ABBOTT L. FERRISS

SELECTIONS FROM SINET – THE SOCIAL INDICATORS NETWORK NEWS (Accepted 8 April, 1997)

MONITORING THE STATE OF THE WORLD, 1995 AND 1996

The World Watch Institute has tracked the State of the World since 1984, monitoring indicators of the social, economic and environmental conditions. Data tables and charts enliven the discussions of changes that are judged to benefit or impede progress toward a better world. Topics in the most recent volume include climate change, sustainable water strategy, freshwater ecosystems, agricultural resources, bioinvasions, infectious diseases, human rights and environmental justice, sustainable industries, and harnessing the market for the environment. Since about 1970 bicycle production has far exceed automobiles, about three times greater in 1994. The trend should be encouraged, says Lester R. Brown, for using bicycles increases human mobility without affecting the climate. A chapter by David M. Roodman addresses the state of the world’s taxes. Tax revenues per person and as a percent of GDP as well as sources of the taxes show lower rates in poorer countries than in richer ones (i.e., 39% of GDP in Germany vs. 7% in Iran). The author points out that “taxes on constructive activities such as work, investment and commerce discourage the very things they tax” (p. 172). Each chapter is written by a specialist in the subject. Data support well-argued rationales for policies to build a sustainable environment and social system. The World Watch Institute also produces Vital Signs, an annual report consisting of many specific indicator topics illuminated by charts, data and short discussions. In his review of Vital Signs in SINET (No. 46), Dudley L. Poston, Jr., says: “The 1995 report continues to chart indicator trends pertaining to our planet’s

Social Indicators Research 44: 381–384, 1998. c 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

382

SELECTIONS

atmosphere : : : , food production : : : , agricultural resources (fertilizer and grain), energy, economy, transportation : : : , environment (e.g. sulfur emissions, nuclear waste), and the military (nuclear arsenals, peacekeeping expenses, and wars). Social trends covered each year include population, cigarette production, HIV/AIDS cases, urbanization, and refugees.” The Institute also has made available Worldwatch Database 1996 in spreadsheet form making its vast data accumulations available in facile, easy to use form. In his comment on the reports, Poston recommends their use in research and teaching, finding the essays competently written, although lacking sociological and ecological theories. He laments the lack of a quality of life yardstick for the world. The database is available from Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036; and the volumes are published by the W. W. Norton & Co., of New York. COORDINATION OF EUROPEAN SOCIAL STATISTICS

The Siena Group of statistical interests was organized in 1993 to develop and coordinate social statistics among European countries. It came into being following a meeting in Siena organized by the Italian National Institute of Statistics and included Statistics Sweden, Statistics Norway, and EUROSTAT. Participating voluntarily and without mandate from international or national statistical organizations, it has led to publications resulting from meetings in Stockholm in June 1994, Oslo in 1995, and Paris in June 1996. Each meeting focuses upon a topic of general interest; such as monitoring young people, and intergenerational relations and social mobility. The papers of the 1995 meeting comprise numbers 3 and 4 of the Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (vol. 12). It includes eleven articles and an introduction (by S. Longva), several of which describe the social indicator instrumentalities in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Finland, Sweden and other countries. PERCEIVED CORRUPTION IN CONDUCTING BUSINESS

An Index of Perceived Corruption in 54 countries has been assembled by Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff of the Universitat G¨ottingen,

FROM SINET

383

Germany. Based upon evidence of corruption as reported, usually by business executives, in ten surveys, the index enables comparisons of countries on other characteristics, such as quality of life. The ten surveys each covered different sets of countries and used slightly different methods of scaling corruption. Nevertheless, Dr. Lambsdorff pooled the evidence through transforming each series to a common metric. Westernized countries, generally, have less series to a common metric. Westernized countries, generally, have less corruption in doing business than developing countries, with some exceptions, such as Mexico and Russia. The perception of corruption index correlates with the quality of life index of Diener (Social Indicators Research, October 1995), r = 0.87. Dr. Lambsdorff’s address is Universitat G¨ottengen, Plaz der G¨ottinger Sieben 3, 37073 G¨ottingen, Germany. INDICATORS ON THE U.S. WHITE HOUSE WEB PAGE

Those interested in recent social and economic trends may access the latest available U. S. indicators on a White House Web Page on the Internet at http://www/whitehouse.gov/fsbr. It is organized into “Briefing Rooms” (Economic, Social) by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget as “the beginnings of one-stop shopping for Federal Statistics.” The Economic Statistics Briefing Room offers information under the topics of Output, Income, Employment, Production, Money, Prices, Transportation, and International Statistics. The Social Statistics Briefing Room offers Demographics, Education, Health, and Crime. This effort of the Office of Management and Budget to promote the access and use of social and economic indicators is reminiscent of the 1970s publication of compendia of social indicators (Social Indicators 1973, etc.) and Status: A Monthly Chartbook of Social and Economic Trends. THE BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has instituted a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to survey health status and risk factors on a continuous, state-by-state basis.

384

SELECTIONS

Each month between 100 and 400 interviews are conducted by telephone in each state and three territories. Health behaviors and preventive practices related to several leading causes of death are collected. The survey assesses risk for chronic diseases, identifies demographic differences and trends in health-related behaviors, health interventions and services, and measures progress towards achieving state and national health objectives. About half of the annual deaths in the U.S. are attributed to modifiable behavioral risk factors. These factors include uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, alcohol abuse, violence, and risky sexual behavior. Ten years of survey data, 1984– 1993 are available on compact disks and will be made available annually. More information may be obtained from John E. Anderson, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop K30, 1600 Clifton Road, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30333. #

#

#

Editor’s Note: reader’s contributions to this department should be addressed to: Abbott L. Ferriss, Editor Emeritus, SINET, department of Sociology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, U.S.A.