Reciprocal Family,Friendship and Church Support Networks of African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

This study examined reciprocal support networks involving extended family, friends and church members among African Americans. Our analysis examined specific patterns of reciprocal support (i.e., received only, gave only, both gave and received, neither gave or received), as well as network characteristics (i.e., contact and subjective closeness) as correlates of reciprocal support. The analysis is based on the African American subsample of the National Survey of American Life. Overall, our findings indicate that African Americans are very involved in reciprocal support networks with their extended family, friends and church members. Respondents were most extensively involved in reciprocal supports with extended family members, followed closely by friends and church networks. Network characteristics (i.e., contact and subjective closeness) were significantly and consistently associated with involvement with reciprocal support exchanges for all three networks. These and other findings are discussed in detail. This study complements previous work on the complementary roles of family, friend and congregational support networks, as well as studies of racial differences in informal support networks.     

Governing the Quango: An Auditing and Cheating Model of Quasi-Governmental Authorities

The New Public Management has a paramount implication for thedelegation of authority to implement public policy, namely,that efficient delegations are designed according to the substanceof the task to be performed. In other words, the governmentmust be able to choose the best agent to carry out a particulartask, which implies that the set of agents must not be confinedto actors and departments within the bureaucracy. This flexibilityof form creates the incentives behind the quango, and increasesthe importance of ex ante design for the legislature to avoidmisuse of public funds. It also has the potential to increaseex post enforcement activity by the government. This articleexamines ex ante design from the perspective of auditing, presentinga formal model of the construction of auditing procedures asa response to expectations of the misuse of funds. By creatingrequirements such as the requisite submission of annual plans,reports, and accounts, governments attempt to create a compliance-inducingscheme much like that present in tax enforcement. The theoreticalmodel generates empirical predictions that are statisticallyexamined using data on public bodies in the Netherlands createdbetween 1946 and 1993. Empirical results demonstrate strongsupport for the theory.     

Managing Conflicting Roles: A Qualitative Study with Female Faculty Members

The interface and transactions between the roles individuals need to play in their family and employment environments are a source of both positive and negative stressors for women, their employers, and family members. Drawing on interviews with female faculty members working in three types of higher education institutions in Michigan, the paper first suggests that female faculty members’ current employment-household management is influenced by past decisions. In addition, the complexity of their family and employment careers positively and negatively influences their lives.     

Parental Perspectives Regarding Poverty-Based Programs

Title I was created to eliminate the achievement gap and to provide additional support for children living at or below the poverty threshold. In order to be able to evaluate and adjust programs designed to academically serve children in poverty, educators need parental involvement and insight. Unfortunately, collecting such information has proven difficult. The purpose of this study was to try to find a means to generate parental perspectives on the value of poverty-based programs and on how these programs contribute to academic success for their children. The researchers found such a means by forming collaborative relationships with social workers, and gained valuable insights from parents into whether these programs are viewed as helping children succeed academically and on how programs should be altered.     

Biomechanical aspects of dynamic stability

Walking is a fundamental motor skill that significantly affects the level of independence in older adults. The amount of variability present in a walking pattern reflects the quality of neuromuscular control. It is well established that a large proportion of falls in older people occurs when walking. The prevention of falls is vital for minimizing disability, preventing injury, and impeding the development of frailty and subsequent deterioration in quality of life. The present literature review focuses on dynamic stability. In dynamic stability, both the base of support and the center of mass are in motion, and effective balance function is required. In general, older adults are expected to have different movement patterns from younger adults, expressed by differences in limb kinematics and kinetics. A better understanding of the biomechanical variables involved can help anticipate and prevent potential falls.     

Venturing Jointly: Vienna's Innovation Economy

Vienna's role as Austria's largest innovative city-region depends upon many factors, of which a vibrant regional innovation system driven by joint research ventures is a key component. Between 1994 and 2002, various research groups located in the Vienna region participated in 7,334 research projects funded by the EU during the 4th and 5th Framework Programs. Organizations from this region were more likely than elsewhere in Austria to assume scientific leadership positions as project coordinators. The region specialized heavily in research concerning environment, information and communication technology, bio-technology, traffic, and general research topics. The region's most active organizations were concentrated in the city itself: universities, research organizations, small firms, and large firms were represented in a ratio of approximately 4:2:1:1. Among firms that participated, the largest ones dominated during the course of this period, although research participation by firms continually shifted more to small- and medium-sized enterprises. In terms of Austria, most research is concentrated in the about 30 most active postal-code zones, which in turn are dominated by the Vienna region. Over the full period, there is no evidence that Austrian research projects concentrated further and some types of research decentralized slightly. At the same time, the research participation of small- and medium-sized enterprises became more centralized within the Vienna region. The singular importance of stimulating further and more effective research in the Vienna region and its innovation system is obvious and these findings may be helpful in establishing policies that support key organizations, improve research infrastructure, and further stimulate the city's knowledge-generating system to ensure long-term innovation possibilities.