Minority Group Interests and Political Representation: Gay Elected Officials in the Policy Process

This is the publisher's version, which is also available electronically from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0022-3816.00026Of key importance to groups in a democracy is the political representation of their interests in the policy process. The most obvious strategy of groups to achieve representation is to elect officials that identify with group interests. Our research examines the political representation of lesbian and gay interests, exploring the influence of openly gay elected officials on domestic partner policies. Based on the literature, we select and operationalize variables that may influence policy adoption. Analysis on a dataset of 270 localities suggests that elected gay officials are an important determinant for achieving substantive political representation. Our findings also suggest that supportive non-gay elected officials can effectively represent gays in the policy process

Kansas Policy Survey: Spring 2001 Survey Results

The Kansas Policy Survey, Spring 2001 (KPS-Spring01) consisted of over 80 questions that were constructed by the Director and Manager of the SRC as well as from consultation with others in the Policy Research Institute at the University of Kansas. While the survey is not inclusive of all policy and political issues affecting Kansas, it represents a breadth of issues and concerns from the 2000 Presidential election, to current and future economic expectations, policy preferences for Kansas state services, and the recent decision by the Kansas Board of Education to re-emphasize evolution in science curriculum. The results of the survey reveal interesting and important information about Kansans’ perspectives on the various issues. For the most part, Kansans are satisfied with how things are going in the state. However, there are small to sizable minorities that feel that substantial change is needed. One of the most notable distinctions is that Kansans are fairly concerned about the state of public education in the state

Kansas Policy Survey: Spring 2001 Survey Results – Short Version

The Kansas Policy Survey, Spring 2001 (KPS-Spring01) consisted of over 80 questions that were constructed by the Director and Manager of the Survey Research Center as well as from consultation with others in the Policy Research Institute at the University of Kansas. While the survey is not inclusive of all policy and political issues affecting Kansas, it represents a breadth of issues and concerns from the 2000 Presidential election, to current and future economic expectations, policy preferences for Kansas state services, and the recent decision by the Kansas Board of Education to re-emphasize evolution in the science curriculum. The short version here contains the findings for selected survey questions specifically related to Kansas state government, policy and politics. The results of the survey reveal interesting and important information about Kansans’ perspectives on the various issues. For the most part, Kansans are satisfied with how things are going in the state. However, there are small to sizable minorities that feel that substantial change is needed. One of the most notable distinctions is that Kansans are fairly concerned about the state of public education in the state

Kansas Policy Survey: Fall 2001 Survey Results

he Kansas Policy Survey for Fall 2001 (KPS-Fall01) consisted of over 90 questions that were constructed by the Director and manager of the Survey Research Center as well as from consultation with others in the Policy Research Institute at the University of Kansas. Although the survey is not inclusive of all policy issues facing the state of Kansas, it represents a number of important issues facing the state today, including economic, social, and political issues as well as national issues, especially security and terrorism following September 11th. In terms of state policy, emphasis was placed on educational issues (which were seen as important to Kansans in the KPS-Spring01) and energy issues. Additionally, respondents were asked their beliefs about public officials and on a range of other political issues. The results of the KPS-Fall01 provide interesting and informational insights into the perceptions and beliefs of Kansans on various issues and policies. For the most part, Kansans are satisfied with the way things are going in the state, yet there is enough data to ascertain that Kansans also want certain changes in policies in Kansas. Education tops the list of priorities of Kansans, and responses to the survey display a need and willingness to provide the resources for improvement of public schools

Soy-Based Infant Formula is Associated with an Increased Prevalence of Comorbidities in Fragile X Syndrome.

A large number of adults and children consume soy in various forms, but little information is available regarding potential neurological side effects. Prior work indicates an association between the consumption of soy-based diets and seizure prevalence in mouse models of neurological disease and in children with autism. Herein, we sought to evaluate potential associations between the consumption of soy-based formula during infancy and disease comorbidities in persons with fragile X syndrome (FXS), while controlling for potentially confounding issues, through a retrospective case-control survey study of participants with FXS enrolled in the Fragile X Online Registry with Accessible Research Database (FORWARD). There was a 25% usage rate of soy-based infant formula in the study population. We found significant associations between the consumption of soy-based infant formula and the comorbidity of autism, gastrointestinal problems (GI) and allergies. Specifically, there was a 1.5-fold higher prevalence of autism, 1.9-fold GI problems and 1.7-fold allergies in participants reporting the use of soy-based infant formula. The major reason for starting soy-based infant formula was GI problems. The average age of seizure and allergy onset occurred long after the use of soy-based infant formula. We conclude that early-life feeding with soy-based infant formula is associated with the development of several disease comorbidities in FXS