Boldly going where no one has gone before

With all the changes occurring in the U.S. health care system come new opportunities for physician executives willing to boldly go where no one has gone before. These positions are being newly created and thus are somewhat undefined and uncharted. Health care organizations want individuals for high-risk positions with unique skill sets and bright, new ideas. Organizations want to find people who can do what has never been done before-for them, at least, if not anywhere in the universe. How does that translate into experiences that you might want to acquire? Most organizations today are looking for individuals with some networking experience, but analogous experience (such as in a multi-site medical group or active involvement in formation of IPAs) is often a good alternative. In addition, true line experience in one or more organizations is a solid credential. Knowledge of where managed health care dollars begin and end is a necessity. As always, executive style and presence are expected.     

The estimated cost of project labor agreements on federal construction

I estimate the cost of President Clinton’s June 1997 executive memorandum encouraging federal departments and agencies to use project labor agreements (PLAs) on “large and significant” construction projects. Based on the higher wage costs associated with PLAs, the cost of federally owned construction will rise by 1.7 to 7.0 percent annually. Over the three years for which the memorandum will apply, federally owned construction costs will increase by $844 million to $3.44 billion. If the memorandum is interpreted to apply to state and local construction projects funded with federal money, the cost could range between $3.2 and $13.0 billion. The author thanks Ken Deavers, Anita Hattiangadi, Edward Potter, and Gary Shiu for their suggestions and help in the preparation of this paper.     

PATTERNS OF CONCEPTION, NATALITY, AND MORTALITY FROM MIDWESTERN CEMETERIES:

Our research demonstrates the potential of cemeteries data for sociology and contributes to a greater understanding of demographic and social patterns characterizing the Midwest since its Euramerican settlement. We examine data from ten cemeteries (2,021 burials) spanning the 1830s–1980s in east-central Illinois. Seasonal conception patterns reflect winter and spring peaks, with indication of the spring peak dissipating more recently. Seasonal mortality patterns show a tendency for younger people to die in late summer and older people to die in late winter. Contrary to national patterns, we found female deaths exceeding male deaths in the 10–64 age group. As expressions of gender bias, females are disproportionately identified on gravestones in terms of familial relationships. Of the different cemetery types surveyed (1 family, 4 neighborhood, 2 community, 3 church), only the church cemeteries continue to be used, suggesting a sectarian role in preserving otherwise declining communities.     

A great position before a great 'package'

Should employment agreements (EAs) be the deciding factor in considering a new position? EAs are details--important details, but background just the same--to the key issue: Do you want the job? And because of the way many health care organizations create their EAs, there really is little room for negotiation. Perceptions persist that this is an entirely open area, a blank canvas upon which each physician executive, in each situation, must don his or her battle gear and fight fiercely for the best possible deal. And yet, this is an area in which you are unlikely to have control.     

Public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court: A new look at the impact of Court decisions

Judicial scholars have long debated the notion that Court decisions can influence the public's attitudes toward the U.S. Supreme Court. We engage this literature by introducing new dimensions to existing theory for predicting the impact of Court decisions on public confidence in the Court and by introducing innovative methods to test our hypotheses. We begin our analysis by examining the relationship between specific Court decisions and public confidence with aggregate time series data. Our analysis then shifts to an examination of individual-level survey data to examine the same hypotheses. Our results indicate that specific decisions can have a significant positive and negative impact on individual-level confidence in the Court. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for the theoretical and methodological debates over the influence of Court decisions on public confidence.     

Paired comparison models applied to the design of the Major League baseball play-offs

This paper presents an analysis of the eff ect of various baseball play-off configurations on the probability of advancing to the World Series. Play-off games are assumed to be independent. Several paired comparisons models are considered for modeling the probability of a home team winning a single game as a function of the winning percentages of the contestants over the course of the season. The uniform and logistic regression models are both adequate, whereas the Bradley-Terry model (modified for within-pair order eff ects, i.e. the home field advantage) is not. The single-game probabilities are then used to compute the probability of winning the play-off s under various structures. The extra round of play-off s, instituted in 1994, significantly lowers the probability of the team with the best record advancing to the World Series, whereas home field advantage and the diff erent possible play-offdraws have a minimal eff ect.