This article compares murder cases labeled "honor killings" with cases labeled "fa... more This article compares murder cases labeled "honor killings" with cases labeled "family/spousal murders" in the Canadian news media, exploring the construction of boundaries between these two practices. We conducted a systematic qualitative content analysis, examining a sample of 486 articles from three major Canadian newspapers between 2000 and 2012. Our analysis shows that "honor killings" are framed in terms of culture and ethnic background, presenting a dichotomy between South Asian/Muslim and Western values. Conversely, articles presenting cases as "family/spousal murders" tend to focus on the perpetrators' personalities or psychological characteristics, often ignoring factors such as culture, patriarchy, honor, and shame.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many countries have passed new counterterrorist l... more In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many countries have passed new counterterrorist legislation. One of the common assumptions about such legislation is that it comes with a price: a compromise to practices of human rights. Previous research, looking at a wide range of case studies, suggested that this is indeed the case and that counterterrorist legislation often leads to subsequent repression. However, no large-scale cross-national study has yet assessed this relationship. Relying on a newly assembled database on nation-level counterterrorist legislation for the years 1981-2009, we conduct a cross-national time series analysis of legislation and repression. Our analyses find little evidence for a significant relationships between national counterterrorist legislation and various measures of core human rights in most countries. However, while legislation does not affect repression of physical integrity rights in countries with low and high levels of repression, it is associated with greater state repression in countries with intermediate scores of repression.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 1461670x 2013 834149, Oct 28, 2014
ABSTRACT Former studies have suggested that female subjects are substantially underrepresented in... more ABSTRACT Former studies have suggested that female subjects are substantially underrepresented in most media. However, no study has systematically investigated historical trends in women's coverage over the last century. We use data collected by the Lydia text analysis system to assess the development in the coverage of female subjects in 13 daily newspapers, dating back to 1880. Our trend analysis shows that female subjects' representation has remained relatively low throughout modern history. Following a temporary rise during the 1930s, it declined until the 1960s, and then showed a modest uptake in recent decades. The data further demonstrate that no newspaper section comes even close to equality between male and female names.
Bulletin of Sociological Methodology Bulletin De Methodologie Sociologique, 2013
Meta-analytic methods are becoming increasingly important in sociological research. In this artic... more Meta-analytic methods are becoming increasingly important in sociological research. In this article we present an approach for meta-analysis which is especially helpful for sociologists. Conventional approaches to meta-analysis often prioritize "concept-driven" literature searches. However, in disciplines with high theoretical diversity, such as sociology, this search approach might constrain the researcher's ability to fully exploit the entire body of relevant work. We explicate a "measure-driven" approach, in which iterative searches and new computerized search techniques are used to increase the range of publications found (and thus the range of possible analyses) and to traverse time and disciplinary boundaries. We demonstrate this measure-driven search approach with two meta-analytic projects, examining the effects of various social variables on all-cause mortality.
Unemployment rates in the United States remain near a 25-year high and global unemployment is ris... more Unemployment rates in the United States remain near a 25-year high and global unemployment is rising. Previous studies have shown that unemployed persons have an increased risk of death, but the magnitude of the risk and moderating factors have not been explored. The study is a random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression designed to assess the association between unemployment and all-cause mortality among working-age persons. We extracted 235 mortality risk estimates from 42 studies, providing data on more than 20 million persons. The mean hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was 1.63 among HRs adjusted for age and additional covariates. The mean effect was higher for men than for women. Unemployment was associated with an increased mortality risk for those in their early and middle careers, but less for those in their late career. The risk of death was highest during the first 10 years of follow-up, but decreased subsequently. The mean HR was 24% lower among the subset of studies controlling for health-related behaviors. Public health initiatives could target unemployed persons for more aggressive cardiovascular screening and interventions aimed at reducing risk-taking behaviors.
... edu Eran Shor Department of Sociology State University of New York at Stony Brook Gary Maynar... more ... edu Eran Shor Department of Sociology State University of New York at Stony Brook Gary Maynard Department of Sociology State University of ... shifts the focus to various types of debt dependency generated by the" debt crisis"(ie, Bradshaw and Huang 1991); Walton and Ragin ...
We present cross-national models that examine the determinants of deforestation from 1990 to 2005... more We present cross-national models that examine the determinants of deforestation from 1990 to 2005 for a sample of sixty-two poor nations. We test dependency theory hypotheses that both debt and structural adjustment affect forests. We find substantial support for this theoretical perspective. The results indicate that both factors increase deforestation. We also find support for world polity theory that international non-governmental organization density decreases deforestation. We conclude with a brief discussion of the findings, policy implications, and possible directions for future research.
... Costs 175 4 Privacy and Surveillance 182 British Statutory Authority for Intelligence Gatheri... more ... Costs 175 4 Privacy and Surveillance 182 British Statutory Authority for Intelligence Gathering 187 The ... Act and Its Surveillance Provisions 233 Alterations to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 233 Delayed-Notice Search Warrants 235 National Security Letters 236 ...
... The consistent prioritization of the Jewish settlers and their needs generated extensive viol... more ... The consistent prioritization of the Jewish settlers and their needs generated extensive violations of Palestinian rights (Lein 2002; Zertal and Eldar 2004). In December 1987, the Pal-estinians in the Occupied Territories launched a collective uprising against the occupation. ...
The case of the communal education system in the Israeli kibbutzim is often considered to provide... more The case of the communal education system in the Israeli kibbutzim is often considered to provide conclusive support for Westermarck's (1891) assertion regarding the existence of evolutionary inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in humans. However, recent studies that have gone back to the kibbutzim seem to provide contrasting evidence and reopen the discussion regarding the case of the kibbutzim and inbreeding avoidance more generally (Lieberman & Lobel, 2012; Shor & Simchai, 2009). In this article, I reassess the case of the kibbutzim, reevaluating the findings and conclusions of these recent research endeavors. I argue that the differences between recent research reports largely result from conceptual and methodological differences and that, in fact, these studies provide insights that are more similar than first meets the eye. I also suggest that we must reexamine the common assumption that the kibbutzim serve as an ideal natural experiment for examining the sources of incest avo...
This study examines the major factors that predict states’ repressive policies, focusing on the r... more This study examines the major factors that predict states’ repressive policies, focusing on the relationship between oppositional terror attacks and state repression of core human rights. We rely on a theoretical framework that brings together actor-oriented explanations and socio-cultural approaches. While the former emphasize purposive rational action, international pressures, and domestic threats, the latter focus on the power of ideas and on processes of policy diffusion and cultural norms. Relying on a longitudinal cross-national analysis of panel data for the years 1981–2005, we find substantial evidence for the effects of both actor-oriented measurements and socio-cultural ones. These findings join a growing body of research that emphasizes the importance of the institutional and cultural determinants of states’ counterterrorist policies.
Individual-level unemployment has been consistently linked to poor health and higher mortality, b... more Individual-level unemployment has been consistently linked to poor health and higher mortality, but some scholars have suggested that the negative effect of job loss may be lower during times and in places where aggregate unemployment rates are high. We review three logics associated with this moderation hypothesis: health selection, social isolation, and unemployment stigma. We then test whether aggregate unemployment rates moderate the individual-level association between unemployment and all-cause mortality. We use six meta-regression models (each using a different measure of the aggregate unemployment rate) based on 62 relative all-cause mortality risk estimates from 36 studies (from 15 nations). We find that the magnitude of the individual-level unemployment-mortality association is approximately the same during periods of high and low aggregate-level unemployment. Model coefficients (exponentiated) were 1.01 for the crude unemployment rate (P = .27), 0.94 for the change in une...
This article compares murder cases labeled "honor killings" with cases labeled "fa... more This article compares murder cases labeled "honor killings" with cases labeled "family/spousal murders" in the Canadian news media, exploring the construction of boundaries between these two practices. We conducted a systematic qualitative content analysis, examining a sample of 486 articles from three major Canadian newspapers between 2000 and 2012. Our analysis shows that "honor killings" are framed in terms of culture and ethnic background, presenting a dichotomy between South Asian/Muslim and Western values. Conversely, articles presenting cases as "family/spousal murders" tend to focus on the perpetrators' personalities or psychological characteristics, often ignoring factors such as culture, patriarchy, honor, and shame.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many countries have passed new counterterrorist l... more In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many countries have passed new counterterrorist legislation. One of the common assumptions about such legislation is that it comes with a price: a compromise to practices of human rights. Previous research, looking at a wide range of case studies, suggested that this is indeed the case and that counterterrorist legislation often leads to subsequent repression. However, no large-scale cross-national study has yet assessed this relationship. Relying on a newly assembled database on nation-level counterterrorist legislation for the years 1981-2009, we conduct a cross-national time series analysis of legislation and repression. Our analyses find little evidence for a significant relationships between national counterterrorist legislation and various measures of core human rights in most countries. However, while legislation does not affect repression of physical integrity rights in countries with low and high levels of repression, it is associated with greater state repression in countries with intermediate scores of repression.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 1461670x 2013 834149, Oct 28, 2014
ABSTRACT Former studies have suggested that female subjects are substantially underrepresented in... more ABSTRACT Former studies have suggested that female subjects are substantially underrepresented in most media. However, no study has systematically investigated historical trends in women's coverage over the last century. We use data collected by the Lydia text analysis system to assess the development in the coverage of female subjects in 13 daily newspapers, dating back to 1880. Our trend analysis shows that female subjects' representation has remained relatively low throughout modern history. Following a temporary rise during the 1930s, it declined until the 1960s, and then showed a modest uptake in recent decades. The data further demonstrate that no newspaper section comes even close to equality between male and female names.
Bulletin of Sociological Methodology Bulletin De Methodologie Sociologique, 2013
Meta-analytic methods are becoming increasingly important in sociological research. In this artic... more Meta-analytic methods are becoming increasingly important in sociological research. In this article we present an approach for meta-analysis which is especially helpful for sociologists. Conventional approaches to meta-analysis often prioritize "concept-driven" literature searches. However, in disciplines with high theoretical diversity, such as sociology, this search approach might constrain the researcher's ability to fully exploit the entire body of relevant work. We explicate a "measure-driven" approach, in which iterative searches and new computerized search techniques are used to increase the range of publications found (and thus the range of possible analyses) and to traverse time and disciplinary boundaries. We demonstrate this measure-driven search approach with two meta-analytic projects, examining the effects of various social variables on all-cause mortality.
Unemployment rates in the United States remain near a 25-year high and global unemployment is ris... more Unemployment rates in the United States remain near a 25-year high and global unemployment is rising. Previous studies have shown that unemployed persons have an increased risk of death, but the magnitude of the risk and moderating factors have not been explored. The study is a random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression designed to assess the association between unemployment and all-cause mortality among working-age persons. We extracted 235 mortality risk estimates from 42 studies, providing data on more than 20 million persons. The mean hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was 1.63 among HRs adjusted for age and additional covariates. The mean effect was higher for men than for women. Unemployment was associated with an increased mortality risk for those in their early and middle careers, but less for those in their late career. The risk of death was highest during the first 10 years of follow-up, but decreased subsequently. The mean HR was 24% lower among the subset of studies controlling for health-related behaviors. Public health initiatives could target unemployed persons for more aggressive cardiovascular screening and interventions aimed at reducing risk-taking behaviors.
... edu Eran Shor Department of Sociology State University of New York at Stony Brook Gary Maynar... more ... edu Eran Shor Department of Sociology State University of New York at Stony Brook Gary Maynard Department of Sociology State University of ... shifts the focus to various types of debt dependency generated by the" debt crisis"(ie, Bradshaw and Huang 1991); Walton and Ragin ...
We present cross-national models that examine the determinants of deforestation from 1990 to 2005... more We present cross-national models that examine the determinants of deforestation from 1990 to 2005 for a sample of sixty-two poor nations. We test dependency theory hypotheses that both debt and structural adjustment affect forests. We find substantial support for this theoretical perspective. The results indicate that both factors increase deforestation. We also find support for world polity theory that international non-governmental organization density decreases deforestation. We conclude with a brief discussion of the findings, policy implications, and possible directions for future research.
... Costs 175 4 Privacy and Surveillance 182 British Statutory Authority for Intelligence Gatheri... more ... Costs 175 4 Privacy and Surveillance 182 British Statutory Authority for Intelligence Gathering 187 The ... Act and Its Surveillance Provisions 233 Alterations to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 233 Delayed-Notice Search Warrants 235 National Security Letters 236 ...
... The consistent prioritization of the Jewish settlers and their needs generated extensive viol... more ... The consistent prioritization of the Jewish settlers and their needs generated extensive violations of Palestinian rights (Lein 2002; Zertal and Eldar 2004). In December 1987, the Pal-estinians in the Occupied Territories launched a collective uprising against the occupation. ...
The case of the communal education system in the Israeli kibbutzim is often considered to provide... more The case of the communal education system in the Israeli kibbutzim is often considered to provide conclusive support for Westermarck's (1891) assertion regarding the existence of evolutionary inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in humans. However, recent studies that have gone back to the kibbutzim seem to provide contrasting evidence and reopen the discussion regarding the case of the kibbutzim and inbreeding avoidance more generally (Lieberman & Lobel, 2012; Shor & Simchai, 2009). In this article, I reassess the case of the kibbutzim, reevaluating the findings and conclusions of these recent research endeavors. I argue that the differences between recent research reports largely result from conceptual and methodological differences and that, in fact, these studies provide insights that are more similar than first meets the eye. I also suggest that we must reexamine the common assumption that the kibbutzim serve as an ideal natural experiment for examining the sources of incest avo...
This study examines the major factors that predict states’ repressive policies, focusing on the r... more This study examines the major factors that predict states’ repressive policies, focusing on the relationship between oppositional terror attacks and state repression of core human rights. We rely on a theoretical framework that brings together actor-oriented explanations and socio-cultural approaches. While the former emphasize purposive rational action, international pressures, and domestic threats, the latter focus on the power of ideas and on processes of policy diffusion and cultural norms. Relying on a longitudinal cross-national analysis of panel data for the years 1981–2005, we find substantial evidence for the effects of both actor-oriented measurements and socio-cultural ones. These findings join a growing body of research that emphasizes the importance of the institutional and cultural determinants of states’ counterterrorist policies.
Individual-level unemployment has been consistently linked to poor health and higher mortality, b... more Individual-level unemployment has been consistently linked to poor health and higher mortality, but some scholars have suggested that the negative effect of job loss may be lower during times and in places where aggregate unemployment rates are high. We review three logics associated with this moderation hypothesis: health selection, social isolation, and unemployment stigma. We then test whether aggregate unemployment rates moderate the individual-level association between unemployment and all-cause mortality. We use six meta-regression models (each using a different measure of the aggregate unemployment rate) based on 62 relative all-cause mortality risk estimates from 36 studies (from 15 nations). We find that the magnitude of the individual-level unemployment-mortality association is approximately the same during periods of high and low aggregate-level unemployment. Model coefficients (exponentiated) were 1.01 for the crude unemployment rate (P = .27), 0.94 for the change in une...
This article examines the issue of state compliance with universal human rights norms, focusing o... more This article examines the issue of state compliance with universal human rights norms, focusing on a social constructivist model suggested by Thomas Risse, Stephen Ropp, and Kathryn Sikkink (1999). This spiral model outlines five stages of socialization in which different forces work together to bring a change in the policies of repressive governments. I argue that the model suffers from three major theoretical shortcomings. It (1) is over-deterministic and idealistic in its proposition that once progress toward human rights compliance has started there is no turning back; (2) treats a country's human rights practices as a homogenous block and does not leave room for disaggregation of different practices; and (3) fails to sufficiently account for the role of serious conflicts and security threats in shaping state's repressive policies. Nevertheless, drawing largely on the Israeli case I show that the spiral model should not be discarded. When substantially modified and complemented with other sociological and international relations approaches, the model remains useful for understanding the processes of change in specific violations. Keywords: human rights, the spiral model, state repression, terrorism, Israel.
Uploads
Papers by Eran Shor