A profile of the non-profit sector in Romania

With the revolution of December 1989, citizens of Romania gained the right to form non-profit organisations for the first time in 40 years. Since then, Romania has begun to explore the frontiers of private initiative through the introduction of non-profit, non-governmental organisations as well as profit-making businesses. In this article we review the historical development and legal framework of Romania's emerging non-profit sector. We also provide the first empirical snapshot of that sector by applying the International Classification of Nonprofit Organizations (ICNPO) developed by Salamon and Anheier to 499 organisations identified in theSoros Catalogue of Nongovernmental Organizations in Romania: 1991–92. Finally, we speculate on the future development of the Romanian non-profit sector by considering alternative scenarios involving the relationships between indigenous nonprofits, international NGOs and the Romanian government.     

For-Profit Welfare: Contracts, Conflicts, and the Performance Paradox

This article examines how financial inducements in performancecontracts shape the inner workings of a for-profit welfare-to-worktraining program serving long-term recipients. Our work paysparticular attention to how contract requirements shape relationshipsbetween manager and line staff and their treatment of clients.We argue that contract design, coupled with bottom-level managementefforts to meet contractual obligations, leads to a performanceparadox—the same actions taken to achieve contractualresults ironically produce negative program practice and poorclient outcomes. Thus, rigidly constructed legal agreementsbetween the government and private service providers can distortincentive structures, causing programmatic conflicts betweenmanagement and staff, and do little to reduce long-term welfareuse and diminish recipients' poverty.     

Do workers want OSHA’s ergonomics regulations?

conclusion OSHA’s proposed Ergonomics Rule will clearly impose serious costs on firms across many industries, but industries where MSD risk is highest will face much greater costs. OSHA recognizes this by excluding some high-risk industries. For the higher risk indus-tries that are covered by the proposal, OSHA suggests that benefits to firms and employ-ees will outweigh these costs. We argue that OSHA has ignored the importance of differences in individual preferences for accepting risk and that compensating wage differentials allow different individuals to maximize their utility by making trade-offs between safety and wages.     

Distribution and activity of bats at local and landscape scales within a rural–urban gradient

We examined the relationship between bat species activity and composition and the extent of forest cover and urbanization in and adjacent to 11 U.S. National Park Service, National Capital Region Parks in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., from 2003–2004, using mist nets, harp traps, acoustical detectors, and visual observations in a variety of habitats. Our efforts included 363 trap nights across 74 sites along with acoustical sampling at 362 sites. We captured 383 bats and identified 6,380 echolocation passes of 6 species. Both overall and species-specific activities were affected more by forest fragmentation within parks than by urbanization adjacent to parks. With an ability to exploit anthropogenic structures for day-roosts, big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) were the most ubiquitous and probably the most abundant species in NCR Parks, particularly in forested, urban parks. Northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), and to a lesser extent, little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) were more prevalent in forested, rural parks of the Ridge and Valley and Blue Ridge than in eastern, less forested urban parks of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic provinces. Retention of larger, residual forest tracts and day-roosting habitat (i.e., trees and snags) would be beneficial to most species, as urban expansion continues throughout the region.     

Attitudes Toward Younger and Older Adults: An Updated Meta-Analytic Review

This meta-analytic review of 232 effect sizes showed that, across five categories, attitudes were more negative toward older than younger adults. Perceived age differences were largest for age stereotypes and smallest for evaluations. As predicted by social role theory ( Eagly, 1987 ), effect sizes were reduced when detailed information was provided about the person being rated. The double standard of aging emerged for evaluations and behavior/behavioral intentions, but was reversed for the competence category. Perceptions depended on respondent age also. Results demonstrated both the multi-dimensionality and the complexity of attitudes toward older adults ( Hummert, 1999 ; Kite & Wagner, 2002 ).     

Testosterone,marital quality,and role overload

In a sample of established working‐ and middle‐class families with school‐aged children (N= 307 wives and 307 husbands), neither husbands’ nor wives’ testosterone showed a direct connection with marital quality. In contrast, the association between husbands’ testosterone and positive and negative marital quality (as evaluated by both spouses) was conditional on husbands’ role overload. When perceptions of role overload were elevated, higher testosterone levels were associated with lower levels of marital quality. When perceptions of role overload were low, higher testosterone was linked to greater marital quality. The study supports the biosocial model such that, depending on perceptions of the social context, testosterone enables positive behavior in some instances and negative behavior in others.     

Social Psychologists' Expertise in the Public Interest: Civilian Morale Research During World War II

By reviewing the careers of three prominent social psychologists, Floyd Henry Allport, Daniel Katz, and Rensis Likert, this article describes the theoretical and practical psychological expertise that American psychologists developed before, during, and after World War II and describes how this expertise resulted in significant gains for the field of social psychology. Prior to World War II, Allport, Katz, and Likert made pioneering contributions to understanding issues relevant to society, to the science of social psychology, and to methods of attitude measurement and poll design. In response to World War II, each of the three pursued research topics more immediately connected to the war effort. Similar to other prominent social psychologists, Allport, Katz, and Likert were able to parlay their prewar reputations into significant, high-level roles in the service of the World War II effort. In turn, these successes helped to lay the foundation for a postwar boom in social psychology that had implications for training in and research on social psychology. Nonetheless, social psychology's and society's utilization of the knowledge gained during World War II appears to have been less than optimal.     

Investigating relationships between journalists and public relations practitioners: Working together to set,frame and build the public agenda, 1991–2004

A content analysis of 413 reports of interviews conducted with 418 journalists from 1991 to 2004 grounded in agenda-setting, framing and agenda-building theories found that journalists giving higher estimates of practitioners’ influence on the news reported having better relationships with practitioners. On average, journalists estimated that 44% of the content of news media in the United States is influenced by practitioners. Journalists who were interviewed in 2002–2004 valued public relations more, but expressed love–hate sentiments as much as those interviewed in 1991–1996. Journalists who had worked 18–45 years reported improving relationships with practitioners more often than journalists with 8 or fewer years of experience. Journalists believed good relationships with practitioners are important, but hold practitioners responsible for them.     

Mental health service users' experiences of returning to paid employment

Research into mental health and employment has focused largely on people who are unemployed. This paper reports the experiences of 20 clients of employment support agencies who had succeeded in returning to work. A number of barriers to getting back to work were identified, but receiving employment support could enable people to overcome them. There was consistency with previous studies of factors associated with high and low levels of job satisfaction. Even those participants who were less satisfied with their jobs identified benefits and none described any negative effects. The quality of the employment support provided was important, including advice and counselling during the job search, enabling informed choice about disclosure and support in work. Job retention targets are required for funding programmes in addition to placement targets. Further research into the timing and processes of disclosure and into occupational health screening processes would be helpful.     

The Diversity Imperative: Building a culturally responsive school ethos

In the wake of increasing globalization and the growing migration of refugees and asylum seekers from conflict, post-conflict and third world societies, dramatic changes are taking place in the cultural demography of many western European nations. Correspondingly, schools in these countries are experiencing increasing ethnic diversity in their student enrolments and, as such, are facing an imperative that challenges their traditional western, monocultural foundations. In trying to manage this diversity, these schools commonly are ill-equipped to address the different needs of ethnically diverse learners. This paper presents a framework of practical considerations and strategies for pursuing a whole-school approach toward building a culturally responsive ethos in which all students are valued and assured equal opportunities for success.