Centrality and power revisited: actor success in group decision making

For many years, network analysts viewed positional centrality as a source of social power. More recently, laboratory studies of exchange networks have called the centrality–power link into question: under zero-sum exchange conditions, the ability of certain actors to directly exploit others has been found to account for power independent of actors' centrality. But most observers believe that in non-zero-sum communication networks, centrality should positively affect power. In this study we examine the effect of centrality on power in a communication network involving group voting on political issues. Using a model in which actors' votes are determined by the strength of their initial positions and the social pressures to which they are subjected, we conduct computer simulations to examine the extent to which actors in various network positions achieve favorable political outcomes. Our findings indicate that the link between centrality and power is highly contingent on the structure of the network. In networks with a central actor and an odd number of subgroups, central actors fail to dominate. In fact, in these networks, when peripheral actors are able to directly influence one another, the central actor becomes the least powerful in the network. In networks with a central actor and an even number of subgroups, however, the central actor dominates even in situations with connected peripherals. The highly contingent effect of centrality on power accords with the findings of exchange theorists who have studied power under zero-sum conditions. This raises questions about the nature of the distinction between communication and exchange networks.     

The Manipulation: Socio-economic decision making

We analyze one-shot Prisoner’s Dilemma decisions made by participants of the high-stakes TV game show The Manipulation, and document the influence of social life factors on economic decisions, alongside the participants’ rational considerations. In particular, we employ a social psychology approach to provide a new perspective on the determinants of financial assistance. Our insights from the TV game are corroborated by a controlled laboratory experiment. We find that helping and sharing behavior in strategic situations is explained by Attribution Theory (AT) and beliefs about expected cooperativeness. Specifically, participants’ decisions are influenced by perceived controllability of opponents’ conditions (an attributional characteristic influencing perception of responsibility and related emotions) and social-relations-based beliefs regarding the opponents’ expected cooperativeness.     

Family Group Conferences and youth advocacy: The participation of children and young people in family decision making

The notion of independent advocacy does not sit easily with the principles of Family Group Conferences (FGC). The integrity of conferencing is in the competence of family members to make their own decisions. The challenge of enabling the voice and agency of children and young people within their own family networks however is formidable. The familial nexus can be as institutionally excluding as any other adult forum. This paper focuses on the work of a FGC project in Wiltshire, England, which used a small grant to provide independent advocacy for children and young people involved in conferences. Drawing on an evaluation of the project, the article argues that distinguishing children and young people's power from parental and professional power permits their empowerment through the use of advocacy.     

Competence and African American children in informal kinship care: The role of family

African American children are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to live in kinship care, yet there is little empirical knowledge available to help understand the attributes of these families that contribute to children's development of competence. This study analyzed existing longitudinal data to explore the family-level factors that promote these children's competence. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that average quality of the biological mother's relationship with child, the quality of the biological father's relationship with child, and kinship care family functioning predicts children's average competence. Additionally, changes in family resources and family functioning over time are related to corresponding changes in children's competence levels. Results from this study highlight that African American informal kinship care families possess the strengths and resources that contribute to children's competence.     

Gendered perceptions of power and decision‐making in rural Kenya

Development policies and programmes rest on assumptions about what constitutes power and how to change power dynamics. However, they rarely consider local understandings of power. In this article we ask how these common assumptions correspond with socially and culturally specific ideas about what power is, who can hold power, and how power can be transferred, in rural communities in Kenya's lake region. We find that men and women are constantly negotiating for power in the household, within the bounds of their gendered limitations. And the predominant zero‐sum conception of power may undermine common development approaches to empowerment. However, the results also highlight some exceptions to this conceptualization, as well as the value of taking a whole‐family approach to empowerment.     

The assessment of values in medical decision making

Individuals, families, and health care providers consider medical treatment decisions in light of their respective values about life iin varying states of health. The clarification of health care values is important not only in the context of everyday clinical decision making, but also for advance care planning and the resolution of ethical dilemmas. This article argues that objective assessment tools may facilitate the process of clarifying and communicating health care values in these contexts. The article reviews arguments for the importance of values assessment in health care planning, methods used to date for health care values assessment, conceptual and methodological challenges for the measurement of health care values, and lessons learned through the process of developing and piloting a Health Care Values Survey. Objective values assessment tools appear useful for eliciting health care values, although multiple challenges for reliable, valid, and clinically useful measurement of values are identified.     

Examining needs of informal kinship families: Validating the family needs scale

Families who provide informal kinship care are a critical part of child welfare, yet our understanding of their needs is limited due to the challenges of identifying the population. The absence of validated and reliable instruments for kinship families is an additional barrier. This study tests the psychometric properties and construct validity of the Family Needs Scale. A sample of 303 informal kinship families recruited through local child welfare and social services completed the scale as part of a demonstration project. An eight-factor structure emerged from psychometric testing. The FNS is strongly associated with other predictors of the needs such as income and parenting stress, suggesting the instrument's potential as a need assessment tool for kinship families. Further replication and robust analyses of the FNS structure will build stronger support for the scale as a needs assessment for kinship families.     

Being central to decision making means I am still here!: The essence of decision making for people with dementia

The ability to make choices and decisions, and to have those decisions upheld, is central to self-determination. For people living with a diagnosis of dementia, however, it can be difficult to remain involved in decision making. While many studies show that people with mild or moderate dementia have the ability to participate in decision making, there are also indications that the attitudes of those around them, including health professionals and family carers, can sometimes be a barrier, and there is generally little understanding about the nature of decision making for this population. This small pilot study draws on van Manen's approach to phenomenology to explore the essence of decision making for people living with dementia. The findings highlight the importance of remaining central to decision making, and the key role that subtle support from carers plays in enabling this.     

Social support,family competence,and informal kinship caregiver parenting stress: The mediating and moderating effects of family resources

Informal kinship care is the most common form of care of related children and it occurs without the oversight or assistance of the child welfare system. This study examined whether and how social support, family competence, and family resources were related to parenting stress in a sample of 207 informal kinship caregivers. Results of GEE analysis supported the hypotheses that social support, family competence, and adequacy of family resources have direct effects on parenting stress in these families; and, adequacy of family resources mediate and moderate the effects of social support and family competence on parenting stress. Implications for practice, future research and policy are discussed.     

The role of attribution of causality in economic decision making

Research has established that economic decisions often deviate from game theoretic predictions. We explore the process of causal thinking as a possible explanation for such deviations. Specifically, we suggest that causal information affects economic decisions based on the principles advocated by Weiner, 1985, Weiner, 1986 attribution theory (AT) of motivation and emotion. Prior research in this area considered only subsets of the dimensions employed by the theory. We test the predictions stemming from AT in contexts where economic decisions involve sharing gains between party members (e.g., splitting profits) and assess how such decisions are affected by the reasons attributed for obtaining the gains. Results indicate a significant link between causal attribution and economic decisions and shed light on the rules and the rationale that guide this link. We conclude that research into economic decision making should pay a greater attention to the explanatory value of AT.     

Improved decision making about suspected child maltreatment: Results of structuring the decision process

ORBA is a method that aims to improve decision making about suspected child maltreatment in Advice and Reporting Centres of Child Abuse and Neglect (ARCCAN). It structures the process of judging and deciding and makes it explicit by distinguishing separate steps, and by identifying the necessary information to consider and the judgments and decisions to be made in each step. In this study it was investigated whether decision making in ARCANNs has become more systematic and transparent, since the implementation of ORBA. The contents of 100 case records from 2010 were analyzed, after ORBA had been implemented in all agencies, to see to what extent these records contained relevant information, and to what extent process steps and rationales for decisions could be identified. This was compared with the contents of 60 records of three agencies from 2005, before ORBA was implemented. Analyses showed that in 2010 records more often contained relevant information and process steps that ORBA prescribes than in 2005. It was salient however that rationales for judgments and decisions were still often absent in 2010. While after ORBA's introduction the process has clearly become more systematic and more transparent, compared to 2005, more improvements are still called for, specifically in explicitly motivating decisions. Explanations and implications of our results are discussed.     

Relationship power,decision making,and sexual relations: an exploratory study with couples of Mexican origin

This study explored how couples of Mexican origin define power in intimate relationships, what makes men and women feel powerful in relationships, and the role of each partner in decision making about sexual and reproductive matters. Interviews were conducted with each partner of 39 sexually active couples and data were analyzed using content analysis. Results indicate that power is perceived as control over one s partner and the ability to make decisions. Women say they feel more powerful in relationships when they make unilateral decisions and have economic independence. Men feel powerful when they have control over their partner and bring home money. Respondents agreed that women make decisions about household matters and children, while men make decisions related to money. Findings indicate that whereas couples share decision making about sexual activities and contraceptive use, men are seen as initiators of sexual activity and women are more likely to suggest condom use.     

Relationship power,decision making,and sexual relations: An exploratory study with couples of Mexican origin

This study explored how couples of Mexican origin define power in intimate relationships, what makes men and women feel powerful in relationships, and the role of each partner in decision making about sexual and reproductive matters. Interviews were conducted with each partner of 39 sexually active couples and data were analyzed using content analysis. Results indicate that power is perceived as control over one's partner and the ability to make decisions. Women say they feel more powerful in relationships when they make unilateral decisions and have economic independence. Men feel powerful when they have control over their partner and bring home money. Respondents agreed that women make decisions about household matters and children, while men make decisions related to money. Findings indicate that whereas couples share decision making about sexual activities and contraceptive use, men are seen as initiators of sexual activity and women are more likely to suggest condom use.     

Family group decision making: protecting children and women

With rising demands on child welfare, workers need to consider new options, including strategies that promote a collaborative effort of family, community, and government. Family group conferencing integrates efforts to advance child and adult safety and strengthens family unity while expanding its meaning. The conclusions in this article are based on family interviews and child protective services' file comparison from an outcome study of the Family Group Decision Making Project.     

The denial of emergency protection: factors associated with court decision making

Despite the importance of civil orders of protection as a legal resource for victims of intimate partner violence, research is limited in this area, and most studies focus on the process following a court's initial issuance of an emergency order. The purpose of this study is to address a major gap in the literature by examining cases where victims of intimate partner violence are denied access to temporary orders of protection. The study sample included a review of 2,205 petitions that had been denied by a Kentucky court during the 2003 fiscal year. The study offers important insights into the characteristics of petitioners and respondents to denied orders and outlines individual, contextual, structural, qualitative/perceptual, and procedural factors associated with the denial of temporary or emergency protective orders. Recommendations for statutory changes, judicial education, and future research to remedy barriers to protection are offered.     

Sequential fertility decision making: Catholics and Protestants in Canada*

Cette étude tente d'apprécier l'importance relative de l'utilisation, pour l'analyse de la fécondité d'un cadre séquential, plutôt que du mode d'approche statique utilisé par “l‘école” de Becker. On s'est basé sur les données du recensement canadien de 1971, pour analyser les naissances par parité des femmes protestantes et catholiques. Les résultats montrent des différences appréciables dans l'effet des variables indépendantes, suivant la parité, ce qui confirme fortement l'intérêt du mode d'approche dynamique. Plus précisément, on note que le revenu du mariàun effet positif pour les parités de rang faible, alors qu'on trouve un effet négatif pour les parités de rang élevé. Ces résultats contredisent l'effet constamment positif que postule la théorie micro-économique. L'en-semble des effets est le même pour les échantillons de protestantes et de catholiques. This paper assesses the relative importance of utilizing a sequential framework in fertility analysis, rather than the static framework employed by the Becker “school.” Parity-specific analyses are conducted for Protestant and Catholic women based on 1971 Canadian census data. The findings indicate that there are considerable differences in the effects of the independent variables on fertility by parity, lending strong support to a dynamic approach. Specifically, husband's income has a positive effect at earlier parities reflecting timing differences, whereas a negative effect emerges at higher parities. These findings are contrary to the consistently positive effect postulated by microeconomic theory. The pattern of effects is similar in the Protestant and Catholic samples.