An Intertemporal Model of Rational Criminal Choice

This research presents a dynamic model of crime in which agents anticipate future consequences of their actions. Current period decisions affect future outcomes by a process of capital accumulation. While investigating the role of human capital, the focus of our study is on a form of capital that has received somewhat less attention in the literature, social capital. Social capital is an index of one's 'stock' in society. Introduction of social capital into the utility function results in an intertemporally nonseparable preference structure which admits state dependence in the decision to participate in crime. Our model is empirically implemented using panel data on a sample from the 1958 Philadelphia Birth Cohort Study. In estimation, we take account of unobserved choices in states not realized, which potentially depend on individual specific heterogeneity, by using simulation techniques. Our results provide evidence of state dependence in the decision to participate in crime. We also find that the initial level of social capital stock is important in determining the pattern of criminal involvement in adulthood.

For me or not for me? - that is the question : a study of mature students' decision making and higher education

The views expressed in this report are the authors ' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education an

Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Perceptions of Their Confidence and Skills When Providing Community and Social Interventions After a Guided Educational Experience

Background: As the population is aging, occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are well placed to address the community and social needs of older adults to promote healthy aging. However, OTPs seem to be lacking the resources and guidance to implement community and social interventions routinely. Purpose: This quantitative non-experimental, pre-, and post-survey design aims to determine the impact of a guided education intervention on how OTPs perceive their skills and confidence when providing community and social interventions. Theoretical Framework: The Model of Health Promotion (Wilcocks, 2006) and Lifestyle Redesign® (Clark et al., 1997) program were used as the guiding theory and program to support the educational intervention and capstone project. Methods: Prior to the educational intervention, participants completed a presurvey to determine their perceived skills and confidence when providing community and social interventions. Then, OTPs participated in a two-part educational intervention about community and social interventions. Following the completion of the educational intervention, participants completed a post-survey to determine any change in perceived skills and confidence when providing community and social interventions. Results: After participating in this educational intervention, OTPs demonstrated an increase in their perceived confidence and skills when providing community and social interventions. 90% of the participants reported that they were “likely” or “significantly more likely” to provide community and social interventions after the educational intervention. Conclusions: This capstone provided a guided educational experience to OTPs who work with older adults in non-acute settings with the goal of improving their perceived confidence and skills to provide community and social interventions. Analysis of the quantitative data indicates that OTPs reported an increase in their perceived confidence and or skills when providing community and social interventions. This is both clinically and educationally relevant to the field of occupational therapy; however, additional research would be beneficial to determine if these results could be generalized to a larger sample size and if the participants implemented what they learned during this educational intervention

Are There Differential Effects of Price and Policy on College Students' Drinking Intensity?

This paper investigates whether college students' response to alcohol price and policies differ according to their drinking intensity. Individual level data on drinking behavior, price paid per drink, and college alcohol policies come from the student and administrator components of the 1997 and 1999 waves of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) College Alcohol Study (CAS). Students drinking behavior is classified on the basis of the number of drinks they typically consume on a drinking occasion, and the number of times they have been drunk during the 30 days prior to survey. A generalized ordered logit model is used to determine whether key variables impact differentially the odds of drinking and the odds of heavy drinking. We find that students who faced a higher money price for alcohol are less likely to make the transition from abstainer to moderate drinker and moderate drinker to heavy drinker, and this effect is equal across thresholds. Campus bans on the use of alcohol are a greater deterrent to moving from abstainer to moderate drinker than moderate drinker to heavy drinker.

Older People Have Their Say! Survey of Older People’s Needs in Westgate Ward, Canterbury

Although a lot of effort in the last few years has been made to address the needs of people in old age, surprisingly not much is known about the views of this age group in the Canterbury City Council area. To address this lack of knowledge, the Canterbury and District Pensioners’ Forum was funded by the Canterbury City Council to explore the needs of older people living in this area. Our Forum decided to collaborate with the University of Kent to produce a survey on the needs of older people within the District of Canterbury. During the process of the project, we decided to base the survey on the Westgate Ward in Canterbury because we felt that older people living in this area represent a good example for highlighting needs that involve ‘ordinary’ older people. This ward is quite diverse in many ways; it spreads from a semi-rural area through to town dwelling. It is not seen as an area of deprivation, thereby has not generated any special money from the Government to help with social problems in the provision of social centres, community learning, social activities etc. Yet we know from our own experience that what may appear in many parts as fairly affluent is quite deprived of places for people to meet; and has large public housing areas with no amenities at all. The present Government put through legislation, which said that public services should be surveyed, and the part of that legislation that we are particularly interested in is “The National Service Framework for Older People”. That framework asks that older people are treated with dignity by NHS and Social Care organisations; and that Councils –County and District, examine existing services- housing, leisure and transport – to identify opportunities to promote health and well-being. We felt that Westgate Ward would be representative of many other areas within our District that had not received any special investment. The work that has been done in producing this survey has been done by members of the Canterbury & District Pensioners’ Forum with help from the University of Kent. It is a survey of older people, carried out by older people. It is our work. Information generated by this project will be assisting the Forum’s work to promote important issues related to older people’s quality of life and access to health and social care services. A comment from J.F. Kennedy we believe sums up the approach that we took at the start of this survey: “It is not enough for a nation to have added years of life. Our object must be to add new life to those years

Substitutes or Complements? Alcohol, Cannabis and Tobacco

This paper estimates the price responsiveness of cannabis, alcohol and cigarette use. Individual level data from four waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey are merged with previously unavailable state level data on cannabis prices, and ABS alcohol and tobacco price indices. In addition to own price effects, we estimate cross price effects and the impact of differing legal regimes for cannabis on the use of these three drugs. Establishing the nature of the interdependencies between cannabis, alcohol and cigarettes is important in the development of drug policy so that a policy directed at one drug does not unintentionally affect the'demand for other drugs. We find that participation in the use of all three drugs is responsive to own prices and that decriminalisation of cannabis leads to higher cannabis use. Cannabis is found to be a substitute for alcohol and a complement to tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco are found to be complements.illicit drug use, decriminalisation, price responsiveness, participation