The Ragged Edge of Rugged Individualism: Wage Theft and the Personalization of Social Harm

Every year, millions of low-wage workers suffer wage theft when their employers refuse to pay them what they have earned. Wage theft is both prevalent and highly impactful. It costs individuals thousands each year in unpaid earnings, siphons tens of billions of dollars from low-income communities, depletes the government of necessary resources, distorts the competitive labor market, and causes significant personal harm to its victims. In recent years, states and cities have passed new laws to attack the problem. These legal changes are important. They are also, broadly speaking, failing the people they are supposed to protect. This Article fills a significant gap in the literature by detailing the full scope of damage caused by wage theft and by critically examining the dominant approach to combatting it. Drawing on existing research and nearly 60 in-depth interviews about wage theft in the District of Columbia, this Article paints a thorough picture of wage theft’s harms, explores why and how existing reforms are failing, and explains what must be done instead. Enforcement schemes reflect the current view that wage theft is a personal harm properly addressed on a case-by-case basis in the civil justice system. As a result, reforms—both as written and implemented—generally attempt to empower and incentivize individuals to action. These approaches are failing. They misunderstand what wage theft is, how it plays out, and how it must be addressed. Wage theft is not an individual problem, but a social harm, and it therefore requires a broad, public response. Because low-wage workers live economically precarious lives and are so dependent on their jobs to survive, they almost never take formal legal action over violations of their rights. Government bodies cannot continue to rely on workers themselves to enforce their rights, but must take on a new role as robust, active, and strategic enforcers. Unless and until they do, millions of people will continue to suffer violations of their basic workplace rights with no meaningful recourse

Health beliefs as a key determinant of intent to use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among high-school football players: implications for prevention

The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is problematic for youth because of negative effects such as reduced fertility, increased aggression and exposure to toxic chemicals. An effective programme for addressing this problem is Adolescents Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS). This secondary analysis expands prior research by identifying prominent mechanisms of change and highlighting key longitudinal processes that contributed to the success of ATLAS. The current sample consists of highschool football players (N = 1.068; Mage = 15.25) who began ATLAS in grades nine through eleven and participated in booster sessions for two years post-baseline. Knowledge of AAS effects, belief in media ads, reasons not to use AAS, perceived severity of and susceptibility to AAS effects and ability to resist drug offers were critical mediators of the relations between ATLAS and outcomes. Modern applications of the ATLAS programme are also discussed

RISE, a Tool for Holistic Sustainability Assessment at the Farm Level

Sustainability must be adopted as a key principle in global markets. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the degree of sustainability on a national and local level. However, only little information for single farm assessment is currently available. The present paper introduces a tool, the "Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation" (RISE), which allows an easy assessment at the farm level. It is system-oriented and offers a holistic approach for advice, education and planning. The model covers ecological, economical and social aspects by defining 12 indicators for Energy, Water, Soil, Biodiversity, Emission Potential, Plant Protection, Waste and Residues, Cash Flow, Farm Income, Investments, Local Economy and Social Situation. For each indicator a "State" (S) and a "Driving force" (D) are determined from direct measures of a number of parameters. The "State" indicates the current condition of the specific indicator, higher values are more desirable, and the "Driving force" is a measure of the estimated pressure the farming system places on the specific indicator; in this case lower values are desirable. D and S are standardized on a 0 to 100 scale; a perfect indicator would be identified by S=100 and D=0, whereas significant challenges would be captured by a combination of a low S and a high D. The degree of sustainability (DS) of each indicator is defined as DS= (S-D), bound by construction to the -100 to +100 range. The overall results are summarized and displayed in a sustainability polygon. In addition to this polygon a strength/weakness profile is determined for 1) the stability of the social, economic and ecological framework, 2) farmer's risk awareness and risk management measures, 3) grey energy in machines, buildings and external inputs, 4) animal health and welfare. RISE has been tested and used to evaluate very different farms in Brazil, Canada, China and Switzerland. Results are considered relevant with regard to the objective stated. Further testing, adaptation and fine-tuning is under way. A similar model covering the supply chain to the factory gate is also under development.Sustainability assessment, Sustainability at the farm and crop level, Indicators of sustainability, Driving Force - State - Response (DSR) - model, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management,

Elbow Extension Predicts Motor Impairment and Performance after Stroke

Background and Purpose. Kinematic motion analysis has helped to characterize poststroke reaching strategies with the hemiparetic arm. However, the relationships between reaching strategy and performance on common functional outcome measures remain unclear. Methods. Thirty-five participants were tested for motor performance and motor impairment using the Wolf Motor Function Test (time and functional ability measure) and Fugl-Meyer assessment, respectively. Kinematic motion analysis of a forward reaching paradigm provided potential predictors of reaching strategy including shoulder flexion, elbow extension, and trunk displacement. A stepwise linear regression model with three potential predictors was used in addition to Pearson-product moment correlations. Results. Kinematic analysis of elbow extension predicted performance on both the Wolf Motor Function Test and Fugl-Meyer assessment. Shoulder flexion and trunk displacement did not significantly predict functional or reaching time outcomes. The Wolf Motor Function Test and the Fugl-Meyer assessment were highly correlated. Conclusions. The ability to incorporate elbow extension during reach is a significant predictor of motor performance and hemiparetic arm motor capacity after stroke

The Protection of Instream Flows in Montana: A Legal-Institutional Perspective

42 pages. Contains references