Suchergebnisse

The American diet has changed substantially over the last few decades. These changes provide a test for social theory and have substantial effects on the demand for various food products, thus impacting U.S. agriculture. In this paper a rapidly growing dietary choice—vegetarianism—is explored. Prevalence of various forms of vegetarianism is estimated in a representative sample of a suburban population and factors that influence choice of a vegetarian diet are examined. About 7 percent of the sample report they are vegetarians. The prevalence of vegetarianism is not influenced by age, gender, or education, but individuals holding traditional values are less likely to be vegetarian than others. There also is some evidence mat individuals holding altruistic values are more likely than others to be vegetarians.

Conflict resolution in a changing world / Committee on International Conflict Resolution -- Evaluating interventions in history : the case of international conflict resolution / Paul C. Stern and Daniel Druckman -- Defining moment : the threat and use of force in American foreign policy since 1989 / Barry M. Blechman and Tamara Cofman Wittes -- Economic sanctions and post-Cold War conflicts : challenges for theory and policy / Bruce W. Jentleson -- Spoiler problems in peace processes / Stephen John Stedman -- Ripeness : the hurting stalemate and beyond / I. William Zartman -- Interactive conflict resolution : a view for policy makers on making and building peace / Harold H. Saunders [and others] -- Interactive conflict resolution : issues in theory, methodology, and evaluation / Nadim N. Rouhana -- Past truths, present dangers : the role of official truth seeking in conflict resolution and prevention / Priscilla B. Hayner -- New challenges to conflict resolution : humanitarian nongovernmental organizations in complex emergencies / Janice Gross Stein -- Electoral systems and conflict in divided societies / Ben Reilly and Andrew Reynolds -- Autonomy as a strategy for diffusing conflict / Yash Ghai -- Language conflict and violence : the straw that strengthens the camel's back / David D. Laitin -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe : its contribution to conflict prevention and resolution / P. Terrence Hopmann.

Understanding Risk addresses a central dilemma of risk decisionmaking in a democracy: detailed scientific and technical information is essential for making decisions, but the people who make and live with those decisions are not scientists. The key task of risk characterization is to provide needed and appropriate information to decisionmakers and the public. This important new volume illustrates that making risks understandable to the public involves much more than translating scientific knowledge. The volume also draws conclusions about what society should expect from risk characterization and offers clear guidelines and principles for informing the wide variety of risk decisions that face our increasingly technological society. Understanding Risk (1) frames fundamental questions about what risk characterization means; (2) reviews traditional definitions and explores new conceptual and practical approaches; (3) explores how risk characterization should inform decisionmakers and the public; and, (4) Looks at risk characterization in the context of the entire decisionmaking process. Understanding Risk discusses how risk characterization has fallen short in many recent controversial decisions. Throughout the text, examples and case studies--such as planning for the long-term ecological health of the Everglades or deciding on the operation of a waste incinerator--bring key concepts to life. Understanding Risk will be important to anyone involved in risk issues: federal, state, and local policymakers and regulators; risk managers; scientists; industrialists; researchers; and concerned individuals

Realizing the ambitious commitments of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) will require new ways of meeting human needs previously met by burning fossil fuels. Technological developments will be critical, but so will accelerated adoption of promising low-emission technologies and practices. National commitments will be more achievable if interventions take into account key psychological, social, cultural and organizational factors that influence energy choices, along with factors of an infrastructural, technical and economic nature. Broader engagement of social and behavioural science is needed to identify promising opportunities for reducing fossil fuel consumption. Here we discuss opportunities for change in households and organizations, primarily at short and intermediate timescales, and identify opportunities that have been underused in much of energy policy. Based on this survey, we suggest design principles for interventions by governments and other organizations, and identify areas of emphasis for future social science and interdisciplinary research.

1. Prologue -- 2. Global change and social science -- 3. Human causes of global change -- 4. Human consequences and responses -- 5. Problems of theory and method -- 6. Data needs -- 7. Human resources and organizational structures -- 8. A National research program on the human dimensions of global change

Studies evaluating incentive programs for residential energy efficiency are examined to assess the roles of the size and type of incentive and of nonfinancial aspects of the programs and to infer lessons for policy. Larger incentives are found to increase participation, but marketing and implementation may be more important than incentive size: participation varies tenfold between programs offering identical financial incentives, with more participation in programs operated by trusted organizations and aggressively marketed by word of mouth and other attention-getting methods. Preference for grants versus loans varies with income and other household characteristics. Low-income households can be reached by strong incentives if marketing and implementation are designed carefully.