Organizational change in the U.S. Afghan diaspora: A response to homeland events or heightened government scrutiny?

This article examines factors behind a post–September 11, 2001, increase in the number of U.S.‐based Afghan nonprofits registering or filing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the first time. The nonprofit literature suggests that increased government scrutiny of charitable activities has caused nonprofits to change their behavior. However, empirical evidence behind these claims is lacking. Philanthropy researchers also discuss the response of ethnic diasporas in the United States to crises and other events in their homelands, though rarely from an organizational perspective. This study examines whether heightened government scrutiny, homeland events, or some other factor was most responsible for the increase in U.S.‐based Afghan nonprofits initiating IRS contact following September 11. Survey research finds that Afghan nonprofits, though arguably greater targets for IRS scrutiny due to their Middle East connections, were more motivated by events in their homeland than by heightened government scrutiny to register and file with the IRS.     

The journalist as the audience: Evaluating the U.S. Navy’s “Sailor for a Day” campaign

This study demonstrates how focusing on the journalist as the audience of a media relations campaign can result in significant positive media coverage. Specifically, we examined the U.S. Navy’s “Sailor for a Day” campaign that invited media to experience a day in the life of a U.S. Navy sailor aboard an aircraft carrier. We propose that the “Sailor for a Day” campaign successfully influenced journalist perceptions and media coverage because 1) the pitch tied to programming needs; 2) uncommon access was granted; and 3) the journalist experience was a prominent feature of the media pitch.     

Mediated public diplomacy in the digital age: Exploring the Saudi and the U.S. governments’ agenda-building during Trump’s visit to the Middle East

This study analyzed the agenda-building capacity of political public relations messages of the Saudi and the U.S. governments during Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East and scrutinized their influence on the media coverage and public opinion. The findings indicate that all three levels of agenda-building received solid empirical support from the data: governmental information subsidies significantly influenced media coverage and public opinion on the level of issues and stakeholders (1st level), their attributes (2nd level), and networked co-occurrences of issues/stakeholders (3rd level of agenda-building). Traditional information subsidies emerged as a powerful tool driving the agenda-building process. The study confirms the effective capacity of public relations communication to build the media and the public agendas in non-Western media culture and expands the applicability of the agenda-building network analysis research to the Middle Eastern media market.     

The power of women: Flanley & Woodward and the woman’s angle in U.S. public relations

After working in corporate public relations during the 1930s, Mabel Flanley and Sally Woodward opened an all-woman agency in New York City in 1944. Their specialty was targeting women publics, and they drew on their experiences with home economics and women’s clubs to promote a variety of clients from agribusiness, heavy industry, and government and nonprofit organizations. They carved a path for other women, contributed to the development of professional standards, and influenced other practitioners to target women audiences, and their inclusion initiatives paralleled those of other groups based on diversity of race, ethnicity, and gender.     

What’s happening inside U.S. unions: Democracy and union politics

Conclusions  On balance the news is good. The union movement is awakening from the fatalistic pessimism and apathy which marked the 1980s. There is new excitement. New blood is coming in. New ideas are being tried. Pockets of corruption are being cleaned out. Important issues are being debated and have become the subject of hard-fought union elections.     

The “Other” Effects of Psychotropic Medication: Social Workers’ Perspectives on the Psychosocial Effects of Medication Treatment on Adolescent Clients

This study explores social workers’ perspectives on the psychosocial effects of psychotropic drug treatment of their adolescent clients. Using a mail survey, we asked a national sample of experienced clinical social workers to answer questions about their perceptions of the effects of such treatment on the sense of self and social well-being of an adolescent client. The survey questions also explored associations between perceived psychosocial medication effects and characteristics of the client and the treatment. The findings suggested that social workers viewed medication treatment as having greater beneficial than harmful psychosocial effects on their adolescent clients, but that both effects existed simultaneously. The most important factors associated with the perceived effects of medication that emerged from social workers’ reports included the etiology of the disorder, the type of drug treatment and its effectiveness in addressing symptoms, the client’s “competence,” and the quality of the relationship between the client and the treating social worker. This study provides direction for future research on a neglected but important question. It would be helpful to broaden the scope of professional discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of psychopharmacologic treatment for youth beyond the effectiveness or safety of the treatment to include questions concerning clinicians’ perceptions of the effects of drug treatment on youths’ sense of self and social well-being.     

U.S. Fortune 500’s stakeholders engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence for proactive approaches

In times of a national crisis such as COVID-19, it is important for organizations to show that they are good corporate citizens. At the same time, organizations should carefully select the type of messages that resonate with stakeholders so as to reduce stakeholder skepticism. This study examines how U.S. Fortune 500 companies discussed their COVID-19 pandemic CSR actions on Facebook over 15 months and how the public responded to such messages. We identified three CSR themes: internal stakeholder proactive CSR, external stakeholder proactive CSR, and external stakeholder accommodative CSR. When publics engaged, external stakeholder proactive CSR was significantly associated with better behavioral engagement outcomes, more positive emotional engagement outcomes, and less negative emotions. However, such effects are moderated by industry type. Our findings inform public relations theory and practice and suggest that in times of major crises, organizations should prioritize proactive approaches to engage external stakeholders while being mindful of specific institutional contexts.     

The Politicization of Knowledge Claims: The “Laffer Curve” in the U.S. Congress

Political debates over knowledge claims often become emotionally charged, with two sides not only disputing what is true but seeing those on the other side as deluded or worse. By looking at use of the term “Laffer curve” in the U.S. Congress from 1977 to 2010, we draw attention to two ways such debates over knowledge claims can evolve. The Laffer curve is a simple schematic representation of the relationship between tax rates and government revenue that was influential in U.S. tax policy in the late 1970s. Early on, Republicans and Democrats faced off over the Laffer curve as a cognitive symbol to be debated with argument, evidence, and reference to experts. Over time, Republicans continued to treat the Laffer curve as a cognitive symbol, but for Democrats it became a polluted expressive symbol that could be dismissed without debate. Democrats also articulated the Laffer curve as part of an ironic narrative about the failure of the Reagan administration, which ended the possibility of serious deliberation. We suggest that the dynamics seen here may also be present around other politicized knowledge claims, such as the claim that human activity is causing climate change.     

Networks of international public relations production: The case of Latin American organizations’ connections to U.S. agents

Traditionally, international public relations studies have assumed that a foreign organization, namely a foreign government, is the primary influence on how its home country is portrayed to audiences abroad. This study challenges such assumption of independence by revealing how foreign organizations are connected in ways previous works have not considered. Using Foreign Agents Registration Act data, we reveal the direct and indirect connections that form when foreign organizations hire U.S. agencies to produce their international public relations work. Our network analysis of foreign organizations from Latin American and their U.S. agents documents the network structures that emerge for each country and identifies the types of organizations that are positioned advantageously in the networks. We use these findings to theorize how foreign organizations’ connections and their key positions in networks may influence the production of international public relations efforts for their home country. We at a macro-level, public relations effects depend on the structure of the networks, the overlapping sites where communication content is produced, and who is positioned as key players in the production networks.     

The impacts of the Turkish government’s conspiratorial framing of the Gezi Park protests

What happens when a prime minister frames a momentous protest as a foreign conspiracy? The Turkish government’s reaction to the Gezi Park protests, a reaction centred on a conspiracy theory about an ‘interest rate lobby,’ provides a unique case to explore the impacts of conspiracy theories about big-scale protests. Relying on quantitative and qualitative content analysis of online users’ responses to the government’s conspiracy theories, I discuss the socio-political significance of this conspiratorial rhetoric. The findings demonstrate that (1) the previous political views of online users predict their responses to conspiracy theories, and (2) the users’ comments were centred on their perceptions of the government. These show that people tend to interpret the conspiracy theories in line with their political values and interests, and, accordingly, that the government’s conspiratorial frames concerning the protests seem to have contributed to the political fragmentation by enhancing the division between the Justice and Progress Party (AKP) supporters and opponents.     

New Trends in Russian Intellectual Anti-Americanism: The Strange Case of Viktor Pelevin’s Novel S.N.U.F.F.

Victor Pelevin’s 2011 novel S.N.U.F.F. is discussed in terms of being a dystopia and a Menippean satire, as well as an anatomy of today’s cultural interactions between Russia and the West. Pelvin’s consistent approach in constructing an elaborate critique of U.S. cultural imperialism is examined in relation to the expansion of popular culture, and also through a Eurocentric epistemological hegemony in the context of which U.S. leftist–liberal academics teach the non-Western ‘rest of the world’ what such things as gender, race, homo- and heterosexuality, femininity, masculinity, sexism, hate speech, etc., should mean in one’s respective culture. The vast, panoramic satirical canvas of intellectual attitudes and cultural beliefs that Pelvin has drawn is described as an attempted worldwide ‘colonization of the mind’, which has today become an avatar of cultural Americanization.     

Transcending Borders,Bridging Gaps: Opening a Dialogue Between the U. S. A. and Italy’s Migration Turn

ABSTRACT

This essay discusses recent theoretical engagements in the fields of migration and postcolonial studies in Italy by examining their contribution to American and transatlantic studies. It focuses on cultural critiques and manifestations which seek an interrogation or revitalization of Italy’s cultural identity. The analysis draws on the many links between past and present, a confrontation of the histories of migration from and to the country. For instance, the Italian/American influence is remarkable on transforming views of Italian identity, particularly regarding (im)migration. The objective of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it examines how artistic productions compel the Italian society to come to terms with the past. This phenomenon attests to a unique social and cultural transition in Italy, and represents a breeding research ground within Italian studies and the Anglo-dominated area of postcolonial and diaspora studies. On the other hand, the essay investigates how these changes enhance to the role of transatlantic migrations. In doing so, the significance of such cultural productions is framed within ongoing epistemological and scholarly endeavours. This is exemplified by the abundant number of publications, seminars, conferences and new curricula challenging, as well as advancing, contemporary debates on migration, multiculturalism, identity (Italian-ness) and memory.     

Government/Foundation Relations: A Conceptual Framework and Evidence from the U.S. Federal Government’s Partnership Efforts

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Interest in collaboration between government and private, grantmaking foundations has grown considerably in recent years...     

Has the rise in globalization reduced U.S. inflation in the 1990s?

This article investigates whether increased globalization of the U.S. economy has helped hold down inflation in the 1990s. Based on several measures, we find that globalization has increased. Further, we find that import prices exert a greater impact on prices of products in industries faced with greater import penetration. High foreign excess capacity accounts for much of the recent decline in U.S. inflation. Our results suggest that the decline in inflation is explained by the interaction of increased globalization and high excess foreign capacity. Globalization by itself does not lead to less inflation, just greater sensitivity to foreign economic conditions.     

Labor’s love lost? Changes in the U.S. environment and declining private sector unionism

Conclusion Changes in the demographics of the work force and structural changes in the economy have played a key role in declining union membership over time. Since these trends are anticipated to continue into the future, union attempts to stem the decline must accept these changes as given and adapt in ways that allow membership to grow even as these shifts occur. Such a fundamental reorientation of priorities will be difficult, but some signs suggest that unions may be taking preliminary steps in this direction. Such change is vital to unions’ survival, both as a social movement and as a political institution. Edward Potter is president of the Employment Policy Foundation and co-author of Keeping America Competitive: Employment Policy for the 21^st Century (1995). He gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Anita Hattiangadi, an EPF senior economist, in the preparation of this paper.     

The Body in the Pool: Reflections on David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars

Placing David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars (2014) in the Gothic tradition reveals the ghostly and often overlooked mother-daughter dynamics at play in that genre, veering between the internalized fears of Gothic terror and the externalized evil of Gothic horror.     

What Explains the Increasing Trend in African Emigration to the U.S.?

In this study, data from the U.S. State Department on visas issued abroad and information from other sources are used to examine trends in African emigration to the U.S. The results suggest that, on average, moderate increases in African Gross Domestic Product between 1992 and 2007 had a buffering effect on emigration trends. Yet, emigration to the U.S. increased much faster from the poorest than wealthiest countries in Africa. Contrary to expectations, larger emigration increases were found in Africa’s non‐English than English‐speaking countries. Despite the increasing overall trend, however, critical differences were observed in the impacts of specific types of flows. For example, overall trends were driven by increases in Diversity Visa migration, refugee movements, and the migration of immediate relatives. However, significant declines were observed in employment‐related emigration from Africa to the U.S. The results further suggest that impact of trends in African fertility, urbanization, and phone use are circumscribed to specific contexts and types of migration flows. The findings, therefore, provide an empirical basis for concluding that the dynamics of African migration to the U.S. are becoming increasingly more complex.     

Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or Barrier to Inclusion?

This article analyzes why immigrant religion is viewed as a problematic area in Western Europe in contrast to the United States, where it is seen as facilitating the adaptation process. The difference, it is argued, is anchored in whether or not religion can play a major role for immigrants and the second generation as a bridge to inclusion in the new society. Three factors are critical: the religious backgrounds of immigrants in Western Europe and the United States; the religiosity of the native population; and historically rooted relations and arrangements between the state and religious groups.