Pro-social Motivation and the Delivery of Social Services

This article provides an overview highlighting some major themesof the recent literature on the role of pro-social motivationin the provision of social services. We focus on the insightsobtained from two alternative ways of modelling pro-social motivation;action-oriented and output-oriented altruism. This literaturehas implications regarding the design of optimal incentives,the selection of motivated agents and its interaction with monetaryrewards, and the optimal organizational form required to exploitsuch motivations. We also discuss the implications for governmentprovision of social services from the perspective of a parallelliterature that emphasizes the non-contractible nature of output,and contrast it with the implications derived from work emphasizingthe role of pro-social motivation. (JEL codes: H11, J32, J45,L31, L33)     

Using Video Surveys to Access Dispersed Backcountry Visitors' Norms

Image Capture Technology (ICT), or the capture and editing of photographic images using microcomputers, has been used in a variety of settings to assess social and ecological impacts. This study illustrates the application of this technology in a VHS videotape survey designed to assess visitors' norms for varying numbers of watercraft, sounds from aircraft and motorized boats, and the acceptability of floating outfitting camps. Acceptability ratings for three setting contexts (access areas, attraction sites, and wild places) within Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, British Columbia, were evaluated. Methodologically, use of the videotape survey proved to be a cost effective vehicle in evaluating both sight and sound impacts. More than 75% of the respondents indicated that the images served as useful reminders of their visit and helped them articulate their norms. These normative standards were consistent with other studies conducted in backcountry areas. The implications of this technology for addressing natural resource management issues are discussed.     

Business Cycles, the Exchange Rate, and Demand for Antidumping Protection in Mexico

Antidumping actions in the US and EU are known to be linked to macroeconomic conditions. In part, this is because positive injury findings may be easier to make in a downturn, increasing the chance of success for complainants. We explore the evidence for Mexico, one of the main “new” antidumping regimes. Injury determination is also critical in Mexico’s antidumping policy, as a majority of unsuccessful complaints have been rejected because of negative injury findings rather than negative findings of dumping. Working with data from 1987 to 2000, we provide evidence for a relationship between macroeconomic factors and antidumping complaints, including current account and exchange rate movements, and both local and global general macroeconomic conditions.     

THE LEVEL OF WORLD INEQUALITY: HOW MUCH CAN ONE SAY?

This paper constructs estimates of income and consumption inequality for the world (124 countries), using various measures of inequality. It then goes on to examine the possible effects of various sources of error in the estimates, and attempts to set rough limits to the size of such effects. Among the sources of error examined are purchasing power parities used for currency conversion, systematic errors in estimates of per capita incomes, differences in age structure, government tax and expenditure policy, and lifetime income effects. The paper concludes that, although the level of uncertainty in the estimates is too great to permit conclusions about, for instance, trends over time, it is clear that the level of world inequality is extreme, and that it is primarily due to differences in average incomes across countries rather than to intra-country inequality.     

Poverty: Deprivations in terms of basic needs

Although income-based poverty focuses on an important dimension of poverty, it only gives a partial picture of the many ways in which human lives can be blighted. This study focuses on deprivations in terms of the most basic needs, such as access to safe water and sanitation. Policy makers and other people usually ask, 'With the new government in place, has poverty become worse or are we winning the fight against poverty?' The study seeks to investigate if there have been improvements in the situation in South Africa between 1995 and 1999. The October Household Surveys conducted in 1995 and 1999 are used in the study. The t-test is used to assess the statistical significance of the changes.     

The aftermath of France's last moral panic and its sociology

Stéphane Beaud and Michel Pialoux Violences urbaines, violence sociale. Genèse des nouvelles classes dangereuses Robert Castel L'insécurité sociale. Qu'est‐ce qu'être protégé? David Garland The culture of control. Crime and social order in contemporary society Hugues Lagrange Demandes de sécurité. France, Europe, Etats‐Unis     

Commercial policy variability, bindings, and market access

Protection unconstrained by rules often varies substantially over time. Rules-based disciplines, such as WTO tariff bindings and bindings on market access in services, constrain this variability. We examine the theoretical effects of such constraints on the expected cost of protection and offer a formalization of the concept of “market access”, emphasizing both the first and second moments of the distribution of protection. As an illustration, we provide a stylized examination of Uruguay Round bindings on wheat.     

The perceived impact of tourism by residents a case study in Santa Marta,Colombia

Studies of the local population's perception of tourism impact are useful in setting up programs to minimize friction between tourists and residents, and in formulating plans to gain resident support of tourist ventures. This study identifies the positive and negative aspects of tourism as perceived by the Santa Marta residents, and the influence of selected variables on resident response. It is hypothesized that the perception of tourist impact varies with the distance a person lives from the tourist zone and with the resident's socio-economic status. It is found that despite the perception of some serious negative aspects, Santa Marta residents consider the overall impact of tourism to be beneficial. They want their government to offer more economic incentives and eliminate any restrictive measures in order to stimulate tourism in the area. The positive attitudes of the Santa Marta residents toward tourism may be a function of the incipient stage of tourism development in this area.