Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This research paper is an update of a paper that was presented by the principal author at the 1991 AAPOR conference. It brings the study of rally events and presidential approval up to date, covering the final two years of George H. W. Bush’s presidency, Bill Clinton’s presidency and the first two years of George W. Bush’s presidency. Using a modified definition of the one originated by John E. Mueller in the 1973 book “War, Presidents, and Public Opinion,” the paper identifies specific events associated with foreign affairs, diplomacy, and military actions that have spurred an increase in presidential approval ratings. It examines the magnitude and duration of these rally events and the shifts in opinion by subgroups that help explain the ratings increase. Special attention is given to the unprecedented boost in approval ratings received by George W. Bush after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the implications for his re-election prospects in 2004.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In his influential 1999 article, Social Capital in Britain Peter Hall offers Britain as a counter-example to Robert Putnam’s analysis of declining social capital in the United States. This paper draws on subsequent data sets to update Hall's assessment of the levels of social capital in Britain and provide additional analysis. The paper explores relevant influences not fully considered by Hall, such as the changing nature of associational life and the rise in income inequality during the 1980s. It argues that distributional issues are critical to the assessment of social capital in Britain, and that levels of both participation and trust show growing splits by social class. These factors, along with patterns of social trust similar those found in the US during the same period, suggest a less optimistic conclusion than Hall’s.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Andreski (1954) assessed the impact of military power on social structure, introducing the concept of the Military Participation Ratio (MPR), or the proportion of the general population in military service. In the transition from labor-intensive to capital-intensive military operations, researchers tend to overlook the continuing significance of the MPR, arguing that the mobilization of human resources is no longer an adequate measure to evaluate the military power of a state. In the age of a small professional force, we argue that the MPR specifies the extent of the institutional presence of the military in society, capturing the dynamics between the military and the labor market. In order to adequately capture the military’s institutional presence, we contend that it is necessary to distinguish among the shifting roles of active as well as reserve components, civilian employees of the armed forces, and defense contractors. Having done so, we can offer a more complete and telling story of the transformation of the American military over the last century. What stands out in this story of change then is the tremendous increase in importance of the reserve components since the end of the Cold War.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In 1995, Germany added long-term care provisions to the national health care law. The law established a fund which provides benefits either as cash payment to an informal caregiver, payment for community-based services, or payment for institutional care. The program is designed to encourage family care and community-based care in place of institutional care.
Three major issues emerged in the implementation of the program. First, a private, for-profit industry of community-based services developed which posed problems in assuring quality of care. Secondly, the narrow scope of the criteria for qualifying for benefits failed to adequately assess the care needs of persons with dementia and some other disabling conditions. Third, the beneficiaries have increasingly declined the cash option in favor of the more expensive option of receiving services, thus threatening the financial viability of the program.
Based on interviews conducting in Germany in July 2005, the paper will note the steps taken to address the three issues above as well as to suggest how the current reform of the national health care law might impact on care for the elderly.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The pornography industry remains fast growing and lucrative, producing 13,000 adult video titles every year with annual sales of 12 billion dollars. This current study analyzes the content of the most popular pornographic videos, with the objectives of updating its depictions of aggression, degradation and sexual practices and comparing its results to both previous content analysis studies and the survey reported in The Social Organization of Sexuality (1994). The authors argue for a sampling method that can collect videos that are representative of mainstream, popular pornography on a national level, and for a definition that can best capture the sexualized aggression portrayed in such pornography. The current study indicates an unequivocal rise of aggression in pornography in both verbal and physical forms, compared to previous studies. The majority of the perpetrators are males; females are almost always the victims and they most often show pleasure after being aggressed against. When compared with the survey results reported in The Social Organization of Sexuality, our content analysis reveals that pornography frequently portrays sexual practices that are rare in real life and are desired by neither men nor women.