Will taxpayers ever like taxes?: Responses to the U.S. Tax Reform Act of 1986

Major policy changes like the 1986 Tax Reform Act (TRA) in the United States provide natural experiments to study attitudinal and behavior responses to law. Surprisingly, public evaluations of the TRA became increasingly negative after passage, while general support for the tax system became more positive in response to the changes. To explain this puzzle, we propose a dynamic model of taxpayer attitudes that is consistent with the observed loose linkage between logically-connected concepts. We briefly review the political context, objectives and impacts of the 1986 Tax Reform Act, and present several studies testing the impact of self-interest, prior beliefs, and social discussion on changes in attitudes and behavior.Results suggest that the complexity of taxes and difficulty in knowing objective impacts weakens the role of self-interest in attitudinal changes, thereby strengthening the role of prior beliefs and discussion. Evaluations of tax laws are most responsive to more politically-oriented influences.     

MINING ERROR VARIANCE AND HITTING PAY-DIRT:

According to traditional error theory, sentiment measurements vary unsystematically from individual to individual. However, we find some patterned deviation in sentiments that characterize subsets of respondents within a seemingly homogeneous population. After demonstrating the existence of such patterns, we report an exploratory study aimed at identifying social characteristics of people with different patterns of sentiments. People embedded in multiple social networks have exaggerated sentiments that contour cultural patterns, and people with few social associations have attenuated sentiments conveying cultural detachment. In addition, people with disciplinary parents and romantic privation have some distinctive sentiments, depending on their gender.     

Coping with work stress: Psychological benefits of exercise

Although the health-enhancing effects of physical exercise have been well documented, less is known about how exercise benefits stressed employees psychologically. This article examines exercise as a coping response, and identifies changes in self-schemata (a person's underlying belief systems about him or herself) as the means by which exercise affects coping resources. In addition, by drawing on schema theory and the exercise literature, the active components of an exercise programme and the individuals who might enhance their ability to cope with stress through such a programme are identified.     

Policy and practice for response to foster families when child abuse or neglect is reported.

For reasons discussed in this article, it is in the nature of family foster care that allegations of abuse and/or neglect in foster homes will arise. How an agency acts before, during, and after these eventualities has long-lasting implications for the well-being of foster children and of foster parents and their own children, as well as for foster home recruitment.     

非传统安全视角下的云南跨界民族问题

冷战结束后,云南边境地区的安全因素发生了重大变化,安全威胁由防御邻国向我国侵犯等传统安全要素逐渐转向防止各种跨国犯罪和贩毒走私为特征的非传统安全,跨界民族问题成为引发云南边疆地区非传统安全的重要因素之一,给边疆安全带来前所未有的挑战。从云南跨界民族问题与非传统安全关系入手,分析由云南跨界民族所产生的非传统安全问题,提出解决云南跨界民族问题的一些设想,是十分必要的。     

论个体人力资源开发的基本内容

本文认为,基于人力资本理论的个体人力资源开发就是对个人进行人力资本投资以提高工作所需人力资本水平改进工作绩效的有计划的系列的活动。文章认为个体人力资源开发的基本内容是知识开发、技能开发和能力开发。     

Determinants and Consequences of Social Trust*

This article provides an overview of social trust, examining its various aspects and components. Trust is best understood in a sociological sense by focusing on its important relational characteristic. Following this lead, the article discusses briefly how social trust relates to social capital and examines factors that shape the development of social trust, along with outcomes related to variations in trust, classifying them by analytical level (i.e., individual, community, group, organizational, and societal). The article concludes by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of existing research and by identifying some important questions that have not yet been adequately addressed.