Norms Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

in "Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia del diritto", 2/2021. ABSTRACT: Definisco “normativismo trascendentale” la concezione per la quale le norme giuridiche non sono oggetto di una conoscenza possibile, ma sono ciò attraverso cui è... more

States have increasingly moved away from refugee protection, intensifying the vulnerability of refugees and asylum-seekers. Drawing on theories of norm dynamics within International Relations (IR), this article argues that departures from... more

States have increasingly moved away from refugee protection, intensifying the vulnerability of refugees and asylum-seekers. Drawing on theories of norm dynamics within International Relations (IR), this article argues that departures from refugee protection can be partly explained by the weakness of the normative principles governing the treatment of individuals fleeing persecution. Ambiguities, diverging interpretations, and varying levels of codification complicate efforts to hold states accountable to a complex bundle of human rights standards surrounding refugee and asylum protection. These weaknesses in the international refugee regime bolster norm-evading behavior wherein governments deliberately minimize their obligations while claiming technical compliance. Drawing on an analysis of US refugee and asylum policies under the Trump administration, the article reveals how norm evasion and accountability challenges emerge in the context of ambiguous standards vis-à-vis non-refoulement, non-detention, non-penalization, non-discrimination, and refugee responsibility-sharing. In response to global forced displacement-including an estimated 25 million refugees-governments have increasingly closed borders, detained and repatriated asylum-seekers against their will, developed 'deterrence' and 'repulsion' techniques to prevent asylum-seekers from reaching their territories, and engaged in other practices undermining human rights principles regarding the treatment of individuals fleeing persecution and conflict. 1 The denial of entry by European ports to asylum-seekers-including sick children-stranded for weeks in the Mediterranean, the deaths of children detained along the US southern border, and drastic cuts to third-country refugee resettlement prompt challenging questions about the status of the international refugee and asylum regime. 2 Given the barrage of state practices contravening human rights principles governing the treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers, it is reasonable to question whether refugee protection norms are in crisis.

Cross-cultural research is dominated by the use of values despite their mixed empirical support and their limited theoretical scope. This article expands the dominant paradigm in crosscultural research by developing a theory of cultural... more

Cross-cultural research is dominated by the use of values despite their mixed empirical support and their limited theoretical scope. This article expands the dominant paradigm in crosscultural research by developing a theory of cultural tightness-looseness, the strength of social norms and degree of sanctioning within societies, and advancing a multilevel research agenda for future research. Through an exploration of the

This study examined the magnitude of differences in standard scores, convergent validity, and concurrent validity when an individual’s performance was gauged using the revised and the normative update (Woodcock, 1998) editions of the... more

This study examined the magnitude of differences in standard scores, convergent validity, and concurrent validity when an individual’s performance was gauged using the revised and the normative update (Woodcock, 1998) editions of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test in which the actual test items remained identical but norms have been updated. From three metropolitan areas, 899 first to third grade students referred by their teachers for a reading intervention program participated. Results showed the inverse Flynn effect, indicating systematic inflation averaging 5 to 9 standard score points, regardless of gender, IQ, city site, or ethnicity, when calculated using the updated norms. Inflation was greater at lower raw score levels. Implications for using the updated norms for identifying children with reading disabilities and changing norms during an ongoing study are discussed.

The Chinese version of Rest’s Defining Issues Test II was administered to 113 subjects in Mainland China (n=113, average age=34.7). The scores on development of moral judgment were compared with those of the online mega sample of American... more

The Chinese version of Rest’s Defining Issues Test II was administered to 113 subjects in Mainland China (n=113, average age=34.7). The scores on development of moral judgment were compared with those of the online mega sample of American participants from 2011 to 2014. Results are as followings: 1. Chinese participants show the same pattern with Americans by both sex and education. 2. Chinese participants show different pattern from Americans by religious orthodoxy and humanitarian. 3. Chinese participants score higher in meaningless items than Americans. 4. Chinese participants score higher in stage 3 while Americans score higher in stage 4. The authors draw the conclusions as follows: with Chinese participants, 1. There is a significant relationship between education and moral judgment developmental index scores. 2. There is also a significant relationship between sex and moral judgment developmental index scores. 3. There shows no significant relationship between religious orthodoxy and moral judgment developmental index scores. 4. It is more difficult for them to tell the meaningless items in DIT2. 5. Since Chinese culture thinks less of laws and norms, Chinese participants favour personal interest schema more than maintaining norms schema.

In most Western countries females have higher rates of suicidal ideation and behavior than males, yet mortality from suicide is typically lower for females than for males. This article explores the gender paradox of suicidal behavior,... more

In most Western countries females have higher rates of suicidal ideation and behavior than males, yet mortality from suicide is typically lower for females than for males. This article explores the gender paradox of suicidal behavior, examines its validity, and critically examines some of the explanations, concluding that the gender paradox of suicidal behavior is a real phenomenon and not a mere artifact of data collection. At the same time, the gender paradox in suicide is a more culture-bound phenomenon than has been traditionally assumed; cultural expectations about gender and suicidal behavior strongly determine its existence. Evidence from the United States and Canada suggests that the gender gap may be more prominent in communities where different suicidal behaviors are expected of females and males. These divergent expectations may affect the scenarios chosen by females and males, once suicide becomes a possibility, as well as the interpretations of those who are charged wit...

Planetary defense scientists frequently consider nuclear explosive devices (NEDs) among the suitable tools for deflection of an asteroid or comet that threatens to impact Earth, and absolutely necessary to stop one that is large or gives... more

Planetary defense scientists frequently consider nuclear explosive devices (NEDs) among the suitable tools for deflection of an asteroid or comet that threatens to impact Earth, and absolutely necessary to stop one that is large or gives us only short warning. However, the development of any options in this direction has several negative implications for the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the global nuclear order as such. In his presentation, Michal Smetana critically unpacks the seemingly objective scientific rationality of nuclear deflection and discusses how the support for NED development de-stigmatizes technology that, similarly to the impact of a large asteroid or comet, also carries the risk of destroying human civilization with a non-zero probability. Humanity thus appears to be facing an existential dilemma: a necessary instrument of our security has the potential to wipe us out. Can we hope to resolve this? In the second half of his presentation, Smetana presents findings of his latest research into attitudes to nuclear weapons use, suggesting that the U.S. public is much more supportive of the use of nuclear weapons than previously assumed. Does this have implications for deciding planetary defense policy?

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric structure of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) in relation to the Rasch model. The CMNI was specifically constructed to measure a set of unidimensional constructs.... more

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric structure of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) in relation to the Rasch model. The CMNI was specifically constructed to measure a set of unidimensional constructs. As such, the items were intended to define a uniform spread of locations along each construct. The CMNI measures conformity to twelve masculine norms: winning, emotional control, risk-taking, violence, dominance, playboy, self-reliance, primacy of work, power over women, disdain for homosexuals, physical toughness, and pursuit of status. Three hundred forty-eight men participated in the study. In addition to examining global Rasch characteristics and the unidimensionality of each of the 12 scales, a detailed Rasch rating scale analysis is provided for the Violence Scale with unusual response patterns discussed in terms of their clinical usefulness. The results across all 12 scales reveal an excellent congruence between the theoretically derived con...

In this dialogue, Simmel and Weber meet in Berlin in 1907 and talk about rules and regularities in social life. Their conversation revolves around two editions of a book by Rudolf Stammler, which Simmel had reviewed about 10 years before... more

In this dialogue, Simmel and Weber meet in Berlin in 1907 and talk about rules and regularities in social life. Their conversation revolves around two editions of a book by Rudolf Stammler, which Simmel had reviewed about 10 years before and which Weber planned to review in the near future. After a discussion about the German card game Skat, they encounter the double meaning of 'rule' as both a description of a process and a normative expectation. They situate this within their respective works and develop new ideas for what would become Weber's basic sociological terms.

Lorsqu’il est question d’influencer le comportement des individus à l’aide de politiques publiques ou d’interventions gouvernementales, certains préfèreront parler de contrôle social, nous pouvons remarquer que la première décennie du... more

Lorsqu’il est question d’influencer le comportement des individus à l’aide de politiques publiques ou d’interventions gouvernementales, certains préfèreront parler de contrôle social, nous pouvons remarquer que la première décennie du xxie siècle est marquée par la volonté de développer et tester des politiques réglementaires envisagées et évaluées selon le critère de l’efficacité, sans que celui-ci ne soit nécessairement explicité. De telles politiques sont habituellement regroupées sous le concept général de nudges, inventé par Cass Sunstein et Richard Thaler. Ils expliquent qu’un nudge est une «initiative qui préserve la liberté de choix tout en orientant les décisions des gens dans la bonne direction.» Le dernier élément de cette définition peut sembler surprenant : pourquoi faudrait-il orienter les décisions des gens dans la « bonne » direction ? Ceux-ci ne sont-ils pas rationnels et autonomes ? Ne seraient-ils pas en mesure de prendre des décisions en accord avec leurs valeurs et leurs projets de vie ?

Vieux concept de la philosophie politique occidentale, la notion de societe civile connait une immense popularite depuis pres de trois decennies. Ce succes s’est accompagne de multiples critiques touchant a son caractere nebuleux - comme... more

Vieux concept de la philosophie politique occidentale, la notion de societe civile connait une immense popularite depuis pres de trois decennies. Ce succes s’est accompagne de multiples critiques touchant a son caractere nebuleux - comme a la charge ideologique qui l’accompagne. Son utilite scientifique pour l’analyse des changements politiques et sociaux en dehors de la sphere occidentale est mise en question. Enveloppe vide se remplissant de sens particuliers selon les acteurs et les contextes sociaux et culturels rencontres, les nouvelles societes civiles non occidentales doivent avant tout etre etudiees comme des projets, des realites en gestation, a la jonction de dynamiques propres aux societes locales ou elles apparaissent et de dynamiques exterieures a ces societes qui privilegient certains acteurs (notamment les organisations non gouvernementales), une acception particuliere du concept (dans une perspective proche d’un tiers-secteur) et fournissent egalement une partie cons...

This essay will argue that norms do have a significant influence on international politics. We can explore the essay title in a way that asks whether norms have changed the way we approach international politics, and how it makes us to... more

This essay will argue that norms do have a significant influence on international politics. We can explore the essay title in a way that asks whether norms have changed the way we approach international politics, and how it makes us to continue to do so. For example, the following simple question can be asked: if norms were taken out of the list of variables which act as influences in ‘international politics’, do we sill live in an international system that was present, say, during the Cold War? The answer is no. Thus we are going to structure the essay to highlight how norms influence the way we construct our society, which consequently influences international politics. The ‘Cycle of Norms’ will be mentioned, as well as Wendt’s approach on how we view anarchy. In addition, the structure and agency relationship will be featured in this essay, and will play a significant role in justifying the answer to the essay title; it stresses how norms have helped to shape not only how we approach international politics as adaptable agents, but also to shape the international structure in a way which they have encouraged us to do. By the end of this essay, the conclusion will come to agreeing that norms have a significant influence on international politics.

Principal measuring characteristics and norms of Raven?s colored matrices were determined on the sample of 2.334 children from Vojvodina at the age of 3.5 and 11. The basic metric characteristics were determined according to classical... more

Principal measuring characteristics and norms of Raven?s colored matrices were determined on the sample of 2.334 children from Vojvodina at the age of 3.5 and 11. The basic metric characteristics were determined according to classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). By testing a dimensionality it was showed that the test had one main object of measuring. The norms were also evaluated in terms of their precision in statistical and psychometric sense. It was found that there was no statistically significant difference in solving the test requirements between boys and girls at any age, nor was there any significant interaction of gender and age. Reliability of the test at the age group of 6 - 11 was over 0.85, at the age of 5 it was 0.75, whereas at the youngest age it was only 0.59. The complete test was too easy at older ages due to the Flynn?s effect. It is owing to this reason that a conclusion can be drawn that there?s a big question mark over its application at ...

This chapter presents a framework for understanding how international courts (ICs) use socialization strategies to influence their performance. ICs can influence both their actual and perceived performance through internal and external... more

This chapter presents a framework for understanding how international courts (ICs) use socialization strategies to influence their performance. ICs can influence both their actual and perceived performance through internal and external socialization strategies. ICs can aim to improve their actual performance by socializing actors into ICs’ norms, rules, and procedures, and essentially clarifying their appropriate roles within international courts’ legal regimes. Internally, ICs improve their actual performance by socializing their judges and administrative officials into ICs’ norms, rules, and procedures. In addition, various dimensions of ICs’ actual performance are contingent on other actors’ behaviour within ICs’ legal regimes. ICs can therefore use external socialization strategies to align these actors’ standards of legitimate, appropriate behaviour with ICs’ norms, rules, and procedures, and thus improve ICs’ actual performance. ICs’ external socialization strategies can also be directed towards influencing actors’ perceptions of IC performance. As perceptions of performance are highly subjective and vary considerably among ICs’ various stakeholders, ICs can influence their perceived performance by disseminating particular normative standards for evaluating their performance. A comparative analysis of all twenty-three permanent, operational ICs reveals the prevalence of and variation in ICs’ internal and external socialization strategies, which influence ICs’ actual and perceived performance. Socialization is thus a key means by which ICs aim to improve various dimensions of their performance, as well as their stakeholders’ perceptions of it.

To provide population-based Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) normative data for older adults and cut scores for screening. Adults age ≥65 years who participated in either the 1997 or 2007 Australian National Surveys of Mental... more

To provide population-based Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) normative data for older adults and cut scores for screening. Adults age ≥65 years who participated in either the 1997 or 2007 Australian National Surveys of Mental Health and Well-being (N = 3,697). The proportion of respondents who reported psychological distress, and the correspondence of K10 scores with diagnosis of mental disorder, disability, and service use. Scores on the K10 corresponded well with rates of mental disorder. Higher K10 scores were associated with increased levels of internalizing disorder, comorbidity, functional disability, and service use. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve score of 0.86, suggesting good predictive power. For screening purposes, a cut score of 15 was found to be associated with the best balance between sensitivity (0.77) and specificity (0.78). Similar levels of predictive power were observed across various subgroups of the p...

This essay argues that moral accountability depends upon having a shared system of social norms. In particular, it argues that the Strawsonian reactive attitude of resentment is only fitting when people can reasonably expect a mutual... more

This essay argues that moral accountability depends upon having a shared system of social norms. In particular, it argues that the Strawsonian reactive attitude of resentment is only fitting when people can reasonably expect a mutual recognition of the justified demands to which they are being held. Though such recognition should not typically be expected of moral demands that are thought to be independent of any social practice, social norms can ground such mutual recognition. On this account, a significant part of a society's social norms are also properly seen as moral norms. The essay defends this overlap of social and moral norms in contrast to views on which moral norms and social norms are sharply distinguished. Lastly, the essay concludes by addressing challenges for accountability in circumstances of norm change.

Abstract: This paper provides information concerning preschool narrative development in typically developing North American children, stressing previously documented links between early narrative skills and literacy development. Methods... more

Abstract: This paper provides information concerning preschool narrative development in typically developing North American children, stressing previously documented links between early narrative skills and literacy development. Methods are provided for assessing narrative skills of language-impaired children. The methods involve eliciting from the children personal narratives about real past events. A protocol for eliciting personal event narratives, called the conversational map, is described. The protocol suggests using a ...