Rent Subsidy and Housing Satisfaction The Case of Urban Renewal In Lubbock, Texas

—Governmental programs proposing rental supplements for low-income families assume that social and economic conditions of these families may be improved by such subsidy. However, this assumption has not been adequately tested by social science research. Data presented here were gathered at an urban renewal relocation housing project in Lubbock, Texas, and suggest that when families who, before urban renewal, were self-sufficient in slum housing are forced into welfare situations because of rent subsidy programs, dissatisfaction with relocation facilities results. The data also indicate that dissatisfaction is correlated positively with the number of persons in the household, the age of residents, and socioeconomic status.     

THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON PENSION POLICY HOUSEHOLD SURVEY 1979: NET WEALTH DISTRIBUTIONS BY TYPE AND AGE FOR THE UNITED STATES

A household survey was done for the U.S. President's Commission on Pension Policy (1979-81). This paper reports on the net wealth of families in the United States for the year 1979, the first wave of the survey. The survey was begun in September 1979 and was a two-wave, nationwide random sample of households in the United States. The survey instrument gathered information on income, wealth, labor supply, participation in pension plans, vesting status, entitlement to various benefits, attitudinal views on retirement, social security wealth, and individual demographic characteristics. Details of the survey methodology are reported. A response rate of sixty-two percent was achieved among the 6,384 dwelling units in the first wave. Imputations are made to calculate the wealth embodied in private and public employee-based pensions. Included in this valuation is an adjustment for expected vesting status in the pension plan. Net wealth is examined by type and age of the head of household. The average net wealth of the family is $53,956, and the average value of retirement wealth is $3,281 which comprises about 5 to 6 percent of net wealth. The striking changes in the portfolio of net wealth are depicted over the cross-section of age cohorts. The oldest age cohort, 65 and over, is found to have for retirement wealth the lowest frequency of ownership, the lowest proportion of their portfolio in this form of wealth, and the second to lowest average value.     

Cheating to win: Dishonesty and the intensity of competition

We argue that the intensity of competition within a group or organization can have an important influence on whether or not people cheat. To make this point we first work through a simple model of strategic misreporting in the workplace. For low and high levels of competition we show that, in equilibrium, few are predicted to misreport. It is for medium levels of competition that misreporting is predicted to be highest. We test this prediction experimentally and find good support for it. This finding has implications for the design of incentive structures within groups and organizations.     

Graph theory and managing urban change

In almost any kind of empirical research, it is useful—some would say essential—to have in mind a “model” of the thing or process to be investigated [1]. Research may subsequently validate or invalidate this initial model. But some kind of model is useful from the outset of any research project, in order to provide a link between the precise directions of the research and its ultimate objectives.To examine and describe the organizational and institutional aspects of major urban systems, therefore, requires some kind of model of a major urban system. Such a model has two important functions. It serves as a framework for interpreting data which are gathered in the course of the research; and it also suggests possible hypotheses for testing against the data.The model in a piece of research may be either stated or implied. But for research into phenomena as complex as major urban systems, it is well to have a model which is spelled out in fairly explicit terms.There is really no shortage of explicit models of urban systems. (Indeed, it sometimes seems as if the difficulty lies more in the opposite direction!). Each of these models has its respective strengths and weaknesses and, consequently, is more appropriate for some kinds of research than for others [2]. The purpose of this paper is to describe a model which provides a suitable basis not merely for understanding but also for managing changes in major urban systems. In other words, this paper is intended to provide the basis for an essentially action-oriented model of major urban systems.     

Impulse balance and framing effects in threshold public good games

In this paper, we revisit the evidence for framing effects in threshold public good games. Our particular focus is on why the probability of providing the public good appears to be higher in positive, give frames compared with negative, take frames. We show that the impulse balance theory can explain this effect. We also report a new experiment designed to test the predictions of the impulse balance theory. The results of the experiment fit well, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, with our predictions.     

Homeworking: negotiating the psychological contract

This article explores the psychological contract of female clerical homeworkers who work from home full‐time and are employed at a local authority. Qualitative interviews were carried out with homeworkers and their supervisors. Temporal flexibility was desired by all the homeworkers in order to achieve a better work–life balance, and was deemed important by women without children as well as those with childcare responsibilities. Our findings highlight that homeworkers were able to negotiate their own idiosyncratic deals with line managers in order to attain their desired levels of temporal flexibility. However, the issue of flexibility remains ambiguous with some supervisory staff being more comfortable with the concept than others, leading to some homeworkers enjoying different levels of temporal flexibility than their co‐workers. Our findings suggest that employees perceive flexibility idiosyncratic deals of co‐workers as fair as long as they achieve their own personal levels of temporal flexibility. The potential implications for organisations are discussed.     

MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS TO OPTIMISE ACQUISITION OF RESEARCH FUNDS*

This paper analyses the decision faced by an academic department when it has the opportunity of rejecting or bidding for a new research grant. Research grams commonly provide inputs that complement existing resources, but also incur opportunity costs as established resource services are reallocated. A case study suggested that the grant acquisition decision process contains a sequence of five major REJECT/ GO ON decision points. Each GO ON decision results in an inflow of more information pertinent to the decision. The paper suggests that scope exists for introducing mathematical decision aids at each decision point. The problem is modelled as the optimisation of a multi-factor utility function subject to linear constraints and the presence of integer variables. A hypothetical example problem is presented. Difficulties that might be encountered in data acquisition and problem solution are briefly discussed. Dans ce rapport, on analyse la décision que doit prendre un départemem univer-sitaire quand il a le choix de refuser ou ?essayer ?obtenir une nouvelle subvention pour des travaux de recherches. Ces subventions fournissent souvenl des fonds qui complètent des ressources déja existantes, mais présenlent également des frais connexes lorsque les services de ressources sont réorganisés. One étude fondée sur un cas suggère que le processus de décision pour ?obtention ?une subvention comporte une série de cinq étapes principales de décision REFUS/ CONT/NUA TION. Chaque décision de continuation donne lieu à?arrivée ?infor-mations additionnelles relatives à la décision. Ce rapport suggère qu'un cas existe pour ?inlroduction ?aides de décision mathématiques à chaque étape de décision. Le modèle du problème se présente sous la forme de I'optimisation ?un choix utile à buts multiples, sujet à des contraintes linéaires et à la présence de variables à nombre entier. On ajoute un problème hypothétique à litre ?exemple. On discute brièvement des difficulies qui pourraient se présenter en ce qui concerne ?acquisition des données et la solution du problème