R. Scott Frey

Characteristics of Successful American Protest Groups: Another Look at Gamson's Strategy of Social Protest

William Gamsons Strategy of Social Protest is considered to be a major contribution to the social-movement literature, but it has been criticized on methodological and theoretical grounds. The seriousness of the existing criticisms makes it useful to reassess Gamsons Strategy. This article first reviews the critical literature on Strategy and discusses Gamsons response to his critics. Second, the article reports the results of several analyses of the data set obtained by using the best statistical procedures available for assessing the relative importance of organizational and environmental variables and analyses of the major concerns raised by Gamsons critics and his response to them. The results suggest that displacement and group factionalism are the major predictors of protest group success. Implications of the analysis are discussed.

The international traffic in pesticides

Abstract The general problem of environmental equity is examined in terms of the flow of pesticides from the developed countries (DCs) to the less developed countries (LDCs). Five facets of the problem are examined. The nature and scope of the international pesticide flow is first examined. Political-economic forces characterizing relations between (and within) DCs and LDCs that have increased the pesticide flow to the LDCs are discussed. The extent to which this stream has contributed to health, environmental, and other risks in LDCs is discussed. Major policies that have been proposed and enacted as solutions to the problem are critically reviewed. The article concludes with the argument that the adoption of sustainable techniques of pest control is the best means for dealing with the problem.

The International Traffic in Hazardous Wastes

Some waste producers and handlers in the developed countries ship hazardous wastes to the less developed countries. Numerous cases of such exports have been documented, but an overall assessment of the nature, scope, causes, and consequences of the problem, and of potential solutions to it, has been lacking. As a result, these issues remain a subject of some speculation and controversy. These issues are reviewed and an effort is made to put them in focus.

Technology-based environmental health risks in developing nations

Abstract This paper addresses two questions: 1) To what extent are developing nations vulnerable to technology- related environmental health risks? 2) To what extent does the export of hazardous technologies and products contribute to overall levels of environmental health risk in developing nations? The paper focuses on three major types of environmental health risks: the failure of large-scale technological systems; the use or misuse of consumer goods, mechanical devices, and chemicals; and industrial emissions of toxic substances. In addition, three categories of hazardous exports are examined: hazardous products (e.g., pesticides), hazardous production processes (e.g., asbestos processing), and hazardous wastes (e.g., chemical and radioactive waste). The paper concludes that technology-based environmental health risks pose a significant public health problem in most developing nations, even when compared to much larger public health problems such as tropical and gastrointestinal diseases. Technology-based risks are growing in number and frequency. If developing and developed nations continue their current policies, these risks will grow at a significantly greater rate.

The effects of development, dependence, and population pressure on democracy: The cross‐national evidence

Why are some countries democratic? Proponents of modernization theory argue that economic development creates conditions conducive to democracy. Dependency/world‐system theorists maintain that economic dependence restricts democracy. Proponents of human ecology theory contend that rapid population growth undercuts democracy. No study has assessed all three theories simultaneously when alternative explanations are controlled. Results of a series of cross‐national tests at several points in time suggest consistent and strong support for modernization and human ecology theory, but only limited support for dependency/world system theory. Implications of the research are discussed.

The growth of capital cities in the world economic system

In this article we examine several determinants of the population growth of national capital cities. Two competing explanations are outlined: The first views state participation in the economy as the major determinant of capital city population growth, while the second position views world‐system position as the major determinant of capital city growth. Results of three analyses of cross‐national data suggest more support for the world‐system position than for the state intervention position.

The Effect of Economic Dependence on Urban Primacy: A Cross-National Panel Analysis

Dependency theorists have become increasingly interested in examining the effects of international economic dependence on such measures of national development as economic growth, income inequality, and overurbanization. Yet limited systematic research exists examining the effect of economic dependence on urban primacy. Panel regression analysis was used to examine the effects of economic dependence and several control variables on urban primacy for a sample of 53 nations. That is, circa 1970 primacy (based on Daviss 4-city index of first-city primacy) was regressed on circa 1955 measures of urban primacy, economic dependence (investment dependence or export dependence on raw materials), gross national product per capita, land area size, and population growth between 1950 and 1970. Results of the analyses indicated that both measures of economic dependence had positive-albeit nonsignificant-effects on urban primacy.

Cancer Mortality in Kansas Farmers

Death certificate data were used to analyze the cancer mortality experiences of 3022 white male Kansas farmers for the period 1983-1989. Farmers were determined to be at reduced risk of death for overall cancer and lung cancer, whereas they were at increased risk of death for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leukemia, and cancers of the prostate and brain. Results generally are consistent with findings of previous research undertaken in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. Implications of the results are briefly discussed.

A Social Assessment of Alternative Water Management Policies in Southwestern Kansas

Results of a social assessment of three alternative water management policies proposed as possible solutions to the groundwater depletion problem in southwestern Kansas are presented. The following three alternatives were assessed in terms of their estimated impact on conflict polarization in the area: (1) continue existing water management practices, (2) water demand control through incentives, and (3) water demand control through regulation. A panel of knowledgeable informants made estimates according to a modified Delphi procedure. Results indicate that increased regulation of water demand is the best policy because it reduces conflict polarization more than other alternatives. The Ogallala aquifer is tapped extensively by farmers in southwestern Kansas for purposes of irrigation [1-4]. Extensive use of the aquifer, coupled with a low level of natural recharge, has led to reduced groundwater levels in the region [4-6] . It has been reported, for instance, that observation wells in several areas of the region have dropped by as much as six feet or more in one year [6; 7, p. 107; 8, p. 273]. Depletion of groundwater levels has led to increased costs for pumping water and to serious reductions in groundwater supplies in some areas of the region [7, 8] . * Contribution No. 88-467-J of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

De Minimis Risk as a Regulatory Tool

Management of the health, safety, and environmental risks associated with various hazards has become increasingly difficult. To a large extent this difficulty can be traced to the fact that agencies are confronted with a seemingly unlimited number of risks and they have limited resources for managing such risks. One means proposed for dealing with this management problem is based on the legal principle de minimis non curat lex or, “the law does not concern itself with trifles;” hence the term “de minimis risk.” According to this principle, risks considered trifling can be eliminated from regulatory consideration. Although the de minimis approach has been the subject of increased interest and agency use, the problems associated with its use need to be more fully addressed. In this chapter we (1) describe the concept of de minimis risk, (2) discuss several problems associated with the de minimis concept, and (3) conclude that the viability of the de minimis risk concept is not as compelling as some analysts have suggested.