Measuring the non-profit sector cross-nationally: a comparative methodology

As a result in part of the way non-profit institutions are defined and treated in the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA), little is known about the size, scope, financial base and role of this set of institutions at the international level, even though their importance is increasingly being recognised throughout the world. To remedy this significant lack of systematic information on non-profit institutions cross-nationally, the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project has undertaken a major analysis of the economic role of this sector in twelve countries throughout the world, utilising a more meaningful definition of the sector and an approach that is otherwise consistent with the overall thrust of the SNA system. This paper outlines the basis of the more inclusive definition of the non-profit sector embodied in this project, the classification system formulated to structure data-gathering on this more broadly-defined sector and the data assembly strategy developed to build up key estimates of the scale, structure and revenue sources of the non-profit sector in the project countries. The article concludes with a recommendation to incorporate a similar approach to the assembly of data on the non-profit sector into the ongoing SNA system on a regular basis.Professor Lester Salamon is Director of the Institute for Policy Studies and Director of the Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21218.Helmut Anheier is Research Scientist at the Institute for Policy Studies at the Johns Hopkins University and Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08903. He is co-editor ofVoluntas.     

Trends in divorce and marriage around the world

"A study of 27 [developed] nations indicated that divorce rates rose in 25 of the nations from 1950 to 1985 while marriage rates declined in 22 of the nations. Nations with higher divorce rates in 1950 had steeper increases in the divorce rate subsequently, supporting a critical-mass hypothesis."     

The effect of war on marriage,divorce and birth rates

The impact of war on marriage, divorce, and birth rates in the United States from 1933 to 1986 is explored. The author concludes that "the involvement of the nation in military activities was accompanied by a decrease in marriage and birth rates but not by any change in divorce rates. Mobilization of the armed forces and demobilization had no discernible impact on divorce, marriage or birth rates."     

Differentiated leader–member exchange,justice climate,and performance: Main and interactive effects

Leaders form different quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships with their subordinates. This variable treatment termed LMX differentiation can have negative effects on individuals' behavior and attitudes. In this study, we examined the cross-level main effect of justice climate on task performance and the moderating role of justice climate on the relationship between LMX differentiation and task performance. We tested these two hypotheses using a field study of 90 subordinates nested under 27 supervisors. Procedural justice climate, not distributive justice climate, was found to positively influence subordinate task performance. Further, distributive justice climate, not procedural justice climate, was found to moderate the LMX differentiation–task performance relationship; such that the relationship was positive when distributive justice climate was high and negative when distributive justice climate was low. Findings and future directions are discussed.     

Discursive psychology as a method of analysis for the study of couple and family therapy

The field of couple and family therapy has benefitted from evidence generated from qualitative approaches. Evidence developed from approaches relying on language and social interaction using naturally occurring recordings of real‐world practice has the benefit of facilitating practice‐based recommendations and informing practice. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of one approach to discourse analysis, Discursive Psychology (DP), demonstrating how a social constructionist framework and focus on discourse can provide an important contribution to the field of therapy. To illustrate the methodological decision‐making process for researchers and/or practitioners who utilize DP, we draw upon a video‐recorded therapeutic session involving Tom Andersen. To conclude, we make recommendations for practitioners using DP to explore and examine therapeutic practice.     

儿童游戏的权利——世界范围内游戏在儿童生活中重要性的考察（连载之二）

本文系统考察世界范围内游戏在儿童生活中重要性，将儿童的游戏权看做1989年联合国《儿童权利公约》（CRC）第31条中的一个独立的权利，旨在为世界范围内和整个联合国《儿童权利公约》框架内探究“儿童的游戏权”提供理论基础，并提出人们为何要承认、尊重儿童游戏权，并阐明将游戏提升为一种儿童权利的理论依据，主张全面深刻理解儿童游戏权利的丰富内涵，特别是作为自我保护方式及作为参与日常生活方法的游戏的社会价值，应积极创设提供儿童游戏发生的条件，努力推进实现儿童的游戏权利。     

Establishing Safety in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: A Single‐Case Process Study

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) is an effective approach to working with distressed couples. It is not only effective in reducing relationship distress, but also in successfully maintaining gains over time. In the current study, we sought to understand the therapy processes that result in the creation of safety during stage one of EFT. Safety is a key ingredient in stage one, setting the stage for deeper interpersonal and intrapsychic work in later stages of treatment. In order to achieve the study aim, we analyzed video recordings of the first six sessions of a single couple case from an EFT randomized controlled trial. Using a theory building case study approach, results reveal that all expected components related to the creation of safety were achieved. Additional findings from our analyses indicate that the therapist was highly active, especially in seizing key moments in the therapy provided by this particular case, which shifted the couple in the direction of safety and deescalated their interactional cycle. Implications of key findings are discussed.     

Fading Frames: Data Presentation and Framing Effects*

This article describes three experiments that investigate the impact of data presentation on framing, which is the differential evaluation of objectively equivalent information given different frames of reference. The experiments were designed to vary the amount of information and the format of presentation (tables versus graphs) provided to the decision maker to gain an understanding of the mechanism underlying framing. The inferred information model proposed by Johnson and Levin [11] is utilized to explain the results of the three experiments in terms of the redistribution of weights attached by the decision makers to the attributes of the prospective outcomes. The results of the three experiments indicate that framing effects are observed only when the presentation of data facilitates the shifting of weights among the attributes of the available alternatives. The results further indicate that framing is eliminated as more information is displayed. However, presentation of additional information does not eliminate framing when a graphical format is utilized. Finally, no framing effects are observed when uneven amounts of information are used to describe two alternatives in the same decision task.