When Does Sexuality-Based Discrimination Motivate Political Participation?

The established consensus in political behavior research is that discrimination by political institutions motivates marginalized groups to vote and protest their conditions. However, existing studies miss a comparison between states with high and low levels of political discrimination, and they miss a comparison between states before and after the development of opportunities for groups to mobilize. In particular, a growing body of research shows that sexual-minority groups face discrimination to varying degrees across Europe. Sexual minorities in states with high levels of discrimination lack the support of other minority-group members, which encourages political participation. The analysis is based on surveys of 30 European countries, conducted before and after the 2004 European Union enlargement, which provided a stronger political-opportunity structure for sexual minorities in Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe and Western Europe provided contexts with relatively high and low levels of sexuality-based discrimination, respectively. In Western Europe, those who report sexuality-based discrimination exhibited higher levels of participation, in comparison to those who did not report discrimination. In Eastern Europe, those who report sexuality-based discrimination exhibited lower levels of participation before the 2004 enlargement, but they did not exhibit these lower levels after the 2004 enlargement

Training or education? Negotiating a fuzzy line between what “we” want and “they” might need

In this article, we reflect on what we consider to be an over-reliance among many in golf – including coaches, sport psychologists, and governing bodies – on a training-dominated vocabulary. To do so, we adopt a narrative approach to explore: i) the kinds of stories which circulate in golf; and ii) the stories women professional golfers told of their development and progression during life history interviews. By analysing these stories, we hope to provide a contrasting perspective on golfers’ long-term needs and show that alternatives to a training-dominated vocabulary are both possible and desirable. Through these reflections, we aim to present some more general insights concerning how to negotiate the fuzzy line between what “we” (as coaches, psychologists, governing body officials, performance directors, etc.) want and what “they” (players) might need in development terms. We conclude by suggesting an education-based alternative to the current training-dominated discourse which offers a healthier path to player retention, wellbeing, development, and progression in golf

Abandoning the performance narrative: Two women's stories of transition from professional sport

Despite its potential to illuminate psychological processes within socio-cultural contexts, examples of narrative research are rare in sport psychology. In this study, we employed an analysis of narrative to explore two women's stories of living in, and withdrawing from, professional tournament golf gathered through life history interviews conducted over 6 years. Our findings suggest that immersion in elite sport culture shaped these women's identities around performance values of single-minded dedication to sport and prioritization of winning above all other areas of life. When the performance narrative ceased to "fit" their changing lives, both women, having no alternative narrative to guide their personal life stories, experienced narrative wreckage and considerable personal trauma. They required asylum-a place of refuge where performance values were no longer paramount-to story their lives around a relational narrative that reinstated a coherent identity while providing meaning and worth to life after golf. © Association for Applied Sport Psychology

SHORT-RUN INDICATORS OF FINANCIAL SUCCESS FOR SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA FARMERS

Agricultural Finance,

The contribution of exercise and sport to mental health promotion in serious mental illness: An interpretative project

In this article we synthesise the findings of previous research to explore the question: How can exercise and sport contribute to mental health promotion in the context of serious mental illness? We used an interpretive approach to gain insights into the sport and exercise experiences of 11 men with serious mental illness. Data were gathered through interviews and participant observation, and analysed through a content analysis and a narrative analysis of structure and form. These analyses suggest that exercise and sport contributed in three distinct ways: acting as a vehicle for other outcomes, facilitating recreation of a previous athletic identity, and providing a means to re-story self and identity through adventure experiences. We conclude that the ways in which exercise and sport can help promote mental health in the context of serious mental illness are varied, complex and closely related to the meaning the activity holds for the individual

Opening doors: Poetic representation of the sport experiences of men with severe mental health difficulties

We present here a series of poetic representations that stem from our research into the sport and exercise experiences of men with severe mental health difficulties. Relying exclusively on scientific or realist tales risks omitting or misrepresenting participants' sometimes "messy" stories. By allowing space for these stories, which may not be considered "good stories" in terms of traditional narrative criteria of content, form, coherence, or plot, poetic approaches can contribute to a richer and more complex understanding of others' lives. The first poem was written in response to our experiences of doing qualitative research in the context of a rehabilitation day center for people with severe mental health difficulties. We created the subsequent poems, using only the participants' own words, as a way to further explore and represent their experiences of, and responses to, a golf activity group that was offered within the context the day center. © 2009 SAGE Publications

Pure Numbers Effects, Market Power, and Tacit Collusion in Posted Offer Markets

This paper studies the effects of seller concentration and static market power on tacit collusion in extensively repeated laboratory posted-offer markets. Contrary to the implications of some earlier research, we find that tacit collusion does not become pervasive with extensive repetition. In a ‘strong no power’ design persistently competitive outcomes are observed in markets with three or four sellers. Even duopolies are frequently competitive in this design. Unilateral market power raises prices, as predicted. However, static Nash predictions fail to organize outcomes across power treatments, because tacit collusion moves inversely with concentration. Excess capacity appears to explain observed tacit collusion levels.experiments, market concentration, market power

Designing an effective deposit insurance structure: an international perspective

Deposit insurance

Assessing the impact of regulation on bank cost efficiency

The author finds that the bank production process was significantly distorted during a period typically associated with heavy industry regulation. As deregulation occurred, banks fully exploited the cost advantages associated with size and reaped significant gains from technological change. Efficiency significantly improved with deregulation.Banks and banking - Costs ; Bank supervision