Beyond New Zealand's Dual Health Reforms

The New Zealand health system was substantially reformed in 1993 with the introduction of a purchaser–provider split, competitive contracting and managerialism. The new system failed to deliver the desired gains and, in 1996, the reforms were "reformed". While there has been widespread study of the 1993 reforms, there has been little discussion to date of the 1996 changes and the emerging directions for New Zealand health policy and service delivery, which remain unclear. This paper discusses the New Zealand health reforms of the 1990s. It briefly outlines the 1993 reforms and their results. Next, it details the 1996 "reforms". Third, it discusses developments since 1996, some of which have emerged out of the 1993 reforms, but which have gathered momentum only since the 1996 changes were announced. In the conclusion, the paper lists some of the directions in which the New Zealand health sector appears to be heading, noting that there is a need for coordination of the sector, and for permanence.     

Sex differences in the vocabulary of college students

The present study replicated Jastrow's 1891 experiment concerning differences between male and female vocabulary. Participants were 20 male and 20 female Caucasian middle‐class college students. They recorded up to 100 nouns in a 15‐minute period. Results indicate that women have increased their use of unusual words compared to women in 1891. Males used more scientific words and more body part words than females. In contrast to the previous study, there are no significant differences between the sexes in use of animal, nature, and food words. Females used more clothing words than males in this study, as in the previous study, and produced more different words than males. Vocabulary changes appear to reflect changes in the social structure of the society.     

A hazard model of the probability of medical school drop-out in the UK

Summary.  From individual level longitudinal data for two entire cohorts of medical students in UK universities, we use multilevel models to analyse the probability that an individual student will drop out of medical school. We find that academic preparedness—both in terms of previous subjects studied and levels of attainment therein—is the major influence on withdrawal by medical students. Additionally, males and more mature students are more likely to withdraw than females or younger students respectively. We find evidence that the factors influencing the decision to transfer course differ from those affecting the decision to drop out for other reasons.     

Issues Related to Sports Gambling

This paper looks at various issues that are of interest to the sports gambler. First, an expression is obtained for the distribution of the final bankroll using fixed wagers with a specified initial bankroll. Second, fixed percentage wagers are considered where the Kelly method is extended to the case of simultaneous bets placed at various odds; a computational algorithm is presented to obtain the Kelly fractions. Finally, the paper considers the problem of determining whether a gambling system is profitable based on the historical results of bets placed at various odds.     

Out of the shadows?: Grandfatherhood,age and masculinities

Recent years have witnessed an increasing recognition of the role of grandparents in contemporary families. However, there has been little if any research which emphasises the roles and relationships of grandfathers. And while the more limited contribution of grandfathers compared to grandmothers remains a widespread perception, recent studies suggest that the importance of grandfatherhood for men has been considerably underestimated. Through reviewing the place of grandfathers within grandparenthood research, the article argues that understandings of grandfathers in terms of gender difference can be seen to reflect a feminised conception of grandparenting derived from the experience of grandmothers. The article then builds on this review by exploring how intersections of age identity and masculinity may influence the different ways in which grandfatherhood is understood and enacted.     

A Hint of Risk: Tradeoffs Between Quantitative and Qualitative Risk Factors

Risk-perception research plays an active role in discussions of risk-management alternatives. However, little guidance is provided regarding how public concerns should be weighed against other sources of cost and benefits. This paper reports the results of two experiments that measure tradeoffs among cost (in dollars), a quantitative risk measure (number of deaths or injuries), and several qualitative characteristics associated with perceived risk. Most subjects were willing to make the requested trade. However, the perceived risk information led others to reject the proposed technology.     

Stigma Happens: Social Problems in the Siting of Nuclear Waste Facilities

The paper by Metz challenges the view that stigma associated with a nuclear waste repository might lead to significant economic losses to the host region. We have been invited to comment on the general issues raised by this paper. We find that much of the evidence presented in the paper consists of factual and conceptual errors and misrepresentations of the research literature. Based on our review of evidence documenting the social and economic impacts of perceived risk, we conclude that stigma is an important phenomenon that is symptomatic of fundamental problems with the way in which nuclear waste facilities are sited.     

The use of savings as a family resource management strategy to meet child rearing costs

This study examines the effect of children on family savings decisions over the life cycle. The model used is a multinomial logit budget share allocation model. The data are from the 1982 Canadian Family Expenditure Survey Data. Results indicate that the addition of a child to a family results in fewer assets being accumulated than if the child was not present. As much as 43% of direct child rearing costs may be met through this substitution out of future consumption. Closer analysis reveals that accrual of housing equity is relatively unaffected by child's presence and that substitutions occur primarily out of other types of savings instruments.The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant #1498-85-0005), the Department of Consumer Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison and the College of Home Economics, University of Saskatchewan. However, all opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Special thanks is due Susan Bruns for outstanding research and computer programming assistance. The authors accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. All correspondence should be directed to Prof. Douthitt at 1300 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.Robin A. Douthitt received her Ph.D. from Cornell University. She is an Associate Professor, Department of Consumer Science and the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Her research interests include the relationship between child support awards and child rearing costs, and family time use.Joanne M. Fedyk received her M.S. from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the College of Home Economics, University of Saskatchewan S7N OWO, Canada. Her research interests include both the cost of raising children and the valuation of homemaking services.     

Cross-Cultural Supervision

A multicultural perspective is essential in the twenty-first century. It is projected that by the year 2010 twelve of our most populous states will have significant minority populations. Thus, the supervision triad of patient, psychoanalyst, and supervisor will most likely contain persons of differing racial-ethnic backgrounds who are confronting problems and concerns in a diverse social environment. This paper uses examples to illustrate how this diverse triad is played out.     

Popular and Rejected Children's Reasoning Regarding Negative Emotions in Social Situations: The Role of Gender

Two studies compared popular and rejected children's reasoning regarding social interactions involving negative emotions. The first study, with 23 rejected and 23 popular 10‐ to 11‐year‐olds, involved hypothetical social scenarios where a classmate ‘victim’ was likely to experience a negative emotion. Although popular and rejected children both recognized negative emotions and were equally likely to suggest helping behaviour to aid the victim, there were gender effects on the type of helping behaviour suggested. Specifically, popular girls were significantly more likely to offer comforting behaviour than advice whereas popular boys offered advice more than comfort; no such preferences were exhibited by the rejected children. Furthermore, popular girls were significantly more likely than other children to refer to emotional states when justifying their helping response. In the second study, 30 popular and 30 rejected eight‐ to 10‐year‐olds identified the motives behind story characters' efforts to mask negative emotions. Popular girls were more likely to identify the target motives than rejected girls, but no such difference was apparent for the boys. The results are discussed in the light of evidence regarding gender differences in peer interaction patterns.