Locating Rousseau\u27s Legislator in the Social Contract

It is challenging to define precisely what role the legislator plays in Rousseau’s Social Contract; however, when viewed in light of the ancient guardians, the role of the legislator becomes less obscure. This paper pursues the similarities between Rousseau’s concept of the legislator and Plato’s concept of the guardian while also exploring the poignant differences between the two. One cannot help but notice their fundamental similarities such as the superior character and intelligence of the legislator and how each communicates with the people. Their ultimate purpose and legitimacy differs, however, in that the legislator plays a more esoteric role in his relation to the people to order to persuade them of his ideas. Conversely, the guardian’s purpose is one of enlightenment through reason; he never has to persuade anyone of anything

Health Shocks and Couples' Labor Supply Decisions

Unexpected health events such as a heart attack or new cancer diagnosis are very common for workers in their 50s and 60s. These health shocks can result in a significant loss in family income if the worker reduces labor supply, but the family can also protect itself against this loss if the worker's spouse increases labor supply, generating an "added worker effect." In this paper, I examine the effect of health shocks on the labor supply of both spouses using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). I find that shocks lead the affected worker to reduce labor supply dramatically, particularly if the shock is accompanied by a loss of functioning. I also find that the added worker effect is small for men and that there is no such effect for women. There is some evidence to suggest that families respond to health shocks in predictable ways depending on characteristics such as access to retiree health insurance. The study concludes that health shocks result in real financial losses for families and are an important source of financial risk for older households.

Acoustic properties of fine‐grained sediments from Emerald Basin: Toward an inversion for physical properties using the Biot–Stoll model

Acoustic data from two long cores, comprising marine clays and silts taken from Emerald Basin off Nova Scotia, are presented. High‐resolution measurements of compressional wavevelocity,attenuation, and power law exponent are made using ultrasonic frequencies between 100 to 1000 kHz. The observed values of the frequency dependence of attenuation suggest that a nonconstant Q mechanism is needed to explain these data, and Biot–Stoll theory is used to model the experimental results. An inversion scheme is used to constrain physical parameters in the Biot–Stoll dispersion relation. The inversion shows that there is a restricted range of permeability and grain size. By assigning reasonable values for grain size in the inversion, the Biot–Stoll model predicts unique values for the permeability and frame bulk modulus that agree well with estimates made by other means

Calculation of acoustic parameters by a filter-correlation method

This paper presents the filter correlation method, a technique for extracting consistent and accurate estimates of attenuation parameters from acoustic waveform data. The method minimizes problems associated with short time windows and multipath secondary arrivals. The method comprises two stages: a causal passband filter stage followed by a cross-correlation step. The results of the filter-correlation estimator are compared to those of the spectral difference approach for short time series with and without a secondary multipath arrival. Preliminary analyses of acoustic data collected on cored marine silts and clays show the attenuation properties of these materials cannot be described by a constant Q mechanism. The filter correlation method refines estimates of frequency-dependent velocity, revealing a small but systematic anisotropy between measurements made parallel and transverse to the sediments\u27 bedding plane. The observed velocity anisotropy can be modeled by assuming layered porosity variations in the cored sediments. No systematic anisotropy in attenuation was observed

GATT AND THE ENVIRONMENT: POLICY RESEARCH NEEDS

This paper is a brief review of current problems in which trade and environmental issues intersect. After a statement of these problems, it focuses on some recent empirical research and future research needs of special relevance to agricultural economists.Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Cessation of Nightly Voluntary Wheel Running Activity Following Exposure to a Mouse Model of Posttraumatic Stress

Regular physical activity (PA) is well known to positively impact physical and mental health outcomes. In our work to examine cardiovascular benefits of PA in a mouse model of posttraumatic stress, we stumbled upon the reciprocal relationship between PA and stress exposure, wherein stress significantly reduced healthy levels of routine PA. The aim of the present studies was to define the parameters of our paradigm. C67BL/6J male mice were divided into four groups (n=8/group): sedentary/control, voluntary running/control, sedentary/stress, and voluntary running/stress. Voluntary running groups were given unlimited access to a running wheel for 9 weeks. Stress groups were then exposed to a 5-day resident-intruder social stress that models human posttraumatic stress. Running behavior essentially ceased following stress. Habituation to stress occurred, as running distance increased by the 5th day of stress but remained significantly low. A separate study examined a single exposure to resident-intruder social stress. Plasma corticosterone significantly increased while nightly running dropped significantly but returned to normal by the 3rd night post-stress. These studies show the sensitivity of habitual running behavior to stress exposure and suggest the utility of this mouse model in exploring the means by which stress negatively impacts routine PA

Labor Market Shocks and Retirement: Do Government Programs Matter?

This paper examines how unemployment affects retirement and whether the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system and Social Security (SS) system affect how older workers respond to labor market shocks. To do so, we use pooled cross-sectional data from the March Current Population Survey (CPS) as well as March CPS files matched between one year and the next and longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS). We find that downturns in the labor market increase retirement transitions. The magnitude of this effect is comparable to that associated with moderate changes in financial incentives to retire and to the threat of a health shock to which older workers are exposed. Interestingly, retirements only increase in response to an economic downturn once workers become SS-eligible, suggesting that retirement benefits may help alleviate the income loss associated with a weak labor market. We also estimate the impact of UI generosity on retirement and find little consistent evidence of an effect. This suggests that in some ways SS may serve as a more effective form of unemployment insurance for older workers than UI.