Variable predictors of attitudes toward the legalization of abortion

This paper updates and expands the study of abortion attitudes originally done by Blake and del Pinal (1980). Since 1978, the last year examined by those authors, the American public's approval of the legalization of abortion initially increased but then dropped to the lowest level ever recorded by the General Social Survey. Religion, as coded by Blake and del Pinal, and education continue to be strong predictors of abortion attitudes as are individual's beliefs about premarital sex, divorce, and euthanasia. A major finding of this study is that the same factors which predict abortion attitudes among persons having polar positions on the subject also predict abortion attitudes among the general population.     

Ambiguity aversion and the propensities for self-insurance and self-protection

Two models of ambiguity preferences that permit comparative statics analysis of greater ambiguity aversion yield definite predictions concerning propensities for self-insurance and self-protection: The levels of both activities that are optimal for an ambiguity-averse decision maker are higher in the presence of ambiguity than in its absence, and demands for both activities increase with greater ambiguity aversion. The reason is that, at levels optimal for one decision maker, an increase in either activity results in a mean-preserving contraction in the distribution of expected utility in the presence of ambiguity, which is valuable to anyone with the same risk preferences who is more ambiguity averse.     

Trust violators in the labor movement: A study of union embezzlements

Union embezzlements, considered by many as one of the most serious breaches of trust, have not been seriously examined. My study sheds light on this topic by studying violations of the federal statute which prohibits union embezzlements, 29 U.S.C. 501 §(c). During the period October 1, 1993 to September 30, 1995, 104 individuals were convicted of violating this statute due to their collective victimization of 98 unions. Some findings were: loses tended to be under $25,000; victim unions were small in financial and membership size; unions lack basic financial controls; and offenders were usually male, acted alone, and tended to be part-time officers. I was an investigator with the United States Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards for more than eight years (1/89 to 6/97). The information in this article is the result of my independent research and does not represent the findings, view, or opinions of any agency of the United States government.     

Social Movements in Organizations

This article reviews the literature on social movements within organizations such as colleges and universities, corporations, religious orders, and governmental agencies. It brings together work from disparate fields to advance an understanding of how movements happen within organizations to introduce students and scholars to the promise of such research.     

The “Income Gap” and the Health of Arts Nonprofits

This article addresses the widening gap between costs and revenues for many arts nonprofits; it examines the most common explanations for the problem, categorizes possible solutions, and suggests practical strategies for implementation. This study suggests that a critical difference exists between large and small arts firms, which in turn implies a different set of strategies for each. Whereas large organizations do well to leverage technological innovations, diversify product lines, and expand audiences through educational outreach, smaller organizations tend to see greater returns from efforts to expand their philanthropic base.     

Tomorrow's Most Challenging Practice Issues: 21st Century Surprises

Sociological practice may differ in the foreseeable future more in kind than merely in degree, so great are the changes likely in social realities. Surprises can be expected from the widespread use of the Internet, the arrival of voice-activated/voice-responsive informatics equipment, the rewards of data warehousing and data mining, conversion to a cashless society, the employ of virtual reality options, and the extraordinary advent of personal Intelligent Agents. A case study of the informatics possibilities for organized labor is offered, to better illustrate ways in which sociological practitioners can help clients prepare for the Age of Informatics. Finally, those busy striving to upgrade practice are urged to emphasize preparation for surprises.     

Circular migration, small-scale logging, and household livelihoods in Uganda

Little is known about the contribution of migrant logging to rural livelihoods in East Africa. In this paper, we analyze logging by circular migrants in land constrained and population dense southwestern Uganda. Drawing on a sample of 180 households, including both migrant and non-migrant households, we describe the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of migrant loggers, estimate the contribution of migrant logging to household income portfolios, test several hypotheses regarding why households decide to undertake this relatively risky activity, and explore the role of social networks as a determinant of higher incomes for migrant loggers. We find that household endowments of land, labor, and capital are different for migrant logger and comparison group households. Above all, labor endowments appear to be driving decisions to participate in logging. We find support for two migration hypotheses: higher expected incomes and wages at destination; and relative deprivation at origin. We find strong evidence that migrant logging reduces income inequality in the home community.     

Mortality,longevity and experiments with the Lee–Carter model

The paper reviews the Lee-Carter modelling framework, illustrated with an application, and then extends the framework through the development of a wider class of generalised, parametric, non-linear models. The choice of error distribution is also generalised. These extensions permit the modelling and extrapolation of age-specific cohort effects as well as the more familiar age-specific period effects: the age-period-cohort version of the model is discussed with a worked example. The paper also provides a comparative study of simulation strategies for assessing risk in mortality rate predictions and the associated forecast estimates of life expectancy and annuity values in both period and cohort perspectives.