Dynamic patterning of concerns: A long-term comparison of the structure of hopes and fears of Israelis

The patterning of human concerns over time is investigated, using data from two surveys on concerns conducted in Israel in 1962 and 1975 respectively. Both studies used identical questions developed by Hadley Cantril-open-ended questions in which the respondent described either his personal or his country's future in positive and/or in negative terms. Concerns were defined by three major facets: their evaluative direction, their psychological immediateness, and the life-area to which they pertain. Time and salience were considered indirectly. A basic structure was predicted: the patterning of concerns would remain relatively stable over the years. In the event, only a patterning by life-areas emerged, primarily for the personal concerns, but is was found to remain relatively stable over time. Hopes and fears on both personal and national issues intermingled in an overall configuration of the major concerns.     

Probabilistic voting and platform selection in multi-party elections

The literature on stochastic voting to date has focused almost exclusively on models with only two candidates (or parties). This paper studies multiparty competition with stochastic voting. We look at two different models in which candidates aim to maximize their expected vote, as well as a model where the objective of candidates is rank minimization. The equilibria of these models are derived and characterized. We show that the properties of the equilibria are quite different from those derived in deterministic models. Furthermore, the analysis shows that deterministic voting models are not robust since the introduction of even a minute level of uncertainty leads to a drastic change in predictions. Consequently, we argue that the deterministic model provides a misleading benchmark. Stochastic models provide a much richer framework, and the nature of the uncertainty in voter choice is a key determinant of the qualtitative properties of the equilibria.The authors thank Martin Osborne and Maurice Salles for useful comments and suggestions. The first author would also like to thank the Bankard Fund for financial support.     

Migration and research commitments: long-term effects of national socialization

This study examines the influence of migration on the long-term commitments by foreign trained researchers at Israel's 6 universities. Israel's scientists are trained in the US, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe, and even though these centers have different research traditions, scientific endeavor may provide a common method and outlook. The author hypothesizes relationships between different training backgrounds and long-term research commitments that influence work goals and productivity, thus affecting the operation of the local scientific community. 318 interviews held with university faculty members in the sciences during 1976-77 provide data. 40% of those surveyed are returnees from the US, 15% are US immigrants, 20% are trained in or are immigrants from Western Europe, and 10% are Eastern European immigrants. The scientists largely agree that the most imporant occupational values are to 1) select goals independently, 2) contribute to basic scientific knowledge, 3) contribute to the nation, 4) be recognized by colleagues, 5) have a secure future, 6) develop useful production processes, and 7) advance economically. Value patterns are similar among all origins, although there is some variation between Israeli returnees and those who trained in Israel. Returnees and immigrants may be dissatisfied because they are unable to fulfill expectations stemming from occupational values, and scientists who have not trained or worked outside Israel, and immigrants from Eastern Europe, feel less independent in selection of goals, and deprived in job security and economic advancement. Training in the US or Western Europe contributes to higher perceptions of success. In summary, American trained scientists are competitive and seek recognition from colleagues, Eastern European training encourages a concern with practicality and the development of more products, Western Europeans develop fewer products but product high quality publications, and Israeli trained scientists publish widely. Intermixing of Israeli trained scientists with those from the 3 centers of scientific endeavor may contribute substantially to Israel's scientific productivity.