Discrimination as Collusion in Imperfectly Competitive Labour Markets

ABSTRACT: Despite growing evidence on the potential influence of monopsony power in modern labour markets, the standard monopsony theory of discrimination, at least with respect to pay differences by gender, is inconsistent with the empirical evidence on the association between relative pay and comparative labour supply elasticities. In this paper, we develop a general oligopsony model in which we argue that differences in the conjectural variation parameter can reconcile the empirical evidence with a model of discrimination based on imperfect competition in the labour market. Discrimination emerges from asymmetric collusion in the presence of employer power, without the need to incorporate a Beckerian‘taste for discrimination’parameter.     

Managing contact in Scotland for children in non‐permanent out‐of‐home placement

There has been little research on social workers' views and experiences of managing contact for children in public care, and none focused in Scotland, where different institutional and legal features provide contrast with the rest of the UK. This study explored the views of 19 social work practitioners and managers and three Reporters to the Children's Hearing system regarding the management of contact for children in non‐permanent placements, using semi‐structured interviews and a focus group. The paper focuses on the themes of the supervision and assessment of contact, risks associated with contact and contact via ICT—e‐mail and the internet. It suggests improvements in assessing contact are needed and concludes that while there are strengths in practitioners' current awareness of risks, a risk‐based conception of contact, as exemplified by most respondents' views about the use of new technology, is in tension with the thrust of current legislation; conceptions of contact need to be flexible enough to embrace the variety of purposes contact might serve. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Advocacy with Gloves on: The “Manners” of Strategy Used by Some Third Sector Organizations Undertaking Advocacy in NSW and Queensland

This article examines the strategies used by some third sector organizations in Australia to advocate. The purpose of this article is to identify the kinds of activities that organizations in New South Wales and Queensland use to promote advocacy, the kinds of language that is used to describe these activities, and the reasons given for the particular strategies adopted. The extent to which the organizations adopt “softer” (that is more institutional forms of advocacy) rather than more openly challenging forms of activism is examined, particularly in light of a neo-liberal political and economic environment. In this analysis emergent strategies are identified that are not easily categorized as either “institutional” or “radical” advocacy. The article presents an exploratory analysis of some of the implications of the strategies adopted, in terms of their democratic effects and potential to strengthen the capacity of third sector organizations. The article is informed by the findings of a qualitative research project involving interviews with 24 organizations in the community services and environmental fields.     

A national evaluation of community-based youth cessation programs: design and implementation

Although widely available, little is known about the effectiveness of youth cessation treatments delivered in real-world settings. The authors recruited a nonprobability sample of 41 community-based group-format programs that treated at least 15 youth per year and included evidence-based treatment components. Data collection included longitudinal surveys of youth participants (n = 878); posttreatment surveys of program leaders (n = 77); and one-time surveys of organizational leaders (n = 64)and community leaders in education, health, and juvenile justice (n = 94). Information about smoking-related ordinances was collected at the state and local levels. The framework, evaluation design, and implementation strategies described in this article provide a template for large-scale real-world program evaluations.     

A Model of Consumers' Risk Perceptions Toward Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rbGH): The Impact of Risk Characteristics

This study estimates the effect risk characteristics, described as outrage factors by Hadden, have on consumers' risk perceptions toward the food-related biotechnology, recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH). The outrage factors applicable to milk from rbGH treated herds are involuntary risk exposure, unfamiliarity with the product's production process, unnatural product characteristics, lack of trust in regulator's ability to protect consumers in the marketplace, and consumers' inability to distinguish milk from rbGH treated herds compared to milk from untreated herds. An empirical analysis of data from a national survey of household food shoppers reveals that outrage factors mediate risk perceptions. The results support the inclusion of outrage factors into the risk perception model for the rbGH product, as they add significantly to the explanatory power of the model and therefore reduce bias compared to a simpler model of attitudinal and demographic factors. The study indicates that outrage factors which have a significant impact on risk perceptions are the lack of trust in the FDA as a food-related information source, and perceiving no consumer benefits from farmers' use of rbGH. Communication strategies to reduce consumer risk perceptions therefore could utilize agencies perceived as more trustworthy and emphasize the benefits of rbGH use to consumers.     

Dropping out of university: A statistical analysis of the probability of withdrawal for UK university students

From individual level data for an entire cohort of undergraduate students in the 'old' universities in the UK, we use a binomial probit model to estimate the probability that an individual will 'drop out' of university before the completion of their degree course. We examine the cohort of students enrolling full time for a 3- or 4-year degree in the academic year 1989–1990. We find evidence to support both the hypothesis that the completion of courses by students is influenced by the extent of prior academic preparedness and the hypothesis that social integration at university is important. We also find an influence of unemployment in the county of prior residence, especially for poorer male students. Finally, we draw conclusions regarding the public policy of constructing university performance indicators in this area.     

Value managed relationships: The key to customer retention and profitability

The authors argue that customer satisfaction and retention are vital and can be improved by the technique which they call a Value Managed Relationship (VMR). A VMR is a collaborative, communicative partnership between suppliers and the supplier's customers, and it works by reducing system costs. Buchanan and Gillies point to examples in British industry where VMRs have been of great benefit.     

RECONSIDERING THE STIGMA OF PHYSICAL DISABILITY:

This article reexamines the stigma of physical disability using the empirical example of wheelchair users' treatment in public places. It draws upon conversational interviews with wheelchair users, field notes recorded during participant observation in public places while using wheelchairs, and previously published autobiographical accounts. The analysis of these materials primarily focuses upon the many public encounters in which wheelchair users request and receive various forms of assistance. Our analysis demonstrates that wheelchair users' place in public life is more uncertain and unsettled than the concepts deviance and stignia suggest. We argue for an empirical reassessment of the social definition of various physical disabilities through ethnographic study of relations between typical and atypical people and analytic attention to situated processes of identification.     

A sequential approximation to a permutation test

A sequential method for approximating a general permutation test (SAPT) is proposed and evaluated. Permutations are randomly generated from some set G, and a sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) is used to determine whether an observed test statistic falls sufficiently far in the tail of the permutation distribution to warrant rejecting some hypothesis. An estimate and bounds on the power function of the SPRT are used to find bounds on the effective significance level of the SAPT. Guidelines are developed for choosing parameters in order to obtain a desired significance level and minimize the number of permutations needed to reach a decision. A theoretical estimate of the average number of permutations under the null hypothesis is given along with simulation results demonstrating the power and average number of permutations for various alternatives. The sequential approximation retains the generality of the permutation test,- while avoiding the computational complexities that arise in attempting to computer the full permutation distribution exactly     

How Fair Is Safe Enough? The Cultural Approach to Societal Technology Choice1

This paper consists of an argument and a pilot study. First is a general, perhaps philosophical, argument against the National Academy's viewpoint⁽¹⁾ that dealing with risk is a two-stage process consisting of (a) assessment of facts, and (b) evaluation of facts in sociopolitical context. We argue that societal risk intrinsically revolves around social relations as much as around evaluations of probability. Second, we outline one particular approach to analyzing societal risk management styles. We call this the fairness hypothesis. Rather than focusing on probabilities and magnitudes of undesired events, this approach emphasizes societal preferences for principles of achieving consent to a technology, distributing liabilities, and investing trust in institutions. Conflict rather than probability is the chief focus of this approach to societal risk management. This view is illustrated by a recent empirical pilot study that explored the fairness hypothesis in the context of new nuclear technologies.