Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Challenge Of Prison Overcrowding And Recidivism, Pearl Jacobs

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The state of Connecticut is currently dealing with a growing prison population. Ex-offenders face enormous obstacle trying to reconnect with society and get a job. They have no skills and lack a family support system.Their lack of preparation for successful reintegration into society places them at risk to become repeat offenders. Overcrowding in prisons produces individuals unable to cope or survive in free society.

Many of the recommendations of The Ex-Offender Employability Task Force of the State of Illinois relate to ex-offender employment and are worthy of consideration in employment programs in Connecticut.

We will have a safer and more …

Beyond 'Hot Lips' And 'Big Nurse': Creative Writing And Nursing, Sandra Young

English Faculty Publications

This essay describes a special topics creative writing course designed for nursing students, and argues that creative writing strategies work to improve nurses' compositional skills. Also discussed are other potential benefits from creatively writing patients' lives, notably, the blending of arts and sciences, and the ways in which medical schools are encouraging their students to study the humanities, especially literature and creative writing. The essay includes student creative writing samples.

The essay also discusses the depiction of nurses in popular culture. M*A*S*H*, Richard Hooker’s black comedy about the antics of doctors and nurses during the Korean War, gave us “Hot …

Commodity Price Fluctuations: A Century Of Analysis, Walter C. Labys

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Commodity prices again! The twentieth century has only been the latest spectator to the impacts and importance of commodity price fluctuations. It is reasonably well known that commodity price records have come down to us from the ancient civilizations of India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Earlier in the century, formal research began on the relationships between agricultural demand, supply and prices in a market context. This research not only evolved in sophistication but extended to mineral and energy commodities. Also at the beginning of the century, some of the earliest work took place on applying statistical methods to price …

Assessing Demographic Changes And Income Inequalities: A Case Study Of West Virginia, Yohannes G. Hailu, Tesfa Gebremedhin, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The study examines the trends in demographic changes and income inequalities in West Virginia from 1990 to 2000. The relationship between economic growth and income inequality is tested using a system of equations model and county level data. The empirical results indicate that except for 65 years and above age group, income inequality increased in all other age groups. The highest increase was in the age group under 25 years and those 35 to 44 years. Using 3-Stage-Least-Squares estimations, the endogenous dependent variable per capita income growth was positively related with population and employment growth, but it is significantly and …

Factors Influencing Venture Capital Availability In Rural States: Possible Lessons Learned From West Virginia, David W. Hughes, Kris Mallory, Mihaela A. Szabo

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Venture capital has been identified by many as a vital element in the rapid economic growth of certain regions. The lack of access to capital, especially equity capital, has been identified as a major constraint to the economic growth of rural areas (i.e., venture capital access, as a centripetal force, concentrates rather than disperses economic activity). Researchers have advanced a focus on primarily urban sectors, such as information technologies, higher administration costs due to a lack of deal flow, and a limited support network for entrepreneurs as explanations for the lack of venture capital in rural areas. Yet, some venture …

Loglinear Residual Tests Of Moran’S I Autocorrelation: An Application To Kentucky Breast Cancer Data, Ge Lin, Tonglin Zhang

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Spatial regressions have been widely used, but their use with the permutation tests of residuals either in linear or loglinear models is rarely seen. In the present study, we have linked the Cliff-Ord permutation test of Moran’s I on linear regression errors to loglinear regression residuals under asymptotic normality. We devised both Pearson residual Moran’s IP R and deviance residual Moran’s IDR tests and applied them to a set of log-rate models for early stage and late-stage breast cancer together with socioeconomic and access-to-care data in Kentucky. The results showed that socioeconomic and access-to-care variables were sufficient to account for …

Cross-Border Shopping And The Sales Tax: A Reexamination Of Food Purchases In West Virginia, Mehmet Serkan Tosun, Mark Skidmore

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

In this paper we present new evidence of cross-border shopping in response to sales taxation. While several instructive studies provide estimates of the cross-border shopping effect, we utilize a unique opportunity to evaluate the effect of a large discrete change in sales tax policy. Using county level data on food income and sales tax data for West Virginia over the 1982-2000 period we estimate that for every one-percentage point increase in the county relative price ratio due to sales tax change, the per capita food income decreases by about 0.7 percent. Our estimates indicate that food sales fell in West …

The Role Of Welfare And Space In The Migration Of The Poor, Brian Cushing

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

This study investigates whether interstate differences in welfare benefits affected destination choices of low-income households in the United States during the 1985-90 period. It considers place-to-place migration decisions of poor single-parent females within a conditional logit framework. The research develops an array of variables that add a substantial spatial component to the analysis. The empirical results reconcile conclusions of recent academic literature with the views of state policy officials, but in a somewhat unexpected way. This study finds only modest evidence of a welfare magnet effect, and only for contiguous states. On the other hand, the study strongly confirms the …

Formula Apportionment, Tax Competition, And The Provision Of Local Goods, Santiago M. Pinto

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The paper develops an analytical framework where regional governments strategically determine the structure of the corporate profit tax system and profits are regionally allocated using an apportionment formula. Two important results emerge in a symmetric Nash equilibrium: (i) investment decisions are distorted, i.e., regional governments will not allow complete deduction of capital costs from taxable corporate profits; and (ii) there is underprovision of the good provided by the regional government, consistent with the literature on property tax competition. The paper also shows that the degree of underprovision may be less severe when the formula employs sales shares to apportion corporate …

A Neighborhood Study Regarding The Relationship Between Social Identity And Street Corner Drinking, Irene Hoskin Heard

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study offered valuable insight into a sub-cultural setting where heavy drinking on the street-corner occurs among a group of African-American men. Data were collected via participant observation, with two primary goals: first, to study street-corner drinking within its larger contextual settings--the family, the neighborhood and larger society--in order to more fully contextually ground this practice; second, to describe the many facets of the identity of the man who drinks on the street corner, rather than view him only as a drinking man. It became evident that the corner drinking men could be considered heavy or problem drinkers, yet ones …

The Effect Of Pretense On The Creativity Of Storytelling In Preschool And Kindergarten-Age Children, Storm R. Ross

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research suggests a link between pretense and the creative behavior of children, such as associative fluency. Most results show that children who engaged in pretense prior to an associative fluency task gave more nonstandard uses for play objects than children who engaged in imitation play or coloring. However, the effect of pretense play on other forms of creativity has not been extensively researched. One such form of creativity is storytelling.

The present study examined the relationship between pretense and storytelling. It was hypothesized that the stories a child tells after engaging in pretense play would be ranked and rated …

The Fear Of Death And The Fear Of Dying: Possible Barriers To Altruistic Behavior, Jennifer Haskin Corwin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Research in the study of the fear of death and dying and the study of altruism implies that there is a dynamic relationship between the two fields. Rarely, if ever, has a direct connection been made. This study is an effort to further explore the relationship that exists between the fear of death and dying, altruistic behavior, self-esteem, and perceptions of a common humanity. Through the synthesis of these four key social psychological concepts, a theoretical model was developed and tested.

Through the examination and statistical analysis of quantitative data and the systematic evaluation of interview data, several connections between …

Using Discrete System Simulation To Model The Lane County Criminal Justice System, Olgay Cangur, Bob Denouden, Bud Reiff, Wayne Wakeland

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of the study is to provide a comprehensive simulation of the Lane County criminal justice system from arrest to release from parole. The study's focus is to determine the bottlenecks of the system and how they effect the key outcomes.

Moral Developmental Consistency: Investigating The Role Of Academic Major, Grace Livingston

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A variety of studies have shown education majors to score significantly lower on assessments ofmora I reasoning and moral judgment. Previous studies have compared education majors with composite samples using a relatively imprecise measure of moral judgment (the DIT P-score); these studies have addressed only one aspect ofmoral development, moral reasoning, and also fail to distingnish between micromorality and macromorality. Because of these shortcomings in previous research, this study questions the degree to which differences exist among college majors. This study considers scores on the Defining Issues Test-2 (DIT-2), Attitudes Towards Human Rights Inventory (ATHRI), Racial and Ethical Sensitivity Test …

Handbook Of Field-Based Training Experiences In School Psychology, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

A Tuvan Hero Tale, With Commentary, Morphemic Analysis, And Translation, K. David Harrison

Linguistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Linguistics As A Tool In Teaching Fiction Writing, Donna Jo Napoli

Linguistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Ethnographically Informed Language Documentation, K. David Harrison

Linguistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Изучение Тувинского Языка За Рубежом, K.-M. Simchit, K. David Harrison

Linguistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Women's Participation In Disaster Relief And Recovery, Ayse Yonder, Sengul Akcar, Prema Gopalan

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Too little attention has been given to the gender-differentiated effects of natural disasters, that is, women’s losses relative to men’s, how women’s work time and conditions change (both in terms of care-giving and income-generating work), or how disaster-related aid and entitlement programs include or marginalize affected women. The detailed case studies from three earthquake-stricken areas in India and Turkey that are contained in this issue of SEEDS help fill this information gap. They provide examples of how low-income women who have lost everything can form groups and become active participants in the relief and recovery process. Readers learn how women …

Reciprocal Effects Of Health And Economic Well-Being Among Older Adults In Taiwan And Beijing, Kristine R. Baker, Mary Beth Ofstedal, Zachary Zimmer, Zhe Tang, Yi-Li Chuang

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The objectives of this Population Council study are threefold: 1) to examine whether socioeconomic status disparities in health are found in non-Western settings; 2) to assess whether socioeconomic status gradients in health endure into older ages; and 3) to evaluate the direction of causality between health and socioeconomic status. Findings provide evidence for reciprocal effects of economic well-being and health among older adults in both Taiwan and Beijing. Those with higher levels of economic well-being have lower levels of functional limitation over time, and those with higher levels of functional limitation have lower levels of economic well-being over time. Consistent …

The Impact Of Childhood Mortality On Fertility In Six Rural Thanas Of Bangladesh, Mian Bazle Hossain, James F. Phillips, Thomas K. Legrand

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper examines the causal structure of the relationship between child mortality events and subsequent fertility during a time of rapid decline in fertility in Bangladesh. Results lend support to the hypothesis of an insurance effect, while demonstrating that its demographic significance is likely to be less prominent than that of replacement behavior. Findings indicate that the insurance motive remains intact even after total fertility declined to fewer than three children per woman. The well-documented role of gender bias as a determinant of child health and survival is also a factor in child-replacement decisionmaking. Although the rapid …

The Changing Context Of Sexual Initiation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Barbara Mensch, Monica J. Grant, Ann K. Blanc

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This working paper investigates the links between changing age at marriage and premarital sexual behavior in 27 sub-Saharan African countries in which Demographic and Health Surveys were conducted between 1994 and 2003. Using multiple-decrement life tables to examine the competing risks of premarital sex and marriage without prior sexual experience, we answer the largely unaddressed question of how reductions in the prevalence of early marriage have affected the likelihood of initiating premarital sex. Our analysis reveals that although the age of first sexual activity has either remained the same or increased, a shift in the context of sexual debut from …

The Quantum And Tempo Of Life-Cycle Events, John Bongaarts, Griffith Feeney

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Research Division working paper develops and applies a general framework for the analysis of the period quantum and tempo of life-cycle events, extending methods developed previously by the authors. The existence of tempo distortions is demonstrated in selected period quantum measures such as the total fertility rate and in period tempo measures such as life expectancy. A tempo distortion is defined as an undesirable inflation or deflation of a period quantum or tempo indicator of a life-cycle event, such as birth, marriage, or death, that results from a rise or fall in the mean age at which the event …

Kutibu Majeraha, Kutia Matumaini: Ushirikiano Wa Watanzania Dhidi Ya Fistula Obstetrikia, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité describes a partnership formed to combat obstetric fistula in Tanzania. The Bugando Medical Center, the Women’s Dignity Project, the Tanzania Midwives Association, and the government cooperated on an extensive program for surgical repair, prevention, and policy research and activities. Lessons learned: 1) Fistula programs need to address social as well as medical issues. 2) Most repairs are successful, making an enormous difference in women’s lives. 3) Relatively little funding is necessary to start up a fistula program. 4) Fistula programs are vehicles for broader conversations about gender and poverty.

How Many Years Of Life Could Be Saved If Malaria Were Eliminated From A Hyperendemic Area Of Northern Ghana?, Ayaga A. Bawah, Fred N. Binka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For some time, Chinese government policies have treated rural and urban areas very differently, and a by-product of China’s rapid development seems to be an even greater differentiation between urban and rural social and economic life. Over the next several decades, in part because of rapid fertility declines and in part as a result of mortality declines at older ages, China and other developing countries will experience enormous increases in the proportion of older adults and the proportion of the “oldest-old.” It is reasonable to expect that these age structure changes will alter the provision of health care, making an …

Nothing Could Be Finer, Susan Watkins

The Christian Librarian

You will not want to m1ss the 49th annual conference of the Association of Christian Librarians, June 13-15, 2005 in Columbia, South Carolina. The planning team has pulled together a strong program of expert speakers and workshops led by your ACL colleagues. Excellent pre-confe rences will provide more in-depth educational opportunities. T he schedule is organized to increase time for fellowship and spiritual enrichment and the Christian networking that makes ACL conferences unique. Our hosts, the staff of the G. Allen Fleece Library at Columbia International University, are preparing to provide for your every need.

Resources Available For Review, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Librarians' Lament, Mick R. Williams

The Christian Librarian

Our agenda is hidden from all but a few,

Not one soul in a hundred has more than a clue.

Not the man of the world or the sweet ingenue

Has the foggiest notion of quite what we do.

Print Media Vs. Digital Manifest Destiny, David Mash

The Christian Librarian

Every communications medium reflects and reinforces intellectual habits and content patterns unique to the medium. A digital/internet hegemony is a paradoxical foreclosure on breadth of mind since digital formats do not reflect or reinforce the intellectual habits and content patterns unique to other media, especially books. A credible educational process w ill take appropriate advantage of digital media without allowing its influence to repress breadth of mind.