Isn’t it funny how “home prices falling” is assumed to be a bad thing?

You never know how American your assumptions are until you go to another country. That’s because in the United States, we have been systematically taught that housing is a good investment and that prices must go up. Ask your parents why they bought their house. One of the top 3 reasons will almost certainly be, “It was a good investment.” Yet I’ve shown very clearly that for many people in many situations, it is not. In fact, housing is often a terrible investment.

Yet the illusion persists, whether it’s my friend wanting to buy a million-dollar house with no research, or people saying things like, “I wish I’d bought more real estate” after incurring a paltry 1.2% return rate over several decades.

As a result, you get media reports that implicitly echo the cultural assumption that housing is a good investment. The way they describe the housing market — oops, “housing recovery” — influences and reflects our cultural assumption. Let’s take a look at a headline from a major national news publication:

Interesting…it’s a “housing recovery” when prices are getting expensive. Would you say that with toothpaste?

You can check out the rest of the post here.

• 32.6% of faculty had their salaries reduced, with a median decrease of 3%
• 21.2% of faculty had their salaries frozen
• 46.2% of faculty had their salaries increased, with a median increase of 3%
• 8.3% of administrators had their salaries reduced

We need one of these for cigarettes

[H/T Buzzfeed]

—————————————————————————————————
Call for Papers: Social Conflict and Social Simulation panel at World Congress on Social Simulation
—————————————————————————————————
We kindly invite you to submit a paper to the Special Interest Group Social Conflict and Social Simulation (SIG-SCSS) panel at the 2010 World Congress on Social Simulation (WCSS). As in the last two years we welcome papers that are thematically relevant to social conflict and social simulation in general. Papers will be double-blind peer-reviewed. Outstanding submissions will be selected to be published as a book chapter in the WCSS proceedings.

We expect full papers to be submitted no later than 1 May 2010. Papers shall not exceed 8 pages in length. Detailed submission guidelines can be found on the WCSS 2010 website (http://www.usf.uni-kassel.de/wcss2010/guidelines.php). To indicate submission of your paper for this panel, check the ‘I.4 conflict and cooperation’-box when asked to chose your topic.

For questions please contact Nanda Wijermans (F.E.H.Wijermans@rug.nl)

PENN PROGRAM ON DEMOCRACY, CITIZENSHIP, AND CONSTITUTIONALISM
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
2010-2011 Academic Year
Application Deadline: March 19, 2010

The Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism (DCC)
invites applications for a one-year DCC Postdoctoral Fellow in any
discipline whose research is pertinent to the Program’s 2010-2011 theme,
“Race, Ethnicity, National Minorities, and Citizenship.” The Program
welcomes both empirical and normative scholarship, focused globally or
on particular nations, regions, or communities, that explores the
various ways that racial, ethnic, and national minority identities are
related to civic memberships.

The Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism program is an
interdisciplinary initiative, funded by the Mellon Foundation, which
includes a faculty seminar series and annual conference on themes chosen
by the Program’s Faculty Advisory Council; a graduate workshop series;
and undergraduate research grants. The DCC Postdoctoral Fellow is
expected to participate in the faculty seminar series, teach a Freshman
Seminar on a related topic, and join monthly meetings to discuss the
progress of undergraduates receiving research grants. The Fellow also
has the opportunity to pursue the Fellow’s research and study and
participate generally in the intellectual life of the Penn community.
Stipend is $53,800, plus health insurance.

Eligibility is limited to applicants who will have received their Ph.D.
within five years prior to the time they begin their fellowship at Penn
(i.e. May 2004 or later). Application deadline: March 19, 2010.

For guidelines and applications, see the School of Arts and Sciences
website [http://www.sas.upenn.edu/deans-office/DCCApplicationGuidelines]
or write Office of the Dean, School of Arts and Sciences, University of
Pennsylvania, 1 College Hall, Rm. 116, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6377. For
more information on the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and
Constitutionalism, see the DCC Program website,
[http://www.sas.upen.edu/dcc/] or contact DCC Program Chair Rogers M.
Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political
Science, rogerss@sas.upenn.edu.

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer.

Call for Rotary Peace Fellow Applications

The Rotary Foundation invites all districts to submit applications for the 2011-12 Rotary Peace Fellowships. complete applications must be sent to the rotary foundation by 1 July 2010.

Dear Alumni,

In these uncertain times, there is a growing demand for well trained international leaders to promote national and international cooperation and peace throughout their lives, in their careers and through service activities. The challenges of the 21st century require people skilled in the art of diplomacy, mediation and conflict resolution. The Rotary Peace Fellowship program was developed to meet this very need.

Rotary is seeking non-Rotarian professionals interested in expanding their knowledge in international relations, public administration, sustainable development, peace studies and conflict resolution or a related field. Each year, up to 100 Rotary Peace Fellowships (50 master’s degree fellowships and 50 professional development certificate fellowships) are offered on a competitive basis at six prestigious Rotary Centers around the world.

Participants in the master’s degree program gain access to:

· Two years of Rotary-funded graduate study toward a master’s degree at one of our six Rotary Centers

· Training in the root causes of conflict, theories of international relations, and effective models of cooperation, conflict resolution, and negotiation.

· A growing network of committed alumni employed around the world in diplomacy, government, non-governmental organizations and private corporations.

Candidates already working in the field of peace and conflict studies may opt for the three-month professional development certificate program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Both programs require, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in a related field; 3 years of relevant work experience for the MA program and 5 years for the professional development certificate.

You could be among the next Rotary Peace Fellows. Alumni from the Ambassadorial Scholarship, Group Study Exchange, and University Teachers programs make excellent candidates for the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Thirty-one Ambassadorial Scholars and GSE team members have gone on to become Rotary Peace Fellows.

If the fellowship is not for you, you may know someone who would be an excellent candidate. Please share this information with alumni, as well as business associates, local universities, service organizations, religious institutions, and community groups that may know of individuals interested in conflict resolution and diplomacy. For eligibility and application information, please direct candidates to:

How to apply

Candidates for the 2011-2012 academic term should send their applications to Rotary clubs now.

Contact rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org for further information or click below:

www.rotary.org/rotarycenters

Thank you.

Rotary Peace Centers Department
The Rotary Foundation

rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY invites applications for a Research Associate position in the Center for Justice, Law and Society. This is a fixed term, 1-year appointment, not applicable to tenure.  Possibility of renewal.

The associate will serve as coordinator of the Center’s federally-funded Wrongful Conviction Project, applying social science methods to understand the sources of wrongful conviction cases.  Duties will include project management, research, data collection and management, report drafting, and the supervision of three graduate research assistants.  Position may require national travel.

Requirements: master’s or law degree, although a Ph.D. would be preferred (and would be eligible for the title, Assistant Research Professor).  Knowledge of or experience with the criminal justice system, especially cases of wrongful conviction; excellent research and writing abilities; prior experience conducting social science, legal, and/or journalistic research; demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and to manage multiple priorities and projects effectively; demonstrated ability to supervise junior staff; excellent judgment and professional discretion.  Preferred: proficiency with SPSS and Excel; prior experience with large-scale quantitative or qualitative research projects.

Salary will be $44,000 on an annualized basis. Fringe benefits include retirement, health insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance.

Review of applications will begin March 10, 2010 and will continue until position is filled. Apply with equity / demographic information for position F9345Z online at jobs.gmu.edu. Send letter of interest, vita, official university transcript, samples of written work, and two letters of recommendation to: Professor Jon B. Gould, Director, Center for Justice, Law and Society, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 6C7, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444.  No emails please.

To learn more about Mason’s Center for Justice, Law and Society, visit http://cjls.gmu.edu.

The Monkey Cage has an interesting post on this relationship – here’s an excerpt:

Of course the economy is not the only important factor. But it gets far less attention than it deserves when the hand-wringing begins. So, sure, perhaps we can and should tinker with the political process. Clip lobbyists’ wings. Get leaders to make nicey-nicey with the opposite party. But the process is less important than outcomes. More people will trust the government again when times are good, even if government ain’t.

See the rest of the post here. I’d be willing to trust in government more for some real income increase – that and maybe changing a few other things that annoy me

1. Use search advertising to build your email list and raise money.
Everyone has seen the “Sponsored Links” on Google search results. These simple text ads, called AdWords, have been compared to direct mail because of their precise targeting and cost-effectiveness—you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. At the start of the campaign and throughout, running ads in your district on the names of your candidate and opponents, and on some of the key issues, can be a great way to capture voter interest. But rather than seeking a donation right away, put the email signup form front and center. It can help you build a bigger list, with greater potential for donations and engagement in the long run.

2. “Blast” the Google Network when you need to make a big splash.
The Google Content Network is made up of over a million websites that run Google ads as a way to make money, through a program we call AdSense. These ads can be simple text links, or video and image ads (“display” ads in industry lingo), tailored to your campaign’s personal brand. When you want to dramatically raise the buzz level or increase momentum for your campaign—such as when you announce, or before Election Day—you can use a technique called the Google Network blast to blanket the Internet in your district or state with ads. Just about every election since 2008 has seen one or more Google Network blasts, including in Virginia and Massachusetts, and it’s a great way to grab attention at crucial moments.

3. Join social networks to further amass and interact with your list of supporters.
Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube represent massive gatherings of audiences, so they can’t be ignored. Social networks allow supporters to “subscribe” or “follow” your campaign, and they’re great for sharing information about your candidate and seeing that information passed on. Keep your free YouTube politician channel fresh with short videos that call out your supporters and show your candidate’s human side. And don’t hesitate to ask your followers to take action when needed.

4. Use data to inform your campaign decisions.
One of the most exciting aspects of campaigning online is access to real-time feedback, and many of the necessary tools are free. Google Insights for Search tracks searches for your candidate and the competition within your state. Google Analytics highlights what content on your website is catching fire—and what’s not. Metrics like click-through rates in Google AdWords tell you which of your campaign messages is working best right now. For an even more data-driven campaign, use Google Website Optimizer to run controlled experiments on aspects of your site to see which variations help you, for example, gather the most donations.

5. Remember: Rapid response happens online, with or without you.
Americans go online when political news breaks (see: Joe Wilson). The chance to be a part of the conversation, shift perceptions, enlist support, and raise funds begins within minutes, and the window usually lasts less than three days. Bob McDonnell’s campaign deftly used search advertising to answer questions raised by his controversial thesis. Within hours of the story breaking, Virginians searching for “mcdonnell thesis” saw ads directing them to the campaign’s official response.

We’ll be posting further insights and best practices throughout the 2010 cycle, so keep an eye on this blog and on the Digital Playbook label. And let us know what you think—we’ll be using your comments to help determine what we write about next.

Update: If you’re a campaign or candidate looking for help on getting started with advertising on Google, don’t hesitate to give us a shout. You can get started on AdWords yourself, though—all it takes is a credit card and a few moments to create your first ad.