Geographic information systems, spatial network analysis, and contraceptive choice

How does family planning accessibility affect contraceptive choice? In this paper we use techniques of spatial analysis to develop measures of family planning accessibility, and evaluate the effects of these geographically derived measures in a multilevel statistical model of temporary method choice in Nang Rong, Thailand. In our analyses we combine spatial data obtained from maps and Global Positioning System (GPS) readings with sociodemographic data from surveys and administrative records. The new measures reveal (1) important travel time effects even when family planning outlets are close by; (2) independent effects of road composition; (3) the relevance of alternative sources of family planning supply; and (4) the importance of the local history of program placement.     

Sex differences in valuations of the environment?

Sexual selection theory affords a rationale for predicting that men, especially young men, may be more willing than women to risk harms and to discount the future in the pursuit of short-term gains. These propositions apply to many domains of risky behavior, and it is likely that they apply to decisions involving potential harms to the environment and health hazards as well. Two preliminary studies of university subjects' responses to hypothetical dilemmas that support the predicted sex difference are described. Important understudied questions are, to what extent reckless risk acceptance may be mitigated by material wellbeing, by marriage, and by parenthood.     

Counting snowbirds: The importance of and the problems with estimating seasonal populations

Using the example of the seasonal population of ``snowbirds' that spend the winter in Arizona and other Sunbelt states, this paper examines the issues involved with estimating temporary populations. Specifically using the experience of ASU's ongoing research efforts on Arizona snowbirds, the paper discusses some of the problems associated with estimating a seasonal population – in particular: (1) defining the population under study and (2) developing effective procedures to collect information relating to the population. The concluding section emphasizes the growing national importance of temporary populations and the needs of both the public and private sector to have better information on both their size and characteristics.     

The Weakening Position of University Graduates in Singapore's Labor Market: Causes and Consequences

Pulled along by global developments, Singapore is rapidly developing a “knowledge‐based economy.” Between 1990 and 2000, gross domestic product more than doubled (in constant dollars), and the number of managerial and professional jobs almost doubled. Such advances should be a boon to middle‐class Singaporeans, but, instead, they find themselves under increasing economic pressure despite the increased need for educated labor and the surplus of manual labor. On the basis of analysis of available data, the article documents the deteriorating relative position of the well‐educated in the labor market and explores the role of migration in that process.     

Appropriation and water rights issues in the high plains Ogallala region

This research assesses the effectiveness of groundwater doctrine in eastern Colorado and western Kansas within the context of 330 irrigators' preferences for perceived changes in groundwater appropriations and variances in existing rules to best achieve the public interest. A survey of irrigators in six groundwater management districts reveals that attitudes conflict with several aspects of current appropriation doctrine. There is significant support for broad-based, uniform reductions in appropriations when groundwater becomes scarce rather than the “first in time, first in right” requirement in the prior appropriation doctrine. Many irrigators believe that past water-use efficiency should be a criteria factored into appropriation reduction polices. Most oppose the “use it or lose it” concept that requires specified levels of beneficial use to protect a water right, and irrigators oppose special exemptions to permit new wells to benefit the public interest in fully appropriated areas. Importantly, if irrigators' preferences were codified in the groundwater appropriations doctrines, more groundwater could be conserved.     

The Psychobiology of Maltreatment in Childhood

The varied maladaptive behavioral, social, medical, and psychiatric outcomes associated with maltreatment in childhood have been extensively documented in the extant empirical literature. In this review, we examine the adverse impact of the stress associated with child maltreatment on the regulation of the neurobiological stress systems, alterations in brain maturation, and neuropsychological outcomes in the developing child. Further, we provide a detailed discussion of the pathway between the psychobiological consequences of trauma and subsequent cognitive, language, and academic deficits that often have a deleterious impact on global functioning. We review neuroimaging techniques and the empirical results of studies utilizing such techniques to examine brain maturation in maltreated children and individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder. We address the practice, research, and policy implications of the psychobiological sequelae of child maltreatment and offer future directions for research.     

Realism, Regularity and Social Explanation

Stephen Kemp and John Holmwood, Realism, Regularity and Social Explanation, pp. 165–187.
This article explores the difficulties raised for social scientific investigation by the absence of experiment, critically reviewing realist responses to the problem such as those offered by Bhaskar, Collier and Sayer. It suggests that realist arguments for a shift from prediction to explanation, the use of abstraction, and reliance upon interpretive forms of investigation fail to demonstrate that these approaches compensate for the lack of experimental control. Instead, it is argued that the search for regularities, when suitably conceived, provides the best alternative to experiment for the social sciences.     

Two Decades of Research Comparing For‐Profit and Nonprofit Health Provider Performance in the United States*

Objective. This article reports on a systematic review of data‐based, peer‐reviewed scientific assessments of performance differences between private for‐profit and private nonprofit U.S. health care providers published since 1980. Methods. Computerized bibliographic searches of all relevant databases yielded 149 studies (179 assessments) that compared the performance of for‐profit and nonprofit health care providers on four performance criteria (access, quality, cost/efficiency, and/or amount of charity care). Reported findings on performance were coded in one of three ways: for‐profit superiority, nonprofit superiority, or no difference/mixed results. Results. Overall, the nonprofits were judged superior 59 percent of the time, the for‐profits superior only 12 percent of the time, and for the rest (29 percent), no difference was found or results were mixed. Conclusions. Caution is warranted on policies that encourage private for‐profit entities to replace private nonprofit providers of health care services in the United States.