MODERNIZATION IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: THE POLITICIZATION OF THE ELDERLY

The rapid modernization in the People's Republic of China (PRC) allows us to identify some of the principles that underlie the changes in State-managed economies and their affects on the elderly. Modernization theory predicts that traditionally high status of the elderly declines with industrialization. This theory's difficulties can be overcome by using the variables of the "state" and the political economy by developing a model of "bureaucratic politics" and the "state" which explains "how" the status of the elderly changes through the interplay of competing interests within the society and thus may "increase" or "decrease" as the society modernizes. This research is based on data collected in the PRC between 1981–1986. Since 1978 there have been three major reform efforts; each has consequences for the elderly: (1) economic, (2) bureaucratic, and (3) population. In order to achieve them, programming for elderly is occurring: (1) retirement pensions and medical care, (2) homes for the aged, and (3) special activities to use the "left over energy" of the elderly. The future importance of the elderly in China will depend on their consequences for (1) the developing economy, (2) the bureaucratic politics of the Party and the State, and (3) other agendas of the State the implicate the elderly.     

Semiparametric Bayesian Inference for Time Series with Mixed Spectra

A Bayesian analysis is presented of a time series which is the sum of a stationary component with a smooth spectral density and a deterministic component consisting of a linear combination of a trend and periodic terms. The periodic terms may have known or unknown frequencies. The advantage of our approach is that different features of the data—such as the regression parameters, the spectral density, unknown frequencies and missing observations—are combined in a hierarchical Bayesian framework and estimated simultaneously. A Bayesian test to detect deterministic components in the data is also constructed. By using an asymptotic approximation to the likelihood, the computation is carried out efficiently using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method in O ( Mn ) operations, where n is the sample size and M is the number of iterations. We show empirically that our approach works well on real and simulated samples.     

Rule enforcement in a public setting: The case of basketball officiating

This participant observation study examines some of the definitional and dramaturgical work performed by basketball officials attempting to enforce formal rules in the presence of audiences (e.g., spectators, coaches, players and fellow officials). Our analysis begins with the discovery that officiating requires participation in both a real world of physical events and objects, and a social world of subjective identifications. Second, we explore the contexts of legitimation by which decisions are justified. Third, we identify dramaturgical strategies used by officials to enhance legitimacy in the face of problematic decisions. Finally, we consider the assumptions officials make about the character of their work. The paper concludes with a discussion of indexical and interpretive features of organizational and bureaucratic use of formal rules, including the case of basketball officiating.An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society, Knoxville, Tennessee, March, 1980. We would like to thank Michael Hughes and James Michaels for abetting suggestions and comments. The authors share equal responsibility for the paper; the names have been listed alphabetically.     

Abstracts

Avery, A., Ridley, C, Leslie, L., and Milholland, T. Relationship Enhancement with Premarital Dyads: A Six-Month Followup. American Journal of Family Therapy , 1980, 8 , 3, 23–31.
Bader, E., Microys, G., Sinclair, C, Willett, E. and Conway, B. Do Marriage Preparation Programs Really Work: A Canadian Experiment. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy , 1980, 6 , 2, 171–179.
Hof, L., Epstein, N., and Miller, W. Integrating Attitudinal and Behavioral Change in Marital Enrichment. Family Relations , 1980, 29 , 241–248.
L'Abate, L. Screening Couples for Marital Enrichment Programs. American Journal of Family Therapy , 1980, 8 , 3, 74–77.
Nelson, R. C. and Friest, W. P. Marital Enrichment through Choice Awareness. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy , 1980, 6, 4, 399–407.
Wagner, V, Weeks, G. and L'Abate, L. Enrichment and Written Message with Couples. American Journal of Family Therapy , 1980, 8 , 3, 36–45.
Wampler, K. S., and Sprenkle, D. H., The Minnesota Couple Communication Program: A Follow-Up Study, Journal of Marriage and the Family, August , 1980, 42 , 3, 577–584.     

Circumplex Model of Marital Systems: An Empirical Study of Clinic and Non-clinic Couples

The interaction processes of twenty-five couples receiving marriage counseling were compared with a control group of twenty-five couples not receiving counseling. The study was a partial test of a circumplex model of marital and family systems. The major variable was adaptability. Creativity and support were also examined. The study also sought to evaluate the usefulness of the principal instrument, SIMFAM, as a behavioral indicator of marital adjustment and an assessment tool for marriage and family counselors. Under stressful circumstances, there was evidence that better adjusted couples have a more equalitarian leadership (relative control) pattern. A combination of high support and equalitarian leadership was especially characteristic of NC (non-clinic) couples. NC couples were significantly more creative, more supportive and more responsive to each other's attempts to influence each other (control efficiency) than clinic couples.     

THE GREAT ALASKAN MONEY GIVE AWAY PROGRAM

For the past six years the State of Alaska has engaged in a unique program in which annual direct cash distributions have been made to the populace. These distributions represent in a sense dividend payments made to citizens on their individual shares of Alaska's mineral wealth. This paper provides a historic perspective of the Alaska dividend distribution program and examines actual distributions to determine whether they are consistent with utility maximization. We found that either a dramatic change in preferences took place over the past six years or that distributions were inconsistent with intertmporal utility maximization.