Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: 2 studies investigated the effectiveness of legal consequence messages to reduce drinking and driving. The first study was an experimental study that tested five types of antidrinking and driving messages and a control message, and found that overall the legal consequences message was least effective. The legal consequences message generated the most counterarguments, was perceived as biased, led to higher estimates of descriptive norms of drinking and driving and lowered intentions to use a designated driver in the future. The second study reported portions of focus group conversations with young drivers in which they discussed their experiences with drinking and driving crashes and in which they described the inconsistency with which they believe police enforce drinking and driving laws.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The disciplines of political science and economics offer two distinct explanations of tax policy in subnational governments. Political science treats subnational units as quasi-independent political systems arguing that their revenue policies will reflect the outcomes of local electoral competition as well as bargaining between elected officials. Microeconomic theory, on the other hand, holds that both the amount of revenue states collect and the quantity of public goods and services they provide are constrained by inter-jurisdictional competition over mobile capital and labor. As a result, economists predict that the tax policies of subnational governments will be conditioned by the actions of their competitors. This paper tests these rival hypotheses in the context of the American states. Using an original data set of enacted revenue measures, I estimate the determinants of annual changes in state tax policy for fiscal years 1988 through 2001. My estimation strategy relies upon the 2SLS-IV approach recommended by Anselin (1988) and Kelejian and Robinson (1993) for use with spatial econometric models. Overall, I find evidence that supports both the political and market competition hypotheses. The model shows that, on average, Democratically controlled and split legislatures increase per-capita taxes significantly more than those in which the Republican party is the majority - by $19 and $12 respectively. At the same time, however, changes in state tax policy appear to be strongly shaped by the actions of competitor states. My results indicate that an enacted tax increase of $1 per capita by a state’s competitors leads the state to enact a similar tax increase of $0.36 per-capita.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper traces the genesis and impact of a distinctive "social investment" perspective that has taken hold in Britain over three New Labour mandates. The paper sets out to answer the following questions: from where do the ideas for "social investment" spring? Who puts these ideas into practice? What concrete changes are made and how? Who is affected by these changes and who resists them? Multiple ideas, institutions, interests and identities are examined. Ultimately, however, to understand the nature and effects of "social investment", this account focuses on actors, and state-civil society interactions in particular. The role played by interests and identities seldom considered in leading studies becomes a focal point. The paper goes beyond the usual political suspects (traditional political insiders), the typical vested interests (such as business and labour), and historically significant identities in Britain (like class) to understand the roots and ramifications of "social investment". When closer attention is paid to broader political mobilization and agency, it becomes apparent that "social investment" ideas and outcomes reflect a combination of complex, political and social processes.

Supporting Publications:
Supporting Document

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: School-based alcohol prevention programs are essential in helping to reduce and eliminate alcohol use among adolescents. Evaluative mechanisms to assess these programs are also vital to developing effective educational strategies that address the circumstances that place adolescents at risk for underage drinking and driving under the influence. This paper will present methods and preliminary results of an evaluation conducted on an experiential drinking and driving prevention program for high school students. The Shattered Dreams program is a first-generation model of school-based alcohol prevention that incorporates simulated alcohol-related consequences with various community elements.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study investigates the effect of the latest wave of economic globalization on manufacturing employment in developing countries. It revisits the classic debate on the effect of external influences on industrialization in developing countries in the wake of recent changes in the global economy. It also aims to build a general model of industrialization in developing countries. This study uses a comprehensive dataset on developing countries, covering 90 developing countries between 1980 and 2003. The results show that manufacturing employment in developing countries follows a reverse U-shaped trend. In the models, this is best predicted by the level of economic development, measured by GDP per capita and GDP per capita squared. Also, the size of total exports and the share of low-technology exports in all exports show a positive effect on manufacturing employment; while direct investment flows out of developing countries have a negative effect. Thus, economic globalization also affects manufacturing employment in developing countries. Finally, the results provide limited support for the dependency and world systems schools. The share of raw material exports in all exports and foreign direct investment inflows show some negative effect on manufacturing employment.