Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: At the time of this writing, a Grand Jury in Queens is considering the indictments of four New York City police officers in the shooting last November of Sean Bell. The shooting of Bell, an unarmed citizen who had committed no verifiable offense, bears such remarkable similarity with the Amadou Diallo shooting in 1999 that there is a need to go beyond the standard avenues of explanation for such tragic incidents. Reviews of tactics, training, and police operational procedure will no doubt reveal areas of potential improvement. The municipal authorities and police department will no doubt rededicate considerable resources to the affected communities. But the use of force that results in the death of citizens, especially citizens of color residing in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, requires analysis that goes beyond the technical and even structural bounds traditionally applied. It is a question of culture- the subculture of the police, constructions of danger, and the ‘othering’ of a substantial component of the communities they serve. Both victims of these tragic shootings were persons of color, as were two of the four officers involved in the Bell incident. It is not so much a question of institutional racism, though that may certainly persist among some police officers in some organizations. Instead, I argue that the seductions of power, conflated with the paralysis of fear interact with aggressive policing strategies to ensure that the Bell shooting will not be the last.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed

Publication Type: Proceeding

Publication Type: Proceeding
Abstract: Recent research has blamed Africa’s economic stagnation on a series of poor economic policy decisions. However, a closer examination of African growth rates over the past four decades indicates considerable variation in rates of economic performance. If policies are at the root of economic stagnation, yet widespread variation exists in contemporary performance, there must be an identifiable source of policy variation. This paper argues that colonial conditions in Africa determine the types of economic policies adopted, which in turn exert powerful influences on rates of economic development. These hypotheses are supported using cross-sectional time-series data from Africa.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study examines the effects of September 11 on Locus of Control (LOC) and its consequences among university students in Florida. Ninety-four students participated in the study prior September 11 while 129 participated in the months following the attack. There are no significant differences between the two groups of students in terms of demographic characteristics often associated with LOC and/or depression. Findings indicate, however, that the two groups differ in important ways in terms of both levels of internality and the impact of internality on depression. The average level of internality is significantly lower in the group participating after September 11. In addition, results of multiple regression analysis indicate that, as expected from previous research, in the pre-tragedy group, internality exerts a significant main affect on depression while powerful others is significantly positively related to depression. Among students who participated after September 11, the patterns of relationships are startlingly different. None of the LOC dimensions has a significant main affect on depression. When the interaction terms are added to the equation, however, both internality and powerful others are associated with increased depression. Further, the internality X powerful others interaction term is significant and negative--indicating that the positive impact of internality on depression is strongest when belief in powerful others is low. These findings have important implications for the application of Locus of Control theory in situations in which the life experiences of individuals have been dramatically affected by the actions of others.