Collaboration spaces in Canadian biotechnology: A search for gatekeepers

The paper studies the network of Canadian biotechnology co-inventors and compares the structure of the links between inventors within, and outside of, the cluster. Two types of proximity between individuals are compared: within cluster co-invention refers to geographical proximity while co-patenting links (network component) represent social proximity between inventors of an epistemic community. We show that the cluster-based subnetworks are more fragmented and less centralized than the network components. The paper then proposes two indicators measuring an inventor's importance as a gatekeeper, i.e. an individual at the cluster's frontier responsible for the inflow of the external knowledge to the cluster.     

Gender Gaps in Political Participation Across Sub-Saharan African Nations

A substantial literature has studied gender differences in political participation in Western industrialized democracies, but little is known about such gaps in sub-Saharan African nations. Using 2005 Afrobarometer data, this paper presents a systematic investigation of the gender gap in political participation across 18 sub-Saharan African countries. In line with cultural isomorphism, patterns in gender gaps across different types of participation generally mirror those of Western democracies, with small to no gender gaps in registration to vote, but substantial gaps in less institutionalized types of participation. Yet, the remaining large gaps cannot be explained by gender differences in socioeconomic characteristics and political attitudes as suggested in studies on Western industrialized nations. Finally, substantial cross-national differences within the sub-Saharan African are found, substantiating the importance of more fine-grained examinations of variation across sub-Saharan African nations.     

The Impact of Student Loan Debt and Student Loan Delinquency on Total,Sex‐, and Age‐specific Suicide Rates during the Great Recession

In 2012, the outstanding student loan balance in the United States surpassed $1 trillion, and between 2005 and 2012, the student loan delinquency rate increased by 77 percent. Simultaneously, by the end of the 2005–2012 time period, the total suicide rate in the United States reached the highest levels in more than a decade. To investigate the recent trends in student loans and suicide, this paper examined the association between state‐level student loan debt, student loan delinquency, and total, age‐, and sex‐specific suicide rates. The study used a hybrid (decompositional) longitudinal regression approach to examine the relationship between student loan debt, delinquency, and suicide rates during the 2005–2012 time period. The results showed student loan delinquency had a positive and significant effect on several of the suicide rates examined within states but had no effect on suicide rates between states net of controls. The results also showed student loan debt had a significant and negative association with suicide for people ages 20–24 and 25–34.     

Individual Listening Values Moderate the Impact of Verbal Person Centeredness on Helper Evaluations: A Test of the Dual-Process Theory of Supportive Message Outcomes

This study is part of a larger program of research concerned with how people evaluate supportive behavior. Past work conducted in our lab found that helper evaluations of supportive listening vary as a function of specific listener behaviors, but the effects of these behaviors were small in magnitude. In this article, we explore one explanation for these small effects, namely, that the impact of listening behaviors on helper evaluations varies as a function of individual communication values. We draw from the dual-process theory of supportive message outcomes to propose that communication values operate to influence individual processing of supportive behavior. Using data from 383 participants asked to watch and evaluate a five-minute recorded comforting conversation, results provide support for the theory. People who place more value on listening as well as theoretically connected communication skills appear more responsive to the presence (or absence) of person-centered behavior.     

School environment and risk preferences: Experimental evidence

Using a field experiment with high school students, we evaluate the development of risk preferences. Examining the impact of school characteristics on preference development reveals both peer and quality effects. For the peer effect, individuals in schools with a higher percentage of students on free or reduced lunches (hence a higher proportion of low-income peers with whom to interact) are significantly more risk averse. For the quality effect, individuals in schools with smaller class sizes and a higher percentage of educators with advanced degrees have higher, more moderate levels of risk aversion. We further discuss economic, cognitive and emotional development theories of risk preferences. Data show demographic-related patterns: girls are more risk averse on average, while taller and nonwhite individuals are more risk tolerant.     

Petitions: Different Dimensions of Voice and Influence in the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales

The creation of the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Parliament not only saw a shift in responsibility and democratic accountability for many areas of policy, including significant areas of social policy, but also provided the opportunity for the Parliament and the Assembly to adopt ‘transformative reforms designed to expand the opportunities for citizens to connect with their governments’ ( Carman 2006 : 4). One such reform, which was associated with aims of increased access and openness, was the introduction of petitions systems in the new legislatures. Drawing on case studies from the devolved level, this article explores one of the less researched non‐traditional forms of participation to examine how and what petitions can contribute to social policy. In particular, it seeks to explore the extent to which petitions systems challenge or replicate existing inequalities; what voices and interests they enable to be heard; and what impact they can have on social policy and social policies.     

Peer Nominations of Emotional Expressivity Among Urban Children: Social and Psychological Correlates

The current study examined associations between peer nominations of children's expression of negative emotions and psychological, social, and behavioral correlates in a sample of 523 first graders. Children (85 percent African‐American) completed a peer nomination measure for expressing negative emotions. In addition, three other domains of functioning were assessed using multiple raters: internalizing symptoms (self, parent), externalizing behavior (parent, teacher), and social competence (parent, teacher). Regression analyses indicated that peer nominations of negative emotions predicted higher levels of teacher‐rated externalizing behavior and lower levels of teacher‐rated social competence. Peer nominations of emotions were significantly associated with teacher ratings but unrelated to self‐ and parent‐report measures. Adding to a small but growing literature, our findings underscore the importance of assessing peer perceptions of children's emotional expressivity and their associations to social and psychological functioning in an urban, predominantly African‐American sample.