The Similarity of Political Values of Parents and College-age Youths

Studies of college students over the past decade have most ofteninferred a high rate of intergenerational continuity of politicalvalues. In contrast, political socialization studies have concludedthat parent-youth similarity is low to moderate except in thecase of party identification. Analysis of interviews with arepresentative national sample of seventeen- to twenty-three-years-olds,along with independent interviews with their parents, supportsthe political socialization tradition for nonstudents and studentsalike, including student activists and students at elite colleges.     

A Consumer Study of Young People's Views on their Educational Social Worker: Engagement as a Measure of an Effective Relationship

Correspondence to Colin Pritchard, Mental Health Group, University of Southampton, Royal South Hants Hospital, Brintons Terrace, Southampton, SO14 0YG, UK. Summary This, the first ever consumer study of education social workers(ESWs), uses qualitative material and quantitative analysisby examining the views of 110 users of a county ESW service.Most pupils belonged to families with long-standing disadvantage;e.g. 53 per cent had unemployed fathers; over 70 per cent hadparents with disturbed personal and social relationships, 39per cent had a single parent; 30 per cent plus had mental healthproblems; and 10 per cent of parents had been in care as children,i.e. more than ten times the national average. The young people also had considerable disruption in their lives:for example 78 per cent frequently missed school; over 50 percent had school and peer difficulties; 30 per cent offended;over 30 per cent experienced bullying; 5 per cent were the subjectof child protection enquiries, 10 per cent had previously beenin care and 2 per cent had had an incident of ‘attemptedsuicide’ (50 times the national rate). They averaged sixmajor difficulties each. Despite these antecedents, 91 per cent of the young people demonstratedan ‘engaged’ relationship with their social worktrained ESW, with many examples of practical psychosocial helpbeing received. The concept of ‘engaged’ was statisticallyvalidated in the comparison of views between the ‘engaged’and ‘non-engaged’ research participants. The resultsindicate the value and effectiveness of a supportive rapport/relationshipas a vehicle to reach and to be of practical assistance to disturbedand disturbing young people.     

SELF-INTEREST AND PUBLIC OPINION TOWARD SMOKING POLICIES; A REPLICATION AND EXTENSION

Numerous studies report that self-interest has a non significantinfluence upon various political and social attitudes. In contrast,a recent article by Green and Gerken (1989) reports a Californiastudy showing that cigarette smokers are significantly moreopposed than nonsmokers to public smoking restrictions and tobaccosales tax increases. The present article replicates and extendsthis analysis with data from two different states—Illinois(in 1984, N=458)—and North Carolina (in 1985, N=488)—andusing analysis techniques that differ from and expand upon theCalifornia study. Despite these methodological differ ences,self-interest is again shown to have a significant influenceon opinions concerning public smoking restrictions and taxation,as well as on several additional issues relating to smokingand tobacco.     

The Urban Programme: a report on Some Programme Funded Projects

Summary The paper reports on a questionnaire survey of a sample of projectsfunded by the Urban Programme. Six of the most frequently fundedproject types were surveyed, and questionnaires sent to localauthorities and voluntary agencies running the projects. Four main areas of investigation are reported—the aimsand achievements of projects and the relationship of projectaims to programme aims; the origins and development of projects;the testing of some claims made of the Urban Programme; anda testing of local authority and voluntary agency reactionsto the Urban Programme in general. Most projects were aimed as much at improving access to andinformation about other services, as they were with providinga direct service. Whilst most projects were rated as successful,the notion of what constituted success varied considerably. More than a half of all projects were modified from the originalaims and structure during the course of development and morethan two-thirds would be altered in more than detail were applicationfor urban aid to be made anew. Of the four ‘claims’ about the Urban Programme testedin the survey, two were found to be largely substantiated-thatthe programme has a ‘multiplier’ effect, and thatone of the major areas of benefit of the programme lies in thespin-offs it produces by way of experience gained and lessonslearned. The two others were not substantiated—that programmefunding enables rapid implementation of projects, and that theprogramme provides the only possible source of funding for suchprojects, which would otherwise not be established     

HETEROGENEITY UNDER COMPETITION

A standard prediction of neoclassical microeconomics is that with perfect competition, free entry, and atomistic firms producing a homogeneous product, equilibrium finds all firms employing that technology which has minimum average cost. That competition drives out inefficient producers and reduces heterogeneity within industries is, consequently, a commonplace rule of thumb in economic thinking. This paper demonstrates that demand uncertainty is sufficient to produce heterogeneity in the equilibrium employment of production technologies and to permit the coexistence of producers exhibiting different minimum average costs. This heterogeneity is ubiquitous because the conditions for its presence are not stringent.     

History,'Los Pastores', and the Shifting Poetics of Dislocation

Abstract The history of 'Los Pastores' in Texas, a nativity play from medieval Spain used by the early missionaries to teach Christian doctrine, is embedded in the larger social arena of political change and social subordination of mexicanos in this region. Any effort to understand the historical practice and contemporary meaning of Los Pastores cannot be separated from the way both performers and event have been narratively inscribed through various selective discourses, or cultural poetics, that form one aspect of the social marginalization of the mexicano population in Texas.
In every era the attempt must be made anew to wrest tradition away from a conformism that is about to overpower it.—Walter Benjamin, Illuminations .     

PUBLIC OPINION AND CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION

The political views of citizens should be reflected in the governmentof a democratic society. Typically, citizens' views are expressedby their elected representatives. We used the Center for PoliticalStudies (CPS) 1986 National Election Study and a mail surveyof the U.S. House of Representatives to look at representationcollectively and dyadically. Collectively, we find some degreeof congruence between leaders and followers. However, thereare significant differences between them on half of the issueitems, with the leaders usually taking more extreme positionsthan the followers. We looked at leaders and followers dyadicallyin 33 districts using Achen's measures of representation. Wefound that the representatives' views are fairly close to thoseof their constituents, that representatives are efficient atpositioning themselves at the mean constituent position, andthat representatives respond to shifts in liberalism/ conservatismin their districts.