The intention of this study is to search for an answer to the question: what theory is most appropriate for explaining Korean social welfare policy for the period from 1962 to 1991? / Many competing theories in social welfare policy have been studied including two different perspectives, determinants theories and incrementalism theory. / The analyses focused on both total social welfare expenditures and types of welfare policies. The dependent variable, total social welfare expenditures divided by budget, was measured both as two stage least square and a percentage change. Expenditures were also classified into three budget categories; those being social insurance, medical care and insurance, and social welfare service. Previous expenditures, an indicator of the incremental character of decision-making, was, as expected, a positive, statistically significant predictor of current expenditures. When social expenditures were expressed as a percentage of change, determinant variables were not significantly related to total social welfare expenditures divided by total governmental spending. The centralization variable was statistically significant with medical care and insurance. / In conclusion, the incrementalism proved to be the most influential theory for explaining Korean social welfare policies. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2982. / Major Professor: Charles F. Cnudde. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Statement of the problem. Smoking is a growing public health problem in Jordan. Effective interventions must be designed using local data to determine psychosocial determinants of smoking behaviors. Using two representative samples of Jordanian youth, the current analysis will determine whether the Western models of psychosocial factors apply to this population and will further the understanding of the dynamics of smoking behaviors and the factors associated with smoking initiation/progression among youth Methods. Two nationally representative samples of Jordanian youth were utilized from the 2005 Communication Partnership for Family Health (CPFH) baseline cross-sectional survey (N=936) and the 2003 Jordan Global Youth Tobacco Survey (JGYTS) (N=6,313). Measures included smoking behaviors, socio-demographics, exposure/receptivity to tobacco media, and perceived social benefits of smoking. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to model the relationship of socio-demographic and psychosocial factors to smoking behaviors Results. Findings from the CPHF survey indicate that maternal education and paternal smoking were significantly associated with youth smoking status. Maternal smoking, socioeconomic status (SES) and the presence of a household smoke-free area were not significant predictors of youth smoking status The JGYTS study showed significant adjusted effects of receptivity to tobacco media and perceived social benefits of smoking on smoking susceptibility among males and females. Ever smoking was significantly associated with receptivity to tobacco media, exposure to tobacco media messages, exposure to school tobacco control activities and perceived social benefits. Exposure to school tobacco control activities demonstrated a protective effect against ever smoking. Significant adjusted effects of receptivity to tobacco media (among males only), exposure to tobacco media messages and the perceived social benefits of smoking were detected on 30-day smoking. The findings indicate that perceived social benefit of smoking partially mediates the association of exposure to tobacco media and smoking behaviors and the association of friend smoking status and smoking behaviors Conclusions. The seriousness of the tobacco epidemic among Jordanian youth highlights the need for effective intervention prevention efforts targeting smoking. Early prevention programs and targeting efforts need to be culturally tailored, gender specific, multidimensional, and challenge the cultural perceptions of smokers among Jordanian youth / acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation uses a combination of modern and postmodern interpretative approaches to identify, describe, and analyze the narratives presented within ERACE, an organization which uses the emergent method of dialogue to promote interracial communication. The analysis of the narratives revealed information about the participants' understanding of both the organization and of racism. Based on concepts of narrative thinking and organizational representation, a 'meta-story' was postulated. This 'meta-story' serves as a model for showing relationships between the individual narratives, and for demonstrating the fluidity and constant evolvement of the organization. In doing so, the model moves the interpretation of the findings from a static, functionalist approach to partially achieving what Jeffcut (1993) calls a 'polyphonic, open-ended, creative dialogue,' as an interpretation and representation of the organization. Weick's (1995) concept of sensemaking, Bateson's (1972) Four Orders of Learning, and the theory of social constructivism are presented as ways of understanding the process of this research as well as the experience of dialogue within the organization. Some implications for social work education and future research point to continued emphasis on narrative, the addition of the concept of dialogue as a mechanism of social learning in organizations, and further exploration of the growing phenomena of interracial dialogue organizations / acase@tulane.edu

This paper uses quantitative methods to measure the impacts from selected shocks and evaluates the sensitivity of different welfare indicators to those shocks. The data sets from 2004--05 household and community surveys in the Central Highland of Angola are used for this study. Oaxaca decomposition analysis is conducted to examine how much of the differential in the values of welfare indicators can be explained by group differences in characteristics, and how much may be due to shock impacts. This study then examines the sensitivity of each welfare indicator to different shocks and illustrates the distribution of shock impacts on indicators using the nonparametric density estimation method. The inferences from the above study are later verified with the help of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis. Suitable welfare indicators for the vulnerability assessment under each selected shock are identified. The study results suggest that there is no all-purpose welfare indicator in existence for vulnerability analysis. The groups of population at risk of falling below the poverty line or having their poverty status deteriorated with shock impacts are identified using the welfare indicators with ex ante data. The methods used in this paper are experimental yet innovative in vulnerability study. They are expected to improve the efficiency and accuracy of vulnerability assessment, and to facilitate aid/after-shock relief distribution and policy making / acase@tulane.edu

During the past two decades, the Mexican agricultural policy has endured significant changes. These changes have impacted the lives of campesino families in a remarkable manner and the services provided by the State institutions supporting the agricultural sector. This study analyses these impacts in the context of a rural development program in Mexico that has experienced both the previous and the most recent policy frameworks developed by the Mexican State during this period The primary purpose of this research is to evaluate 20 years of agricultural development policy, resulting from recent changes in the country's economic policy, within the context of the Plan Llanos de Serdan program in central Mexico. This program was developed in 1975 in the framework of an agricultural-economic model suggesting that increases in yield of corn would result into betterment of overall household conditions It is argued in this study that this program has successfully achieved the goals related to adoption of technology and increments in yields; however its impact in household welfare has not been significant due to the inappropriateness of the agricultural policy formulated by the Mexican State in behalf of campesinos / acase@tulane.edu

Little is known about the effectiveness of HIV testing and counseling programs to inspire behavior change among patients seen at US clinics for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). We studied changes in gonorrhea incidence from 1989 through 1993 in a historical cohort of 4,031 patients seen at a public STD clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana. To determine if HIV testing and counseling promote risky behaviors, we designed a pretest-posttest observational study which included a treatment group and an untreated comparison group. The frequency, timing, and results of the HIV tests performed during follow-up were taken into account in the analysis. We used Cox's proportional hazard regression techniques for multivariate failure time data to model the occurrence of gonorrhea infections over time. The models adjusted the comparisons for history of gonorrhea, and HIV testing and counseling, as well as important confounding factors. We found that being tested and learning about a negative test result may have prevented up to 1,318 gonorrhea infections (34.7 percent of the expected total number of infections) among individuals who never tested HIV positive. The risk of gonorrhea remained constant at a low level among 911 individuals who were not tested during follow-up (22.6 percent of all patients). The risk of gonorrhea decreased markedly after HIV testing among 2,041 individuals at low baseline risk (50.6 percent of all patients), decreased moderately after each of the first two HIV tests among 672 subjects at intermediate baseline risk (16.7 percent of all patients), but increased after the first test among 358 subjects at high baseline risk (8.9 percent of all patients). Posttest counseling was associated with a marginally significant decline in risk of gonorrhea among subjects at low baseline risk, but had no apparent effect on the other patients. No disinhibition effect was observed after posttest counseling. Our study suggests that HIV testing and counseling promote safer behaviors in most patients diagnosed with gonorrhea in a public clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Nevertheless, a possible rebound effect was observed after HIV testing among patients who had the highest baseline risk of gonorrhea / acase@tulane.edu

Existing research in the field of marriage report that African-American marriages are less happy, less stable and different from other marriages. These findings are based on correlates of marital satisfaction that are culturally irrelevant for some African-American couples. The present research explores a conceptualization of marriage from an African-American perspective utilizing successful couples as direct sources of data. More specifically, this study sought to ascertain a definition of a successful marriage according to successful African-American couples as well as factors they attribute to the success of their marriage. It further explored the influence of socio-economic status and level of acculturation on the conceptualization of marriage and the marital experiences of the couples. / To achieve this end the African Self-Consciousness Scale (ASC) was used to attain level of acculturation, a basic demographic scale was used to attain socio-economic status, and an intensive interview utilizing the narrative discourse method was used to explore the conceptualization of a successful marriage and factors contributing to the success of the marriage. Data obtained via the ASC and demographic scale were used to develop a profile of each couple. Data obtained via narrative discourse were subjected to discourse analysis in an effort to identify concepts, themes and trends in the relationships that impacted on the success of the marriage. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: A, page: 0949. / Major Professor: Stanley L. Witkin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The dissertation developed a conceptual framework for analyzing the impact of environmental variables on the capacity (or ability) of delivery systems, especially substitute care delivery systems, to provide services to emotionally disturbed children, and attempted to empirically validate a portion of the framework. The conceptual framework was organized into a general environment level and a task environment level. Both levels were viewed as a series of variables that could potentially influence (facilitate or constrain) a delivery system service capacity outcome variable. General environment variables included economic, sociodemographic, political/legal, cultural, and technology variables. Task environment variables included (a) contextual variables (i.e., belief-value, strategy, organizational rationale, organizational authority structure, and organizational legitimation/power variables), and (b) delivery system variables (i.e., organizational, individual, group, and interorganizational variables). / The dissertation research study asked two questions: (1) What are the relationships between the general environment economic variable (operationalized as the amount of public money expended on childrens' programs) and the capacity of substitute care delivery systems to provide available and accessible services to emotionally disturbed children? (2) What are the relationships between selected task environment organizational program attribute variables (i.e., auspice, age, and size variables) and the capacity of substitute care delivery systems to provide available and accessible services to emotionally disturbed children? / Following Evan's (1966) focal organization approach, a purposive sample consisting of eighteen residential treatment programs (and their associated substitute care delivery systems) located throughout the state of Florida that primarily served emotionally disturbed children was derived. Data were assembled from two basic sources, that is, mail/telephone survey questionnaires, and public and private organization document information. The Spearman rho statistic was used to assess research question relationships. The study results indicated support for the associations between public or private delivery system program auspice and the availability and accessibility of several delivery system services (i.e., adjunctive, behavior evaluation, education evaluation, medical evaluation, and placement/post placement/day services). Recommendations for future research pertaining to both the conceptual framework and the research study were presented. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-08, Section: A, page: 3096. / Major Professor: Michael L. Frumkin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

For hundreds of years, countries have engaged in diplomatic relations in order to advance their national interests. Most people think of diplomacy in the traditional sense, which is characterized by government bodies or officials communicating with each other. Since the last century, however, there has been increased emphasis on the practice of public diplomacy, which involves governments communicating with foreign citizens in order to alter their attitudes. The United States still uses traditional means of diplomacy, as well as twentieth-century tools of public diplomacy, such as the use of radio broadcasts, specifically by means of the Voice of America, but recent events such as the Arab Spring suggest that embracing new forms of media is an effective means of conducting public diplomacy. This thesis shows how the United States government has used new media in public diplomacy, and how it currently uses social media to advance its soft power, which according to Joseph S. Nye, Jr., is "the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments" and "arises from a country's culture, political ideals and policies."¹ The social media to be examined consist primarily of social networking sites, weblogs, and social videos. The effectiveness of new media throughout history will be compared to the new media of today, demonstrating how social media is among the most important component of contemporary discussions on US public diplomacy. / ¹Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (New York: Public Affairs, 2004), x.

<p>This dissertation examines offers a corrective to the world polity theory of globalization, which posits increasing convergence on a single global cultural frame. In contrast, I suggest that national culture limits the adoption of "world culture" by actors and institutions. Instead of adopting world cultural models wholesale, they are adapted through a process I call translated global diffusion. In order to assess my theory, I follow the creation and development of organizations founded by Australia, Canada, and the United States to foster scientific development within their borders. All three national organizations were initiated around 1915, part of an international wave of state science that prima facie appears to support the world polity thesis. </p><p> Through a comparative historical analysis that combines archival material and secondary histories from each case, I demonstrate that concerns tied to national identity mediate the incorporation of models sanctioned as part of a "world cultural canopy" of institutional scripts. More specifically, federal legislatures circumscribe new organizations to fit preexisting ideas of proper government. Secondly, the scientists effectively running state science organizations negotiate often conflicting nationalistic and professional impulses. Finally, the national news media report about science in a selective and nationally filtered way. The result is a kind of particular universality, science layered with national import only fully visible from within the nation-state.</p> / Dissertation