Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Three Essays On Economic Reform: Effects On Human Development, Fertility, And Factor Shares, Khaled Ibrahim Abdel-Kader

Dissertations

This dissertation contains three essays on economic reform programs supported by the IMF and World Bank. Using appropriate theoretical and empirical models, we investigate the impact of reform on three aspects of economic development: (1) human development, (2) fertility, and (3) income shares of factors of production. In the first essay, we examine the long-run impact of reform on different measures o f human development and income. Empirical results show that reform has long-run positive impact on GDP per capita and measures of human development. However, worse initial macroeconomic conditions offset this impact. In the second essay, we examine the …

The Relationship Between Insurance Type And Health Care Costs, Use And Choice Of Outpatient Provider, Dan-Alexandru Balan

Dissertations

The impact of insurance type on health care is a very important topic in health economics. This dissertation examines the relationship between insurance type and health care cost, use and outpatient provider choice using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. I examine separately three types of services: emergency, nonemergency hospital care and outpatient because the effect of insurance type on use may depend on the type of health care service provided. The insurance types analyzed are Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), private fee-for-service employer insurance, private fee-for-service non-employer insurance, government insurance and self insurance. For each service, individuals paying for health …

Review Of Hiv, Aids, And The Law. Donald T. Dickson. Reviewed By Ronald J. Mancoske., Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Donald T. Dickson, HIV, AIDS, and the Law. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 2001. $49.95 hardcover, $24.95 papercover

A Comparison Of One-To-One And Small Group Instruction For Young Children With Autism: Focus On Effective Teaching And Behavior Management, Kathy Marie Bertsch

Dissertations

Over the past two decades, research has focused on identifying successful instructional methods and appropriate programming for young children with autism. Much of this early research focused on the effectiveness of intensive one-to-one behavioral programs. Support for intensive one-to-one instruction for children with autism began a long-term debate over the effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of one-to-one instructional strategies for young children with autism. In response, researchers and educators began considering and studying small group instruction, a less restrictive alternative to intensive one-to-one instruction. While support is mounting for the use of small group instructional strategies, there continues to be limited …

The Cultural Script Of Special Needs Adoption, George Grant, Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine special needs adoption from the perspective of the adoptive parents. Using the general guidelines of grounded theory, the study analyzed secondary data from a post-adoption program providing services to families who adopted special needs children. The data revealed that adoptive parents function under a cultural script of special needs adoption. The cultural script influences how families view themselves, the environment around them and how they decide to function as adoptive families. The study explains the cultural script, ways that professionals working in adoption can use that cultural script to support adoptive families …

The Effects Of Group Size On Incentive Effectiveness: A Meta-Analysis, Angelica C. Grindle

Dissertations

A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effects of group size on incentive effectiveness using data obtained from incentive systems implemented in 13 companies. Other predictor variables included the organizational level targeted for improvement, long/short-term profitability type, company number, and length of exposure to the incentive system. The main dependent variable was the monthly score for each measure of performance. Three types of meaningful comparisons were defined for these data: (1) Between-Group - Within-Company comparisons in which a performance measure was in place in two or more units of an organization; (2) Between-Group - Across-Company comparisons in which a performance …

A Study Of The Leadership Preparedness Of U.S. Public University Chief Business Officers, Daniel J. Hurley

Dissertations

Despite the enormous role that Chief Business Officers (CBOs) play in administering the business and financial affairs of American public universities, little research has been conducted on their leadership preparedness. The primary objectives of this study were to assess the self-perceived preparedness of U.S. public university CBOs at the time they assumed their first position in the role, and to determine if specific factors could be associated with their overall preparedness.

With support from the National Association of College and University Business Officers, a survey was developed and mailed to the entire population of CBOs at four-year public universities in …

Teaching My Son To Be A Father: The Plight Of Unmarried Adolescent African American Fathers, Michael George Till

Dissertations

A quantitative research design was utilized to examine and understand the perceptions of fatherhood and manhood held by unmarried African American adolescent fathers. In face-to-face 60-90 minute interviews using a semistructured interview guide developed by the researcher, participants were asked open-ended questions to provide these young men with a voice and an opportunity to express their needs, support, neglect, understanding, and perception of how society views them and its impact on the functioning of the family unit. Using purposeful sampling, 10 unmarried African American adolescent fathers, located in the southwestern area of Michigan, were interviewed for data collection.

Interviews were …

The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Activation Group Therapy: Treating Comorbid Depression On A Specialized Inpatient Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Unit For Combat Veterans, Theodore P. Wright

Dissertations

The comorbidity of depression and PTSD has been shown to be relatively prevalent. Researchers have found a 70% lifetime prevalence o f comorbid PTSD and depression among combat veterans. This study examined the effectiveness of a behavioral activation (BA) group treatment when administered to combat veterans with comorbid depression and PTSD in the residential treatment program at the Battle Creek Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Forty-five veterans participated in the study. Twenty-four veterans participated in a BA treatment group while in the treatment program. Twenty-one veterans attended the treatment program, but did not participate in the BA treatment group and served …

Have Charter Schools Materialized Their Promise A Contrast Between Rhetoric And Reality, Mary Kay Kempker-Vandriel

Dissertations

Charter schools are a growing force in American education. Parents are demanding a choice in their child's public education. Are charter schools better than traditional public schools? Have charter schools kept their promise?

In the study regular public schools and charter schools were compared along five dimensions: (a) opportunity for learning and access to quality education, (b) innovative teaching methods and participative management, (c) teacher job satisfaction, (d) parent involvement, and (e) school accountability. Existing data from the 1999/2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) were analyzed with primarily chi-square tests and one t-test. These analyses provided results in relation to …

Different Types Of Welfare States? A Methodological Deconstruction Of Comparative Research, Rebecca A. Van Voorhis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research on modern welfare states has been strongly influenced by the theory that they develop according to patterns, which form distinct regimes liberal, corporatist, and social democratic. These regimes are characterized by several key variables, among which the decommodification of labor is heavily weighted. This article examines the operational assumptions, measures, and calculations used in the most widely cited empirical study around which distinct regime theory has developed over the last decade. The findings reveal critical methodological weaknesses in the conceptualization and quantification of decommodification measures, which form the empirical cornerstone of distinct regime theory.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 29, No. 4 (December 2002)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DIFFERENT TYPES OF WELFARE STATES? A METHODOLOGICAL DECONSTRUCTION OF
• COMPARATIVE RESEARCH - Rebecca A. Van Voorhis
• FROM SOCIAL WORK TO HUMAN SERVICES - David Stoesz
• "FOR THEIR OWN GOOD?": SEX WORK, SOCIAL CONTROL, AND SOCIAL WORKERS, A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE - Sephanie Wahab
• EXPLORATORY RESEARCH IN PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES: AS ASSESSMENT OF DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION - Teresa Dal Santo, Sheryl Goldberg, Pamela Choice, and Michael J. Austin
• HEALTH SERVICES SOCIAL WORKERS' ACTIVITIES WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: PREDICTERS OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE - Richard L. Beaulaurier
• OPEN FOR BUSINESS: EXPLORING THE LIFE STAGES OF TWO CANADIAN STREET YOUTH SHELTERS …

Exploratory Research In Public Social Service Agencies: As Assessment Of Dissemination And Utilization, Teresa Dal Santo, Sheryl Goldberg, Pamela Choice, Michael J. Austin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this study was to investigate how nine exploratory research studies were disseminated and utilized by social services agencies in four California counties. It is based on in-depth interviews with sixteen key social service agency staff members in four counties who were involved in the planning and implementation of the research projects. While reports were disseminated internally to agency management staff, the results revealed that fewer were shared with supervisory and line staff. All of the studies influenced agency thinking and, in some cases, specific agency decisionmaking processes. The key factors influencing the utilization of research included: (a) …

Open For Business: Exploring The Life Stages Of Two Canadian Street Youth Shelters, Jeff Karabanow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Youth shelters have emerged as significant resources for homeless and runaway adolescents. Through participant observations of shelter culture, review of agency archival materials, and in-depth interviews with 21 shelter workers (front line staff, middle managers, and upper-level executives), this analysis explores the life stages of two Canadian street youth shelters, highlighting the dramatic transformations in their internal operations and external environments. This paper also offers an understanding of organizational evolutionary processes.

Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A non-random, cross-sectional sampling procedure was utilized in this study to explore the relationship between the level of household assets and their corresponding level of neighboring. Surveys from 111 households were collected from September 1997, to April 1999, in seven Ohio counties to elucidate the relationship between the level of assets in working poor households and selected household demographic variables, and their propensity to provide various forms of community assistance over the previous month from the time of survey. Findings revealed that households 1) with more than one adult and 2) with lower levels of monthly earned income were more …

Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social constructionist approach offers conceptual tools that may augment social workers' persuasive powers and problem solving capacities. In this case study, I examine a newspaper campaign to cast the homeless in negative terms and justify the closing of a shelter. Findings are presented as seven themes used by competing claims-makers. Each constructs a different depiction of the homeless, of homelessness, and of preferred solutions. Linkages between community memberships and favored problem definitions are identified. I conclude with suggestions for how "intelligent social reconstruction" might help social workers function as sympathy brokers for the vulnerable. (Key words: homelessness, NIMBY, mass …

Review Of Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Maria P. Root. Reviewed By Dianne Rush Woods., Dianne Rush Woods

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Maria P. Root, Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2001. $69.50 hardcover, $22.95 papercover.

Review Of Children, Family And The State: Decision-Making And Child Participation. Nigel Thomas. Reviewed By Eileen Munro., Eileen Munro

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Nigel Thomas, Children, Family and the State: Decision-making and Child Participation. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. $65 hardcover.

Review Of Consumption And Social Welfare: Living Standards And Their Distribution In The United States. Daniel T. Slesnick. Reviewed By Sondra G. Beverly., Sondra G. Beverly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Daniel T. Slesnick, Consumption and Social Welfare: Living Standards and Their Distribution in the United States. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. $54.95 hardcover.

Welfare Reform: Failures And Remedies. Alvin L. Schorr

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Alvin L. Schorr, Welfare Reform: Failures and Remedies. Westport, CT: Praegar Publishers, 2001, $59.95 hardcover.

Examining The Experiences Of Nontraditional Undergraduate Women: Pedagogy Versus Andragogy, Beverly Ann Hair

Dissertations

Increasing numbers of nontraditional students, of whom many are women, are enrolling in two-year and four-year colleges and universities. The purpose ofthis study is to critically examine the experiences of nontraditional undergraduate women and their preferred learning environment--pedagogy vs. andragogy. Students were asked to respond to a variety of questions in order to reflect upon their preferred learning environment. The researcher looked for differences inthe experiences of 20 (ten Black and ten White) nontraditional female undergraduate college students within their respective institutions based on their race, socioeconomic background, age, and religious background. Also, the researcher focused on why these nontraditional …

Examining The Effects Of Conducting Behavior-Based Safety Observations, Joseph R. Sasson

Masters Theses

Eleven computer terminal operators participated in a series of interventions aimed at increasing safe ergonomic performance. All participants received ergonomics training and performance feedback, and approximately one half of the participants conducted observations for safe behavior. Conducting observations of safety-related behavior is a critical component of the Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) process, yet few researchers have studied the effects of conducting observations on the behavior of the observer. This study sought to examine the effects of conducting BBS observations on the safe performance of the observer in an applied setting. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to assess the …

Examining The Effects Of Individualized Computer Work Station Adjustments And Performance Management On Safe Behavior, Kathryn Culig

Masters Theses

The first purpose of this study was to examine the effects of office ergonomic assessments and resulting computer workstation adjustments on safe behavior. The adjustments were designed to reduce or eliminate barriers to performing safely, thus creating an environment that would allow participants to assume safe behaviors. The second purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a performance management (PM) package, including ergonomic information, graphic feedback, and praise, which targeted those behaviors that did not substantially change as a result of the workstation adjustments. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the effects of …

High Oblique Photographic Assessment Of Lakeshore Residential Landscapes In Southwest Michigan, John E. Truchan

Masters Theses

In Southwest Michigan, a growing number of residential developments are evident as residences line nearly the entire shoreline of many inland lakes. This may cause a potential change to the lakeshore vegetation and water quality of the lake, but no data have been collected to determine shoreline conditions at present nor as baseline reference for estimation effects of the continuing trend, nor for planning models for future development.

A physical survey was conducted in order to determine what residential landscape characteristics currently exist at selected lakes in Barry and Kalamazoo counties, Michigan. The data from the physical survey were summarized …

Lifecourse Of A Community Survey, Craig Tollini

Masters Theses

This paper seeks to uncover the factors that may have impacted how the officials of a medium sized, Midwestern city used the results of a survey of city residents, which had been conducted by the same university-based research center for sixteen years, in their budget and policy decision-making process. The researchers who directed the survey project and the officials who designed the survey and/or were in a position to use its results were interviewed, and various written materials related to the survey project, from memos between the city manager and the researcher to the final report the researcher provided to …

The Social Construction Of Personal Protection Orders: Gendered Differences?, Kristen E. Devall

Masters Theses

Personal Protection Orders (PPOs) were enacted as one method of responding to the issue of domestic violence that was thought to be escalating in epidemic proportions across the United States. This research was grounded in social constructionist theory and sought to examine the perspectives of judges who authorize/deny PPOs and the implications these perspectives have for the legal process as well as the larger criminal justice system. Through my examination of the petitioning process, I gained insights about the relationships that exist between petitioners and respondents as well as the reasons petitioners cite for why s/he is seeking a PPO. …

Practical Evaluation Of Psychotropic Medication, Lynne E. Turner

Masters Theses

Surveys indicate that 25-40% of students with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities receive one or more psychotropic medications, however, almost nothing is known concerning how the effects of the medications are monitored. Parents/guardians and teachers were interviewed to ascertain information regarding current monitoring procedures in the home and in the school setting. Additionally information was gathered to ascertain their knowledge regarding: 1) the reason for which their students were prescribed psychotropic medications; 2) the behavioral domains that those medications are intended to affect, 3) the current status of those behavioral domains, and 4) consumers' satisfaction with the pharmacological intervention. …

President Dwight B. Waldo Speaks His Mind, David Isaacson

Gatherings: Friends of the University Libraries Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Searchpath To Information Literacy, Elaine A. Jayne

Gatherings: Friends of the University Libraries Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Gatherings No. 31 Fall 2002, Friends Of The University Libraries

Gatherings: Friends of the University Libraries Newsletter

Complete issue of Gatherings no. 31. Edited by Laurel Grotzinger.