School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
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The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences includes programs in Criminology, Economics, GeoSpatial Science, Public Policy and Political Economy, Political Science, Public Affairs, and Sociology.
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Item Negotiations Center Distinguished Lecture-2008(2008-12-10) Ross, DennisA lecture by Ambassador Dennis Ross. November 20, 2008, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm (CST).Item Ambassador Dennis Ross(2008-12-10T22:52:01Z)Item Presentation by Author and Poet Asha Bandele(2009-05-26T23:09:10Z) Bandele, AshaItem State government human resource professionals’ commitment to employment at will(Sage, 2010-02-11) Coggburn, Jerrell D.; Battaglio, R. Paul, Jr.; Bowman, James S.; Condrey, Stephen E.; Goodman, Doug; West, Jonathan P.; Goodman, DougThis article examines the attitudes of a key set of state government officials—state human resource (HR) professionals—toward employment at will (EAW) in state government. It presents original survey data obtained from HR professionals in four southern states: Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Mississippi. Drawing on these data, the article creates an index measuring respondents’ commitment to EAW, as measured by their attitudes toward arguments used to advocate for EAW. The index is used as the dependent variable in an exploratory regression analysis indicating the importance of respondents’ experiences with the exercise of EAW discretion, years of public sector service, educational background, and state context to explaining variation in commitment to EAW. The article concludes with a discusItem The Negotiations Center in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences presents "Israeli and Iranian Nuclear Weapons: Challenges for the New Administration" with Thomas Graham(2010-04-01) Graham, Thomas; The Negotiations Center in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences; Graham, ThomasOn February 26, 2009, the Negotiations Center welcomed Ambassador Thomas Graham to UT Dallas to present “Israeli and Iranian Nuclear Weapons: Challenges for the New Administration.” For 30 years, Ambassador Thomas Graham served as a senior U.S. diplomat involved in the negotiation of every major international arms control and non-proliferation agreement. From 1994 until 1997, he served as the Special Representative of the President for Arms Control, Non-Proliferation, and Disarmament, appointed by President Clinton. He is a widely published author in both scholarly journals and major newspapers.Item Individual and group IQ predict inmate violence(Elsevier, Inc., 2012) Diamond, Brie; Morris, Robert G.; Barnes, James C.There is a long tradition of theoretical and empirical research linking intelligence to criminal activity. At the same time, the extant literature has been slow to examine this relationship in other settings. One such setting in which this relationship may also manifest is the prison environment, where knowledge on the determinants of prison misconduct has important implications for prison management and security. Drawing from a representative sample of inmates from a large Southern state in the US, the current study presents the first assessment of the relationship between intelligence and prison misconduct. The effect of intelligence, measured via the WAIS-R, on violent prison misconduct is analyzed controlling for inmate and prison-level factors. Results indicated that the individual’s IQ, as well as the average IQ of the prison unit, was significantly and negatively related to violent prison misconduct. Implications and directions for future research are highlighted.Item Indicators of domestic/intimate partner violence are structured by genetic and nonshared environmental influences(Elsevier, 2012-11-17) Barnes, James C.; TenEyck, Michael; Boutwell, Brian B.; Beaver, Kevin M.; 0000 0003 5627 7714 (Barnes, JC); 2011138406 (Barnes, JC); Barnes, James C.One of the most consistent findings to emerge from domestic/intimate partner violence (IPV) research is that IPV tends to ―run in the family.‖ Social learning theories appear to be consistent with empirical data, but almost no attention has been given to alternative explanations, including that genetic factors explain intergenerational transmission of IPV. Data for this study were drawn from wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Three indicators of IPV were measured and genetic factors accounted for 24% of the variance in hitting one’s partner, 54% of the variance in injuring one’s partner, and 51% of the variance in forcing sexual activity on one’s partner. The shared environment explained none of the variance across all three indicators and the nonshared environment explained the remainder of the variance. These findings point to the importance of genetic factors in the etiology of IPV.Item Defining Neighborhood Boundaries in Studies of Spatial Dependence in Child Behavior Problems(2013-05-03) Caughy, Margaret O'Brien; Leonard, Tammy; Beron, Kurt J.; Murdoch, James C.; Murdoch, James C.Background: The purpose of this study was to extend the analysis of neighborhood effects on child behavioral outcomes in two ways: (1) by examining the geographic extent of the relationship between child behavior and neighborhood physical conditions independent of standard administrative boundaries such as census tracts or block groups and (2) by examining the relationship and geographic extent of geographic peers' behavior and individual child behavior. Methods: The study neighborhood was a low income, ethnic minority neighborhood of approximately 20,000 residents in a large city in the southwestern United States. Observational data were collected for 11,552 parcels and 1,778 face blocks in the neighborhood over a five week period. Data on child behavior problems were collected from the parents of 261 school-age children (81% African American, 14% Latino) living in the neighborhood. Spatial analysis methods were used to examine the spatial dependence of child behavior problems in relation to physical conditions in the neighborhood for areas surrounding the child's home ranging from a radius of 50 meters to a radius of 1000 meters. Likewise, the spatial dependence of child behavior problems in relation to the behavior problems of neighborhood peers was examined for areas ranging from a radius 255 meters to a radius of 600 meters around the child's home. Finally, we examined the joint influence of neighborhood physical conditions and geographic peers. Results: Poor conditions of the physical environment of the neighborhood were related to more behavioral problems, and the geographic extent of the physical environment that mattered was an area with a radius between 400 and 800 meters surrounding the child's home. In addition, the average level of behavior problems of neighborhood peers within 255 meters of the child's home was also positively associated with child behavior problems. Furthermore, these effects were independent of one another. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that using flexible geographies in the study of neighborhood effects can provide important insights into spatial influences on health outcomes. With regards to child behavioral outcomes, specifically, these findings support the importance of addressing the physical and social environment when planning community-level interventions to reduce child behavior problems.Item Validation of a Remote Sensing Model to Identify Simulium damnosum s.l. Breeding Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa(2013-07-25) Jacob, Benjamin G.; Novak, Robert J.; Toe, Laurent D.; Sanfo, Moussa; Griffith, Daniel A., 1948-; Lakwo, Thomson L.; Habomugisha, Peace; Katabarwa, Moses N.; Unnasch, Thomas R.; Griffith, Daniel A.Background: Recently, most onchocerciasis control programs have begun to focus on elimination. Developing an effective elimination strategy relies upon accurately mapping the extent of endemic foci. In areas of Africa that suffer from a lack of infrastructure and/or political instability, developing such accurate maps has been difficult. Onchocerciasis foci are localized near breeding sites for the black fly vectors of the infection. The goal of this study was to conduct ground validation studies to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a remote sensing model developed to predict S. damnosum s.l. breeding sites. Methodology/Principal Findings: Remote sensing images from Togo were analyzed to identify areas containing signature characteristics of S. damnosum s.l. breeding habitat. All 30 sites with the spectral signature were found to contain S. damnosum larvae, while 0/52 other sites judged as likely to contain larvae were found to contain larvae. The model was then used to predict breeding sites in Northern Uganda. This area is hyper-endemic for onchocerciasis, but political instability had precluded mass distribution of ivermectin until 2009. Ground validation revealed that 23/25 sites with the signature contained S. damnosum larvae, while 8/10 sites examined lacking the signature were larvae free. Sites predicted to have larvae contained significantly more larvae than those that lacked the signature. Conclusions/Significance: This study suggests that a signature extracted from remote sensing images may be used to predict the location of S. damnosum s.l. breeding sites with a high degree of accuracy. This method should be of assistance in predicting communities at risk for onchocerciasis in areas of Africa where ground-based epidemiological surveys are difficult to implement.Item A Functional Polymorphism in a Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) Interacts with 9/11 to Predict Gun-Carrying Behavior(2013-08-28) Barnes, James C.; Beaver, K. M.; Boutwell, B. B.; 0000 0003 5627 7714 (Barnes, JC); 2011138406 (Barnes, JC); Barnes, James C.On September 11, 2001, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in US history took place on American soil and people around the world were impacted in myriad ways. Building on prior literature which suggests individuals are more likely to purchase a gun for self-protection if they are fearful of being victimized, the authors hypothesized that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 would lead to an increase in gun carrying among US residents. At the same time, a line of research has shown that a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene (i.e., 5-HTTLPR) interacts with environmental stressors to predict a range of psychopathologies and behaviors. Thus, it was hypothesized that 9/11 and 5-HTTLPR would interact to predict gun carrying. The results supported both hypotheses by revealing a positive association between 9/11 and gun carrying (b =. 426, odds ratio = 1.531, standard error for b =. 194, z = 2.196, p =. 028) in the full sample of respondents (n = 15,052) and a statistically significant interaction between 9/11 and 5-HTTLPR in the prediction of gun carrying (b = -1.519, odds ratio =. 219, standard error for b =. 703, z = -2.161, p =. 031) in the genetic subsample of respondents (n = 2,350). This is one of the first studies to find an association between 9/11 and gun carrying and, more importantly, is the first study to report a gene-environment interaction (GxE) between a measured gene and a terrorist attack.Item Medellín's Biblioteca España: Progress in Unlikely Places(Ubiquity Press Ltd, 2014-01-21) Holmes, Jennifer S.; Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, S.; Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, S.The Biblioteca España, designed by Giancarlo Mazzanti, is a library park built to serve two traditionally marginalized comunas (neighborhoods) of Medellín. As such, it is a prime example of a public policy intervention that focuses on social inclusion, the provision of services, and quality of life. In this paper, we ask whether improvements in state capacity and infrastructure at the local level can have a broad impact in poor and violent communities. The survey results reveal that citizens of comunas Popular and Santa Cruz perceive their situation to be improving at a faster rate than those of the city in general. The broader lesson for other countries and cities facing similar challenges is that leadership and reforms do have the potential to improve the quality of life, even in the most troubled areas.Item The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime: Evidence from State Panel Data, 1990-2006(Public Library of Science, 2014-03) Morris, Robert G.; TenEyck, Michael; Barnes, James C.; Kovandzic, Tomislav; 0000 0003 5627 7714 (Barnes, JC); 0000 0000 5311 5742 (Kovandzic, T); 2011138406 (Barnes, JC); 2006005160 (Kovandzic, T); 87819498 (Murdoch, JC)Background: Debate has surrounded the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes for decades. Some have argued medical marijuana legalization (MML) poses a threat to public health and safety, perhaps also affecting crime rates. In recent years, some U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, reigniting political and public interest in the impact of marijuana legalization on a range of outcomes. Methods: Relying on U.S. state panel data, we analyzed the association between state MML and state crime rates for all Part I offenses collected by the FBI. Findings: Results did not indicate a crime exacerbating effect of MML on any of the Part I offenses. Alternatively, state MML may be correlated with a reduction in homicide and assault rates, net of other covariates. Conclusions: These findings run counter to arguments suggesting the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes poses a danger to public health in terms of exposure to violent crime and property crimes.Item An Empirical Study of Suicide Terrorism: A Global Analysis(2014-04) Santifort-Jordan, Charlinda; Sandler, Todd; 0000 0001 1603 8829 (Sandler, T); 77012834 (Sandler T); Sandler, ToddThis paper provides the first venue-based empirical investigation of the number and lethality of suicide terrorist attacks on a global scale. For 1998-2010, we assemble a data set of 2448 suicide terrorist incidents, drawn from the three main terrorist event databases, i.e., International Terrorism: Attributes of Terrorist Events (ITERATE), the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), and RAND. Our data set distinguishes between domestic and transnational suicide terrorist missions. For the quantity of suicide terrorism, we apply zero-inflated negative binomial panel (country-year) estimation for country-specific variables and negative binomial panel estimation for attack-specific variables. We also present linear regression panel estimations for the impact of suicide terrorism in terms of casualties per attack. Economic, political, and military variables, at times, differentially influenced the two kinds of suicide terrorism. A host of policy conclusions are drawn from the empirical findings.Item Experience, Learning, and Returns to Scale(Univ North Carolina, 2014-04) Arce M., Daniel G.; 0000 0004 1907 3066 (Arce M, DG); 2006066336 (Arce M)The experience curve is a tool for forecasting future decreases in average cost as a function of cumulative output/volume. The extent of an experience effect has profound implications for both pricing strategy and the focus on market share as a managerial objective. At the same time, the underlying sources of the experience effect are not well understood. This article demonstrates that, as commonly measured, experience effects are aggregated with the effects of increasing returns to scale. This, implies that standard experience curve estimates are misspecified because they suffer from an omitted variable bias. Strategic implications of the experience-scale link are discussed.Item Characteristics of Adults Involved in Alcohol-Related Intimate Partner Violence: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample(Biomed Central Ltd, 2014-05-17) Gonzalez, Jennifer M. Reingle; Connell, Nadine M.; Businelle, Michael S.; Jennings, Wesley G.; Chartier, Karen G.; 2009034845 (Connell, NM); Connell, Nadine M.Background: More than 12 million women and men are victims of partner violence each year. Although the health outcomes of partner violence have been well documented, we know very little about specific event-level characteristics that may provide implications for prevention and intervention of partner violence situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate substance abuse and dependence as risk factors for event-level alcohol-related intimate partner violence (IPV). Methods: Data were derived from Wave II of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (2004-2005). Eligible participants (N = 2,255) reported IPV the year before the survey. Negative binomial and ordinal regression methods were used to assess risk factors for alcohol use during IPV. Results: Respondent PTSD was the only mental health diagnosis related to alcohol use during IPV (OR = 1.45). Marijuana use was related to respondents' use of alcohol during IPV (OR = 2.68). Respondents' meeting the criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence was strongly associated with respondent drinking (OR = 10.74) and partner drinking (OR = 2.89) during IPV. Conclusion: Results indicate that PTSD, marijuana use disorders, alcohol abuse and dependence are associated with more frequent alcohol use during IPV. In addition, it is important to consider that the patient who presents in emergency settings (e.g., hospitals or urgent care facilities) may not be immediately identifiable as the victim or the perpetrator of partner violence. Therefore, screening and intervention programs should probe to further assess the event-level characteristics of partner violence situations to ensure the correct service referrals are made to prevent partner violence.Item The "State" of Equal Employment Opportunity Law and Managerial Gender Diversity(Univ California Press, 2014-11-01) Kmec, Julie A.; Skaggs, Sheryl L.; 0000 0003 5098 9104 (Skaggs, SL); Skaggs, Sheryl L.Women's underrepresentation in management is a persistent social problem. We take a new approach to understanding the lack of managerial gender diversity by investigating how U.S. state equal employment opportunity laws are related to women's presence in upper and lower management. We draw on data from 2010 EEO-1 reports documenting managerial sex composition in U.S. work establishments and a state employment law database to answer our research questions. State mandates are found to be differentially associated with upper- versus lower-level managerial gender diversity. Establishments in states with an equal pay law, or that once ratified the ERA, employ more women in upper management than those in states without such a law or in nonratifying states, but this holds only in establishments in industries that typically employ women. In contrast, establishments in states that require anti-discrimination workplace postings employ fewer women in upper-management than those in states without such a requirement. State equal pay laws, especially those adopted before federal equal pay legislation, family responsibility discrimination protections, and past ERA ratification are positively associated with women's lower-level managerial presence. Conversely, state expanded family and medical leave coverage, prohibited sex discrimination, and specific posting rules are negatively associated with women's presence in lower management. Results hold net of establishment, state, firm, and industry factors. We discuss the meaning behind differences across managerial level and the role of state regulation in moving toward greater managerial gender equity.Item Exploring the Non-Linear Relationship between Alcohol Consumption and Depression in an Elderly Population in Gangneung: The Gangneung Health Study(Yonsei University, 2015-02-09) Kim, Sang A.; Kim, Eunyoung; Morris, Robert G.; Park, Woong Sub; 0000 0001 2787 2376 (Morris, RG); Morris, Robert G.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine a J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and depression among the elderly in South Korea.; Materials and Methods: Cross-section data were drawn from a community-based sample of individuals 60 years of age and older (n=1819). Respondents completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Intensification Test (AUDIT) and the Korean Beck Depression Inventory. Using a regression approach, the effect of alcohol consumption as a non-linear effect was assessed in relation to gender, marital status, exercise, smoking, age, education, and physical and mental health.; Results: AUDIT total score were found to exert linear and quadratic effects that were significantly associated with higher depression scores among sample respondents. The results lend support to a J-shaped relationship between alcohol use and depression, wherein abstainers and problem drinkers were at a higher risk of depression.; Conclusion: This study confirms a J-shaped (i.e., curvilinear) relationship between alcohol consumption and depression among elderly South Koreans, similar to that frequently found in studies of Western-based samples. The findings of this study, therefore, imply the applicability of the J-shaped relationship hypothesis for non-Western society samples and within different cultural contexts.;Item Juvenile Justice Policy and Practice: A Developmental Perspective(2015-07-28) Monahan, Kathryn; Steinberg, Laurence; Piquero, Alex R.; Piquero, Alex R.Responses to juvenile offending have swung between rehabilitative and punishment approaches since the 1960s. A shift back toward rehabilitation has been influenced by recent research on adolescence, adolescent decision making, and adolescent brain development. US Supreme Court decisions on juvenile sentencing have been influenced by them. Major changes from adolescence into early adulthood have been demonstrated in the frontal lobe and especially the prefrontal cortex, which helps govern executive functions such as self-control and planning. Compared with adults, adolescents are more impulsive, short-sighted, and responsive to immediate rewards and less likely to consider long-term consequences. Adolescents are thus less blameworthy than adults. Responses to juvenile offending should take account of malleable aspects of psychosocial functioning in a developmentally informed manner.Item On the Potential Implications of Reports of Fictitious Drug Use for Survey Research on Juvenile Delinquency(Sage Publishers, 2015-08-01) Meldrum, Ryan Charles; Piquero, Alex R.; Piquero, Alex R.A variety of methodological issues have been raised over self-reports of delinquency and its correlates. In this study, we call attention to the provision of untruthful information and provide an investigation of this issue using a survey item that assesses a respondent's use of a fictitious drug in relation to reports of delinquency and traditional criminological correlates. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted based on data drawn from a probability sample of middle and high school students in Florida. Results show (a) there are important differences on key criminological variables between respondents who report use of a fictitious drug and those who do not; (b) the internal consistency of a variety index of delinquency is particularly sensitive to the inclusion of respondents reporting the use of a fictitious drug; and (c) the effect size of some criminological variables on delinquency may be sensitive to controlling for reports of fictitious drug use. Overall, the inclusion of fictitious drug use items within etiological models may serve as a useful approach to further establishing the reliability and validity of information provided by survey respondents.; © The Author(s) 2014.Item Messing Up Texas?: A Re-analysis of the Effects of Executions on Homicides(Public Library of Science, 2015-09-23) Brandt, Patrick T.; Kovandzic, Tomislav V. .; School of Economic, Political and Policy Studies; Brandt, Patrick T.Executions in Texas from 1994-2005 do not deter homicides, contrary to the results of Land et al. (2009). We find that using different models-based on pre-tests for unit roots that correct for earlier model misspecifications-one cannot reject the null hypothesis that executions do not lead to a change in homicides in Texas over this period. Using additional control variables, we show that variables such as the number of prisoners in Texas may drive the main drop in homicides over this period. Such conclusions however are highly sensitive to model specification decisions, calling into question the assumptions about fixed parameters and constant structural relationships. This means that using dynamic regressions to account for policy changes that may affect homicides need to be done with significant care and attention.