Dynamic networks and behavior: separating selection from influence.

A current problem in the analysis of behavioral dynamics, given a simultaneously evolving social network, is the difficulty of separating effects of partner selection from effects of social influence. In this paper we present a recently developed family of statistical models that enables researchers to separate the two effects in a statistically adequate manner. To illustrate our method we make use of a three-wave panel measured in the years 1995-1997 at a school in the West of Scotland. We are able to assess the strength of selection and influence mechanisms associated with friendship networks of substance-using adolescents

Mediators and Moderators of Parental Involvement on Substance Use: A National Study of Adolescents

Current social developmental theories of drug use often incorporate mediation processes, but it is generally unknown whether these mediation processes generalize across ethnicity and gender. In the present study, we developed a mediation model of substance use based on current theory and research and then tested the extent to which the model was moderated by gender and ethnicity (African American, European American, and Hispanic American), separately for 8th and 10th graders. The respondents were adolescents from the 1994, 1995, and 1996 cohorts of the Monitoring the Future (MTF) project, which conducts yearly in-school surveys with nationally representative samples. Multi-group, structural equation modeling (SEM) results indicated much similarity across gender and ethnicity for school success and time spent with friends as partial mediators of risk taking and parental involvement on drug use (controlling for parental education). However, there were some differences in the magnitude of indirect effects of parental involvement and risk taking on substance use for 8th-grade African American girls. Discussion focuses on the potential success of prevention efforts across different ethnicities and gender that target parent–child relationship improvement and risk taking, and considers possible culture- and gender-specific issues.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45503/1/11121_2005_Article_19.pd

The rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minority groups and their members in modern international law

The thesis concerns itself with the fundamental rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic groups in contemporary international law. The rights outlined are to be found in multilateral treaties and general or customary international law. The first right identified is the right to existence which is principally associated with the Genocide Convention 1948. The second right outlined is the right of individuals belonging to minorities to an identity in cultural, religious and linguistic terms. This right is found in treaties rather than general customary law. The principal vehicle for the right to identity is Article 27 of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The relationship between this right and the right of individuals not to be discriminated against on grounds of race, language or religion is a major focus of the text. The rights of indigenous and tribal populations are also discussed: in addition to being in most cases minorities in their States, these populations have been the subject of specific action mainly in the International Labour Organisation. They are therefore entitled to all the rights of minorities as well as those rights specifically drawn up in their favour. The thesis commences with an outline of the legal and philosophical problems raised by the existence of minorities and indigenous populations and discusses the history of the protection of minority groups by international law, culminating in the League of Nations regime for their protection. A consistent theme running through the work is the relationship between individual and collective rights in international law and the conclusion of the work attempts to characterise international law in this respect, and to forecast the direction which the law will take in the future