Spatial Pattern of Urban Livability in Himalayan Region: A Case of Aizawl City,India

Cities are increasingly expected to provide impetus to the growth and development of their surrounding areas as well as to compete for economic activity with other cities. However, cities in developing countries are characterised by spatial differentiation and segregation due to widening inequality which are detrimental for growth and development of cities and regions. Concern over inequality in urban areas raises moral and ethical issues and demands compensatory and remedial policies to alleviate poorer places. This requires recognition of areas of relative deprivation at smaller scale through proper research. The present study is an attempt to find out patterns of inequality in livability in Aizawl-a fast growing hill city in the Himalayan region of northeastern India. Using data reduction method, levels of objective and subjective dimensions of livability are measured at neighbourhood level. The study found out that centrally located neighbourhoods are more livable in comparison to their peripheral counterparts. The study also found out that objective and subjective dimensions of livability have no significant relationship.     

Places for Place‐Based Policy

Place‐based policy is both ubiquitous and widely criticised. The conventional economic case against place‐targeted interventions is strong, relegating its application to a narrow range of cases of immobile labour resources, market imperfections and/or other externalities. However, both internationally and domestically, equity considerations lead to policies and programmes for disadvantaged regions and their populations. Budget constraints and accountability suggest a selection or ‘triage’ process targeting places with the highest returns in contributing to social welfare. Furthermore, the challenges facing rural areas may be fundamentally different in developed from developing countries. This article proposes a framework for assessing places appropriate for place‐based policies, using the examples of Canada, Chile and Peru.     

WHO IS ‘BEHAVIORAL’? COGNITIVE ABILITY AND ANOMALOUS PREFERENCES

In this paper, we ask whether variation in preference anomalies is related to variation in cognitive ability. Evidence from a new laboratory study of Chilean high‐school students with similar schooling backgrounds shows that small‐stakes risk aversion and short‐run discounting are less common among those with higher standardized test scores. The relationship with test scores survives controls for parental education and wealth. We find some evidence that elementary‐school GPA is predictive of preferences measured at the end of high school. Two laboratory interventions provide suggestive evidence of a possible causal impact of cognitive resources on expressed preferences.     

Combined workplace stressors and their relationship with mood, physiology, and performance

The majority of working individuals are exposed to low levels of a large number of potential stressors. Although each is unlikely to be particularly detrimental in itself, such stressors may be harmful cumulatively. The aim of this study was to investigate whether exposures to combinations of stressors were associated with harmful levels on some measures of mood, physiology, and performance. The study was conducted with 84 participants, all employed, mostly “white-collar” workers. A questionnaire was administered and physiological outcome measures were taken on four occasions: before and after work on the first and last days of one working week (repeated measures, within-subjects factor). Workers were categorized as exposed to either: (1) no stressors, (2) temporal stressors only, (3) physical stressors only, or (4) both temporal and physical stressors (between-subjects factor). Data were analysed using mixed design ANOVAs. Key significant between-subjects effects were found for blood pressure and salivary cortisol; participants exposed to a combination of stressors had significantly elevated levels of both. The identified physiological differences are tentatively supported by the literature and can be explained by increased subjective stress levels. Significant differences in performance were not found. This may be explained by methodological issues, or participants' increased effort expended to perform on the tasks. It is concluded that the consideration of combined (low level) stressors and cumulative exposure is important in assessing the health risk associated with the work environment.     

Character Counts?: Honesty and Fairness in Election 2000

This article examines the impact that voters’ evaluationsof the candidates’ character had on their vote choicein the 2000 presidential election. We find that while the magnitudeof the impact of character on the vote was roughly equal forboth major party candidates, contrary to common perception,the substantive significance of character evaluations disproportionatelyaffected George W. Bush. Our results indicate the need to accountfor the influence of character in other elections, given thatcharacter issues are a recurring theme in American presidentialcampaigns.     

Rise and demise of orphanages in Ukraine

This analysis compares historic and current trends in Ukrainian orphanages with changes that led to the general demise of the American institutionalized child welfare system. Although significant cultural and historical backgrounds are taken into account, there are parallels drawn between similar conditions which led to the demise of orphanages in the USA and the current deinstitutionalization movements in the Ukraine. A critical comparison of the current dilemmas that face each nation in providing adequate child welfare is given. Specifically, the effects of overcrowding, new policy adjustments, critical attitudes against institutionalized childcare, the professionalization of social work, and re-channeling of financial resources are addressed.     

ECONOMIC ROULETTE

Complementing previous literature on welfare reform and the character of jobs in the low-wage labour market, we illustrate the lack of regularity and security that mark the jobs held by many low-income mothers. To do so, we present a typology of mothers’ work patterns and illustrate their experiences through case examples. Our qualitative analysis of longitudinal pathways-to-work in three cities involved an examination of the experiences of 99 diverse, low-income working mothers with a young child. The work patterns that emerged from this analysis include: continuous duration of a single job; multiple job spells; underemployment; and churning in and out of employment. Findings indicate that a complicated ‘coming together’ of well-paying stable jobs, consistent aid from public systems and stable family networks are necessary for mothers to take even the first steps into stable employment.