This article aims to maximize the reliability of presidential power scores for a larger number of countries and time periods than currently exists for any single measure, and in a way that is ...replicable and easy to update. It begins by identifying all of the studies that have estimated the effect of a presidential power variable, clarifying what scholars have attempted to capture when they have operationalized the concept of presidential power. It then identifies all the measures of presidential power that have been proposed over the years, noting the problems associated with each. To generate the new set of presidential power scores, the study draws upon the comparative and local knowledge embedded in existing measures of presidential power. Employing principal component analysis, together with the expectation maximization algorithm and maximum likelihood estimation, a set of presidential power scores is generated for a larger set of countries and country time periods than currently exists, reporting 95 per cent confidence intervals and standard errors for the scores. Finally, the implications of the new set of scores for future studies of presidential power is discussed.
Conceived as part of a Top Secret project to disrupt Nazi Germany's atomic bomb program, the hastily developed Studebaker Weasel went on to one of, if not THE most successful of the wartime ...all-terrain vehicles. Designed with light weight to facilitate both air-dropping and efficient, high-speed operation in the snow, the vehicles were soon found to have excellent performance in the mud. Always amphibious, the later models, the M29C, were equipped with flotation tanks on each end and dual rudders in the rear for even more efficient operation in the water. Weasels were used on numerous fronts during WWII, were once again deployed in Korea, by the French in Vietnam, and numerous outposts during the Cold War. These pages provide an overview of the development, and a detailed look at the deployment and the machines themselves, of these iconic, all-terrain vehicles.
Approaching the inverse association between perceived discrimination and close relationship functioning from a stress and coping framework, we propose and test a novel model incorporating ...psychological (emotion dysregulation) and physiological (chronic inflammation) pathways. Analyses of data from a sample of African American participants (
N
= 592) enrolled in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study revealed support for the proposed model. Specifically, results from structural equation modeling analyses showed that perceived discrimination was indirectly associated with increased emotion dysregulation (venting and denial) through stressor appraisals and directly associated with increased inflammation (interluekin-6, e-selectin and c-reactive protein). Furthermore, relationship strain with family, friends and spouses was associated with greater levels of emotion dysregulation and chronic inflammation. Overall, the proposed model fit the data well and provides support for new avenues of research on the social, psychological and physiological correlates of perceived discrimination and close relationship functioning. To conclude, evidence for the proposed biopsychosocial model is summarized and directions for future research on these topics are discussed.
This article examines migrant workers’ experiences of state-constructed vulnerability to labour exploitation, through the case study of non-European Economic Area (EEA) migrant fishers in Ireland. It ...draws on the findings of interviews with 24 migrant fishers, together with information obtained from public bodies and legal analysis. Building on the work of Mantouvalou, Zou, and others, we demonstrate that the Irish legal and policy framework – most importantly, immigration law – places migrant fishers in a position of ‘hyper-dependency’ and ‘hyper-precarity’ in their work relations. We outline how this state-constructed vulnerability to labour exploitation is experienced in practice through an in-depth account of the interviewees’ experiences of working conditions; immigration status; and racism and discrimination at work. In particular, the interviews reveal the work permit scheme for non-EEA fishers to be a powerful structure of exploitation, within which workers have little bargaining power and protective employment mechanisms are rendered ineffective.
Remittances and Social Spending DOYLE, DAVID
The American political science review,
11/2015, Letnik:
109, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Remittances are a significant source of foreign exchange for developing economies. I argue that remittances, due to their compensation and insurance functions, will increase the general income level ...and economic security of recipients, thereby reducing their perceived income risk. Over time, this will dampen demand from recipients for government taxation and social insurance. Therefore, I expect increases in income remitted to an economy to result in reduced levels of social welfare transfers at the macro-level. This dynamic can help us to understand spending patterns in developing democracies, and the absence of demand for social security transfers in countries with high levels of inequality and economic insecurity. I test this argument with a sample of 18 Latin American states, over the period 1990 to 2009, and subject the central causal mechanism to a battery of statistical tests. The results of these tests provide strong support for this argument.
This article is an exploratory study of service provider perspectives on the impact and effectiveness of the recently commenced Domestic Violence Act 2018 in Ireland. Drawing on 22 semi-structured ...interviews with domestic abuse organisations, and a review of both national and provincial newspaper sources, the article highlights the challenges facing domestic abuse service providers in Ireland and identifies key areas in need of reform. The research was conducted during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, and as such, provides a unique insight into the experiences of frontline service providers, and the victims that availed of their services, during the public health crisis.
Supplementation of cattle diets with n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can improve reproductive efficiency. Conversely, short-term fluctuations in feed supply can impact pregnancy establishment. ...The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of (1) dietary supplementation with n-3-PUFA and (2) post-insemination plane of nutrition on the endometrial transcriptome. Beef crossbred heifers were offered concentrate based diets fortified with n-3-PUFA (PUFA; n = 32) or not (CONT; n = 28) for 30 days prior to breeding at a synchronised oestrous. Following artificial insemination, heifers were allocated within treatment to either a high or low plane of nutrition. Heifers were maintained on these diets for 16 days following which endometrial tissue was harvested at slaughter for subsequent RNAseq analysis. The influence of pregnancy status on the endomentrial transcriptome, within each dietary treatment group, was also examined. Post-insemination diet affected (P < 0.05) the endometrial transcriptome. Specifically, within n-3-PUFA-supplemented heifers, genes involved in embryonic development and mTOR signalling pathways, important in pregnancy establishment, were identified as differentially expressed. Results indicate that dietary supplementation of cattle diets with n-3-PUFA may have a positive effect on the expression of key fertility-related genes and pathways, during the critical window of maternal recognition of pregnancy, particularly where animals are underfed.
Recent reports have highlighted the discriminatory treatment endured by foreign national prisoners (FNPs) in particular Irish prisons, but one key voice has been relatively absent from the discourse ...to date - the perspectives of the prisoners themselves. This article aims to complement these "top-down" perspectives with a comprehensive "bottom-up" analysis rooted in the experiences of 82 FNPs and explore the extent to which they were subject to racism, discrimination and differential treatment by prison staff and fellow inmates across eight Irish prisons. The article begins by outlining the methodology of the qualitative study. It then presents our findings in two parts. The first part focuses on FNPs' personal views of their relationships with staff in Irish prisons. The second part explores the extent to which these FNPs interact with Irish prisoners and prisoners from other jurisdictions. The article reveals that forming relationships with staff and fellow inmates is challenging for certain FNPs due to racial prejudice, language barriers and segregation based on nationality.
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