Saving Face: The Benefits of Not Saying I’m Sorry

White discusses the socio-psychological research that suggests humans invest significant emotional stake in face --or their claimed identity as a competent, intelligent, or moral persons --and apologize only when they can do so without significant face threat. Criminal offenders, many of whom are likely to be low on self-determination, may resist apology to victims out of psychological fragility and the psychological need to preserve face rather than lack of remorse. Thus, the criminal-justice system should be cautious about punishing offenders more harshly because they fail to show external remorse--or even when they are openly defiant. This caution should be exercised whether the system explicitly punishes offenders more harshly or implicitly, by giving lighter sentences to those who publicly apologize. Such practices not only risk unfairness in the treatment of equally remorseful offenders but also effectively coerce apologies--which, because they are involuntary, are unlikely to promote healthy psychological growth among offenders and may instead elevate an offender\u27s psychological resistance toward accepting responsibility

SEGMENTING THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCER MARKET FOR AGRICULTURAL INPUTS

A cluster analysis procedure was used to develop a market segmentation of U.S. crop and livestock farms with annual sales in excess of $100,000. The results indicate that four distinct segments exist: convenience buyers, balance buyers, price buyers, and performance buyers. Differences in preferences across these segments have important implications for the marketing strategies of agricultural input suppliers.Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing,

Adaptive Optics: introduction to the feature issue

This Applied Optics feature issue is a companion to the Journal of the Optical Society of America A feature issue on the same topic. The feature highlights the expansion of adaptive optics to different applications as well as its development to routine applications brought about because of significant advances in component technologies

Urban Decay, Austerity, and the Rule of Law

Detroit has failed and its infrastructure is crumbling. But Detroit is not an isolated case. It is a paradigmatic example of increasing urban decay across the United States. While commentators have warned that the declining state of the country\u27s infrastructure threatens U.S. prosperity, there is a bigger issue at stake. Decaying urban environments jeopardize the rule of law, undermining the very foundation of the social contract. This Article shows that the strength of the rule of law in a given country can be predicted by that government\u27s ability (or inability) to provide public services-particularly, a livable urban environment. When urban decay sets in, individuals are led to believe that the government and thus citizens as a collective have abandoned their commitments to following the basic rules governing the social contract. This, in turn, reduces incentives of individuals to engage in lawful behavior. As a result, the rule of law is, like the city itself left in shambles. In support of this theoretical account, we provide empirical evidence that urban decay weakens the rule of law. As a normative matter, we claim that U.S. austerity policies aimed at incentivizing municipal fiscal accountability have produced the government\u27s failure to provide adequate urban infrastructure. We argue that selective centralized support of local goods and services can better balance the dual goal of preserving the rule of law and encouraging municipal fiscal accountability

Say You’re Sorry: Court-Ordered Apologies as a Civil Rights Remedy

This Article proposes that civil rights plaintiffs pursuing cases against governmental defendants should be entitled to receive court-ordered apologies as an equitable remedy. Part I discusses the importance of apology in American society and concludes that apology is culturally embedded as an essential component of everyday dispute resolution. Part II provides a brief overview of current legal scholarship in the area of apology, including the lack of such scholarship related to court-ordered apologies as a civil remedy. Part III argues that traditional forms of compensation fail to provide adequate relief to civil rights victims because they neglect psychological, emotional, and symbolic injuries. It proposes court-ordered apologies as an effective means of healing psychological wounds, reinforcing norms, restoring social equilibrium, promoting social change, and compelling governmental reform. Part IV anticipates and responds to likely objections to court-ordered apologies, including the misguided notion that public apologies must be sincere to be effective. Finally, Part V provides some guidance in the art of compelled apology