Treatment and reporting of item-level missing data in social science research

Most quantitative studies in the social sciences suffer from missing data. However, despite the large availability of documents and software to treat such data, it appears that many social scientists do not apply good practices regarding missing data. We analyzed quantitative papers published in 2017 in six top-level social science journals. Item-level missing data was found in at least 69.5% of the papers, but their presence was explicitly reported in only 44.4% of all analyzed papers. Moreover, in the majority of cases, the treatments applied to missing data were incorrect, with many uses of deletion methods that are known to produce biased results and to reduce statistical power. The impact of missing data and of their treatment on results was barely discussed. Results show that social scientists underestimate the impact of missing data on their research and that they should pay more attention to the way such data are treated.     

当代西方驻华记者研究的现状与反思——以美国记者的考察为例

外国驻华记者始终是向世界说明中国的重要桥梁和通道,正是因为有了这个群体的存在,西方大国才能更加便捷、迅速地了解中国,对这一特殊社会群体的考察兼具理论价值和现实意义。自20世纪80年代以来,国内外学术界针对西方驻华记者的研究历时三十余年,成果颇丰,已经呈现出了明显的三个阶段性特点及内在发展趋势,可以为当下的相关研究提供有益的思考和判断。     

Institutionalized Ignorance as a Precondition for Rational Risk Expertise

The present case study seeks to explain the conditions for experts’ rational risk perception by analyzing the institutional contexts that constitute a field of food safety expertise in Denmark. The study highlights the role of risk reporting and how contextual factors affect risk reporting from the lowest organizational level, where concrete risks occur, to the highest organizational level, where the body of professional risk expertise is situated. The article emphasizes the role of knowledge, responsibility, loyalty, and trust as risk‐attenuation factors and concludes by suggesting that the preconditions for the expert's rationality may rather be a lack of risk‐specific knowledge due to poor risk reporting than a superior level of risk knowledge.     

Biopharmaceutical and chemical firms’ R&D disclosure,and cost of equity: The impact of the regulatory regime

Based on the proprietary costs theory, this paper aims to survey whether the regulatory regime (mandatory versus voluntary) of research and development (R&D) narrative disclosures impacts, by the means of a reduced information asymmetry, on the cost of equity capital. In order to construct a disclosure index to investigate the extent and the comprehensiveness of R&D information, the methodology adopted was the content analysis of 77 biopharmaceutical and chemical listed companies’ management reports from eight Western European countries across the period 2005–2009. Hence, we obtained an (unbalanced) panel data of 309 observations. The cost of capital has subsequently been regressed on the disclosure index. Results confirm a larger amount of R&D disclosures whereas information is more regulated, but they do not confirm an inverse relation with the cost of capital.     

美欧征信的制度框架与我国个人征信制度的选择

征信制度作为金融部门发展的基本要素之一,世界上几乎所有的发达国家和绝大部分发展中国家都建立了征信制度。运用新制度经济学的分析框架,从制度的主体和客体、制度的载体和相应的规制3个方面比较了美国和欧洲国家不同征信模式,并结合我国征信实践,提出了我国个人征信制度应选择公私并存,并最终市场化的征信制度。     

Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect: does it really make a difference?

Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect has its origins in the USA, where model statutes for laws designed to introduce this process were first drafted in the early 1960s. Indeed, every state and the District of Columbia passed a child abuse reporting law between 1963 and 1967. Some 10 years later, in 1977, New South Wales was the first Australian state to pass comparable legislation. Mandatory reporting of suspected cases of child abuse and neglect is now in place in all Australian states and territories, with the exception of Western Australia. The question considered in this paper is: ‘What evidence is there that children are abused and neglected less in jurisdictions where mandatory reporting exists by comparison with jurisdictions where it does not exist?’ This question is examined by way of a comparison between two states, New South Wales and Western Australia. This paper also raises questions about the cost of mandatory reporting and the extent to which it diverts financial resources away from support services for families. There is also a question about the new New South Wales child protection legislation that extends mandatory reporting and possible negative consequences for ordinary families. The final question is about the role assigned to health care and education professionals under this legislation.     

Trust Relations in High-Reliability Organizations

Workplace trust has been recognized by researchers and practitioners alike to be an important component of an effective safety culture. However, despite this, the concept of trust as it relates to safety has been underresearched, particularly within high-reliability organizations. This article examines the importance of trust relations and their concomitant impact on safety culture within the specific context of high-reliability organizations using relevant literatures. The article then explores the implications of high and low trust situations for safety through case studies conducted within the nuclear and offshore industries as exemplars of organizations operating within high-reliability sectors.     

Why People Believe They Were Exposed to Biological or Chemical Warfare: A Survey of Gulf War Veterans

The study sought to understand better how people come to believe they have been exposed to biological and chemical warfare. We conducted telephone interviews with 1,009 American veterans (65% response rate) deployed and not deployed to the Gulf War, a conflict during which there were credible threats that such warfare could be used. Only 6% of non-Gulf War veterans reported exposure to biological or chemical warfare, but most of Gulf War veterans reported exposure (64%). The majority of these were unsure whether the exposure was chemical or biological in nature. The most commonly reported exposure indicators were receiving an alert from the military and having physical symptoms. Veterans who were certain of the type of exposure (biological or chemical) were more likely to recall having been told by the military and to recall physical symptoms. Future communications with soldiers and the general public about biological and chemical warfare may need to emphasize the uncertain nature of such risk information. Evaluations of exposure diagnostic technologies should take into account the problem of people initially believing, but not later discounting, false positive results.     

论新时期我国新闻报道方式的走向及选择

改革开放 2 0多年来 ,我国新闻报道方式出现了“深度报道”、“短新闻”、“文学化新闻”等新形式 ,其变革的原因在于 :报道内容的多样化、受众要求以及传播技术的不断改进、媒介之间的竞争等 ,导致了新闻报道方式的多样化     

先秦献捷礼考

先秦献捷礼是中国古代的一种军礼,特指诸侯国对蛮夷戎狄用兵胜利后向周天子告捷的庆祝活动,诸侯国之间发生战争不行献捷礼。春秋时期,诸侯国向周天子的献捷礼明显减少,同时出现了诸侯国相互献捷的新现象。献捷礼的变化反映了随着民族融合的空前加强,周夷矛盾渐趋缓和,而周人内部矛盾日渐尖锐的社会事实。