Societal Problems (societal + problem)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The Credibility of Newspapers and Fear of Crime

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2000
Willem Koomen
It was hypothesized that the effect of a fear-arousing newspaper article about crime on fear of crime and concern about crime as a societal problem is dependent on source (newspaper) credibility. In an experimental study, participants were presented with an article on street robberies, ostensibly published in a more credible newspaper or in a less credible newspaper, whereas a control group did not read any article. As predicted, it was found that the article's effect on fear of robbery, fear of crime in general, and concern about robbery as a societal problem was fully dependent on source credibility. Further, women reported more fear of robbery and fear of crime in general than did men. [source]


Prevention of dog bites: Evaluation of a brief educational intervention program for preschool children

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Fiona Wilson
Dog bites are an underestimated societal problem. Victims suffer injuries, both physical and emotional, that sometimes end in death, and the economic cost to the community is high. The most frequent victims are children, many of whom are bitten at home. Current interventions, primarily aimed at the control of dogs in public areas, appear unlikely to reduce the incidence of dog bites within this group. In this study, parents' beliefs about their children's behavior around familiar and strange dogs were investigated using a questionnaire. The impact of a brief educational dog safety program on 192 kindergarten children (M = 4.68 years of age) was then evaluated. The questionnaire data revealed that many children engage in unsafe behaviors around dogs, and that parents are largely unaware of the dangers associated with such behaviors. The dog safety program resulted in a significant increase in the ability of children to identify high risk situations for up to 4 weeks, with the benefits being even greater in those children whose parents were also given information regarding safe behaviors around dogs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


The challenge of hazardous waste management in a sustainable environment: insights from electronic recovery laws

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2005
J. Halluite
Abstract New and pending regulations requiring product take-back by manufacturers at the time of disposal are intended to create a new era of industrial ecology and environmental sustainability. However, the intended benefits of the current legislation can be confounded by obsolescence in product design based upon advances in science and technology and also by the introduction of more environmentally benign product designs. Recent changes in legislation are identified and, based upon an extensive industry survey, their resultant likely impacts on consumer electronics are considered. This industry study illustrates that unless the impacted products simultaneously possess both stable designs and input requirements then significant secondary environmental issues related to the waste storage will be encountered. Inherently, these issues cause serious societal problems when hazardous substances are involved , which is the case with many products from the electronics industry. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


Differentiating and Linking Politics and Adjudication,The Example of European Electricity Policy

EUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002
Adrienne Héritier
The paper analyses how politics and adjudication answer similar questions in the context of policy-making. It contrasts how societal problems are selected, defined, solved and legitimised by both disciplines. We raise these questions in regard to the liberalization of the European Electricity markets. We reconstruct the decision-making process at the political and adjudicative arena taking place in this policy area. By so doing, we elaborate the differences and establish the links between politics and adjudication. We argue that what differentiates these two disciplines constitutes their very links; that is, the adjudicative and political arena are linked precisely because they are different at various level. [source]


BROADENING THE APPLICATION OF EVOLUTIONARILY BASED GENETIC PEST MANAGEMENT

EVOLUTION, Issue 2 2008
Fred Gould
Insect- and tick-vectored diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease cause human suffering, and current approaches for prevention are not adequate. Invasive plants and animals such as Scotch broom, zebra mussels, and gypsy moths continue to cause environmental damage and economic losses in agriculture and forestry. Rodents transmit diseases and cause major pre- and postharvest losses, especially in less affluent countries. Each of these problems might benefit from the developing field of Genetic Pest Management that is conceptually based on principles of evolutionary biology. This article briefly describes the history of this field, new molecular tools in this field, and potential applications of those tools. There will be a need for evolutionary biologists to interact with researchers and practitioners in a variety of other fields to determine the most appropriate targets for genetic pest management, the most appropriate methods for specific targets, and the potential of natural selection to diminish the effectiveness of genetic pest management. In addition to producing environmentally sustainable pest management solutions, research efforts in this area could lead to new insights about the evolution of selfish genetic elements in natural systems and will provide students with the opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the role of evolutionary biology in solving societal problems. [source]