ANALYSIS OF THEORETICAL,METHODOLOGICAL AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN THE JOURNAL OF REGIONAL SCIENCE*

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the impacts of JRS articles in the areas of theory, methods and empirical analysis, as represented by subsequent citations reported in the Social Sciences Citation Index. A model relating the mix of theoretical, methodological and empirical research published in the JRS to subsequent citations is estimated. The time distribution of theoretical and empirical citations also indicates that the knowledge diffusion process in these two areas may be segmented.     

MEASURING JUDICIAL PERFORMANCE IN TRIAL COURTS: CONCEPTUAL,EMPIRICAL, AND POLITICAL PROBLEMS*

This article explores some of the issues associated with evaluation of judicial performance. It is argued that measuring judicial performance in trial courts, as the basis for subsequent evaluation, is fraught with problems of definition, counting and interpretation. These problems result from the diversity of judges' work in trial courts, uncertainty as to the importance of speedy resolution of cases and the political environment within which judging takes places.     

VOPROSY GEOGRAFII: ACCOMPLISHMENTS,PROBLEMS, AND PROSPECTS

The current Chairman of the Editorial Board of Voprosy geografii [Problems of Geography], a respected Soviet periodical whose issues are devoted to special themes, surveys the publication's early history and future challenges. Analyzed are changes over the years in the journal's content, structure, duration of publication schedule, and frequency. Not only are volumes now smaller and published less frequently than before, but many contain articles which appear to be too small adequately to address their topics. Measures to address these problems and to increase the circulation in order to produce greater profitability are described, as are themes of forthcoming issues (translated by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC 20005).     

DEVELOPMENT OF THE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM IN THE LITHUANIAN SSR: RESULTS,PROBLEMS, AND PROSPECTS

The authors analyze the factors, results, problems, and prospects of the development of a system of settlement in the Lithuanian SSR, a laboratory of sorts for settlement policy in the Soviet Union. Particular attention is devoted to the formation of an inter-rayon settlement system integrating urban and rural settlements. Several methodological and conceptual approaches to the study of settlement systems are examined in this context. (Translated by Andrew R. Bond.)     

THE INTRAMETROPOLITAN DISTRIBUTION OF R&D ACTIVITIES: THEORY AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE*

ABSTRACT. The paper presents a first attempt to unveil the underlying determinants of the geography of R&D labs within contemporary metropolises. To this end, the study builds on the premise of contemporary intraurban location and pricing models, suggesting that intraurban variations in property rents must reflect the imputed location preferences of firms or their workforce, as well as the extent to which local institutional constraints hinder these preferences. Against this background, the study proceeds with the econometric analysis of R&D property rent differentials within Greater Los Angeles. The empirical results indicate that access to research and nonresearch universities, transportation access, access to a host of worker amenities, as well as zoning and other local regulations play a critical role in shaping the intraurban geography of R&D labs.     

SHOPPING AND LEISURE: IMPLICATIONS OF WEST EDMONTON MALL FOR LEISURE AND FOR LEISURE RESEARCH

In the context of three alternative approaches to the meaning of leisure (activity, time, and experience), this article uses West Edmonton Mall (with its vast array of shops and unique complex of recreational facilities) as a starting point to explore four relationships between shopping and leisure. These are: independence (shopping as purchasing); shopping for leisure (the purchase of goods for use in subsequent leisure time); shopping and leisure (when shops and leisure facilities are juxtaposed in a single facility like West Edmonton Mall); and shopping as leisure (when shopping begins to take on the attributes of leisure as an experience). It is concluded that the last category offers the most interesting questions for future research.     

EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF OFFICE RENT AND AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES: A CASE STUDY OF TORONTO*

ABSTRACT. An equilibrium model of office location is applied and tested in the Toronto metropolitan area. The model focuses on the role of communication among firms which is the driving force behind the spatial agglomeration of office firms. The model calculates the equilibrium floor rent in each district, given the existing building stock. The performance of the model is tested in terms of the goodness of fit between observed and estimated office rent in each district. By using the model, we estimate the value of agglomeration economies which is defined as changes in productivities caused by increases in the number of office firms. It is shown that the agglomeration economies in the office sector are much larger than those in manufacturing, and the external effects of agglomeration are considerably large.     

OPTICAL DATING OF SINGLE AND MULTIPLE GRAINS OF QUARTZ FROM JINMIUM ROCK SHELTER,NORTHERN AUSTRALIA: PART II,RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS*

Quartz sediments from the floor deposit at Jinmium rock shelter have been investigated using the multiple-grain and single-grain optical dating methods described by Galbraith et al. (1999, this volume). Here we present the results of this dating programme and argue that the artefact-bearing sediments were deposited within the last 10000 years. This time interval is consistent with the radiocarbon chronology but is much younger than previous claims for initial human occupation during the Pleistocene. Analysis of individual grains revealed also that the characteristic saturation doses of some grains are unusually high, which may permit dating of deposits older than a few hundred thousand years. Such grain-to-grain differences raise doubts, however, about the validity of using multiple-grain samples to investigate the phenomenology of quartz luminescence.     

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL RESEARCH ON SEDIMENTS AND CERAMICS AT POLIDEPORTIVO (SPAIN): AN INTEGRATED APPROACH*

This paper proposes a preliminary approach to the integration of archaeological evidence and various chemical analyses (phosphorus and lipid) on sediments and ceramics. Phosphorus and organic matter analyses are, thus, used for the study of sediments, and lipid analyses for pottery from structure 19 of the Late Neolithic—Early Copper site known as ‘Polideportivo’, Martos, southern Spain. The results of both types of analysis point to a predominantly domestic function for this structure.     

EXCLUDING THE POOR FROM LOW INCOME HOUSING PROGRAMS: THE ROLES OF STATE AGENCIES AND USAID IN JAMAICA*

This paper investigates why low-income housing agencies in Jamaica do not accomplish their self-imposed progressive mandates to assist large numbers of poor people. To expose what produces gaps between policy and practice, the analysis focuses on how housing programs are organized, both in Jamaica's two largest state agencies and in USAID. The crucial organizational features include the housing agencies' sources of funding, reliance on the private sector, and associated motives and interests. Among the three agencies, a set of inter-related forces block low income access to housing assistance: (1) most of the policy influences of international development agencies such as USAID, (2) the pervasiveness and increased penetration of market logic into low-income housing programs, (3) state agency bureaucratization and careerism, and (4) an elitist neglect of the housing needs of the poor. Prejudices against the poor based on the belief that they do not repay housing loans are not justified by empirical evidence, much less by the fact that the programs were explicitly created to improve their housing conditions.     

THE IMPACT OF SOLUBLE SALTS ON THE DETERIORATION OF PHARAONIC AND COPTIC WALL PAINTINGS AT AL QURNA,EGYPT: MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY*

The wall paintings of Al Qurna in Egypt were studied by means of XRD and ICP–AES in order to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition, and to evaluate the impact of soluble salts on their deterioration, including the identification of the building materials and pigments used. Soluble salts analysis showed that NaCl is the most common soluble salt in the bedrock, ground water and surface water samples. The building materials are affected by the ground water, while the wall paintings in the area are affected by the Upper Egypt climatic conditions, which were studied in order to detect their role in the deterioration cycle in the area.