Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Interviewer Observations To Improve Nonresponse Adjustments: Nes 2004, Andy Peytchev, Kristen Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Variables used in nonresponse adjustments are sometimes associated with the response outcome and sometimes with survey variables. Both associations are paramount to the reduction of nonresponse bias in survey estimates. We demonstrate that it is only when both are present that adjustments change the point estimate of the mean from the unadjusted mean. We also set out to test whether the relatively low associations commonly found in survey data are sufficient to achieve this goal. There are many such auxiliary variables that can be used for nonresponse adjustment. We demonstrate augmenting nonresponse adjustments in the 2004 National Election Study using …

Title And Contents- Summer 2007

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY

Volume 27 / Number 3 / Summer 2007

Contents

How William F. Cody Helped Save The Buffalo Without Really Trying

Imagining Kansas: Place, Promotion, And Western Stereotypes In The Art Of Henry Worrall (1825-1902)

"Young Poets Write What They Know": William Reed Dunroy, Poet Of The Plains'

Review Essay: Ghost Dancing Anew

Book Reviews

Notes And News

Review Of An Opportunity Lost: The Truman Administration And The Farm Policy Debate By Virgil W. Dean, Kristin L. Ahlberg

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

America's second "agricultural revolution" had unintended consequences as a result of postwar prosperity. Virgil Dean offers a clear and straightforward examination of the Truman administration's attempts to devise a new farm policy and situate it within the larger context of the Fair Deal, analyzing the extent to which these attempts often complemented and challenged solutions proposed by Congress and agricultural organizations. Federal officials possessed a limited time frame during the postwar era within which to institute an agricultural program that secured fairer prices for producers, protected natural resources, minimized rural and urban conflict, and avoided the scourge of surpluses. Partisan …

Review Of American Outback: The Oklahoma Panhandle In The Twentieth Century By Richard Lowitt, Debbie Colson

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Richard Lowitt's look at the Oklahoma Panhandle in American Outback is one of the first books documenting the area's recent history. Authors usually focus on the cattle operations prior to 1900 or solely on the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. Ironically, not much is written in Oklahoma history books that specifically focuses on the Panhandle's history, so Lowitt's attention to its contemporary history is rewarding. He includes details about significant subjects such as the Dust Bowl; agricultural, oil and gas development; and the Optima Dam. In referencing farmer and magazine contributor Caroline Henderson, Lowitt recognizes her role in drawing …

Review Of Jay Cooke's Gamble: The Northern Pacific Railroad, The Sioux, And The Panic Of 1873 By M. John Lubetkin, Carroll Engelhardt

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Jay Cooke's Gamble engagingly chronicles the banker's failure in financing a transcontinental railroad built through northern forests and Plains largely unsettled by Europeans. The book details how negative publicity constricted bond sales at a critical juncture. News of construction difficulties, cost overruns, and suspected chicanery spread after 1870 as the Northern Pacific edged westward from Duluth, Minnesota, to Bismarck, Dakota Territory. Survey expeditions into the Yellowstone Valley, escorted by the United States Army, sparked Lakota Sioux resistance. George Armstrong Custer's exaggerated press accounts of these skirmishes further eroded investor confidence and frightened Cooke's partners. They forced the closure of Jay …

Review Of Governor Lady: The Life And Times Of Nellie Tayloe Ross By Teva J. Scheer, Jennifer Pierce

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Nellie Tayloe Ross, governor of Wyoming from January 5, 1925-January 3, 1927, was sworn into office fifteen days before Miriam Ferguson in Texas, a precedence that earned the former a lasting legacy as the nation's first woman governor. The novelty of her status and her elegant charm won Ross the attention of her contemporaries. A series of autobiographical essays titled "Governor Lady," published in 1927 by Good Housekeeping, fed the interests of an admiring public. A more recent tribute is Teva Scheer's Governor Lady: The Life of Times of Nellie Tayloe Ross. "How should history evaluate the nation's …

Review Of Colonel Richard Irving Dodge: The Life And Times Of A Career Army Officer By Wayne R. Kime, Charles Robinson

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Richard Irving Dodge was a soldier and author whose diaries and published works on the Great Plains have served as primary sources for many years. Four of Dodge's Great Plains journals were edited for publication by Wayne R. Kime, who now caps that achievement with a long-awaited biography.

As Kime notes in his introduction, reprints of Dodge's works during the twentieth century maintained his reputation as an author, "but the facts of his military career were all but forgotten." In Colonel Richard Irving Dodge: The Life and Times of a Career Army Officer, he has successfully resurrected Dodge's military career. …

Review Of New Perspectives On Native North America: Cultures, Histories, And Representations Edited And With An Introduction By Sergei A. Kan And Pauline T Umer Strong, Ralph Salisbury

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Justice writes well, and I recall someone's observing once that Sigmund Freud became influential not only for his theories but for the passionate, compelling prose with which he delivered them. Justice's passages about Nanye'hi (Nancy Ward) and Tsiyu Gansini (Dragging Canoe) are good examples of this. In terms of Justice's articulating the dichotomy between the Chicamaugua (War Chief) tradition and the Beloved Path (Peace Chief) tradition, the portraits of Tsiyu Gansini and Nanye'hi are crucial. The stories of these two important Cherokee historical figures are compelling, and Justice's prose brings the stories to life.

Justice divides Cherokee literature into that …

Review Of Voices Of The American West, Volume 1: The Indian Interviews Of Eli. S. Ricker, 1903-1919 By Eli Ricker & Voices Of The American West, Volume 2: The Settler And Soldier Interviews Of Eli. S. Ricker, 1903-1919 By Eli Ricker, Mary Jane Schneider

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The ending decades of the nineteenth century brought many Americans to the realization that the people who had witnessed the creation of a new country were passing on. Historical societies, newspapers, and enthusiastic individuals began recording their own experiences and collecting biographical information and reminiscences of others. Some of these were published, others archived for posterity. The interviews conducted by Eli S. Ricker are a classic example of the process.

Ricker moved to Chadron, Nebraska, in 1885. He had various careers, but it was probably his editorship of the Chadron Times that developed his interest in Indians. By 1903 he …

Review Of Our Fire Survives The Storm: A Cherokee Literary History By Daniel Heath Justice, Paul D. Travis

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

"American history is false for the most part, because historians prosper by presenting a positive view. The true history of the U.S.A. is in its literature." Thus spoke an American historian, some years ago, at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Daniel Heath Justice's book brings to mind the historian's words. Justice focuses on the historical Significance of Cherokee writing, past and present. Literature and its context, that is the dualism which his book unites. This unification involves reference to historians and anthropologists of the past and reference to contemporary scholars. The recapitulation of information and theories articulated by others …

Imagining Kansas Place, Promotion, And Western Stereotypes In The Art Of Henry Worrall (1825-1902), Karen De Bres

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In May of 1876 three men took a private Santa Fe railroad car from Topeka, Kansas, ro the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. One was the Santa Fe land commissioner and the director of the railroad's exhibit, another was secretary of state for the Kansas Board of Agriculture. The third was a self-trained artist in the railroad's employ, and the designer of both the Kansas and Santa Fe exhibits. Fifty-one year old Henry Worrall lifted himself from a boyhood in the back streets of Liverpool to a comfortable life, and this journey in a company car, through artistic endeavors that helped support …

The Department Of Agricultural Economics: Relevant, Responsive, Respected, Alan E. Baquet

Cornhusker Economics

The Department of Agricultural Economics is committed to being relevant and responsive to the needs of Nebraskans. These basic principles guide our teaching, research and extension/outreach programs.

Bactria From The Earliest Times To The Extinction Of Bactrio-Greek Rule In The Punjab (1909), Hugh George Rawlinson

Digitized Afghanistan Materials in English from the Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection

No abstract provided.

Market Journal: Television For Ag Business Decisions, H. Douglas Jose

Cornhusker Economics

I have been asked a number of times recently, how long Market Journal has existed. We are pleased that the program has become part of the ag business economy and people are interested in how long the program has been bringing information to the farm community.

The Nebraska Net Farm Income: Patterns And Trends, Bruce Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

Historical Perspective: The past decade of net farm income is one of considerable year-to-year volatility. According to recently revised United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates, Nebraska’s aggregate income levels have ranged from $814 million in 2002, to a historical record high of over $3.5 billion in 2004 (Table 1 on next page). However, for the past four years, the annual totals have been considerably above the decade average, largely the result of a considerable surge in the dollar value of crop and livestock output.

Electronic Texts In American Studies, Paul Royster

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

For the past year and a half I have been engaged in publishing open-access online editions of primary works of early American history and literature. Currently, about 40 of these are posted in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s institutional repository, at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/etas . My paper for the OIEAHC & SEA session will include: 1) a recap of issues faced and problems solved in designing and creating these electronic books; 2) an outline of editorial principles and guidelines for selection, textual editing, and annotation of works in the series; 3) a report on dissemination and usage data (specifically links and download statistics); …

Agricultural Disaster Assistance On The Way For 2005-2007, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

After a long and contentious political battle, Congress passed, and the President signed agricultural disaster assistance, as part of a supplemental spending bill in late May. The assistance provides support to crop and livestock producers for losses over the 2005-2007 period and was estimated to be worth approximately $3 billion nationwide.

Debate As A Weapon Of Mass Destruction, Eric English, Stephen Llano, Gordon R. Mitchell, Catherine E. Morrison, John Rief, Carly Woods

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This year’s intercollegiate policy debate topic calls on affirmative teams to overrule one of four Supreme Court decisions, including Ex parte Quirin, the precedent frequently invoked to justify homeland security policies such as military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees.8 In arguing to overturn Quirin, debaters employ a variety of approaches. Most teams contend that the Supreme Court’s 2006 Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision, while helpful, does not go far enough in limiting the scope of military commissions. In this view, leaving Quirin on the books enables a troubling expansion of presidential power, with the potential to destroy transatlantic relations and abrogate …

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments 2006-2007, Bruce B. Johnson

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Reports

Nebraska agricultural land values rose sharply during the year ending February 1st, 2007 according to the UNL Nebraska Farm Real Estate Survey. The all-land value increase was 14.0 %, the largest annual percentage increase in 19 years. Sharply higher crop commodity prices towards the end of 2006, the result of a rapidly-expanding ethanol industry in the state, appeared to contribute greatly to the run-up in land values. In addition, potential for further irrigation development in some areas of the state led to spirited bidding for such land; while regions experiencing water restrictions had more muted value changes for the year. …

Most Popular Downloads -- May 2007

Institutional Repository Information

The 135 most-downloaded documents (>29 downloads) for May 2007 from the UNL institutional repository.

To highlight the popularity of theses and dissertations (e.g., 6 out of the top 11), those documents are indicated in orange.

Total downloads for May 2007 were 37,438.

Ready Yourself For Newsroom Cuts:The Eight "Rs" Of Preparation For These Uncertain Times, Carla Kimbrough

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

One really cannot escape the reality: Newspaper and magazine industries are shrinking. Layoffs and buyouts are frequent occurrences. We see it in headlines, coast to coast. We hear from colleagues. Sometimes, we experience it ourselves. So, what if you are presented a pink slip? What are you to do? If the day comes and you are on the list to go, here are some "Rs" to help you through this time.

Effect Of Interviewer Experience On Interview Pace And Interviewer Attitudes, Kristen M. Olson, Andy Peytchev

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Traditional statistical analyses of interviewer effects on survey data do not examine whether these effects change over a field period. However, the nature of the survey interview is dynamic. Interviewers’ behaviors and perceptions may evolve as they gain experience, thus potentially affecting data quality. This paper looks at how interview length and interviewer evaluations of respondents change over interviewers’ workloads. Multilevel models with random interviewer effects are used to account for the clustering of cases within interviewers and individual interviewer characteristics in the 1984, 1988, and 2000 National Election Studies. The 1984 and 1988 NES released sample in four replicates, …

Music Circulating Libraries In France: An Overview And A Preliminary List, Anita Breckbill, Carole Goebes

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

The year is 1867 in Paris during the Second Empire. A musician sets off one day from his flat in a building several centuries old situated on the north side of the city. He is mulling over finances, and he feels lucky to have the place. Though the building is six floors tall with a narrow spiral staircase, the ground floor apartment was available when he was looking, and the piano movers were just able to shoehorn in his forty-year- old Erard piano.

He has a package under his arm, and he is on a mission, but he pauses upon …

Fitting Disposition Codes To Mobile Phone Surveys: Experiences From Studies In Finland, Slovenia And The Usa, Mario Callegaro, Charlotte Steeh, Trent D. Buskirk, Vasja Vehovar, Vesa Kuusela, Linda Piekarski

UNL-Gallup Working Papers Series

Using mobile phones to conduct survey interviews has gathered momentum recently. However, using mobile telephones in surveys poses many new challenges. One important challenge involves properly classifying final case dispositions to understand response rates and non-response error and to implement responsive survey designs. Both purposes demand accurate assessments of the outcomes of individual call attempts. By looking at actual practices across three countries, we suggest how the disposition codes of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, which have been developed for telephone surveys, can be modified to fit mobile phones. Adding an international dimension to these standard definitions will …

Small Business Security Issues, Marilyn R. Schlake

Cornhusker Economics

Consumers nationally, and even globally, continue to embrace e-commerce technology. Since 2001, ecommerce retail sales climbed from $8.3 billion to $31.5 billion in the first quarter of 2007, which is an annual growth rate of more than 27 percent. Although this figure accounts for only 3.1 percent of all 2007 first quarter retail sales, the e-commerce rate is on a continuous rise (U.S. Census Bureau News, May 16, 2007). Additionally, projections see an annual growth rate of at least 19 percent in the near future.

North Central Risk Management Education Center, Cheryl Griffith

Cornhusker Economics

The North Central Risk Management Education Center has been providing program coordination for extension risk management education in the North Central Region since 2001. During this time $4.8 million has been awarded to public and private entities to carry out producer-focused risk management education programs. The North Central Region includes: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

May 2007 - Staff Meeting Minutes

ALEC Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Accounting For Taiwan Gdp Growth: Parametric And Nonparametric Estimates, Ling Sun, Lilyan Fulginiti

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of changes in prices of tradables on economic growth in a highly open economy, Taiwan. We do so by measuring productivity growth with both index number and parametric approaches, and identifying the sources of output growth using a methodology that allows the impacts of changes in the terms of trade to be accounted for. The results show that Taiwan’s economic growth depends on inputs accumulation as well as technical progress with the terms-of-trade effect being negligible.

Invited Presentation, “Perspectives From The Usa”, Patlib Conference, May 16, 2007, Seville, Spain , Virginia A. Baldwin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

To give conference attendess of patent librarians from all over Europe an overview of patent and trademark organization characteristics in the United States. Included were details about:

1. United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program (PTDLP)
2. Patent and Trademark Depository Library Association (PTDLA)
3. PTDLA Goals and Objectives – responding to the USPTO “2007-2012 Strategic Plan”
4. Patent Statistics
5. University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Office of Technology Development and “Tech Transfer”

Free Land!, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel

Cornhusker Economics

Yes, that was the slogan used with the Homestead Act of 1862. But it has now taken on a slightly different meaning. The phrase “free land” today means free residential lots available to anyone pledging to build a new home in selected communities. As an incentive to entice new residents to repopulate areas of the Great Plains, this is a new and intriguing strategy.