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Environmental Kuznets curves have been estimated using a simple reduced-form model that gives no information on the mechanisms underlying the estimated inverted U-shaped relationship between some pollutants and income. Various intuitive appealing explanations for the observed patterns have been offered, such as structural changes and environmental policy, but these have rarely been empirically investigated. Expanding the reduced-form model with explanatory variables may introduce serious multicollinearity problems, a reason why decomposition analysis is a preferable alternative for investigating the origins of change in emissions. Applying decomposition analysis fails to find evidence for structural changes as an important determinant of the impressive reductions in SO2 emissions of developed economies during the 1980s. Environmental policy, fostered by international agreements, gives a better explanation why pollution curbs downward at high income levels. Besides the level of income, the present state of the environment seems an important, but often neglected, variable that explains the ambition of environmental policy.

This study examined whether personality traits and peer drinking affect alcohol consumption in young adults. Data were analyzed from a study that was conducted in a 'bar laboratory' in which ad-lib drinking of peer groups was observed. The findings indicate that extroversion is moderately associated with self-reported daily drinking, while low emotional stability is modestly associated with alcohol-related problems. With regard to drinking in the observational drinking setting, personality is not associated with young adults' actual alcohol consumption. Further, peer drinking levels were strongly related to young adults' drinking. Besides, agreeableness interacted with the effects of peer drinking on young adults' drinking in such a way that agreeable individuals adapted their actual alcohol consumption more easily than others when socializing in a high- or a low-drinking peer group. We concluded that drinking in a peer context, irrespective of personality, played a major role in forming young adults' drinking. However, personality (i.e. agreeableness) definitely played a role to the extent of the individuals' adaptation to peer drinking norms.

Several studies have shown that disturbances in the parent-child relationship in childhood are related to patterns of alcohol abuse in adolescence and young adulthood. Recently some researchers, however, argue that whether poor parenting is detrimental depends on specific child characteristics. Hence, instead of examining overall effects of parenting, it might be more appropriate to search for specific child-environment effects that lead to problematic drinking patterns. In this paper, we investigate the interplay between child characteristics (lack of self-control and aggression) and parenting on problematic alcohol use in young adulthood. Data were used from a longitudinal study that followed 301 children and their parents for a period of 10 years. Both parents and their children were interviewed on parenting practices and child characteristics when the child was a young adolescent (mean age of 12 years at time 1) and extensive information on problematic alcohol use was gathered when the participants were young adults (mean age was 22 at time 3). Findings showed strong effects of childhood aggression (men only) and poor family functioning on enhanced levels of problem drinking in young adulthood. Further, the combination of high levels of aggression and low levels of family functioning were related to problem drinking in men, whereas the combination of low parental control and low levels of affection expression were related to problem drinking in women.

Das nüchtern wirkende Buch behandelt die wichtigsten Business-English-Themen: E-Mails, Telefonieren, Präsentationen, Besprechungen und Verhandlungen. Im letzten Kapitel wird vor "false friends" im Business-Kontext gewarnt. Zum Selbststudium und Nachschlagen konzipiert, viele Beispiele, setzt das Niveau etwa ab B2 voraus