Social Movements Research and the 'Movement of Movements': Studying Resistance to Neoliberal Globalisation

This article explores the state of research on the 'movement of movements' against neoliberal globalisation. Starting from a general consideration of the significance of the movement and the difficulties inherent in studying it, it discusses the literature on the movement from within social movement studies, and argues that the response from social movement researchers falls short of what could be expected in terms of adequacy to the movement and its own knowledge production. It explores some effects of this failure and locates the reasons for it in the unacknowledged relationship between social movements theorising and activist theorising. The article then discusses the possible contributions that can be made by Marxist and other engaged academic writers, as well as the significance of the extensive theoretical literature generated by activists within the movement. It concludes by stating the importance of dialogue between activist and academic theorising and research in attempting to understand the movement.     

A NOTE ON ADJUSTMENT TO PRODUCTION UNCERTAINTY AND THE THEORY OF THE FIRM

This paper analyzes the impact of production uncertainty on the firm's optimal output decision. If uncertainty is introduced by an additive risk variable, then short-run optimal output is unchanged, but the owner-manager's expected utility can change causing long-run output effects. If uncertainty is introduced by a multiplicative random variable, then short-run output can change as well.     

The use of DNA typing in forensic science

Controversy has surrounded the use of DNA typing in forensics especially with respect to providing estimates of the frequency of genetically similar individuals in human populations. To address these concerns the National Academy of Sciences has recently produced a report in which specific recommendations are made to alleviate some of this controversy. The reaction of the forensic community to this report is discussed along with many specific concerns about the interaction of the legal and scientific communities.     

Tagging and redistributive taxation with imperfect disability monitoring

This paper studies the optimal income redistribution and optimal monitoring when disability benefits are intended for disabled people but some of the disabled do not claim disability benefits and enter the labor force. Classification errors also occur. Some able applicants with high distaste for work are falsely granted disability benefits (type II errors) and some disabled applicants are denied disability benefits (type I errors). The accuracy of monitoring depends on the resources devoted to it. Labor supply responses are at the extensive margin. The paper derives the optimal income tax-transfer schedule that incorporates welfare and disability benefits and takes into account monitoring costs. The cost of monitoring and the co-existence of welfare and disability benefits play in favor of Earned Income Tax Credits for disabled workers who forgo disability benefits as well as for disabled workers who forgo welfare assistance.     

Critical incident stress debriefing and its effects on coping strategies and anger in a sample of Australian police officers involved in shooting incidents

This study investigates appraisal and coping behaviours, and symptom and expectation outcomes following a critical incident and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). Two groups of 30 Australian police officers from the New South Wales Police Service who had been involved in shooting incidents were examined. One group received CISD and the other did not. The group that received CISD showed a significant reduction in anger levels and greater use of some specific adaptive coping strategies. However, one cannot be certain as to the extent of CISD's contribution to this improvement, since a variety of other factors in the officers' lives, as evidenced by other measures taken throughout the study, may help to explain the variation. Results are discussed in light of the contextual features in officers' lives that impact upon the outcome responses to such incidents.     

The Effect of French Television Sexual Program Content on the Recall of Sexual and Nonsexual Advertisements

This study examined the impact of television program sexual content and explicit sexual advertisement content on memory for advertisements. Eighty-two French participants, aged 18 to 48 years, watched either a sexual program (Sex and the City) or a nonsexual program (Friends), with three sexual and three nonsexual adverts embedded within it. They then completed free- and cued-recall questionnaires testing their memory of the advertisements, as well as a gender identity scale. Overall, sexual advertisements were recalled (in free recall) better than nonsexual advertisements. Participants were found to recall adverts significantly better within the nonsexual program than within the sexual program. No interaction was found between program type and advertisement type: Sexual adverts were recalled better than nonsexual adverts within both programs. Males and females recalled sexual adverts equally, with no mediating effect of gender identity. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.