Social Ties in a Public Good Experiment

The formation of social ties is examined in an experimental study of voluntary public good provision. The experimental design consists of three parts. In the first part the value orientation (attitude to a generalized other) is measured. In the second part couples play a multi-period public good game. In the third part the attitudes of subjects to their partners in the public good game is measured. The concept of social tie is operationalized as the difference between the measurements in the first and third parts. Evidence for the occurrence of social ties is found. These ties depend on the success of the interaction in the public good game.Public good, social ties, experiment

Incentive Systems in a Real Effort Experiment

In the reported experiment different payment schemes are examined on their incentive effects. Payment based on individual, team an d relative performance are compared. Subjects conducted computerized tasks that required substantial effort. The results show that individual and team payment induced the same effort levels. In team production free-riding occurred, but it was compensated by many subjects providing more effort than in case of individual pay. Effort was higher, but more variable in tournaments, while in case of varying abilities workers with relatively low ability worked very hard and drove up effort of the others. Finally, attitudes towards work and other workers differed strongly between conditions.Payment schemes, experiment

Perceptions of the Independence of Judges in Europe

This open access book is about the perception of the independence of the judiciary in Europe. Do citizens and judges see its independence in the same way? Do judges feel that their independence is respected by the users of the courts, by the leadership of the courts and by politicians? Does the population trust the judiciary more than other public institutions, or less? How does independence of the judiciary work at the national level and at the level of the European Union? These interrelated questions are particularly relevant in times when the independence of the judiciary is under political pressure in several countries in the European Union, giving way to illiberal democracy. Revealing surveys among judges, lay judges and lawyers - in addition to regular surveys of the European Commission - provide a wealth of information to answer these questions. While the answers will not please everyone, they are of interest to a wide audience, in particular court leaders, judges, lawyers, politicians and civil servants

Legitimacy as Expressed versus Legitimacy as Experienced: Methodologies to Assess an Elusive Concept

Perceptions of the legitimacy of the courts are generally measured by means of surveys among the population. As legitimacy is an abstract concept, it has to be captured by simple questions. The questions posed in influential surveys use a variety of conceptualisations. Instead of asking for opinions about legitimacy, one can also examine whether the acceptance of the legitimacy of the courts is demonstrated by behaviour. This offers potentially a more reliable way to measure legitimacy: not by what people say but what they do. In this article, drawing on the conceptualisation of legitimacy in surveys, behavioural effects are derived. It would be preferable to measure these behaviours directly, but in the absence of such data we have to make do with observed behaviour. A study is presented on the legitimacy of the judiciary in European countries, based on observations by judges. It is a first step, but the results are different from and more insightful than surveys of citizens

Legitimacy as expressed versus legitimacy as experienced: Methodologies to Assess an Elusive Concept

Perceptions of the legitimacy of the courts are generally measured by means of surveys among the population. As legitimacy is an abstract concept, it has to be captured by simple questions. The questions posed in influential surveys use a variety of conceptualisations. Instead of asking for opinions about legitimacy, one can also examine whether the acceptance of the legitimacy of the courts is demonstrated by behaviour. This offers potentially a more reliable way to measure legitimacy: not by what people say but what they do. In this article, drawing on the conceptualisation of legitimacy in surveys, behavioural effects are derived. It would be preferable to measure these behaviours directly, but in the absence of such data we have to make do with observed behaviour. A study is presented on the legitimacy of the judiciary in European countries, based on observations by judges. It is a first step, but the results are different from and more insightful than surveys of citizens

The Rotterdam Elderly Pain Observation Scale (REPOS):A new behavioral pain scale for non-communicative adults and cognitively impaired elderly persons

Several observation scales have been developed to measure pain in elderly persons with cognitive impairments. Most scales, however, do not provide cut-off scores for pain, and previous studies do not include data on non-verbal patients with diagnoses other than dementia. Objective: The development of an easy-to-use, reliable and valid pain observation scale, the Rotterdam Elderly Pain Observation Scale (REPOS), for use in nursing home residents incapable of reporting pain themselves. Methods: In this multicenter case-control study 174 residents of various cognitive levels were videotaped at rest and during a potentially painful activity. Prevalences and co- occurrences of behaviors were examined, and interrelationships were identified. To reduce number of items, multiple linear regression analysis was used. Interrater-, and intrarater agreements and internal consistency were investigated. To estimate validity, REPOS was related to Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia-Scale (PAINAD), and activity and rest situations were compared. Results: A one-dimensional model with a good fit was found. After redundancy analysis, ten items remained. Interrater- and intrarater agreements of two observers were good. Internal consistency was moderate. Correlations between REPOS and NRS were small to medium, and between REPOS and PAINAD large. REPOS-scores for the two situations differed significantly. A total score of 3 and higher indicates pain. Conclusions: REPOS appears to be promising for identifying pain in residents of various cognitive levels. To improve pain management, a cut-off score for pain was determined, together with a treatment protocol. Its conciseness suggests good usefulness in daily practice.</p