3,688 research outputs found
The Route to Activism is through Experience: Contributor Mobilization in Interest Groups
Why members are organizational activists has received little attention, despite its obvious
importance for many associations. In this analysis, a theory of experiential search is applied to the
activist decision calculus of Common Cause members. Most such volunteers join an organization as.
members of the rank and file, learn about the group and its operations, and then decide to become
activists. They are largely motivated by what they learn about those benefits that accrue exclusively
to activists. Their actions also may suggest a tendency toward organizational oligarchy-but one
that is strongly tempered by the presence of other factors shaping the conditional decision calculus
The Determinants of Interest Group Membership: Estimating Choice-Based Probability Models of Contribution Decisions
There has been much theorizing about why individuals join interest groups. However, little
has been done to test the resulting propositions because of the difficulties associated with empirically
analyzing the joining decision. This deficiency is especially great when it comes to public or
symbolic interest groups. In this analysis, choice-based probability methods are employed that
permit the combination of data from the 1980 National Election Study with comparable information
about Common Cause members and the estimation of models of the participation calculus. Besides
demonstrating the applicability of the choice-based methodology, this analysis shows the primary
importance of political interest and policy preferences for the membership choice. Citizens who are
politically interested and have preferences that roughly match an organization's reputation find that
associational membership has both greater benefits and lower costs for them than it does for others.
An ability to pay is irrelevant, regardless of educational attainment and despite members' high
incomes. Organizational leaders deliberately keep the costs of membership low relative to most
citizens' ability to pay; this encourages potential contributors to join in order to learn about the
organization
Organizational Maintenance and the Retention Decision: A Theory of Experiential Search
Understanding why members leave or remain in groups has received little attention despite
its fundamental importance for organizational maintenance. In this analysis, a theory of experiential
search is proposed and applied to Common Cause. Group participation is conceptualized as a
process by which imperfectly informed decision-makers learn about the organizations they join.
This framework makes quitting understandable and provides a link between the initial membership
choice and follow-up decisions
Paula Rothenberg: And Justice for All: Social Justice Teaching and A Curriculum of Inclusion (2004)
https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/av_root/1004/thumbnail.jp
Spontaneous Raman scattering as a high resolution XUV radiation source
A type of high resolution XUV radiation source is described which is based upon spontaneous anti-Stokes scattering of tunable incident laser radiation from atoms excited to metastable levels. The theory of the source is summarized and two sets of experiments using He (1s2s)(1)S atoms, produced in a cw hollow cathode and in a pulsed high power microwave discharge, are discussed. The radiation source is used to examine transitions originating from the 3p(6) shell of potassium. The observed features include four previously unreported absorption lines and several sharp interferences of closely spaced autoionizing lines. A source linewidth of about 1.9 cm(-1) at 185,000 cm(-1) is demonstrated
Executive orders are not a viable route around political gridlock
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama told Congress that if they continued to obstruct rather than act, he would move forward wherever he could without them. One avenue for such initiatives could be the increased use of executive orders; however, it is unclear if the president can actually wield true power in this way. Using data on executive orders from 1947-2003, Fang-Yi Chiou and Lawrence S. Rothenberg examine whether and how the president’s supposedly independent actions are constrained by outside forces. They conclude the president cannot achieve true additional power through unilateral action and executive orders are unlikely to provide a means to work around a gridlocked political process
Two electrophoreses in different pH buffers to purify forest soil DNA contaminated with humic substances
Direct extraction of DNA from soils is a useful way to gain genetic information on the soil source. However, DNA extraction from soils, especially forest soils, may be contaminated by humic substances due to their similar physical and chemical characteristics to soil. Even commercial soil DNA extractionkits fail to retrieve DNA from these soils. Using the potential changes of specific charge of DNA and humic substances in a pH solution, we performed two electrophoreses in different pH buffers to eliminate the interfering substances. The method produced high quality soil DNA, which is applicablefor PCR amplification
Protecting Older Workers: The Failure of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
A growing number of older adults are finding that retirement is no longer affordable and they must work well into their later years. Unfortunately, over 42 years after passage of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, age discrimination in the workplace continues to present serious impediments to employment in later life. Using a critical gerontology perspective, this paper reviews the history of work-related age discrimination and analyzes the ADEA and its limited effectiveness at protecting the civil and economic rights of older workers. The authors discuss implications and suggest policy alternatives that would support the employment and enhance the economic well-being of older adults
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