Ted Goertzel

Belief in conspiracy theories

A survey of 348 residents of southwestern New Jersey showed that most believed that several of a list of 10 conspiracy theories were at least probably true. People who believed in one conspiracy were more likely to also believe in others. Belief in conspiracies was correlated with anomia, lack of interpersonal trust, and insecurity about employment. Black and hispanic respondents were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories than were white respondents. Young people were slightly more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, but there were few significant correlations with gender, educational level, or occupational category.

Understanding big government : the programme approach

INTRODUCTION GOVERNMENT IN THE 1980S Identifying the Questions The Strategy of Analysis Chapter One Taking the Measure of Government Disaggregating Government How Big is Big? Patterns of Change CHAPTER TWO CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF BIG GOVERNMENT Economic and Social Influences upon the Size of Government Political Influences upon the Size of Government Consequences of Big Government CHAPTER THREE THE USE OF LAWS AS A POLICY RESOURCE The Inertia Accumulation of Laws Causes of Change in the Statute Book Consequences of Legislation CHAPTER FOUR RAISING TAX REVENUES The Variety of Taxes How and Why Taxes Grow Intentions and Consequences of Increasing Taxes CHAPTER FIVE THE WORK OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES The Scale of Public Employment The Causes of Public Employment The Benefits of Public Employment CHAPTER SIX THE ORGANIZATIONS OF GOVERNMENT Identifying Government Organizations Causes of Organizational Change Do Organizations Matter? CHAPTER SEVEN COMBINING RESOURCES INTO PROGRAMMES The Manifold of Government Programmes Programme Growth and Change Declining Effectiveness and Continuing Consent? CHAPTER EIGHT THE LIMITS OF BIG GOVERNMENT The Big Problem Balancing Fiscal Loads Effectiveness A Choice Between Priorities Consent The First Priority of Government The First Priorities of People References Index

The Great São Paulo Homicide Drop

The homicide rates in the city and state of São Paulo were cut in half in the years from 2001 to 2007. The decline in the city of São Paulo was especially striking and parallels the decline in New York City in the 1990s. It can be confirmed with a number of independent data sources and was significantly larger than in other Brazilian cities. The decline may be attributed to more effective policing methods including the better enforcement of strict gun-control legislation. It demonstrates that effective measures can be taken to reduce lethal crime in a developing country without waiting to solve underlying socioeconomic problems.

Conspiracy theories in science

Conspiracy theories are easy to propagate and difficult to refute. Fortunately, until a decade or so ago, few serious conspiracy theories haunted the natural sciences. More recently, however, conspiracy theories have begun to gain ground and, in some cases, have struck a chord with a public already mistrustful of science and government. Conspiracy theorists—some of them scientifically trained—have claimed that the HIV virus is not the cause of AIDS, that global warming is a manipulative hoax and that vaccines and genetically modified foods are unsafe. These claims have already caused serious consequences: misguided public health policies, resistance to energy conservation and alternative energy, and dropping vaccination rates. > Responding to conspiracy theories and ‘sceptics’ draws scientists into arenas where objective information matters less than emotional appeals… Responding to conspiracy theories and ‘sceptics’ draws scientists into arenas where objective information matters less than emotional appeals, unsupported allegations and unverified speculations. Scientists are understandably reluctant to get bogged down in such debates, but they are sometimes unavoidable when scientists need to voice their concerns in the public arena. It is thus both helpful and important to understand the logic of conspiracy arguments and the best ways to respond to them. ‘Conspiracy’ is an essentially contested rhetorical concept that people apply to different events depending on their point of view (Gallie, 1964). It is almost always pejorative. The Oxford English Dictionary defines conspiracy quite loosely as “an agreement between two or more persons to do something criminal, illegal or reprehensible”. While the law can precisely define the criminal act in any conspiracy, ‘reprehensible’ is in the eye of the beholder. When Hillary Clinton protested that her husband US President Bill Clinton was the victim of a “vast right‐wing conspiracy” and US President Lyndon B. Johnson accused the media and liberal activists of a “conspiracy” …

Three Hundred Eminent Personalities: A Psychosocial Analysis of the Famous

Employment​: Adjunct Instructor, Washington State Community College, Marietta, Ohio, Spring, Fall 2017 Adjunct Instructor, Marietta College, Spring 2015 Instructor, Learning in Retirement Program, Marietta College, Winter 2013, Fall 2014, Spring 2017, Spring 2018 Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University, 19732013. Assistant Professor, University of Oregon: 1968-1973. Visiting Instructor, Universidade de São Paulo, 1967-1968

Fernando Henrique Cardoso: Reinventing Democracy in Brazil

This work looks at the life of Fernando Henrique Cardoso and his involvement with the development of democracy in Brazil. It traces his life and intellectual development, describing his childhood in a supportive political family, through to his term as president.

The Military Socialization of University Students

The effects of military training in a university setting on the attitudes of prospective U.S. Army officers are examined with a questionnaire administered to all Army Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets at the University of Oregon and to a comparison sample of male university undergraduates. Although the Army cadets do not differ greatly from the university undergraduates on background variables, there are significant differences in personality traits and attitudes related to the “military mind.” Cadets score higher than the campus average on scales measuring: personality authoritarianism, misanthropy, punitiveness, intolerance, aggressive nationalism, political-economic conservatism, belief in imperialism, and preference for vocational training as opposed to liberal education. They score lower on scales of peace responsibility and political alienation. The Army ROTC selectively recruits students with more militaristic attitudes, and there is some evidence that the Corps serves to insulate the cadets from the liberalizing effects of the university.

Capital Punishment and Homicide Rates: Sociological Realities and Econometric Distortions

Sociological methods have consistently succeeded while econometric methods have failed in research on capital punishment and homicide. But econometricians aggressively promote their findings in public policy venues, while sociologists are less assertive. This is due to cultural differences between the disciplines, and to a philosophy of science that values falsification of hypotheses over progress in answering research questions. This problem has occurred and is likely to reoccur in other policy areas where sociologists are insufficiently assertive in defending their accomplishments.

The ethics of terrorism and revolution

Abstract Does the fact that one sides “terrorist” is usually anothers “freedom fighter” mean that there is no possibility of agreeing on ethical norms applicable to armed conflicts between governments and their opponents? There are no easy answers. We cannot simply condemn all violence against established governments; surely, the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto were right to defend themselves. Nor can we accept the cynical view that ethical judgments are irrelevant, that violence is justified when it succeeds, that might makes right. This view is morally repugnant and impractical. In practice, we must make judgments before we know which actions will succeed and which will fail. In todays world, governments and revolutionary movements frequently seek approval and support from deliberative bodies which claim to uphold ethical standards. Debates in the United States Congress about supporting anti‐Sandinista rebels and debates at the United Nations about the Middle East, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and various African...

Changes in the Values of College Students: 1958 to 1970-1971

Many observers of the contemporary scene have placed emphasis on the apparent change in values among university students. Reich (1970) and Roszak (1968) have heralded changes in culture and consciousness which may have revolutionary consequences for American society. While emphasis has been placed on differences in attitudes between young and old, an equally striking difference would appear to exist between the youth of today and the youth of the 1950s. This change in the youthful generation is of significance for the theory of generational conflict (Goertzel, 1972). Generational differences have sometimes been attributed to differences in the social situations of young and old people (Eisenstadt, 1956). This theoretical model suggests that as young people progress from a youthful to an adult social situation, their values would change correspondingly. This sort of generational difference inperspectives is a constant in human societies, but it does not explain why young people in one historical period differ from young people in another. An alternative model, suggested by Mannheim (1952), places emphasis on the formative nature of certain periods in the