Corruption and inequality

Economic inequality provides a fertile breeding ground for corruption and, in turn, leads to further inequalities. Most corruption models focus on the institutional determinants of government dishonesty. However, such accounts are problematic. Corruption is remarkably sticky over time. There is a very powerful correlation between crossnational measures corruption in 1980 and in 2004. In contrast, measures of democracy such as the Freedom House scores are not so strongly correlated over time, and changes in corruption are unrelated to changes in institutional design. On the other hand, inequality and trust-like corruption are also sticky over time. The connection between inequality and the quality of government is not necessarily so simple. The aggregate relationships between inequality and corruption are not strong. The path from inequality to corruption may be indirect, through generalized trust, but the connection is key to understanding why some societies are more corrupt than others. This study estimates a simultaneous equation model of trust, corruption, perceptions of inequality, confidence in government, and demands for redistribution in Romania, and shows that perceptions of rising inequality and corruption lead to lower levels of trust and demands for redistribution. – corruption ; inequality ; trust ; transitio

Does Diversity Drive Down Trust?

Some researchers claim that diverse populations lead to less trust. Generalized trust is a core value that leads to positive outcomes in societies--from greater tolerance of minority groups and immigrants and willingness to do good deeds, to less corruption, more social welfare and education spending, more open markets, and better functioning government. Generalized trust fundamentally rests upon a foundation of respect for diversity, but at the same time arguing that societies have a common culture. It is the idea that people have a shared fate. Generalized trust rests upon a foundation of economic equality. Yet some claim that diversity leads to less trust rather than more trust. Trusting people who are different from yourself is atypical of most people, they claim. I dispute this--arguing that generalized trust is largely unrelated to population diversity. It is not diversity that matters--it is how populations are distributed. I show that trust is lower not in diverse societies, but rather in societies with large minority groups that are segregated from the majority groups. Minority residential segregation leads to less trust because it leads to less interaction across different groups in society--and leads minorities to associate only with each other, to form their own political organizations, and to see their fate as less dependent upon majority groups. I then discuss how economic inequality and the rule of law shape the relationship between trust and minority residential segregation.Trust, Diversity, Corruption

Public Support for Pro-Choice Abortion Policies in the Nation and States: Changes and Stability After the \u3cem\u3eRoe\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eDoe\u3c/em\u3e Decisions

The Supreme Court, according to the legendary Mr. Dooley, follows the election returns. In 1973, the Court\u27s two landmark decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, struck down statutes in the forty-six states where abortions were not permitted under any circumstances or were allowed only to save the life of the woman during the first three months of pregnancy. There had been a considerable increase in the level of support for the pro-choice position among the public in the few years preceding Roe and Doe. But did the decisions themselves lead to even more public support for that position? What variations do we find among the states and where has the increase in public support for the pro-choice position seemed the most dramatic? Finally, what has been the impact of the abortion controversy on the political process? We shall examine these questions here and suggest some tentative answers. First, we shall consider the available national poll evidence. Second, we shall examine variations in political opinion on abortion policies in the states. Finally, we shall examine the abortion controversy as it has affected legislative decision making and electoral politics. When we consider the variations among the states, we shall present estimates of state public opinion on abortion policy through a computer simulation technique, developed by the second author and refined jointly by us, which permits us to get approximate figures on state opinions from national surveys

The Therapeutic Potential of D-Amino Acid Oxidase (DAAO) Inhibitors

D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) is a flavoenzyme that degrades D-amino acids through the process of oxidative deamination. DAAO regulation of D-amino acid levels has been associated with several physiological processes ranging from hormone secretion to synaptic transmission and cognition. Recent genetic studies have identified a mutation on chromosome 13 in schizophrenia patients that encodes two gene products (G30 and G72) that are associated with DAAO. Furthermore, DAAO expression and enzyme activity has been reported to be increased in post mortem brain tissue samples from patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. D-serine, a D-amino acid that is regulated by DAAO, is a potent, endogenous co-agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor. Because NMDA receptor dysfunction is thought to be involved in the positive (psychotic), negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia, there has been much interest in developing potent and selective DAAO inhibitors for the treatment of this disease. Several research reports have been published that describe the synthesis and biological effects of novel, selective, small molecule inhibitors of DAAO. Many of these compounds have been shown, when given systemically, to increase D-serine concentrations in the blood and brain. However, the efficacy of these compounds in behavioral assays that measure antipsychotic potential and pro-cognitive effects in laboratory animals has been inconsistent. This article highlights and reviews research advances for DAAO inhibitors published in peer reviewed journals

Amphetamine-induced c- fos mRNA expression in the caudate-putamen and subthalamic nucleus: interactions between dose, environment, and neuronal phenotype

When administered in a novel environment relatively low doses of amphetamine induce c- fos mRNA in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and in preproenkephalin mRNA-containing (ENK+) neurons in the caudate-putamen (CPu). When administered at home, however, low doses of amphetamine do not produce these effects. Environmental novelty also facilitates the behavioral effects of acute and repeated amphetamine, but this is dose-dependent. The purpose of the present experiment therefore was to determine if the effect of context on amphetamine-induced c- fos expression is also dose-dependent. It was found that: (i) No dose of amphetamine tested (1–10 mg/kg) induced c- fos in many ENK+ cells when given at home. (ii) When given in a novel environment low to moderate doses of amphetamine (1–5 mg/kg) induced c- fos in substantial numbers of ENK+ cells, but the highest dose examined (10 mg/kg) did not. (iii) Environmental novelty enhanced the ability of low to moderate doses of amphetamine to induce c- fos in the STN, but the highest dose of amphetamine induced robust c- fos mRNA expression in the STN regardless of context. The results do not support the idea that engaging ENK+ cells, at least as indicated by c- fos mRNA expression, is critical to produce robust behavioral sensitization, but do suggest a possible role for the STN. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of drug–environment interactions on the neurobiological effects of drugs, and have implications for thinking about the circuits by which context modulates the acute and long-lasting consequences of amphetamine treatment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66354/1/j.1471-4159.2003.01646.x.pd

Will We All Hunker Down? The Impact of Immigration and Diversity on Local Communities in Spain

This article engages with the scholarly debate on the supposed negative effect of immigration and diversity, and analyses its effect on two different forms of trust - community trust and generalized trust - in Spain. Our contribution is twofold. Firstly, with census section level data of representative samples of all the Spanish municipalities, we test the propositions that relate greater ethnic diversity to social trust. Secondly, we address the limitations intrinsic to the crude measurement of diversity of the Herfindahl index with a systematic consideration of multiple alternative indicators of immigration-related diversity. We find evidence of a negative effect of diversity on community trust but none on generalized trust. Hence, our findings lend some support to the recent scholarship that questions that increasing diversity has a ‘hunkering down’ effect

Amphetamine and cocaine induce different patterns of c- fos mRNA expression in the striatum and subthalamic nucleus depending on environmental context

In the dorsal striatum, there are two major populations of medium spiny projection neurons. One population is positive for dynorphin mRNA (DYN+), and these cells project preferentially to the substantia nigra, forming the so-called ‘direct pathway’. A second population is positive for enkephalin mRNA (ENK+), and these cells influence the substantia nigra indirectly, via the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus. Psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, are reported to induce immediate early genes (IEGs) in only one subpopulation of dorsal striatal projection neurons, DYN+ cells. However, this apparent selectivity appears to be a function of environmental context. We found that when given in the animal's home cage, amphetamine and cocaine increased expression of the IEG, c- fos , almost exclusively in DYN+ cells. However, when given in a novel environment, amphetamine and cocaine increased c- fos mRNA in both DYN+ and ENK+ cells. Furthermore, amphetamine and cocaine increased c- fos mRNA expression in the subthalamic nucleus when administered in the novel environment, but not when given at home. We conclude that the neural circuitry engaged by psychostimulant drugs, and their ability to induce specific patterns of gene expression, are determined by the environmental context in which they are experienced. This may be related to the ability of environmental novelty to facilitate psychostimulant drug-induced neuroplasticity.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75267/1/j.0953-816x.2001.01574.x.pd

Does inequality erode generalized trust? Evidence from Romanian youths

Generalized trust is a critical component of liberal democratic citizenship. We evaluate the extent to which exposure to socioeconomic inequality erodes trust among Romanian youths. Using national survey data of Romanian eighth-grade and high school students, we evaluate this effect as a product of socioeconomic diversity within the classroom, controlling for the social status of the students as well as socioeconomic inequality within the community where the school is located. Our analysis shows that generalized trust is higher for students in higher grades. However, despite this maturing effect, students exposed to greater levels of socioeconomic diversity have significantly lower levels of trust. The effect is particularly acute for students in the ninth grade. This finding holds when controlling for socioeconomic diversity and polarization in the community. The result reinforces the idea that generalized trust develops early in one’s life and is quite stable, although a major life transformation, such as entering high school, may alter trust depending on the social context

Building social capital through breastfeeding peer support: Insights from an evaluation of a voluntary breastfeeding peer support service in North-West England

Background: Peer support is reported to be a key method to help build social capital in communities. To date there are no studies that describe how this can be achieved through a breastfeeding peer support service. In this paper we present findings from an evaluation of a voluntary model of breastfeeding peer support in North-West England to describe how the service was operationalized and embedded into the community. This study was undertaken from May, 2012 to May, 2013. Methods: Interviews (group or individual) were held with 87 participants: 24 breastfeeding women, 13 peer supporters and 50 health and community professionals. The data contained within 23 monthly monitoring reports (January, 2011 to February 2013) compiled by the voluntary peer support service were also extracted and analysed. Results: Thematic analysis was undertaken using social capital concepts as a theoretical lens. Key findings were identified to resonate with ’bonding’, ‘bridging’ and ‘linking’ forms of social capital. These insights illuminate how the peer support service facilitates ‘bonds’ with its members, and within and between women who access the service; how the service ‘bridges’ with individuals from different interests and backgrounds, and how ‘links’ were forged with those in authority to gain access and reach to women and to promote a breastfeeding culture. Some of the tensions highlighted within the social capital literature were also identified. Conclusions: Horizontal and vertical relationships forged between the peer support service and community members enabled peer support to be embedded into care pathways, helped to promote positive attitudes to breastfeeding and to disseminate knowledge and maximise reach for breastfeeding support across the community. Further effort to engage with those of different ethnic backgrounds and to resolve tensions between peer supporters and health professionals is warranted