SOCIAL DEATH AS SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY:

In his classic Passing On , David Sudnow described how the presumed social value of patients affects whether the staff will attempt to revive them. Since this study was published, the health care field has undergone dramatic changes and commentators have questioned whether the social rationing described by Sudnow is still relevant. Specifically, critics point to the increased rationalization of medical practice via protocols, a widely accepted resuscitation theory, and legal initiatives to promote resuscitative efforts and protect patient autonomy. Based on observations of 112 resuscitative efforts and interviews with forty-two health care workers, I demonstrate that the recent changes in the health care system did not weaken but instead fostered social inequality in death and dying.     

Hearts Too Good to Die: Claude S. Beck's Contributions to Life-Saving

This paper explores the role of Western Reserve University cardiac surgeon Claude S. Beck in convincing the world of the merits of electric defibrillation to treat the life-threatening heart arrhythmia ventricular fibrillation. Before Beck, the method of electric defibrillation had been experimentally explored at least four times but it never caught on as a medical or first-aid life-saving technique. Beck succeeded because he synchronized three activities: he refined the technique and provided clinical applications, he built a communication infrastructure, and he formulated a vision of who should use the technique under what kind of circumstances.     

Panel data unit roots tests: The role of serial correlation and the time dimension

We investigate the influence of residual serial correlation and of the time dimension on statistical inference for a unit root in dynamic longitudinal data, known as panel data in econometrics. To this end, we introduce two test statistics based on method of moments estimators. The first is based on the generalized method of moments estimators, while the second is based on the instrumental variables estimator. Analytical results for the Instrumental Variables (IV) based test in a simplified setting show that (i) large time dimension panel unit root tests will suffer from serious size distortions in finite samples, even for samples that would normally be considered large in practice, and (ii) negative serial correlation in the error terms of the panel reduces the power of the unit root tests, possibly up to a point where the test becomes biased. However, near the unit root the test is shown to have power against a wide range of alternatives. These findings are confirmed in a more general set-up through a series of Monte Carlo experiments.     

Geometric approach to the skewed normal distribution

The representations of the skewed normal distribution given in Propositions 1–4 in Genton (Ed., 2004) are considered here from a unified geometric point of view and are, based upon this, generalized in two respects. On the one hand, the four concrete representations motivate us for a unified and much more general algebraic–geometric representation of the skewed normal distribution (Theorems 1 and 2 as well as Remarks 2 and 3); on the other hand, the mentioned representations are generalized to the elliptically contoured case (Propositions and Corollaries 1c–4c).     

Phases of Earthquake Experience: A Case Study of the June 2000 South Iceland Earthquakes

A case study of the impact factors of stress and relief in the wake of the south Iceland earthquakes in 2000 is presented. By applying axial coding analysis, the isolated concurrent and interplaying sociostructural impact factors were added sequentially to a time axis based on interviews with sufferers, as well as observations and a survey analysis. The data were obtained through a field survey using standardized questionnaires as well as numerous personal in-depth interviews, photographs, and field notes. An exposition of the different phases of the earthquake experience is presented, reflecting the victims' conscious and/or unconscious efforts to bring life back to "normal," though constantly burdened by a perceived lack of understanding of their experiences by "outsiders." The process was characterized by six main stress factors and three noteworthy mitigating factors. The findings are important for vulnerability and risk assessment as well as for planning pre-, pro-, and postearthquake reactions in the affected areas.     

Psychiatrisierung, Personifizierung und Personalisierung Zur personenzentrierten Beratung in Organisationen

Psychiatrization, personification and personalization. Individual-centred consulting in organizations The individual-centred consulting already achieved high popularity in supervision and coaching. Based on system theory this article aims to define the functions of individual-centred consulting approaches — such as supervision and consulting — for organizations. The function of person-centred consulting is less an obvious manifest function of human resources development and more an invisible one for isolating conflicts in special interactional contexts. The organization achieves protection of its structure through coaching and supervision, because it is able to isolate its conflicts interactionally and therefore these conflicts remain to a large extent without any consequences for the organization.     

An Experimental Investigation of the Disparity Between WTA and WTP for Lotteries

In this paper we experimentally investigate the disparity between willingness-to-accept (WTA) and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for risky lotteries. The direction of the income effect is reversed by endowing subjects with the highest price of a lottery when asking the WTP question. Our results show that the income effect is too small to be the only source of the disparity. Since the disparity concentrates on a subsample of subjects, parametric and nonparametric tests of the WTA-WTP ratio may lead to contradictory results. The disparity is significantly reduced when background risk is introduced. That is, putting subjects always into a risky position could improve the contingent valuation method, which is often concerned with the assessment of risky situations such as health risks, automobile safety, etc.      

Signs of child maltreatment. The extent and nature of referrals to Swedish child welfare agencies Barnavårdsanmälningar i Sverige: omfattning,källor och problembilder

This article addresses an area of Swedish child welfare work that has not previously been researched, i.e. the prevalence and nature of referrals to Swedish child welfare agencies. Four issues are addressed in the article: (1) the number of referrals to Swedish child welfare agencies; (2) case workers’ workload; (3) report sources; and (4) conditions reported.

The main findings are the following. The majority of referrals concern adolescents, which indicates that addressing youth problems—such as delinquency—is a substantial part of Swedish child welfare work. In the younger age group, it seems that the referral rate in Sweden occupies a medium position in an international context. The level of personnel resources designated to process these referrals is remarkable high, indicating that the Swedish child welfare system operates differently from the system in, for example, the USA. Mandated reporters submit the majority of the referrals, which holds particularly for the adolescent group. Despite relatively high referral rates in Sweden, reported conditions are markedly vague and rarely concern the abuse and neglect dimension. Results are discussed with particular attention to the Swedish child welfare context and the concept of child maltreatment.

Föreliggande artikel behandlar ett svagt utforskat område inom svensk barnavård, nämligen omfattningen av och egenskaper hos anmälningar till socialtjänsten där barn misstänks fara illa. Fyra frågeställningar avhandlas: (1) anmälningsfrekvens; (2) socialarbetares arbetsbelastning; (3) vilka som anmäler, samt; (4) vilka typ av problem som anmäls.

Artikeln presenterar följande huvudsakliga resultat. För det första rör majoriteten av anmälningar ungdomar. Detta tyder på att tyngdpunkten för svensk barnavård skiljer sig markant från flera andra länder. För det andra befinner sig prevalensen av anmälningar rörande yngre barn i ett mellanskikt vid en internationell jämförelse. För det tredje förefaller svensk barnavård i ett internationellt perspektiv ha markant större personalresurser avdelade för arbetet med de inkomna anmälningarna. Detta tyder på att arbetssätten i svensk barnavård skiljer sig åt i jämförelse med till exempel USA. För det fjärde framkommer att majoriteten av anmälningarna görs av aktörer som omfattas av anmälningsplikt. För det femte är de förhållanden som anmäls—trots en relativt hög prevalens av anmälningar i Sverige—tämligen vaga och rör i låg utsträckning olika typer av misshandel samt vanvård. Resultaten diskuteras med särskilt tonvikt på såväl specifika egenskaper i svensk barnavård som det—i anglosaxisk forskning och praktik—centrala begreppet ‘child maltreatment’.     

CONSUMER CREDIT: EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN MICRO DATA

In this paper we analyse unique data on credit applications received by the leading provider of consumer credit in Italy (Findomestic). The data set covers a five‐year period (1995–1999) during which the consumer credit market rapidly expanded in Italy and a new law (the usury law) came into force that set a limit on interest rates charged to consumers. We compute behavioural changes by controlling for changes in the observable characteristics of the Findomestic clientele and argue that, under suitable identifying assumptions, these changes can be given a structural interpretation. If the usury shock is assumed to have affected credit supply but not credit demand—that is, if the usury law had a differential impact on the supply of various types of credit but a uniform impact on demand—then we can identify and estimate a demand equation. Our key finding is that demand is interest‐rate elastic, particularly in the more affluent North. (JEL: D14, E21, G21)     

Qualitätsmanagement und Qualitätssicherung im Coaching

Quality management and quality assurance in coaching Presently, there is an apparent discrepancy between the demand for and the lack of quality discussion in coaching. In both the professional continuing education or staff development respectively and in psychotherapy these quality discussions have been led for a long time. These quality discussions are investigated according to a benchmarking. This article aims at transferring applicable knowledge from these working fields to coaching. Additionally it is focused on minimal standards in coaching which are already recognizable. Finally, conclusions are drawn with regard to urgent objectives around quality management in coaching which have to be achieved in future.