Consumer acceptance of irradiated food: A study of symbolic adoption

Previous research reveals mixed signals regarding the potential for consumer acceptance of irradiated food. Consumer acceptance seems to depend upon the nature and amount of information provided about irradiation. Survey research finds that only about 20–30% of respondents initially express favourable opinions of irradiation with some cautionary signals concerning consumer suspicion of the process and its benefits to the public. Some laboratory experiments and market tests, on the other hand, indicate a willingness of the consumer to accept a high quality, government-approved product, especially when irradiation is placed within the context of alternative pest and bacteria control treatments. However, these studies fail to provide the consumer with negative information about irradiation. This study examines the relative impact of social persuasion and both favourable and unfavourable information on consumer acceptance of food irradiation. The study takes the approach that consumer acceptance is a social process, wherein acceptance becomes subject to societal approval through word-of-mouth conversations. Previous literature suggests that social persuasion, particularly negative social persuasion, should outweigh favourable information on consumer acceptance of a new technology. This proposition is supported by the results of our study, which indicates that responses that were initially favourable to irradiation, especially those opinions formed in the absence of unfavourable information, should be interpreted with caution. The study supports previous research, therefore, suggesting that industry and governmental agencies would benefit from close inspection of societal attitudes towards the food irradiation process.     

A Proposed Framework for Monetary Policy

Leave the ERM, cut interest rates and let the pound find its own level⃛ it's the cut and run option. The credibility of our anti-inflationary strategy would be in tatters. And quite soon interest rates would have to go back up again - Norman Lamont, in a speech to the European Policy Forum, July 1992.     

Quality of Work Life and Human Resource Outcomes

This study develops and tests hypotheses regarding the influence of Quality of Work Life (QWL) initiatives on absenteeism, accidents, grievances, and quits, using monthly longitudinal human resource archival data collected at a unionized Midwestern heavy manufacturing firm for the period from 1976 to 1986. The sample size is 129 months (48 months of pre-QWL measures and 81 months of post-QWL measures). Autoregression procedures are utilized to examine the direct impact of QWL on human resource outcomes. QWL is found to significantly reduce absenteeism, minor accidents, grievances, and quits.     

THE PRIVATE SECTOR IMPACT OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: HAS MORE BECOME BAD?

Early research suggests some increases in state and local government spending more than offset the negative effects of the tax increases needed to fund them. More recent research finds the growth of state and local government generally discourages private sector growth. Using panel data on private employment, capital and output for the 48 contiguous states, the authors find that government size influences whether additional government helps or hinders private sector growth. The rapid growth of state and local government in the late 1980s likely outstripped the willingness to pay. With government growth moderating in the 1990s, however, the private sector response has become more favorable. (JEL H3 , H4 , R5 )     

WHY DID ECONOMIC MODELS FALSELY PREDICT A BUSH LANDSLIDE IN 1992?

Most economic models falsely predicted a landslide victory for former President Bush in 1992. Rather than winning by the predicted margin of eight to 12 percentage points, Bush lost by a margin of about four. Exit polls tend to eliminate the unique candidacy of Ross Perot as an explanation for the turnabout. This paper examines three factors: (i) changes in the proportion of the population in the military (a proxy for national security concerns), (ii) the number of consecutive terms of incumbency, and (iii) nonlinear interactions between the military variable and standard economic variables. Including these factors in an economic model of the 1992 presidential race avoids predictions of a landslide victory for Bush and also improves the model's overall power and stability.