Convergence towards a European strategic culture? A constructivist framework for explaining changing norms.

The article contributes to the debate about the emergence of a European strategic culture to underpin a European Security and Defence Policy. Noting both conceptual and empirical weaknesses in the literature, the article disaggregates the concept of strategic culture and focuses on four types of norms concerning the means and ends for the use of force. The study argues that national strategic cultures are less resistant to change than commonly thought and that they have been subject to three types of learning pressures since 1989: changing threat perceptions, institutional socialization, and mediatized crisis learning. The combined effect of these mechanisms would be a process of convergence with regard to strategic norms prevalent in current EU countries. If the outlined hypotheses can be substantiated by further research the implications for ESDP are positive, especially if the EU acts cautiously in those cases which involve norms that are not yet sufficiently shared across countries

Self-rated health of primary care house officers and its relationship to psychological and spiritual well-being

<p/> <p>Background</p> <p>The stress associated with residency training may place house officers at risk for poorer health. We sought to determine the level of self-reported health among resident physicians and to ascertain factors that are associated with their reported health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire was administered to house officers in 4 residency programs at a large Midwestern medical center. Self-rated health was determined by using a health rating scale (ranging from 0 = death to 100 = perfect health) and a Likert scale (ranging from "poor" health to "excellent" health). Independent variables included demographics, residency program type, post-graduate year level, current rotation, depressive symptoms, religious affiliation, religiosity, religious coping, and spirituality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We collected data from 227 subjects (92% response rate). The overall mean (SD) health rating score was 87 (10; range, 40–100), with only 4 (2%) subjects reporting a score of 100; on the Likert scale, only 88 (39%) reported excellent health. Lower health rating scores were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with internal medicine residency program, post-graduate year level, depressive symptoms, and poorer spiritual well-being. In multivariable analyses, lower health rating scores were associated with internal medicine residency program, depressive symptoms, and poorer spiritual well-being.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Residents' self-rated health was poorer than might be expected in a cohort of relatively young physicians and was related to program type, depressive symptoms, and spiritual well-being. Future studies should examine whether treating depressive symptoms and attending to spiritual needs can improve the overall health and well-being of primary care house officers.</p

The Churches' Bans on Consanguineous Marriages, Kin-Networks and Democracy

This paper highlights the role of kin-networks for the functioning of modern societies: countries with strong extended families as characterized by a high level of cousin marriages exhibit a weak rule of law and are more likely autocratic. To assess causality, I exploit a quasi-natural experiment. In the early medieval ages the Church started to prohibit kin-marriages. Using the variation in the duration and extent of the Eastern and Western Churches' bans on consanguineous marriages as instrumental variables, reveals highly significant point estimates of the percentage of cousin marriage on an index of democracy. An additional novel instrument, cousin-terms, strengthens this point: the estimates are very similar and do not rest on the European experience alone. Exploiting within country variation of cousin marriages in Italy, as well as within variation of a 'societal marriage pressure' indicator for a larger set of countries support these results. These findings point to a causal effect of marriage patterns on the proper functioning of formal institutions and democracy. The study further suggests that the Churches' marriage rules - by destroying extended kin-groups - led Europe on its special path of institutional and democratic development

Interview with Humanity (Human Needs and Satisfactions)

Situation in life, hopes, fears and satisfaction of the people on six continents. Attitude to problems of the present and expectations of the future. Topics: Future desires and future concepts; fears of the future; general contentment with life and feeling of happiness; relative satisfaction in individual areas of life; satisfaction with income; frequency of financial concerns and lack of money for food and clothing; lack of money for medications; satisfaction with medical care; self-assessment of condition of health; satisfaction with family life; most important family problems; ideal number of children; most important training goals; satisfaction with personal training; expected development of the standard of living; number of friends; expected change of the role of women in the country; judgement on equal opportunities for both sexes in occupation and training; satisfaction with housework and interest in taking up employment; work satisfaction and occupational satisfaction; preferred leisure activity; satisfaction with housing conditions and group sharing a residence; preferred size of place of residence; greatest problems of the group sharing a residence; change of quality of life at place of residence; desire for increased industrialization; sense of security at place of residence; personal impact from a crime (victimization); most important problems of the country and assumed reasons for these problems; expected development of living conditions; satisfaction with life in the country; attitude to population growth; attitude to animal protection; judgement on the wealth of one´s own nation; interest in emigration; readiness to travel; preferred destinations; most respected nation; knowledge of foreign languages; attitude to foreign aid; degree of familiarity of the UN and its special organizations; knowledge about UN membership of one´s country; judgement on the effectiveness of the UN; the significance of religious belief and belief in a life after death. Demography: age; sex; marital status; number of children; race; religious denomination; religiousness; school education; employment; household income; size of household; political orientation; possession of durable economic goods; social surroundings. Interviewer rating: willingness to cooperate und social class of respondent; economic status; housing situation.Lebenssituation, Hoffnungen, Befürchtungen und Zufriedenheit der Menschen in sechs Kontinenten. Einstellung zu Problemen der Gegenwart und Erwartungen an die Zukunft. Themen: Zukunftswünsche und Zukunftsvorstellungen; Zukunftsängste; allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit und Glücksgefühl; relative Zufriedenheit in den einzelnen Lebensbereichen; Zufriedenheit mit dem Einkommen; Häufigkeit finanzieller Sorgen und Mangel an Geld für Nahrungsmittel und Kleidung; fehlendes Geld für Medikamente; Zufriedenheit mit der medizinischen Versorgung; Selbsteinschätzung des Gesundheitszustandes; Zufriedenheit mit dem Familienleben; wichtigste Familienprobleme; ideale Kinderzahl; wichtigste Ausbildungsziele; Zufriedenheit mit der eigenen Ausbildung; vermutete Entwicklung des Lebensstandards; Anzahl der Freunde; erwarteter Wandel der Frauenrolle im Lande; Beurteilung der Chancengleichheit der Geschlechter im Beruf und in der Ausbildung; Zufriedenheit mit der Hausarbeit und Interesse an einer Berufsaufnahme; Arbeitszufriedenheit und Berufszufriedenheit; präferierte Freizeitbeschäftigung; Zufriedenheit mit den Wohnverhältnissen und der Wohngemeinde; präferierte Wohnortgröße; größte Probleme der Wohngemeinde; Veränderung der Lebensqualität am Wohnort; Wunsch nach vermehrter Industrialisierung; Sicherheitsgefühl am Wohnort; eigene Betroffenheit von einem Verbrechen (Viktimisierung); wichtigste Probleme des Landes und vermutete Ursachen für diese Probleme; vermutete Entwicklung der Lebensbedingungen; Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben im Lande; Einstellung zum Bevölkerungswachstum; Einstellung zum Tierschutz; Beurteilung des Reichtums der eigenen Nation; Interesse an Auswanderung; Bereitschaft zum Reisen; präferierte Reiseziele; meist geachtete Nation; Fremdsprachenkenntnisse; Einstellung zur Entwicklungshilfe; Bekanntheitsgrad der UNO und ihrer Spezialorganisationen; Kenntnis der UNO-Mitgliedschaft des eigenen Landes; Beurteilung der Wirksamkeit der UNO; die Bedeutung des religiösen Glaubens und Glauben an ein Leben nach dem Tod. Demographie: Alter; Geschlecht; Familienstand; Kinderzahl; Rasse; Konfession; Religiosität; Schulbildung; Berufstätigkeit; Haushaltseinkommen; Haushaltsgröße; politische Orientierung; Besitz langlebiger Wirtschaftsgüter; soziales Umfeld. Interviewerrating: Kooperationsbereitschaft und Schichtzugehörigkeit des Befragten; wirtschaftlicher Status; Wohnsituation