Measuring the Welfare Effects of Shame and Pride

Public recognition is frequently used to motivate desirable behavior, yet its welfare effects—such as costs of shame or gains from pride— are rarely measured. We develop a portable empirical methodology for measuring and monetizing social image utility, and we deploy it in experiments on exercise and charitable behavior. In all experiments, public recognition motivates desirable behavior but creates highly unequal image payoffs. High-performing individuals enjoy significant utility gains, while low-performing individuals incur significant utility losses. We estimate structural models of social signaling, and we use the models to explore the social efficiency of public recognition policies. (JEL C93, D64, D82, D91)

Political Science in Central European Democracies Under Pressure

The chapter examines the challenges that six Central European Democracies (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) have faced in the development of political science during the last three decades. We argue that political science as a new social science has gone through many structural reforms: it has acquired a relatively well-institutionalised position, gained autonomy and managed to form its identity. Nevertheless, its position is endangered by the erosion of its legitimacy.In this chapter, we show that political science as a new social science in the Central and Eastern Europe region has acquired a relatively stable position. The discipline has gained autonomy and managed to form its own identity, and has shown a capacity to cope with several challenges that have arisen. However, some of the structural reforms, including the commodification of higher education and the proliferation of political science at universities and other teaching institutions, have recently undermined the stability it had previously gained, as it progressively suffers from a loss of public recognition. We argue that the oversimplified, technocratic approaches of governments in recent years have impaired the legitimacy of the social sciences, and of political science in particular. This common trend is observable in all of the selected countries, albeit with certain variations from one country to another.

Volunteering in Russia: History and attitudes of the contemporary youth

The article considers the issue of the youth participation in volunteering as a form of social activity and at the same time the direction of the youth policy. The analysis of the empirical data follows a short review of the history of volunteering in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods. The authors explain this movements contradictory nature by the social-political trends in the development of civil society and by the organizational influence of the authorities. The contemporary Russian volunteering is presented on the basis of the online survey data on two cohorts of the adult urban youth - 18-24 and 25-34 years old (N=705 and N=714). The samples represent the social-demographic and geographical features of two groups. The mathematical methods of analysis allowed to identify the scale of participation and the types of volunteer activities for both cohorts, social attitudes and real involvement in the volunteer movement, and an expected gap between them, which can be explained by a complex motivation for volunteering. We identified the following motivation models: the promotion model implies mercantile and career motives, the capital model - the growth of human and social capital, and the value model - beliefs and expectations of public recognition and respect. The second model is especially relevant for the younger cohort. The survey revealed the opinions of the youth as a social group about the factors that hinder participation in volunteering. Young people were critical of their group, and named social indifference as the first problem, then comes the lack of time, insufficient encouragement and public recognition. The research proved that the potential of volunteering is much higher than the youths participation in it. The development of this activity together with overcoming its bureaucratization can become an incentive for reducing the youths social apathy.

Превратности таланта: Дмитрий Налбандян

The article is dedicated to the study of celebrated Soviet painter Dmitry Nalbandian’s creative life and pictorial heritage. The author highlights master’s interest in subject matter and genre preferences, analyses the peculiarities of his image thinking and pictorial style, emphasizes public recognition of painter’s art.

Research on the Mechanism of Public Participation in the Planning and Design of Urban Park Playground

Over the recent years, citizens in Taiwan have proposed increasingly stringent demands and standards for urban park playgrounds. Thus, this study aimed to explore and discuss mechanisms for public participation in its planning and design procedures. Furthermore, this study proposed suggestions on mechanisms for public participation in the planning and design process by analyzing public recognition in each of the four phases of public participation. Moreover, questionnaires were distributed to experts and interviews were conducted among park users to gather the appropriate data. The research result showed that participatory design could effectively improve public recognition toward urban park playgrounds and earn confidence among citizens. However, it is noteworthy that the public favors social media communications over traditional forms. On the other hand, the public shows disapproval of a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Finally, the proposed suggestions and recommendations of this study are formulated based on the research findings

The Role of Social Bonds in Understanding the Pre- and Post-Recognition Effects of Recognition Visibility

Distinguishing high-performing employees imposes choices on managers: Is recognition most effectively delivered publicly or privately? If delivered publicly, what setting is best? This paper broadens the accounting literature on the implications of these decisions. Via experiment, I examine how the social bond between recognized employees and those observing the recognition influences the effect of recognition visibility on employee behavior. I find that with weak social bonds, public recognition (versus private) does not result in more beneficial employee behavior. However, when social bonds are strong, employees provide greater pre-recognition effort and respond more positively to public recognition than to private recognition. Overall, my study supports the extensive use of public recognition in practice and helps clarify the collective results from prior accounting studies. My findings also have implications for implementing recognition programs - suggesting managers should consider employee relationships when deciding how and where to recognize their employees.

Patriotism, Competition, Nationalism, and Respect for the Military in U.S. Sports: Public recognition of American Institutionalized Sports Nationalism

Using new data from the National Sports and Society Survey (N = 3,993), this study first examines the extent to which U.S. adults recognize that sports teach love of country, competition as a way of life, respect for the military, and that U.S. sports teach how to be American. We characterize this sport and society process as American Institutionalized Sports Nationalism (AISN). Then, multiple regression analyses are used to assess the extent to which dominant statuses, indicators of traditionalism, and sports fandom are associated with beliefs about American Institutionalized Sports Nationalism and its component values. Results suggest that U.S. adults commonly agree that sports teach love of country, competition as a way of life, respect for the military, and how to be American; they are especially likely to agree that sports teach competition as a way of life and love of country. Many U.S. adults also recognize sports as teaching respect for the military and how to be American, but most do not. In addition, as expected, identifying as male, heterosexual, Christian, Republican, and as more of a sports fan are consistently and positively associated with agreeing that sports teach patriotic, capitalistic, militaristic, and nationalistic values. In contrast to expectations, we find evidence that White adults are less likely than Black and Latinx adults to recognize AISN and its component values; college educated adults are also less likely than those with a high school education or less to agree that sports teach patriotism, capitalism, militarism, and nationalism. This may be because sports have traditionally been perceived to offer more inclusive and fairer social and economic opportunities, for Nonwhites and the less educated. Regardless, it is important to continue to research which cultural messages are promoted through sports, why, and to what effect. The present study advances this research initiative.

Patriotism, competition, nationalism, and respect for the military in US sports: Public recognition of American institutionalized sports nationalism

Using new data from the National Sports and Society Survey ( N = 3993), this study first examines the extent to which US adults recognize that sports teach love of country, competition as a way of life, respect for the military, and how to be American. We characterize this sport and society process as American Institutionalized Sports Nationalism. Then, multiple regression analyses are used to assess the extent to which dominant statuses, indicators of traditionalism, and sports fandom are associated with beliefs about American Institutionalized Sports Nationalism and its component values. Results suggest that US adults commonly agree that sports teach love of country, competition as a way of life, respect for the military, and how to be American; they are especially likely to agree that sports teach competition as a way of life and love of country. Many US adults also recognize sports as teaching respect for the military and how to be American, but most do not. In addition, as expected, identifying as male, heterosexual, Christian, Republican, and as more of a sports fan is consistently and positively associated with agreeing that sports teach patriotic, capitalistic, militaristic, and nationalistic values. In contrast to expectations, we find evidence that White adults are less likely than Black and Latinx adults to recognize American Institutionalized Sports Nationalism and its component values; college educated adults are also less likely than those with a high school education or less to agree that sports teach patriotism, capitalism, militarism, and nationalism. This may be because sports have traditionally been perceived to offer rather inclusive and fair social and economic opportunities for non-Whites and the less educated. Regardless, it is important to continue to research which cultural messages are promoted through sports, why, and to what effect. The present study advances this research initiative.

Genotypic Variation and Talent Identification in Sports

Top performance of athletes is not limited to the demand of fame, public recognition, sponsorship, and prize money but genetic inheritance contributes a prime role to hold such traits. Recent years, we have witnessed the rise of sports specific tests that identify person’s athletic talents, but human vary on genetic factors which silently work to achieve success in sports. Recent progress on the genetic determination in the sports sciences offer great perspective to analyze the genotype profile associated with the athletes. One of the most used advances in this field is the identification of variations in the DNA sequence, known as Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Genetic evaluations should be combined with other tools to get an accurate identification of athletes and their respective fields to achieve optimum success.

Jumping the Shark: White Shark Representations in Great White Serial Killer Lives—The Fear and the (Pseudo-)Science

Sharks are among the most endangered nonhuman animals on the planet because of industrial fishing, the shark meat and fin trade, expanding recreational fishing, and other anthropogenic causes. White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), the most visible in popular culture, remain vulnerable (VU, IUCN Red List) and understudied, although population recovery is having a measure of success in regions like the Eastern Pacific and the Northern Atlantic of the United States. As numbers rise, Jaws associations also remain in vogue in programming that emphasizes human–wildlife** conflict such as Shark Week’s Great White Serial Killer Lives. Network marketing typically promotes this content by hyping shark science. Textual analysis, however, suggests that exposure to pseudoscientific narratives and unethical fear-inducing images is counterproductive to wider support for conservation programs and public recognition for sharks’ rights to their habitats.