Pragmatic decisions in the evaluation of consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment

This article examines pragmatic choices which must be made in conducting consumer satisfaction assessment of mental health treatment. It is argued that choices involving sample, format, and procedure for examining satisfaction may influence the results of such research, and must be considered when creating or evaluating these efforts. These choices are examined in detail.     

Frustrated fertility: a population paradox

This Bulletin examines the causes of subfecundity -- the diminished ability to reproduce -- and its effect today and in the past on the fertility, or actual reproductive performance, of individuals and, hence, populations. By definition, all real populations are subfecund since all experience some degree of involuntary biological factors affecting coitus, conception, or the ability to carry a conceptus to live birth which reduces their fecundity below the estimated biological population maximum of 15 children per woman. Affecting both men and women, these factors fall into 5 categories: genetic factors such as blood group incompatibilities and inherited sickle cell anemia or diabetes; psychopathology, including psychic stress and behavioral disorders (e.g., drug and alcohol abuse); infectious diseases such as gonorrhea, malaria, tuberculosis, and postabortion infection; malnutrrition, including the chronic undernutrition of the 3rd World and the overnutrition of developed societies; and hazards posed by increasing amounts of radiation and toxic chemicals in the environment. Reducing subfecundity requires improved living conditions, avoidance of or protection from known hazards, and adoption of medical advances which now can help 40 to 60% of subfecund couples. But even in the U.S. fertility would certainly rise among the 15% of couples now estimated to be involuntarily childless and the 10% who have fewer children than they want, and among disadvantaged groups, and teenagers.     

当代生活与艺术之死:第二、第三和第一世界

当今所谓的艺术,主要是受20世纪七八十年代以来发展并在全球范围内扩散的美国式“艺术”观念所支配,而再也不受德语的“艺术”或法语的“美的艺术”体系所支配。自从现代主义诞生以来,艺术的历史使命的减弱或者消失已经成为事实,但从全球范围而言,“艺术的终结”这一论断仍有些夸大其词。因为在第一世界的艺术死亡之后(这里存在更多的是文化),第二和第三世界的艺术还生长着。艺术从根本上说还不是一个媒介事件和现象,而是一个同我们每个人相关的东西——不管它是不是商品。     

从所有的地方获得好的构想

一些令你确保构想在你的企业里胜出的可做之事: ▲不要以为你或你的公司拥有全部答案: 这是一个学习型企业的第一条商业法则,如果你以为你无所不 知,那么你就会停止寻找好的构想。 ▲研究竞争对手: 韦尔奇认为,学习好的构想的最佳去处之一就是你的竞争对手那 里。养成一个习惯,每周花1小时时间研究他们的网页、产品目录和其 他所有能使你了解他们的最新创意的东西。     

社会保障面临的现代挑战：第二次人口结构转型

本文探讨了因人口统计学家所描述的“第二次人口结构转型”和一系列替代政策应对措施导致的现收现付、待遇确定型社会保险计划所面临的挑战。对于许多国家来讲,预期寿命的延长和不断下降的生育率威胁到传统社会保障体系的财政可持续性,因为随着退休老年人口比例的不断上升,劳动适龄缴费人口的比例正在下降。为了应对日益增长的公共支出压力,采取一系列政策改革有助于恢复社会保障的财政平衡。本文围绕这些措施分析了三大类改革,包括：渐进式和系统性的改革、强制性和自愿性的私有化改革以及以家庭为导向的福利制度。目前尚不清楚这些政策改革能在多大程度上平衡社会保障收支,且不会给下一代在职劳动力和退休人员造成经济损失。     

公民、民选官员和市政雇员的角色与市政当局对绩效测量体系的管理

本文探讨加拿大地方政府绩效测量实践中公民、民选官员与市政雇员的角色问题.基于实证调查的经验材料,作者明确指出,当前加拿大绩效管理和测量体系并未寻求公民的参与.也未能让城市民选官员参与进来并发挥其领导作用.作者建议,公民、民选官员和市政雇员在实施和管理市政绩效测量体系中各自扮演的角色应当进行调整,只有成功地让公民和民选官员充分参与,才能保证绩效测量实践的成功.     

关于三江源区生态建设与生态补偿问题的思考

三江源区生态环境重建工程已经启动,引起了世人广泛的关注。为了使拯救和重建行动长效化、力源多元化,建立三江源区生态环境建设补偿机制可谓恰逢其时。本文对三江源区生态环境恶化及其危害、建立三江源区生态环境建设补偿机制的必要性以及补偿范围进行了初步探讨。     

马克思、恩格斯和列宁的正义观(下)

凯·尼尔森是分析学派马克思主义的成员之一,也是西方"左翼"平等主义的主要代表。这篇文章是他的专著《马克思主义与道德观:道德,意识形态和历史唯物主义》中第四章的节选。这篇文章紧扣马克思主义原著,以《哥达纲领批判》为基点,从马克思主义发展史的角度,梳理和阐释了马克思、恩格斯、列宁的正义观,不失为当代国外马克思主义领域一篇较为本真的阐发马克思主义正义观的力作。这篇文章有助于国内学者深化理解马克思主义经典作家的政治哲学思想,也有助于我们了解和学习西方马克思主义理论家的文本解读方法和思路,对于我们构建中国特色社会主义正义理论具有理论借鉴意义。     

Risk management in a developing country context: improving decisions about point-of-use water treatment among the rural poor in Africa

More than 1 billion people, the vast majority of which live in the developing world, lack basic access to clean water for domestic use. For this reason, finding and promoting effective and sustainable solutions for the provision of reliable clean water in developing nations has become a focus of several public health and international development efforts. Even though several means of providing centrally located sources of clean water in developing communities exist, the severity and widespread nature of the water problem has led most development agencies and sanitation experts to strongly advocate the use of point-of-use treatment systems alongside whatever source of water people regularly use. In doing so, however, development practitioners have been careful to point out that any interventions or infrastructure regarding water safety and human health must also adhere to one of the central principles of international development: to facilitate more democratic and participatory models of decision making and governance. To this end, the research reported here focused on the development of a deliberative risk management framework for involving affected stakeholders in decisions about POU water treatment systems. This research, which was grounded in previous studies of structured decision making, took place in two rural villages in the East African nation of Tanzania.