallels and differences between the societal ideas about, and the development of, community-based housing programs for younger populations of people with disabilities and for aging populations will be examined. This article explains how frail older people may be included in the ADA's definition of persons with disabilities. It then explains the Supreme Court's interpretation of discrimination in Olmstead v. L.C. ex rel Zimring (1999). Lastly, it examines the implications of the Olmstead decision for long-term care as it relates to housing for older people.     

Street-level bureaucracy and family group decision making in the USA

Since its official recognition in New Zealand law in 1989, family group decision making (FGDM) has been utilized by a growing number of child welfare workers throughout the world. In the USA, social workers in 35 states utilize FGDM. The seeming popularity of the practice, however, belies its complex position in American child welfare policy. This brief analytic essay examines this position by focusing on the relationship between street-level bureaucracy and FGDM. Specifically, it describes the role of street-level bureaucracy in FGDM's diffusion throughout the USA during a time of considerable policy skepticism towards family support, and it explains the dilution of the FGDM model through use of street-level bureaucracy theory. The essay concludes by raising important policy questions concerning the use and replication of FGDM in the USA.     

Theory and implementation of coalitional analysis in cooperative decision making

Stability definitions for describing human behavior under conflict when coalitions may form are generalized within the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution and algebraic formulations of these definitions are provided to allow computer implementation. The more general definitions of coalitional stabilities relax the assumption of transitive graphs capturing movements under the control of decision makers, either independently or cooperatively, and allow the convenient expansion to the case of coalitions of the four basic individual stabilities consisting of Nash stability, general metarationality, symmetric metarationality, and sequential stability. To permit the various coalitional stabilities to be efficiently calculated and conveniently encoded within a decision support system, algebraic expressions for the coalitional stabilities are provided in this research. Furthermore, a range of the theorems establish the mathematical credibility of employing the innovative algebraic approach to conflict resolution when coalitions are present. Finally, a conflict over the proposed exportation of bulk water from Lake Gisborne within the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is modelled and analyzed to illustrate the practical application of the different coalitional stabilities and the strategic insights they provide.     

Information and strategy in iterated prisoner's dilemma

Theory and Decision -     

Poverty and economic decision making: a review of scarcity theory

Theory and Decision - Poverty is associated with a wide range of counterproductive economic behaviors. Scarcity theory proposes that poverty itself induces a scarcity mindset, which subsequently...     

A general theorem and eight corollaries in search of correct decision

The main theorem established in this study and its corollaries summarize and generalize the existing results on optimal aggregation of experts judgments under uncertain pairwise choice situations. In particular, we explicate the link between the optimal decision procedure and the decision maker's preferences and biases and the judgmental competences of his consultants. The general theorem directly clarifies under what circumstances the optimal decision rule should be the democratic simple majority rule, the elitist expert rule, an intermediate weighted simple majority rule or a biased weighted or simple qualified majority rule.