Is the Austrian Labour Market Ethnically Segmented?

The foreign population from former Yugoslavia and Turkey have not yetsucceeded in doing what the post-war migrants and cold war refugees havedone, namely, integrate into the Austrian middle class. Based on threemicro-census it can be shown that the thesis of an ethnically segmentedlabour market is valid.     

The "Trust Gap" Hypothesis: Predicting Support for Biotechnology Across National Cultures as a Function of Trust in Actors

Using results from the 1999 Eurobarometer survey and a parallel telephone survey done in the United States in 2000, this study explored the relationship between levels of knowledge, educational levels, and degrees of encouragement for biotechnology development across a number of medical and agricultural applications. This cross-cultural exploration found only weak relationships among these variables, calling into question the common assumption that higher science literacy produces greater acceptance (whether or not mediated by lower perceived risk). The relationship between encouragement and trust in specific social institutions was also weak. However, regression analysis based on "trust gap" variables (defined as numerical differences between trust in specific pairs of actors) did predict national levels of encouragement for several applications, suggesting an opinion formation climate in which audiences are actively choosing among competing claims. Differences between European and U.S. reactions to biotechnology appear to be a result of different trust and especially "trust gap" patterns, rather than differences in knowledge or education.     

Asymptotic inference in discrete response models

Regression models for discrete responses have found numerous applications. We consider logit, probit and cumulative logit models for qualitative data, and the loglinear and linear Poisson model for counted data. Statistical analysis of these models relies heavily on asymptotic likelihood theory, i.e. asymptotic properties of the maximum likelihood estimator and the likelihood ratio as well as related test statistics. In practical situations, previously published conditions assuring these properties may be too strong, or it is difficult to see whether they apply. This paper contributes to a clarification of this point and characterizes to some extent situations where asymptotic theory is applicable and where it is not. In particular, sharp upper bounds on the admissible growth of regressors are given.     

Test of a Trust and Confidence Model in the Applied Context of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Risks

Trust is an important factor in risk management. There is little agreement among researchers, however, on how trust in risk management should be studied. Based on a comprehensive review of the trust literature a "dual-mode model of social trust and confidence" is proposed. Trust and confidence are separate but, under some circumstances, interacting sources of cooperation. Trust is based on value similarity, and confidence is based on performance. According to our model, judging similarity between an observer's currently active values and the values attributed to others determines social trust. Thus, the basis for trust is a judgment that the person to be trusted would act as the trusting person would. Interpretation of the other's performance influences confidence. Both social trust and confidence have an impact on people's willingness to cooperate (e.g., accept electromagnetic fields or EMF in the neighborhood). The postulated model was tested in the applied context of EMF risks. Structural equation modeling procedures and data from a random sample of 1,313 Swiss citizens between 18 and 74 years old were used. Results indicated that after minor modifications the model explained the data very well. In the applied context of EMF risks, both trust and confidence had an impact on cooperation. Results suggest that the dual-mode model of social trust and confidence could be used as a common framework in the field of trust and risk management. Practical implications of the results are discussed.