Locating Masterframes in History: An Analysis of the Religious Masterframe of the Abolition Movement and its Influence on Movement Trajectory

Abstract Critiqued as being a-historical, current social movement theorists argue for a more dynamic, theoretical model that focuses on processes within historical contexts ( McAdam, Tarrow, Tilly, 2001 ). This paper seeks to apply existing social movement theory on framing to the historically, embedded case of the American abolitionist movement. Specifically, this paper analyzes the influence of the adopted religious masterframe of the abolitionist movement on the trajectory of the movement through a case study of the American Anti-Slavery Society (AAS). Prior to the Civil War, the good versus evil framework encouraged by the religious masterframe effectively mobilized movement followers against slavery. However, with Emancipation and the onset of the muddled political environment of Reconstruction, the religious masterframe no longer resonated well with the changed context or mustered the same degree of support. Attempts to alter the masterframe to a rights-based masterframe compromised the integrity of the movement's framing process. Ultimately, the movement dissolved, unable to remedy their collective action frame with the new political reality.     

International Nongovernmental Organizations and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Developing World: A Quantitative, Cross-National Analysis

This quantitative, cross-national study is designed to test hypotheses linking the activities of international nongovernmental organizations to reductions in carbon dioxide emissions in the developing world. While many quantitative studies of variation in carbon dioxide emissions have been published, none have included a control for the presence of international nongovernmental organizations. We review the literature that discusses the many ways that international nongovernmental organizations work to reduce environmental degradation in developing nations. We then conduct a panel regression analysis in which we include a variable to estimate the effects of international nongovernmental organizations on carbon dioxide emissions while including variables suggested by other relevant theoretical perspectives. Our findings are quite clear in that nations with high levels of international nongovernmental organization presence have lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions than nations with low levels of international nongovernmental organization presence. We also find support for the ecological modernization hypothesis pertaining to the existence of an environmental Kuznet's curve between the level of economic development and level of carbon dioxide emissions.     

Video news releases: Effects on viewer recall and attitudes

Prior research on video news releases (VNRs) has focused on news organizations and sponsoring firms, largely ignoring the news viewer. This study tested viewers' responses to VNRs in an experiment. Results showed viewers assign significantly more credibility to VNR-based messages than to similar advertisements. Further, the level of credibility given to newscasts was found as a significant predictor of VNR recall. Implications for future research into VNR use are discussed.     

Views of People with Learning Difficulties about Current and Future Accommodation: the use of focus groups to promote discussion

There is growing emphasis on inclusion as a central philosophy in services for people with learning difficulties in the UK, Europe and the USA. Coupled with this is recognition of the need to actively involve people with learning difficulties in the research process through the use of more inclusive approaches. This paper reports the use of focus groups as a strategy for data collection from people with learning difficulties in a project that sought to review existing accommodation and support. A number of important key themes emerged relating to the importance of social networks, inclusion, reciprocal relationships, privacy and security. The implications arising from these findings for the provision of accommodation and support are considered. Furthermore, it was concluded that focus groups are potentially a valuable approach in research that seeks to actively involve people with learning difficulties.     

Responsible Innovation: A Pilot Study with the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Significant time lags between the development of novel innovations (e.g., nanotechnologies), understanding of their wider impacts, and subsequent governance (e.g., regulation) have led to repeated calls for more anticipatory and adaptive approaches that promote the responsible emergence of new technologies in democratic societies. A key challenge is implementation in a pragmatic way. Results are presented of a study with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the largest public funder of basic innovation research in the United Kingdom who, for the first time, asked applicants to submit a risk register identifying the wider potential impacts and associated risks (environment, health, societal, and ethical) of their proposed research. This focused on nanoscience for carbon capture and utilization. Risk registers were completed conservatively, with most identified impacts concerning researchers' health associated with nanoparticle synthesis, handling, and prototype device fabrication, i.e., risks that could be identified and managed with a reasonable level of certainty. Few wider environmental impacts and no future impacts on society were identified, reflecting the often uncertain and unpredictable nature of innovation. However, some applicants addressed this by including investigators with expertise beyond engineering and nanosciences supporting integrated activities that included life cycle and real‐time technology assessment, which in some cases were also framed by stakeholder and/or public engagement. Proposals underpinned by a strong commitment to responsible science and innovation promoted continuous reflexivity, embedding a suite of multidisciplinary approaches around the innovation research core to support decisions modulating the trajectory of their innovation research in real‐time.     

An approximation to percentiles of a variable of the bivariate normal distribution when the other variable is truncated,with applications

A Cornish-Fisher expansion is used to approximate the per-centiles of a variable of the bivariate normal distribution when the other variable is truncated. The expression is in terms of the bivariate cumulants of a singly truncated bivariate normal distribution. The percentiles are useful in the problem of personnel selection where we use a screening variable to screen applicants for employment and a correlated performance variable to screen employees for rehiring. This paper provides a bivariate cumulants table for determining the cutoff score of the performance variable. The following two problems are also con¬sidered: (1) determine the proportion of applicants who would have been successful had no screening been applied, and (2) determine the proportion of individuals being rejected byscreening who would have been successful had they been hired, The variable that is used to measure job performance and the variable that measures the outcome of an aptitude test are assumed to be jointly normally distributed with correlation ρ     

Risk Compensation and Bicycle Helmets

This study investigated risk compensation by cyclists in response to bicycle helmet wearing by observing changes in cycling behavior, reported experience of risk, and a possible objective measure of experienced risk. The suitability of heart rate variability (HRV) as an objective measure of experienced risk was assessed beforehand by recording HRV measures in nine participants watching a thriller film. We observed a significant decrease in HRV in line with expected increases in psychological challenge presented by the film. HRV was then used along with cycling pace and self‐reported risk in a field experiment in which 35 cyclist volunteers cycled 0.4 km downhill, once with and once without a helmet. Routine helmet users reported higher experienced risk and cycled slower when they did not wear their helmet in the experiment than when they did wear their helmet, although there was no corresponding change in HRV. For cyclists not accustomed to helmets, there were no changes in speed, perceived risk, or any other measures when cycling with versus without a helmet. The findings are consistent with the notion that those who use helmets routinely perceive reduced risk when wearing a helmet, and compensate by cycling faster. They thus give some support to those urging caution in the use of helmet laws.     

‘A Place of Our Own'? Teenage Mothers’ Views on Housing Needs and Support Models

Since 2003, government policy has required local authorities to provide support when they house lone teenage parents seeking accommodation. This qualitative study addresses young mothers’ routes into housing need and their experiences of housing access and support, drawing on interview and focus group data collected in 2003. The findings emphasise mothers’ preferences for forms of support which facilitate moves towards increased choice and independence. Reinforcing messages from other research, these findings also show a gap between concepts of ‘support’ embodied in government policy and those which inform practice, within agencies and among young people. © 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation Copyright © 2006 National Children's Bureau.