OPERATION VANGUARD

Agribusiness,

Choosing and Using Child Victimization Questionnaires.

Youth service professionals are increasingly expected to monitor local child victimization trends and evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs. The use of questionnaires to measure victimization can elicit considerable data, but which questionnaires are best suited to address which needs? This Bulletin notes several benefits deriving from the use of standardized questionnaires. Specific guidelines are provided to help the reader determine the type of victimization to be measured, how the questionnaire should be administered, whether the results need to correspond to crime and child protection categories, what period of time is being measured, what the children’s ages are, and whether the results will be compared with national norms. Specific questionnaires are reviewed, and recommendations for further reading are offered. In the wake of increased public attention to the victimization of children and adolescents, the need for solid information has never been greater. Standardized questionnaires are important tools to accurately measure child victimization. Fortunately, many types of questionnaires are available, and the information that this Bulletin provides should assist you in determining which questionnaire will best meet your needs

Economic Impacts of Red Tide Events on Restaurant Sales

The economic impact of red tide events were examined for three Southwest Florida waterfront restaurants. Daily gross sales from January 1996 through September were analyzed using a multiple regression time series model to examine whether the presence of a red tide, as measured within three and six miles of the beach, reduced sales revenues. Preliminary results indicate that red tide blooms closer to shore had a significantly large negative influence on sales revenues across restaurant locations.Agribusiness,

Advancing the Measurement of Violence: Challenges and Opportunities

Our understanding of the causes and consequences of violence depends on accurately defining and measuring the constructs we study. Although the methods used most often in violence research have led to a wealth of important findings, the field is ripe for both reflection and innovation. The purpose of this special issue is to highlight critical measurement issues in the study of violence and to describe innovative approaches that will move this research forward. In this Introduction to the special issue, we identify 3 challenges for the valid measurement of violence—defining constructs, accurately capturing responses in scoring, and diversifying measurement methods—and discuss how the 8 studies that constitute the issue address these challenges and identify promising directions for future work

FIRM-LEVEL HEDONIC ANALYSIS OF U.S. PRODUCED SURIMI: IMPLICATIONS FOR PROCESSORS AND RESOURCE MANAGERS

Firm-level data on U.S. produced surimi, the only seafood product that is graded on the objective measurement of several quality characteristics, are used to estimate the effect of production variables (e.g., hours between harvest and processing) and policy variables (e.g., fishing seasons) on product characteristics. Transactions data are then used to estimate hedonic equations and derive implicit prices for each characteristic of surimi used to produce seafood analogs and traditional products in the U.S. and Japanese markets, respectively. Implicit prices are also estimated for surimi grade, production location (onshore, at-sea), and production date. Results indicate that several factors (including species) significantly affect surimi characteristics. Color and gel strength have the largest price impact, and market conditions alter the relative prices associated with improving certain characteristics. Overall results demonstrate that management decisions that affect fish quality—and, therefore, processed product quality and price—directly affect the wholesale value of the fishery.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Questions and Answers About the National Survey of Children\u27s Exposure to Violence.

Presents an overview of the National Survey of Children\u27s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the most comprehensive nationwide survey to date of the incidence and prevalence of children\u27s exposure to violence, sponsored by OJJDP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and carried out by the Crimes Against Children Research Center of the University of New Hampshire. It outlines the survey’s objectives and key features, how exposure to violence was measured, and plans for followup surveys and publications. NatSCEV bases its estimates on a large, nationally representative sample of more than 4,500 children ages 17 and younger. The survey interviewed caregivers of children ages 9 and younger and children and youth ages 10 to 17 about 45 different kinds of violence, abuse, and victimization in the past year and over the course of their lifetime

Recovery from a financial crisis: the case of South Korea

Among the countries that were impacted by the 1997 Asian crisis, South Korea (Korea hereafter) has demonstrated the fastest recovery by blocking its downward spiral. Jahyeong Koo and Sherry Kiser examine the recovery process of financial crises, particularly in Korea, in light of the weak-fundamentals and financial-panic views. Since neither of these views adequately explains Korea’s recovery, the authors look at other phenomena for an explanation. Alternative financial arrangements and labor market adjustments are specifically examined. The authors acknowledge that Korea’s recovery was only possible after it gained control of its exchange-rate crisis. Since the recovery process affirms neither the weak-fundamentals view nor the financial-panic view, Koo and Kiser conclude that containing the downward spiral was a combination of factors working together and that much of Korea’s recovery can be attributed to the creation of alternative funding sources and labor adjustments.Banks and banking - Korea

Economic Growth and the Environment: Theory and Facts

Several recent papers propose competing theoretical explanations for the empirical observation of an inverted U-shape relationship between enviromental degradation and per-capita income. We proprose the following test of the theory: calibrate a theoretical model to an already developed economy using information unrelated to the pollution-income curve. Then simulate the model starting from a less developed initial condition and compare the predicted pollutionincome relationship with that in the data. Our results are mixed. Some support exists for the theory that the inverted U-shape results from a corner solution in which less developed countries do not abate pollution. However, pollution peaks at a level of per capita income that is much lower than that observed in the U.S. data.Growth, Environment, pollution, emissions, Environmental Kuznets Curve, Stock Externalities, Calibration

Hey, Mr. Greenspan, can you spare a dollar?

Money ; Dollar ; Latin America

Health Effects of Adverse Childhood Events: Identifying Promising Protective Factors at The Intersection of Mental and Physical Well-Being

Research documents how exposure to adversity in childhood leads to negative health outcomes across the lifespan. Less is known about protective factors – aspects of the individual, family, and community that promote good health despite exposure to adversity. Guided by the Resilience Portfolio Model, this study examined protective factors associated with physical health in a sample of adolescents and adults exposed to high levels of adversity including child abuse. A rural community sample of 2565 individuals with average age of 30 participated in surveys via computer assisted software. Participants completed self-report measures of physical health, adversity, and a range of protective factors drawn from research on resilience. Participants reporting a greater burden of childhood victimization and current financial strain (but not other adverse life events) had poorer physical health, but those with strengths in emotion regulation, meaning making, community support, social support, and practicing forgiveness reported better health. As hypothesized, strengths across resilience portfolio domains (regulatory, meaning making, and interpersonal) had independent, positive associations with health related quality of life after accounting for participants’ exposure to adversity. Prevention and intervention efforts for child maltreatment should focus on bolstering a portfolio of strengths. The foundation of the work needs to begin with families early in the lifespan