Optimism as an adaptive outcome of religiosity

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonPrevious research has found that in conditions of high inequality, individuals appear to express higher levels of religious engagement. However, areas where there is high inequality often also have high levels of deprivation, making it unclear as to whether it is inequality or deprivation that drives the positive association between inequality and religiosity. The original aims of this thesis were to investigate the relationship between religiosity and inequality in the hope of gaining insight into the nature of the relationship between economic variables and religiosity, and to investigate why inequality or deprivation would increase religiosity. The first study conducted for this thesis used two waves of the Religious Landscape Survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre combined with economic information to investigate relationships between income, state-level affluence, state-level inequality and religiosity in the USA. Two hierarchical linear models, each containing over 35k US citizens, indicated that state wealth and state inequality were both associated with religiosity. The second study conducted for this thesis had several aims and so, for clarity is referred to in the thesis proper as study 2a and study 2b which are split across chapters 5 and 6. The first aim which is explored in chapter 5 as study 2a, was to test a newly developed scale designed to measure the extent to which individuals believe in the existence of a universal causal force which is both purposeful and intentional, a trait which is referred to in this thesis as transcendent teleological thinking (TTT). It is argued in this thesis that TTT represents the cognitive core of religious and spiritual thinking, and measuring this trait may offer insights into the evolution of religion. The second aim of this study, explored in chapter 6 and referred to in the thesis proper as study 2b, was to take a closer look at the psychological responses to economic inequality and deprivation. The aim of this study was to see how economic variables influence subjective feelings of financial strain, feelings of deprivation and to investigate whether these variables are associated with increases in behavioural religiosity, and TTT. study 2b did not find compelling evidence that economic variables or experience of financial strain and deprivation were strongly associated with levels of behavioural religiosity or TTT. However, study 2b also included a measure of well-being, and closer analysis of the results revealed positive associations between optimism and behavioural religiosity, and a positive association between optimism and TTT. The results of study 2b prompted a change of course, resulting in a shift away from inequality as a predictor of religiosity and towards optimism as a possible outcome of religiosity. The third study, presented in chapter 9, was designed to take a more deliberate look at the relationship between TTT and optimism. This study found a significant positive relationship between TTT and optimism, and this association was not explained by social support or religious attendance. The fourth study presented in chapter 10 of this thesis was a survey experiment designed to look at whether TTT may have a causal relationship with optimism. In this study, participants answered questions on the TTT measure or answered questions taken from the systemising quotient (SQ). After exposure to one of these two measures, participants answered questions to assess their levels of state and trait optimism. The results of this experiment found that participants in the TTT condition had significantly higher levels of state optimism than individuals in the SQ condition, indicating that TTT can increase optimism. This thesis offers several unique contributions to the scientific study of religion. Firstly, it presents evidence that TTT is at the core of religious and spiritual thinking and that measuring this specific trait may offer more insight into religious cognition than the often-used measures included in surveys like the ones conducted by Pew, the European Social Survey and the General Social Survey. This thesis also argues that measuring TTT is a good cross-culturally applicable measure of cognitive religiosity that has the potential to offer increased insight into patterns of religious cognition in a range of cultures and belief systems. Finally, this thesis also presents initial evidence that the adaptive value of religion is in its potential to increase levels of optimism among the religious

What Drives Fiscal Decentralisation?

This paper investigates the determinants of fiscal decentralisation, focusing in particular on the impact of the level of income on the level of fiscal decentralisation. Various measures of fiscal decentralisation, several of them novel in this context, are employed in a cross-country econometric model to test established and more recent hypotheses. Paying careful attention to variable measurement, model specification and sample coverage, the results suggest that there are significant relationships between a range of factors, including income, geographical size, population density, population diversity, military expenditure, the structure of the public sector and openness to trade, and fiscal decentralisation. However, these relationships may be more complicated than previously reported. For the entire sample and for the OECD subsample a positive relationship between income and decentralisation is found, which corroborates the results found in earlier studies. However, for the middle and lower income nations, higher income is found to be associated with less decentralisation.

Cesarean section rates and indications in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-country study from Medecins sans Frontieres.

The World Health Organization considers Cesarean section rates of 5-15% to be the optimal range for targeted provision of this life saving intervention. However, access to safe Cesarean section in resource-limited settings is much lower, estimated at 1-2% reported in sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports Cesarean sections rates and indications in Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Sierra Leone, and describe the main parameters associated with maternal and early neonatal mortality

How Strong is the Pull of the Past? Measuring Personal Nostalgia Evoked by Advertising

Marketers frequently evoke personal nostalgia in their advertising. To date, scales have been developed to measure the propensity to get nostalgic but not the actual dimensions of personal nostalgia. Results from four studies show that advertising-evoked personal nostalgia comprises four correlated but distinct dimensions: past imagery, positive emotions, negative emotions, and physiological reactions. This multidimensional scale showed a high level of validity and reliability. Moreover, due to careful choice of sampling frames, the study demonstrates a high level of external generalizability. Evaluating nostalgia-based advertising using the study\u27s multidimensional scale may provide marketers with strategic insights for developing and fine-tuning advertising aimed at inducing nostalgia among consumers

Sequelae of foodborne Illness caused by 5 pathogens, Australia, Circa 2010

In Australia circa 2010, 4.1 million (90% credible interval [CrI] 2.3–6.4 million) episodes of foodborne gastroenteritis occurred, many of which might have resulted in sequelae. We estimated the number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths from Gu

Intersectional identities and career progression in retail: The experiences of minority‐ethnic women

Contributing to scholarship on diversity and inclusion (D&I) and careers within UK retailing, this paper documents the lived experiences of minority-ethnic women working in retail. Given the extensive research on both the career obstacles faced by women in a highly feminized sector and the disadvantages experienced by minority-ethnic workers in the UK labor market more broadly, consideration of social identity categories beyond gender and their impact on retailing careers in the existing literature is limited. Here we use intersectionality theory to explain how individual-level identity categories, such as gender, ethnicity and religion, intersect with wider organisational practices, which disadvantage the career progression of minority-ethnic women in UK retail. In a service-driven sector dependent upon consumers, we conclude that there is a need to consider intersectional identity experiences and power relations within the customer-employee relationship, as this disproportionately affects minority-ethnic women and the realization of their career goals in retail

Electronic Cigarette Marketing: Current Research and Policy

This report outlines results from three separate but connected pieces of research. First, a review of the current e-cigarette market drawing on available data from market analysis, the trade press and other published sources. Secondly, a systematic rapid review of the e-cigarette marketing literature published in peer reviewed journals between 2011 and 2016, updating our previous work in this area. Finally, a description of the past and current regulatory framework for e-cigarette marketing in the UK, drawing on semi-structured interviews with key professionals working in the field and relevant documentary sources

'To perform, or not to perform: that is the questions' A survey of how secondary school headteachers perceive their enactment status in leadership

In recent years there has been a significant increase in interest around career development in Educational Leadership. Through my own personal drive and leadership qualities, I began to question the idea of performance for successful leadership. Following observations of a particular leader I was even more intrigued about how one ought to perform as a leader and whether it is a conscious act dependent upon the message being delivered and the audience in which it is being enacted to. As I began to explore this concept further it became apparent that there was little research existing on how leaders perform and learn to perform. This study is set out to investigate the perception of headteachers’ from the West Midlands who are in practice to demonstrate the concept of performance ‘as’ and performance ‘is’ leadership. Semi-structured interviews were used between July 2012 and January 2013 to secure their perceptions of their own relatable understanding of performance in leaderships, including their professional development to equip them with such enactment skills, and the emotional cost that this has on their professional identity. This study captures ways in which you need to perform as a leader to be successful in delivering your messages to your followers. However, during such acts of performance there is a need to stay true to ones self and honest to the performance, resulting in an emotional cost to ensure that a professional identity is maintained. Leaders learn most of their skills through experiences, which takes time and opportunities to fine tune. This raises the questions that in todays’ current school led system do we have the experience to role model and develop such skills? This piece of research is set out to inform the future research agenda for professional development of school leaders developing strategies and opportunities for leaders to grow