Prairie Parklands area assessment.

Examines 1,477 square miles in northeastern Illinois that historically was open prairie with a park-like appearance of scattered trees. The area encompasses 25 subbasins along the Illinois, Des Plaines, and Kankakee rivers, of which 8 have been designated a state Resource Rich Area.

Rock River area assessment /

"Critical Trends Assessment Program."--Cover.

Sinkhole Plain area assessment.

"Examines a karst/cave area in southwestern Illinois bordering the Mississippi River ... designated a state Resource Rich Area."--P. iii.

Shawnee area assessment /

Examines an area in southeastern Illinois--a portion of which has been designated a state Resource Rich Area.

Spoon River area assessment.

"Examines the Spoon River basin in west central Illinois"--P. iii.

Sugar-Pecatonica area assessment.

"Examines an area in north central Illinois along the Wisconsin/Illinois border ... designated a state Resource Rich Area."--P. iii.

Thorn Creek area assessment /

Examines a small area of southern Cook County and northeastern Will County in Illinois--a portion of which has been designated a state Resource Rich Area.

Upper Des Plaines River area assessment /

"Critical Trends Assessment Program."--Cover.

Vermilion River (Illinois River Basin) area assessment.

The Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP) documents changes in ecological conditions.

Upper Sangamon River area assessment.

"Examines an area of more than 1,200 square miles in east central Illinois ... designated a state Resource Rich Area."--P. iii.

Vermilion River area assessment.

Examines an area in east central Illinois along the Indiana/Illinois border designated a state Resource Rich Area.

The Pacific coast maritime shipping industry, 1930-1948.

v. 1. An economic profile. -v. 2. An analysis of performance.

Entre o amém e o axé: O trânsito religioso de evangélicos rumo às religiões afro-brasileiras no ABCD paulista

Esta pesquisa analisa o trânsito religioso de pessoas que tiveram a sua biografia religiosa marcada pela participação/envolvimento em cultos evangélicos e que atualmente se declaram praticantes de ritos de candomblé e umbanda na região do ABCD paulista . Para a realização da mesma conduzimos entrevistas com líderes religiosos que nos ajudaram a compreender a organização dos terreiros de umbanda e candomblé na região; também aplicamos 80 questionários em oito terreiros espalhados pela região, compreendendo assim o perfil socioeconômico de seus frequentadores. Durante a análise dos questionários verificou-se a ocorrência do trânsito, de maneira ainda mais intensa entre praticantes da umbanda, e analisamos as motivações para esta movimentação religiosa, identificando ainda as motivações de gênero para esta movimentação, além das relações de trocas simbólicas estabelecidas entre os fiéis e as instituições religiosas. Verificamos os principais grupos evangélicos por onde estes sujeitos religiosos transitaram, observando possíveis semelhanças, bem como o distanciamento de suas práticas cúlticas e as práticas dos cultos afro-brasileiros.

The drivers of perception: Identifying the driving factors of resident perceptions of municipal service quality in cities of South Florida

The idea of comparative performance assessment is crucial. Recent study findings show that in South Florida the use by most municipalities of external benchmarks for performance comparison is virtually non-existent. On one level this study sought to identify the factors impacting resident perceptions of municipal service quality. On a different and more practical level, this study sought to identify a core set of measures that could serve for multi jurisdictional comparisons of performance. ^ This study empirically tested three groups of hypotheses. Data were collected via custom designed survey instruments from multiple jurisdictions, representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and across two counties. A second layer of analysis was conducted on municipal budget documents for the presence of performance measures. A third layer of analysis was conducted via face-to-face interviews with residents at the point of service delivery. Research questions were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic methodologies. ^ Results of survey data yielded inconsistent findings. In absolute aggregated terms, the use of sociological determinants to guide inquiry failed to yield conclusive answers regarding the factors impacting resident perceptions of municipal service quality. At disaggregated community levels, however, definite differences emerged but these had weak predictive ability. More useful were the findings of performance measures reporting via municipal budget documents and analyses of interviews with residents at the point of service delivery. Regardless of socio-economic profile, neighborhood characteristics, level of civic engagement or type of community, the same aspects were important to citizens when making assessments of service quality. For parks and recreation, respondents most frequently cited maintenance, facility amenities, and program offerings as important while for garbage collection services timely and consistent service delivery mattered most. Surprisingly municipalities participating in the study track performance data on items indicated as important by citizen assessments but regular feed back from residents or reporting to the same is rarely done. ^ The implications of these findings suggest that endeavors, such as the one undertaken in this study, can assist in determining a core set of measures for cross jurisdictional comparisons of municipal service quality, improving municipal delivery of services, and to communicate with the public. ^

Age, Period and Cohort effects in the Decline of Party Identification in Germany

Party identification traditionally is seen as an important linkage mechanism, connecting voters to the party system. Previous analyses have suggested that the level of party identity is in decline in Germany, and in this article, we first expand previous observations with more recent data. These suggest that the erosion of party identity continues up to the present time. An age-period-cohort analysis of the panel data of the SOEP panel suggests that period effects are significantly negative. Furthermore, it can be observed that throughout the 1992-2009 observation period, education level and political interest have become more important determinants of party identity. Contrary to some of the literature, therefore, it can be shown that the loss of party identity is concentrated among groups with lower levels of political sophistication, indicating that the socio-economic profile of the group with a sense of party identification has become more distinct compared to the population as a whole. In the discussion, we investigate the theoretical and democratic consequences of this trend.