A brief report on hope in peace and war,and in good times and bad

The Hope Index is presented as a measure sensitive to significant cultural changes. In this set of case studies, hope was measured in 1988, the weekend of the Gulf ground invasion in 1991, and in the recession of 1992. Hope for peace increased the weekend of the invasion of Iraq during the Gulf War in comparison to hope measured in 1988. Hope for peace increased in college students, in their mothers, and in their fathers. Hope for increased national productivity increased during the 1992 recession, as well as during the Gulf invasion, but only for mothers and fathers. The increased hope and expectation of peace and increased hope and expectations for productivity are discussed in terms of a need theory of hope, the availability heuristic, and in terms of coping strategies.     

All that Glittered

Maryna Fraser and Alan Jeeves (eds.) All That Glittered; Selected Correspondence of Lionel Phillips 1890–1924, Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 1977, 428 p., R14.     

An international trade model to capture linkages among supply-constrained economies

The development of a country's domestic and international markets depends on its own actions as much as on those of its trading partners. The study of market linkages is thus vital for policy making. Borrowing from the conceptual framework of Leontief's input-output analysis and from the national accounts equation, this paper presents a new model to calculate multilateral trade multipliers while minimizing data requirements. The novelty of the approach consists in the column-wise (supply-oriented) normalization of trade as opposed to the row-wise (demand-oriented) normalization that prevails in the literature. The explanatory power of the model has been successfully tested on data that refer to 1973–1974. Divergence from reality inevitably reflects the great fluidity that characterized trade during that period. Although most successful when applied to trade among supply-oriented economies (such as those of socialist or developing countries), at present empirical tests have been run only for a handful of OECD and OPEC countries.     

Communicating the Risks of a New, Emerging Pathogen: The Case of Cryptococcus gattii

The news media are an important channel for communicating public health messages, providing important information about geographic extent, symptoms, and precautionary measures. This function may be particularly important in the case of new and emerging infectious diseases, which are unfamiliar to both the public and health professionals. We conducted a content analysis of the coverage in six Canadian newspapers of two ¨emerging infectious pathogens in British Columbia (BC), West Nile virus and Cryptococcus gattii ( C. gattii ), between 2001 and 2006. C. gattii was first identified in the Canadian Pacific Northwest in 1999, having previously been restricted to tropical and subtropical areas. By summer 2006, C. gattii had killed at least eight people and was responsible for over 150 hospitalizations in the province of BC, as well as significant morbidity and mortality among companion animals. West Nile virus reached Canada in 2001 and has since caused significant morbidity and mortality. It has not, to date, reached BC. Despite the much higher incidence of disease and death caused by C. gattii in BC, West Nile virus received five times more news coverage in the British Columbian and national newspapers examined. Surprisingly, the local newspaper closest to the center of the British Columbia C. gattii outbreak had a much lower proportion of coverage of the disease than other papers in the province. The article discusses possible explanations for these findings, and the implications for public health communication.     

Crossing Boundaries: Nativity,Ethnicity, and Mate Selection

The influx of immigrants has increased diversity among ethnic minorities and indicates that they may take multiple integration paths in American society. Previous research on ethnic integration has often focused on panethnic differences, and few have explored ethnic diversity within a racial or panethnic context. Using 2000 U.S. census data for Puerto Rican–, Mexican-, Chinese-, and Filipino-origin individuals, we examine differences in marriage and cohabitation with whites, with other minorities, within a panethnic group, and within an ethnic group by nativity status. Ethnic endogamy is strong and, to a lesser extent, so is panethnic endogamy. Yet, marital or cohabiting unions with whites remain an important path of integration but differ significantly by ethnicity, nativity, age at arrival, and educational attainment. Meanwhile, ethnic differences in marriage and cohabitation with other racial or ethnic minorities are strong. Our analysis supports that unions with whites remain a major path of integration, but other paths of integration also become viable options for all ethnic groups.     

Is the Good Life the Easy Life?

Three studies examined folk concepts of the good life. Participantsrated the desirability and moral goodness of a life as a function of thehappiness, meaning, and effort experienced. Happiness and meaning weresolid predictors of the good life, replicating King and Napa (1998).Study 1 (N = 381) included wealth as an additional factor. Resultsshowed little desire for exorbitant (over moderate) wealth, but also adesire to avoid poverty. When effort was operationalized as number ofhours worked, respondents desired the easy life, particularly atmoderate levels of income. When effort was operationalized as effortfulengagement (Study 2), 186 undergraduates and 178 community adults ratedthe hardworking life as morally superior to the easy life. Communityadults preferred meaningful lives of ease, while college studentspreferred meaningful lives that involved effort. Study 3 (N = 359) foundthe meaningful, effortful life was rated as most morally good, and thehappy effortful life was rated as most desirable, happy, and meaningful.The role of hard work in naïve notions of The Good Life is discussed.     

Identity Transformation and Family Caregiving: Narratives of African American Teen Mothers

This article explores connections between informal caregiving and identity transformation as experienced by pregnant teens. Based on in‐depth interviews with 51 African American teen mothers, the article examines teens’ pregnancy narratives as an example of narrative repair, illuminating how attending to processes that connect one’s identity to the care of others can work to empower individuals to resist threats to a positive sense of self or a damaged identity. The authors suggest that family caregiving can provide an important context that supports identity transformation not only among pregnant teens as they strive to become good mothers but among those experiencing other types of disruptions to their lives.     

The Liberalization of Cannabis Possession Laws and Birth Outcomes: A State-Level Fixed Effects Analysis, 2003–2019

Population Research and Policy Review - As states liberalize their cannabis laws, cannabis use has become more widespread among adults across the United States, including pregnant women. As a...