scholarly journals Congressional Representation: Accountability from the Constituent’s Perspective

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Ansolabehere ◽  
Shiro Kuriwaki
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Variables ◽  
Apparent Discrepancy ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Congressional Districts ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Political Theories ◽  
Congressional Representation ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
The Individual

The premise that constituents hold representatives accountable for their legislative decisions undergirds political theories of democracy and legal theories of statutory interpretation. But studies of this at the individual level are rare, examine only a handful of issues, and arrive at mixed results. We provide an extensive assessment of issue accountability at the individual level. We trace the congressional rollcall votes on 44 bills across seven Congresses (2006-2018), and link them to constituent's perceptions of their representative's votes and their evaluation of their representative. Correlational, instrumental variables, and experimental approaches all show that constituents hold representatives accountable. A one-standard deviation increase in a constituent's perceived issue agreement with their representative can improve net approval by 35 percentage points. Congressional districts, however, are heterogeneous. Consequently, the effect of issue agreement on vote is much smaller at the district-level, resolving an apparent discrepancy between micro and macro studies.

scholarly journals Does workplace social capital protect against long-term sickness absence? Linking workplace aggregated social capital to sickness absence registry data

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie K. Hansen ◽  
Ida E. H. Madsen ◽  
Sannie Vester Thorsen ◽  
Ole Melkevik ◽  
Jakob Bue Bjørner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Collective Good ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Adjusted Model ◽  
Workplace Social Capital

Aims: Most previous prospective studies have examined workplace social capital as a resource of the individual. However, literature suggests that social capital is a collective good. In the present study we examined whether a high level of workplace aggregated social capital (WASC) predicts a decreased risk of individual-level long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in Danish private sector employees. Methods: A sample of 2043 employees (aged 18–64 years, 38.5% women) from 260 Danish private-sector companies filled in a questionnaire on workplace social capital and covariates. WASC was calculated by assigning the company-averaged social capital score to all employees of each company. We derived LTSA, defined as sickness absence of more than three weeks, from a national register. We examined if WASC predicted employee LTSA using multilevel survival analyses, while excluding participants with LTSA in the three months preceding baseline. Results: We found no statistically significant association in any of the analyses. The hazard ratio for LTSA in the fully adjusted model was 0.93 (95% CI 0.77–1.13) per one standard deviation increase in WASC. When using WASC as a categorical exposure we found a statistically non-significant tendency towards a decreased risk of LTSA in employees with medium WASC (fully adjusted model: HR 0.78 (95% CI 0.48–1.27)). Post hoc analyses with workplace social capital as a resource of the individual showed similar results. Conclusions: WASC did not predict LTSA in this sample of Danish private-sector employees.

scholarly journals Low Omega-3 intake is associated with high rates of depression and preterm birth on the country level

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy H. Ciesielski ◽  
Scott M. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Penalized Splines ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Circulating Levels

AbstractLow circulating levels of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC omega-3 PUFA) have been linked to major depressive disorder (MDD) and preterm birth (PTB), and prenatal depression associates with PTB. We therefore hypothesized that low Omega-3 intake would associate with higher MDD and PTB rates on the country-level. To test this hypothesis, we obtained country-level estimates for omega-3 intake, MDD prevalence, PTB rate, and per capita income for 184 countries in 2010. We then estimated the LC omega-3 PUFA levels that these intakes produce by accounting for direct consumption and the endogenous conversion of ingested plant-based precursors. Penalized splines indicated that MDD and PTB rates decreased linearly with increasing LC omega-3 PUFA, up to ~ 1000 mg/day for MDD and up to ~ 550 mg/day for PTB. Adjusted linear regression models below these thresholds revealed that a one standard deviation increase in LC omega-3 PUFA (380 mg/day) was associated with an MDD decrease of 5 cases/1000 people and a PTB decrease of 15 cases/1000 livebirths. In light of the extensive prior evidence on the individual-level, these findings indicate that low intake of LC omega-3 PUFA and its precursors may be elevating MDD and PTB rates in 85% of the countries studied.

Parasites and the dynamics of wild mammal populations

2006 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J Irvine
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Competition For Food ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe impact of parasites on domestic livestock is well known. It is also clear that parasites have the potential to reduce reproductive success and survival at the individual level in wild animal populations (often through effects on body condition). However, the degree to which these impacts can regulate populations is difficult to determine because of the logistics of conducting the necessary experimental manipulations of either hosts or parasites. In addition, the relative importance of this mechanism compared to other regulatory factors such as predation and competition for food resources has not been quantified. Studies that have investigated the impact of parasites on wild mammals are reviewed and the merits of cross-sectional sampling and experimental approaches are presented. Finally, evidence for parasite mediated population regulation in wild mammals is examined and the need to develop experimental approaches that address this mechanism and its interaction with other regulatory processes is discussed.

scholarly journals Measuring open defecation in India using survey questions: evidence from a randomised survey experiment

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e030152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangita Vyas ◽  
Nikhil Srivastav ◽  
Divya Mary ◽  
Neeta Goel ◽  
Sujatha Srinivasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Question Type ◽  
Household Member ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Latrine Use

ObjectivesTo investigate differences in reported open defecation between a question about latrine use or open defecation for every household member and a household-level question.SettingRural India is home to most of the world’s open defecation. India’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2015–2016 estimates that 54% of households in rural India defecate in the open. This measure is based on a question asking about the behaviour of all household members in one question. Yet, studies in rural India find substantial open defecation among individuals living in households with latrines, suggesting that household-level questions underestimate true open defecation.ParticipantsIn 2018, we randomly assigned latrine-owning households in rural parts of four Indian states to receive one of two survey modules measuring sanitation behaviour. 1215 households were asked about latrine use or open defecation individually for every household member. 1216 households were asked the household-level question used in India’s DHS: what type of facility do members of the household usually use?ResultsWe compare reported open defecation between households asked the individual-level questions and those asked the household-level question. Using two methods for comparing open defecation by question type, the individual-level question found 20–21 (95% CI 16 to 25 for both estimates) percentage points more open defecation than the household-level question, among all households, and 28–29 (95% CI 22 to 35 for both estimates) percentage points more open defecation among households that received assistance to construct their latrines.ConclusionsWe provide the first evidence that individual-level questions find more open defecation than household-level questions. Because reducing open defecation in India is essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, and exposure to open defecation has consequences for child mortality and development, it is essential to accurately monitor its progress.Trial registration numberRegistry for International Development Impact Evaluations (5b55458ca54d1).

Differential Effects of Competence and Morality on Self-Esteem at the Individual and the Collective Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-198
Author(s):  
Wiktor Soral ◽  
Mirosław Kofta
Keyword(s):  
Self Esteem ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. The importance of various trait dimensions explaining positive global self-esteem has been the subject of numerous studies. While some have provided support for the importance of agency, others have highlighted the importance of communion. This discrepancy can be explained, if one takes into account that people define and value their self both in individual and in collective terms. Two studies ( N = 367 and N = 263) examined the extent to which competence (an aspect of agency), morality, and sociability (the aspects of communion) promote high self-esteem at the individual and the collective level. In both studies, competence was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the individual level, whereas morality was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the collective level.

Metonymy in Dance: Ballet Bunheads Take a Cognitive Turn

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-34
Author(s):  
Edward C. Warburton
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Artistic Development ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Figures Of Speech ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Level I ◽  
Dance Educators ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Metaphor And Metonymy

This essay considers metonymy in dance from the perspective of cognitive science. My goal is to unpack the roles of metaphor and metonymy in dance thought and action: how do they arise, how are they understood, how are they to be explained, and in what ways do they determine a person's doing of dance? The premise of this essay is that language matters at the cultural level and can be determinative at the individual level. I contend that some figures of speech, especially metonymic labels like ‘bunhead’, can not only discourage but dehumanize young dancers, treating them not as subjects who dance but as objects to be danced. The use of metonymy to sort young dancers may undermine the development of healthy self-image, impede strong identity formation, and retard creative-artistic development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of metonymy in dance and implications for dance educators.

Exploring the effect of weight loss on food reward at the individual level

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Oustric ◽  
Kristine Beaulieu ◽  
Nuno Casanova ◽  
Francois Husson ◽  
Catherine Gibbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Personality change and environmental concerns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher James Hopwood ◽  
Ted Schwaba ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Personality Change ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
German Population ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sustainable Behavior ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

Personal concerns about climate change and the environment are a powerful motivator of sustainable behavior. People’s level of concern varies as a function of a variety of social and individual factors. Using data from 58,748 participants from a nationally representative German sample, we tested preregistered hypotheses about factors that impact concerns about the environment over time. We found that environmental concerns increased modestly from 2009-2017 in the German population. However, individuals in middle adulthood tended to be more concerned and showed more consistent increases in concern over time than younger or older people. Consistent with previous research, Big Five personality traits were correlated with environmental concerns. We present novel evidence that increases in concern were related to increases in the personality traits neuroticism and openness to experience. Indeed, changes in openness explained roughly 50% of the variance in changes in environmental concerns. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the individual level factors associated with changes in environmental concerns over time, towards the promotion of more sustainable behavior at the individual level.

Reply to Connor and Evers (2020): Critique of the Bias of Crowds Model Simply Restates the Model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Payne ◽  
Heidi A. Vuletich ◽  
Kristjen B. Lundberg
Keyword(s):  
Implicit Bias ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Systemic Racism ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Core ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Implicit Biases ◽  
The Individual

The Bias of Crowds model (Payne, Vuletich, & Lundberg, 2017) argues that implicit bias varies across individuals and across contexts. It is unreliable and weakly associated with behavior at the individual level. But when aggregated to measure context-level effects, the scores become stable and predictive of group-level outcomes. We concluded that the statistical benefits of aggregation are so powerful that researchers should reconceptualize implicit bias as a feature of contexts, and ask new questions about how implicit biases relate to systemic racism. Connor and Evers (2020) critiqued the model, but their critique simply restates the core claims of the model. They agreed that implicit bias varies across individuals and across contexts; that it is unreliable and weakly associated with behavior at the individual level; and that aggregating scores to measure context-level effects makes them more stable and predictive of group-level outcomes. Connor and Evers concluded that implicit bias should be considered to really be noisily measured individual construct because the effects of aggregation are merely statistical. We respond to their specific arguments and then discuss what it means to really be a feature of persons versus situations, and multilevel measurement and theory in psychological science more broadly.

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