Sociopolitical and Cultural Correlates of Internalized Homonegativity in Gay and Bisexual Men: Findings from a Global Study

Objectives: Based on the premise that internalized homonegativity (IH) is a product of the incorporation of environmental heterosexism, the authors examined the influence of sociopolitical and individual influences on IH. Methods: The cross-sectional study consisted of 109,382 gay and bisexual men across 77 countries. Results: Variables at the (European) country-level that were associated with higher levels of IH included lack of laws recognizing same-sex relationships and perceived and actual negative gay-related public opinion about homosexuals. Individual-level variables significantly associated with IH were public opinion about homosexuals and exposure to gay-related victimization/discrimination. Conclusions: An improved sociopolitical climate for LGB individuals is needed.     

Has the rise in globalization reduced U.S. inflation in the 1990s?

This article investigates whether increased globalization of the U.S. economy has helped hold down inflation in the 1990s. Based on several measures, we find that globalization has increased. Further, we find that import prices exert a greater impact on prices of products in industries faced with greater import penetration. High foreign excess capacity accounts for much of the recent decline in U.S. inflation. Our results suggest that the decline in inflation is explained by the interaction of increased globalization and high excess foreign capacity. Globalization by itself does not lead to less inflation, just greater sensitivity to foreign economic conditions.     

Mortality and physical functioning in epidemiologic studies of three older populations

Mortality experienced in the first three years of follow-up for three Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) is examined in relation to the participants' self-reported functional ability. In East Boston, Massachusetts (N = 3,812), Iowa and Washington Counties, Iowa (N = 3,673), and New Haven, Connecticut (N = 2,812), noninstitutionalized persons aged 65 and older were asked a series of questions to determine their functional status. These measures, used in logistic regression analyses of the mortality data, showed that an increased number of reported disabilities significantly increased the risk of mortality over and above the effects of the age and sex of the participant, or the methodological differences among the sites. Disabilities in gross mobility (e.g., ability to walk a half mile, climb stairs, or perform heavy work around the house) were more strongly related to mortality than were measures of activities of daily living.     

That Man Behind the Curtain: Investigating the Sexual Online Dating Behavior of Men Who Have Sex With Men but Hide Their Same-Sex Sexual Attraction in Offline Surroundings

This study investigates how men who have sex with men (MSM) use chat and dating sites based on theories of stigma-related offline behavior and online self-disclosure. We hypothesize that hidden MSM (those who self-label as heterosexual or who hide their same-sex sexual attraction from family, friends, acquaintances, or a female romantic partner) differ from open MSM in how they behave on gay chat and dating sites and in offline gay venues. Drawing on a survey of 12,002 MSM, we show that hidden MSM tend to mask their identity on gay chat and dating sites while avoiding offline gay venues. They also focus more strongly on online sexual activities (e.g., masturbating during online chats) when using gay chat and dating sites. However, they spend the same amount of time on these sites, and they use them to initiate offline sexual encounters as often and as fast as open MSM.     

When winning is the only thing: pure strategy Nash equilibria in a three-candidate spatial voting model

It is well known that there are no pure strategy Nash equilibria (PSNE) in the standard three-candidate spatial voting model when candidates maximize their share of the vote. When all that matters to the candidates is winning the election, however, we show that PSNE do exist. We provide a complete characterization of such equilibria and then extend our results to elections with an arbitrary number of candidates.     

Disposition and determinism – genetic diagnostics in risk society

This article investigates the relationship between genetic determinism and the discourse of risk by making use of an elaboration of the concept of governmentality developed by Michel Foucault. After a short outline of the theoretical profile of the employed risk analysis, the main part of the text distinguishes three core level of analysis. With a view to illustrating several aspects of a ‘genetic governmentality’ the increasing social impact of genetic information is examined from the angle of truth programs, power strategies and technologies of the self.     

Competition and privatization amidst weak institutions: evidence from Mongolia

Mongolia's mass privatization program was implanted in a country that lacked the very basic institutions of capitalism. This paper examines the effects of competition and ownership on the efficiency of the newly privatized enterprises, using a representative sample of enterprises and controlling for possible selection biases. Competition has quantitatively large effects; perfectly competitive firms having nearly double the efficiency of monopolies. Enterprises with residual state ownership appear to be more efficient than other enterprises, reflecting an environment where the government was pressured to focus on efficiency and institutions gave little voice to outsider owners.