Jeremy D. Mayer

Gendered political socialization in four contexts: political interest and values among junior high school students in China, Japan, Mexico, and the United States

Abstract This article examines whether gender influences the level of political interest, the perception of politics as a male sphere, and the belief in the importance of political participation. By looking at junior high students in four countries, we explore whether culture or level of economic development produce gendered patterns of political socialization. We conclude that girls valued participation in politics at least as much as boys, but that the perception was widespread that politics was a male sphere. The most surprising finding was that gender differences in all four countries were small and subtle in most areas examined.

Support for torture over time: Interrogating the American public about coercive tactics

Abstract In this study, we examine what influences public attitudes toward torture and whether the publics attitude affects or is affected by shifts in presidential policy on torture. We employed ten surveys over five years that looked at approval of torture, as well as two surveys that asked questions about specific methods. We find that public support for torture has risen mildly, but a resilient ambivalence best describes the publics attitude. The public was not affected by the change in government from an administration that strongly supported enhanced interrogation techniques to one that opposed them, and labeled them torture. Public opinion also seemed unaffected by the increased criticism of torture generally. Large majorities oppose most specific methods of interrogation, while at times a majority supports torture in general. We also find support for torture and specific methods is affected most strongly by partisanship and ideology.

Demographic shifts and racial attitudes: how tolerant are whites in the most diverse generation?

Abstract We use cohort analysis to examine white Americans’ attitudes to questions of race and racial equality over a period of 20 years to determine if Generation Xers have a unique orientation to these issues. We find that Xers are distinct from their elders and earlier cohorts of young adults in their greater support for school integration and their endorsement of government action to enforce such efforts, but not in their attitudes toward employment opportunities or affirmative action.

Geographic Variation in Cold Ischemia Time: Kidney Versus Liver Transplantation in the United States, 2003 to 2011

Background Regional variations in kidney and liver transplant outcomes have been reported, but their causes remain largely unknown. This study investigated variations in kidney and liver cold ischemia times (CITs) across organ procurement organizations (OPO) as potential causes of variations in transplant outcomes. Methods This retrospective study analyzed the Standard Transplant Analysis and Research data of deceased donor kidney (n = 61,335) and liver (n = 39,285) transplants performed between 2003 and 2011. The CIT variations between the 2 types of organs were examined and compared. Factors associated with CIT were explored using multivariable regressions. Spearman rank tests were used to associate CIT with graft failure at the OPO level. Results Significant CIT variations were found across OPOs for both organs (P < 0.05). The variation was particularly large for kidney CIT. Those OPOs with longer average kidney CIT were likely to have a lower graft survival rate (P = 0.01). For liver, this association was insignificant (P = 0.23). The regression analysis revealed sharp contrasts between the factors associated with kidney and liver CITs. High-risk kidney transplant recipients and marginal kidneys were associated with longer average CIT. The reverse was true for liver transplants. Conclusions Large variations in kidney CIT compared to liver CIT may indicate that there is a room to reduce kidney CIT. Reducing kidney CIT through managerial improvements could be a cost-effective way to improve the current transplant system.

Does Terror Cause Torture? A Comparative Study of International Public Opinion about Governmental Use of Coercion

Torture is perhaps best understood as a collection of practices designed to inflict suffering upon helpless subjects. It can include both physical and psychological pain, and, while torture has been conducted by private actors, our concern here is regarding torture authorized and carried out by governments. We examined two broad theories that have been put forth to explain public support for torture. First, torture has been understood as a practice that advanced societies should reject (whether they actually do so is another question), and thus part of the collection of post-materialistic values that characterize public attitudes in advanced liberal democracies. We label this explanation the “developmental hypothesis” of support for torture. Second, scholars such as Karen Greenberg and Stephen Holmes have posited that societies are driven to support torture when terrorism threatens them. In this study, we call this the “threat hypothesis” of support for torture.

Communities of color? Client-to-client racial concordance in the selection of mental health programs for Caucasians and African Americans.

A discrete-choice logit model was applied to study the determinants of mental health provider choice using data from a large urban county in the Northeast US. The study subjects were 9,544 adult Medicaid recipients who received outpatient treatment from the 20 Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) programs in 2001. In addition to a conventional set of variables representing client and provider characteristics, the regression model included several interaction terms to examine whether racial concordance level among patients influences the choice of an outpatient program. The results revealed that racial concordance among the clients seems to be a factor in choosing a program. In particular, Caucasian clients are much more likely to select a program with a higher percentage of Caucasian clients, even though they have to travel further. More generally, our results suggest that program choice may be driven more by the racial composition of the clients served than by spatial proximity to the program.

Immigration in the 2008 Virginia presidential election: A cultural issue remains puissant despite an economic crisis

Abstract In 2006 and 2007, many analysts expected that immigration would be one of the top domestic issues in the 2008 campaign. However, in the 2008 presidential general election, immigration issues were never a major topic between candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. This was partially because McCain has more moderate views toward immigration reform than the passionate anti-immigration faction of the Republican Party. Prior research suggests that an issue in a presidential campaign can remain influential even when the media and campaigns are not discussing or addressing the issue, even when the candidates or parties do not differ greatly on the issue. In a survey of Virginia residents conducted just before the November election, immigration attitudes were a differential factor between McCain and Obama.

Roots of the Radical Right: Nostalgic Deprivation in the United States and Britain

Following trends in Europe over the past decade, support for the Radical Right has recently grown more significant in the United States and the United Kingdom. While the United Kingdom has witnessed the rise of Radical Right fringe groups, the United States’ political spectrum has been altered by the Tea Party and the election of Donald Trump. This article asks what predicts White individuals’ support for such groups. In original, representative surveys of White individuals in Great Britain and the United States, we use an innovative technique to measure subjective social, political, and economic status that captures individuals’ perceptions of increasing or decreasing deprivation over time. We then analyze the impact of these deprivation measures on support for the Radical Right among Republicans (Conservatives), Democrats (Labourites), and Independents. We show that nostalgic deprivation among White respondents drives support for the Radical Right in the United Kingdom and the United States.

International relations theory and Japanese pacifism: Why didn’t Tokyo go ballistic over North Korean nukes?

Seen from the perspectives of the various Western theories of international relations, Japan’s peculiar armed pacifism can appear very different. Prominent neorealists have predicted that Japan will inevitably develop nuclear weapons; prominent liberals have cited Japan as the model pacifist nation of the future. Over the last five years, it became clear to Japan that North Korea either possessed, or was on the brink of acquiring, nuclear weapons. How would the Japanese government respond to such a critical threat to its security? The case of North Korean nukes suggests that policymakers should be wary of the grim expectations of Western neorealists, at least in regard to Japan.

Disaster Medicine: The Need for Global Action

The first decade of the twenty-first century was a hallmark for natural and human-made disasters. The world community continued to experience regional conflicts, terrorism, environmental degradation, death, and economic losses. Disasters will continue to happen and proper support, through a granting program, will be necessary to explore and bench mark best practices in Disaster Medicine.