Did the Devil Make Them Do It? The Effects of Religion and Religiosity in Public Goods and Trust Games

We test whether religious affiliation and participation in religious services are associated with behavior in public goods and trust games. Overall, religious affiliation is unrelated to individual behavior. However, we find some weak evidence that among subjects attending religious services, increased participation is associated with behavior in both public goods and trust games.Public goods, experiments, religion, and trust

Do Liberals Play Nice? The Effects of Party and Political Ideology in Public Goods and Trust Games

We test the conventional wisdom that political ideology is associated with generosity or compassion by comparing the behavior of experimental subjects in public goods or trust games. We find that self-described liberals and those identifying more closely with the Democrat party are just as likely to free-ride as conservatives or Republican-leaners; likewise, political ideology is unrelated to observed trusting behavior or trustworthiness in a bilateral trust game.Political Party, Free Rider

Inequality, Group Cohesion, and Public Good Provision: An Experimental Analysis

Recent studies argue that inequality reduces group cohesiveness and dampens support for expenditures on public goods and social programs. In light of competing theoretical explanations and mixed empirical evidence of the effect of inequality on public goods provision, we conduct a test using a public goods experiment. Our design introduces inequality by manipulating the levels and distributions of fixed payments given to subjects for participating in the experiment. When made salient through public information about each individuals standing within the group, inequality in the distribution of fixed payments reduces contributions to the public good for all group members.Public Good, Inequality, Free Rider

An Experimental Study of the Effects of Inequality and Relative Deprivation on Trusting Behavior

Several non-experimental studies report that income inequality and other forms of population-based heterogeneity reduce levels of trust in society. However, recent work by Glaeser et al. (2000) calls into question the reliability of widely used survey-based measures of trust. Specifically, survey responses regarding trust attitudes did not reflect subjects actual behavior in a trust game. In this paper, we conduct a novel experimental test of the effects of inequality on trust and trustworthiness. Our experimental design induces inequality by varying the show-up fees paid to subjects, in contrast to previous experiments that focus on broad cultural or national differences in trust. We do not find robust support for the hypothesis that inequality per se dampens trusting behavior among all subjects; however, we do find some evidence that trust and rustworthiness are influenced by an individuals relative position in the group. Finally, we confirm previous findings that common survey-based measures of social trust are not associated with actual trusting behavior.Trust, social capital, heterogeneity, inequality, experiment

Structure-To-Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis: A Case Study

Current industry codes, such as ASCE 4-98 recommend consideration of Structure-to-Soil-Structure Interaction (SSSI) only when it is determined to have a significant effect on local results. In some cases, it is not computationally feasible, or too costly, to analyze an explicit model including a complex of all contributing structures. The significance of SSSI is dependent upon several variables, namely the characteristics of the soil, structures, and ground motion, as well as the spatial distance between structures. The SSSI effect is most significant for lighter structures adjacent to more massive structures that are founded on soil sites. The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Pretreatment Facility Complex is comprised of two small surface-founded structures adjacent to one large partially embedded structure, separated by a seismic gap of less than one foot. The effects of SSSI are evaluated using explicit modeling of each building on the Complex. A case study, showing the importance of explicit modeling for SSSI analysis of the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Pretreatment Facility Complex, is presented in this paper. The SSSI effect is illustrated through comparison of seismic member forces and acceleration response spectra. Overall observations are summarized and recommendations for future research are presented

Case Study of the Soil-Structure Interaction Response of Embedded Structures With Varying Backfill Soil Properties

Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) analysis is the study of the dynamic response of a structure as influenced by the interaction with the surrounding soil. The SSI response is sensitive to the characteristics of the soil, structures, and ground motion, as well as the depth of embedment. Availability of soil dynamic properties is, therefore, of paramount importance for performing such SSI analysis. However, detailed soil information and associated engineering properties may not always be available at the beginning of a project. Therefore, the analyst may rely on simplified yet conservative methodologies to estimate the dynamic response of the coupled soilstructure system to generate preliminary or interim seismic responses. This paper examines a particular case of nuclear power structures founded on competent rock material, in which the diminished SSI effects allows for a fixed-base treatment of the various safety related buildings. To evaluate the adequacy of this simplified approach for interim type of analysis, two structures are considered in this study. The first structure has a large footprint and shallow embedment and is mostly subject to rocking responses. The second structure has a small footprint and relatively large embedment. The two structures are studied with varying backfill conditions and modeling approaches. SSI analysis is completed using SASSI2010 [2011] and the following outputs are considered for evaluation purposes: transfer functions, zero-period accelerations, and acceleration response spectra. Results are presented in the paper to demonstrate the validity of the approach as well as the limitations when considering embedment effects

Fourth Grade Writing Instruction: A Case Study of Three Teachers in Title I Schools

The purpose of this study was to explore writing instruction provided to students in fourth grade classrooms of two Title I schools. The researchers observed the writing instruction and classroom procedures of three fourth grade teachers at these two Title I campuses. The following three research questions guided this study: (1) How do fourth grade writing teachers in two Title I schools in Texas approach the teaching of writing? (2) How does the challenge of standardized testing impact writing instruction? (3) How do these fourth grade teachers perceive their effectiveness as teachers of writing? Analysis of data led to the following conclusions: for these three teachers, district mandates and a centralized curriculum established the agenda for classroom writing instruction for the most part. However, even within these constraints, researchers observed that efforts were made by each teacher to adapt some of the curriculum needs of their students and to incorporate their own teaching styles and strategies as much as possible

Do Liberals Play Nice? The Effects of Party and Political Ideology in Public Goods and Trust Games

We test the conventional wisdom that political ideology is associated with generosity or compassion by comparing the behavior of experimental subjects in public goods or trust games. We find that self-described liberals and those identifying more closely with the Democrat party are just as likely to free-ride as conservatives or Republican-leaners; likewise, political ideology is unrelated to observed trusting behavior or trustworthiness in a bilateral trust game