This study examines the relations between memory, social media experience, and testimony in the Eva Stories Instagram project. By conducting a combined visual and multimodal analysis of the stories, as well as a close analysis of the relations between social media experience and testimony, we claim that Eva Stories establishes a new responsive space for remembering the Holocaust. This space enables users to inscribe themselves into mediated Holocaust memory and to become media witnesses through the co-creation of socially mediated experiences. The self-inscription of the user is made possible by three interrelated modes of media witnessing, which continuously evoke user engagement. These new modes, we argue, indicate a new kind of agency in relation to media witnessing: the ability to testify on one’s own present social media engagement with mediated memory, and become a witness to it.

Mainstream parties in Western Europe are increasingly struggling to hold together their base of support. As a lens for exploring this changing electoral landscape, this article focuses on the growing share of the electorate that is cross-pressured between conservative and progressive attitudes on economic and cultural issues. It argues that a stable asymmetry characterizes Western European mass attitudes: while support for the left is common among voters with progressive attitudes on both issues, it is enough to be conservative on one issue to turn right. Analyzing survey data collected from 1990 to 2017, the study shows that cross-pressures are resolved in favor of the right and examines the trade-offs this poses to center-right parties. These findings contribute to debates on electoral dealignment and realignment and shed light on the electoral choices of the center-right.

Over the past decade, an increasingly sophisticated literature has sought to capture the nature, sources, and consequences of a novel empirical phenomenon in world politics: the growing complexity of global governance. However, this literature has paid only limited attention to questions of measurement, which is a prerequisite for a more comprehensive understanding of global governance complexity across space and time. In taking a first step in this direction, we make two contributions in the article. First, we propose new quantitative measures that gauge the extent of complexity in global governance, which we conceptualize as the degree to which global governance institutions overlap. Dyadic, weighted, directed-dyadic, and monadic measures enable a multifaceted understanding of this important development in world politics. Second, we illustrate these measures by applying them to an updated version of the most comprehensive data set on the design of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs): the Measure of International Authority (MIA). This allows us to identify cross-sectional and temporal patterns in the extent to which important IGOs, which tend to form the core of sprawling regime complexes in many issue areas, overlap. We conclude by outlining notable implications for, and potential applications of, our measures for research on institutional design and evolution, legitimacy, and legitimation, as well as effectiveness and performance. This discussion underscores the utility of the proposed measures, as both dependent and independent variables, to researchers examining the sources and consequences of institutional overlap in global governance and beyond.

This NeuroView is intended for graduate students who are not sure how to choose or what to expect from a mentor as well as mentors who are uncertain what to give mentees. Two principal investigators and a current mentee will share their perspectives on this bidirectional relationship.

Whom do individuals blame for intergroup conflict? Do people attribute responsibility for intergroup conflict to the in-group or the out-group? Theoretically integrating the literatures on intergroup relations, moral psychology, and judgment and decision-making, we propose that unpacking a group by explicitly describing it in terms of its constituent subgroups increases perceived support for the view that the unpacked group shoulders more of the blame for intergroup conflict. Five preregistered experiments (N = 3,335 adults) found support for this novel hypothesis across three distinct intergroup conflicts: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, current racial tensions between White people and Black people in the United States, and the gender gap in wages in the United States. Our findings (a) highlight the independent roles that entrenched social identities and cognitive, presentation-based processes play in shaping blame judgments, (b) demonstrate that the effect of unpacking groups generalizes across partisans and nonpartisans, and (c) illustrate how constructing packed versus unpacked sets of potential perpetrators can critically shape where the blame lies.

Abstract Rapid climate change is impacting biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human well-being. Though the magnitude and trajectory of climate change are becoming clearer, our understanding of how these changes reshape terrestrial life zones—distinct biogeographic units characterized by biotemperature, precipitation, and aridity representing broad-scale ecosystem types—is limited. To address this gap, we used high-resolution historical climatologies and climate projections to determine the global distribution of historical (1901–1920), contemporary (1979–2013), and future (2061–2080) life zones. Comparing the historical and contemporary distributions shows that changes from one life zone to another during the 20th century impacted 27 million km2 (18.3% of land), with consequences for social and ecological systems. Such changes took place in all biomes, most notably in Boreal Forests, Temperate Coniferous Forests, and Tropical Coniferous Forests. Comparing the contemporary and future life zone distributions shows the pace of life zone changes accelerating rapidly in the 21st century. By 2070, such changes would impact an additional 62 million km2 (42.6% of land) under “business-as-usual” (RCP8.5) emissions scenarios. Accelerated rates of change are observed in hundreds of ecoregions across all biomes except Tropical Coniferous Forests. While only 30 ecoregions (3.5%) had over half of their areas change to a different life zone during the 20th century, by 2070 this number is projected to climb to 111 ecoregions (13.1%) under RCP4.5 and 281 ecoregions (33.2%) under RCP8.5. We identified weak correlations between life zone change and threatened vertebrate richness, levels of vertebrate endemism, cropland extent, and human population densities within ecoregions, illustrating the ubiquitous risks of life zone changes to diverse social–ecological systems. The accelerated pace of life zone changes will increasingly challenge adaptive conservation and sustainable development strategies that incorrectly assume current ecological patterns and livelihood provisioning systems will persist.

Abstract This paper examines a small random liquidity shock to reveal the effect of liquidity constraints on late payment behavior. In Jerusalem, water bill due dates are randomly determined and therefore may occur just before or after social security paydays. We compared the likelihood of late payments by low-income households when they receive their social benefits a day after the water bill due date to the likelihood of late payment by the same households when they receive their benefits a day or more before the water bill due date. Using a large administrative data set, we found that a small random liquidity shock leads to a substantial increase in late payments of more than 10 percentage points among income support recipients and around 6 percentage points for old-age pension recipients with supplementary income. The mismatch between utility payment due dates and paydays may result in interest charges and high late fees, contributing to the poverty penalty.

IMPORTANCE: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are the only medications approved for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet most patients taking SRIs exhibit significant symptoms. Adding exposure/response prevention (EX/RP) therapy improves symptoms, but it is unknown whether patients maintain wellness after discontinuing SRIs. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether patients with OCD who are taking SRIs and have attained wellness after EX/RP augmentation can discontinue their SRI with noninferior outcomes compared with those who continue their SRI therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A 24-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was performed from May 3, 2013, to June 25, 2018. The trial took place at US academic medical centers. Participants included 137 adults with a principal diagnosis of OCD (≥1 year) who were taking an SRI (≥12 weeks), had at least moderate symptoms (defined as Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale [Y-BOCS] score ≥18 points), and received as many as 25 sessions of EX/RP therapy. Those who attained wellness (Y-BOCS score ≤14 points; 103 patients [75.2%]) were study eligible. Data were analyzed from June 29, 2019, to October 2, 2021. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned either to receive taper to placebo (taper group) or to continue their SRI (continuation group) and monitored for 24 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: The Y-BOCS score (range, 0-40 points) was the primary outcome; the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS; range, 0-52 points) and the Quality-of-Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF; range, 0%-100%) scores were secondary outcomes. Outcomes were assessed at 8 time points by independent evaluators who were blinded to randomization. The taper regimen was hypothesized to be noninferior to continuation at 24 weeks using a 1-sided α value of .05. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients (mean [SD] age, 31.0 [11.2] years; 55 women [54.5%]) participated in the trial: 51 patients (50.5%) in the taper group and 50 patients (49.5%) in the continuation group. At 24 weeks, patients in the taper group had noninferior results compared with patients in the continuation group (mean [SD] Y-BOCS score: taper group, 11.47 [6.56] points; continuation group: 11.51 [5.97] points; difference, -0.04 points; 1-sided 95% CI, -∞ to 2.09 points [below the noninferiority margin of 3.0 points]; mean [SD] HDRS score: taper group, 5.69 [3.84] points; continuation group, 4.61 [3.46] points; difference, 1.08 points; 1-sided 95% CI, -∞ to 2.28 points [below the noninferiority margin of 2.5 points]; mean [SD] Q-LES-Q-SF score: taper group, 68.01% [15.28%]; continuation group, 70.01% [15.59%]; difference, 2.00%; 1-sided 95% CI, -∞ to 6.83 [below the noninferiority margin of 7.75]). However, the taper group had higher rates of clinical worsening (23 of 51 [45%] vs 12 of 50 [24%]; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this randomized clinical trial show that patients with OCD who achieve wellness after EX/RP therapy could, on average, discontinue their SRI with noninferior outcomes compared with those who continued their SRI. Those who tapered the SRI had higher clinical worsening rates. Future research should evaluate if SRI half-life alters these rates. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01686087.

Although congestion pricing has been considered as a key tool of transport demand management (TDM), it is rarely implemented, mainly due to its low public acceptance and resulting political costs. Recently a new approach was suggested: reward desirable behavior rather than punish undesirable behavior. Specifically, positive financial incentives have been suggested to encourage road users to change their departure time, mode of transportation, or route to minimize congestion. This paper makes three contributions to the literature on congestion pricing. First, we offer a comprehensive conceptual examination, reflecting discussions among practitioners in Israel, regarding the positive incentives approach, including various aspects that are related to both positive incentives and congestion tolls, highlighting the differences between the two policies. Second, we use a governmentally-managed pilot with positive incentives that was recently implemented in Israel and which reported important behavioral responses to positive incentives. Third, we use the Israeli experience to examine media discourse regarding congestion pricing policies in general, as well as positive incentive initiatives. We find that the positive incentives pilot demonstrated promising behavioral responses. Moreover, analysis of newspaper articles shows that while the main view of positive incentives is positive, mainly because participation is voluntary, the main attitude toward congestion tolls is negative due to concerns about equity.

Housing preferences in the Middle East are largely family-oriented. With the increase in the number of university graduates who have experienced life outside traditional Arab settings, housing preferences are arguably changing toward a more western career-centered orientation. Yet familial allegiances have not disappeared. This study hypothesizes that residential preferences of Middle-Eastern knowledge-workers differ from their Western counterparts. We offer a new value-based conceptual framework for analyzing the residential preferences of knowledge-workers from communities with a history of tribal belonging, tight kinship structures, and strong familial ties in determining residential choice. The analyzed case study focuses on young Palestinian knowledge-workers preferences between traditional housing in the hometown and medium-density neighborhoods in larger cities. The new conceptual framework explores the role of individualistic values (i.e., career, privacy, lifestyle) versus collectivist values (i.e., family and community life), urban amenities, and the perceived locus of opportunities. The framework offers an alternative to the current practice assessing knowledge-workers residential preferences solely based on individualistic values and location amenities. The framework is validated using a multiple-indicators, multiple-causes (MIMIC) model estimated with a sample of Israeli-Palestinian knowledge-workers in Israel.

Background A growing body of literature reports associations between exposure to particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) during pregnancy and birth outcomes. However, findings are inconsistent across studies. Objectives To assess the association between PM2.5 and birth outcomes of fetal growth in a cohort with high prevalence of siblings by multilevel models accounting for geographical- and mother-level correlations. Methods In Israel, we used Maccabi Healthcare Services data to establish a population-based cohort of 381,265 singleton births reaching 24–42 weeks’ gestation and birth weight of 500–5000 g (2004–2015). Daily PM2.5 predictions from a satellite-based spatiotemporal model were linked to the date of birth and maternal residence. We generated mean PM2.5 values for the entire pregnancy and for exposure periods during pregnancy. Associations between exposure and birth outcomes were modeled by using multilevel logistic regression with random effects for maternal locality of residence, administrative census area (ACA) and mother. Results In fully adjusted models with a mother-level random intercept only, a 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 over the entire pregnancy was positively associated with term low birth weight (TLBW) (Odds ratio, OR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.09,1.43) and small for gestational age (SGA) (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.06,1.26). Locality- and ACA-level effects accounted for <0.4% of the variance while mother-level effects explained ∼50% of the variability. Associations varied by exposure period, infants’ sex, birth order, and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. Conclusions Consideration of mother-level variability in a region with high fertility rates provides new insights on the strength of associations between PM2.5 and birth outcomes.

In the past three decades, scholars have frequently used the concept of framing effects to assess the competence of citizens' political judgments and how susceptible they are to elite influence. Yet prior framing studies have reached mixed conclusions, and few have provided systematic cumulative evidence. This study evaluates the overall efficacy of different types of framing effects in the political domain by systematically meta-analyzing this large and diverse literature. A combined analysis of 138 experiments reveals that when examined across contexts, framing exerts medium-sized effects on citizens' political attitudes and emotions. However, framing effects on behavior are negligible, and small effects are also found in more realistic studies employing frame competition. These findings suggest that although elites can influence citizens by framing issues, their capacity to do so is constrained. Overall, citizens appear to be more competent than some scholars envision them to be.

While the literature suggests that the Spanish Flu—despite the devastation it caused—suffers from social amnesia, this article begs to differ. Building on the multiplicity of manners in which the past maintains itself in the present and specifically focusing on Erll’s distinction between remembrance and knowledge as two poles of collective memory, we shed light on the collective memory of the Spanish Flu in its entirety. First, our analysis recognizes COVID-19 as a catalyst of the remembrance of the Spanish Flu. Second, it suggests that the perceived social amnesia attached to the Spanish Flu stems from overlooking the mark it left on the sphere of knowledge. The article addresses the need to recognize the uniqueness and importance of the knowledge pole in assessing collective memory, and exposes the dynamics and potential relationships shared by the poles.