Economic Freedom Free Essays

Part I. Introduction It has become apparent in recent years that the issue of vast globalization, economic development and its impact on various aspects of state wellbeing is the one that needs to be looked at very carefully. Moreover, direct investments into the country’s development and as a result improved quality of life are an additional incentive to increase the economic freedom level. We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Freedom or any similar topic only for you Order Now Throughout the centuries scholars and economists have argued on whether economic freedom based on private property and free markets is the only beneficial and effective form of economy formation or centralized system of governing is better. Myriad researches have been brought to public, however, our group believes economic freedom is currently in increasing phase of its development, and thus should be thoroughly examined and reviewed basing on country background and scores obtained. This, in our view, will help to accelerate the wellbeing of Kazakhstan and possibly attract additional cash inflows from external market players. The paper will examine the issue of economic freedom and indices it defines in more details, will cover all the aspects included in consideration of the latter concept and will try to assess the relationship between economic freedom and potential investments rise. Brief definition of basic concepts In order to be in line with the topic and understand it deeply, below we present some underlying definitions of basic concepts that will be used throughout the paper. The classic definition of economic freedom and its index is outlined below: â€Å"Individuals have economic freedom when property they acquire without the use of force, fraud, or theft is protected from physical invasions by others and they are free to use, exchange, or give their property as long as their actions do not violate the identical rights of others† James Gwartney and Robert Lawson Economic Freedom of the World: 1996 Annual Report As obtained from www. economicfreedom. org, â€Å"economic freedom is the key to greater opportunity and an improved quality of life. It’s the freedom to choose how to produce, sell, and use your own resources, while respecting others’ rights to do the same. While a simple concept, economic freedom is an engine that drives prosperity in the world and is the difference between why some societies thrive while others do not. † Considering economic freedom is the issue of highest importance as it deals with each and every aspect of our life. Having greater economic freedom, the society ensures higher income levels, decreased poverty, less unemployment percentages and overall healthier state position in terms of economical, financial and political development. Economic freedom index (EFI) is defined as â€Å"a ranking of countries based on the number and intensity of government regulations on wealth-creating activity. Metrics that an economic freedom index evaluates include international trade restrictions, government spending relative to GDP, occupational licensing requirements, private property rights, minimum wage laws and other government-controlled factors that affect people’s ability to earn a living and keep what they earn. † (Extracted from www. investopedia. com). For all over the years, The Heritage Foundation in partnership with The Wall Street Journal has tracked the trends in economic freedom around the world and assigned indices to each country. It is a valuable source to gather information from, and the current paper is mostly based on the latter findings. The key factors influencing the level of economic freedom are the personal choice, voluntary exchange coordinated by markets, freedom to enter and compete in markets and protection of individual property from aggression of other including the government intervention. This implies that in economically free society government protects the individuals and their property, maintain stable monetary environment, refrain from creating barriers to trade and fairly allocate benefits; however, in case a government substitutes taxes, government expenditures, and regulations for personal choice, voluntary exchange, and market coordination, it may reduce economic freedom and thus diminish quality of life of the whole state. Five broad areas are considered when summarizing and stating the index for a country: * Size of the government: meaning sound taxing (low marginal tax rates) and wise spendings from the side of the government. * Legal Structure and Security of Property Rights: this indicates the consistence of a state’s legal framework with property protection and application of the laws in various spheres of business conducting and everyday life. * Access to sound money: the essence of this concept is whether a government is able not to abuse its monopolistic power. To get high ratings here, a country’s inflation must be low and stable, and the government must permit people to own currencies of other nations† (Lawson, Robert A. , Economic Freedom, Library of Economics and Liberty) * Freedom to Trade Internationally: the core idea here is the presence of any barriers to free trade (quotas, restrictions or tariffs). * Regulation of Credit, Labor and Business: such concepts as minim um wages for workers, price controls, business licensing ; potential barriers to entry the business might be reviewed at this stage. Having examined the surface of the issue to be researched, we formulated the research question we are going to obtain the answer to at the end of the paper. Research question: Do countries that exhibit greater degrees of economic freedom perform better than those that do not and will the latter help Kazakhstan to attract more potential investments? Part II. Economic Freedom: Kazakhstani case In 2012 Kazakhstan scored 63. 6 in terms of economic freedom level, and thus ensuring Kazakhstani economy to be number 65th in the world list. As per the Heritage Foundation Report as of 2012, current country score is 1. 5 points higher in comparison with last year index. This amount represents slight improvements in property rights freedom, freedom from corruption and public spendings. Figure 1. 1 represents the history of indices obtained by the state in the last 5 years. Country| Year| Overall Freedom| Business Freedom| Financial Freedom| Kazakhstan| 2008| 61. 10| 56. 80| 60| Kazakhstan| 2009| 60. 10| 57. 90| 60| Kazakhstan| 2010| 61| 73. 50| 50| Kazakhstan| 2011| 62. 10| 74. 30| 50| Figure 1. 1 Figure 1. shows the overall trends of economic freedom indices throughout the time. It is clearly seen than in 2009 Kazakhstan scored the lowest, and the backup for this might be the substantial rise of global economic crisis. At that time the state encountered myriad barriers to healthy economic, financial and political environments, as it should have sustained positive financial balances all over the country, diminished bankrup tcy potential, saved money of its citizens and remained attractive for the external investments. From that time on Kazakhstan tend to increase its economic reedom index and the line of indicating the latter steadily goes up throughout the years 2010-2012, and the last Heritage Foundation Report proves the fact that the country continues its positive trend of advancing economic freedom and ensuring constant development. As presented in the graph on Figure 1. 2, the state has become one of the first to turn back to the expansion and recovery from the global crisis. This is ensured by the enhanced regulation efficiency (at least endeavors towards that) and constant policy reforms in various areas of country wellbeing. Figure 1. 2 The country also scores higher results if compared to the world and regional averages. As according to The Heritage Foundation, Kazakhstan ranks 11th out of 41 countries in Asia-Pacific region, and it is recorded one of the 20 largest score improvements in the 2012 Index considerations. Figure 1. 3 summarizes the above stated information and graphically represents Kazakhstani standpoint in comparison with global and regional averages indices. Figure 1. 3 The government of Kazakhstan being aware of the increased significance of economic freedom stability makes efforts in order to continue its positive index rising over time trend and adapts vast amount of laws, amendments and promotes individual’s freedom protection. â€Å"The link between economic freedom and prosperity is undeniable: the countries that score highly in terms of economic freedom also offer their people the best quality of life† (Azis Isa, Central Asian Free Market Institute Policy Analyst). Many empirical studies using the Economic Freedom Index reveal that a country’s economic freedom is highly correlated with its level of capital investment and the rate of economic growth (Gwartney and Lawson ; Holcombe, 2006). Non-monetary measures such as social welfare and peaceful and healthy state environment also directly correlate with EFI. Scully (2002) has found that economic freedom is correlated with more equal distributions of income across countries. Rise of GDP per capita levels, promotion of decreased poverty percentages in a given country are also affected by the economic freedom situation of the country. Below is the session of graphs analyzing the correlation of economic freedom levels with various aspects of a state development. Countries with more economic freedom have substantially higher per-capita incomes ans thus more stable economic wellbeing of the society. Figure 1. 4. As seen from the graphical representation, those states that fall into â€Å"most free† group tend to have more vast growth rates and as a result higher level of economic growth throughout the country. The difference between the first and the last groups is rather big, and that proves the above stated assumption. Figure 1. 6 represents the correlation between economic growth and income per capita among the poorest strata of the society. As per the graph, we can suppose there is a direct positive relationship between the variables. Figure 1. 6 Kazakhstan has mostly faced economic freedom challenges throughout its history. Being a young state, it had no solid experience to rely upon rather than remaining habits and regimes obtained during Soviet Union times of ruling. Kazakhstani people do not have much influence over the government and its regulations and laws and majority of them encounter many difficulties in business sphere entry levels, further conducting and maintaining of the latter as well as improving their own individual micro economy. However, there are some positive trends in formation of economic freedom in Kazakhstan, and year to year steady development as shown in the Heritage Foundation Report proves that same fact. As according to the Heritage Foundation Report, â€Å"excessive dependence on raw commodity exports makes the economy particularly vulnerable to global price changes. Rising commodity prices and improved domestic conditions encouraged substantial economic growth in 2010 and 2011†. The organization in partnership with the World Bank states Kazakhstan has an ambitious economic development program, which is planned to be outperformed in the nearest years, and outlines some problematic zones government of the country should pay intent attention to. The further section of the paper discusses the inefficient potential risk spheres the state should work on in order to relieve the situation in the future and continue its positive trend in developing economic freedom. Economic Freedom in Kazakhstan: Challenging restrictions Once the Annual 2012 Report is over and the country obtained its rating results, we recommend the government to consider the following currently inefficient spheres of the state wellbeing. Kazakhstan still faces many challenges on the way of improving its economic freedom level. * Rule of Law As stated in the Heritage Foundation Report, legal framework is currently very inefficient and actually does not cover some spheres of the freedom the way it should. For instance, intellectual property rights are still in a very shaky position and there is no clearly stated and stable position on that sophisticated issue from the side of the government. Although in the beginning of the current 2012 year there were some endeavors made in order to improve intellectual property rights in the country (banning some Internet resources sites, increased fines and jurisdiction cases), this particular policy just raised a new set of problems and questions and was vastly criticized from the side of the business owners as well as general public, because the new Law on Intellectual Property Rights interfered with basic Constitutional rights of every citizen to express the opinion and thoughts. In addition, the court system lacks the capacity to prove its stability and honesty – this year there were many cases of court system failure: judges were taken with bribes, inefficient cases regulations and many more. Recent changes in anti-corruption law only deepened the definition and presence of the latter in the society as it implies indirect potential involvement from the side of the governmental bodies. * Limited government Overall tax burden that exist in the country amounts in 21. 5 % of total domestic income. Government spendings are equivalent to 23. 5 percent of total domestic output. The difference between the two variables kept the substantially large oil revenues, thus relieving the whole situation and leaving public state debt standing at less than 15% of GDP. (as per the Heritage Foundation Annual 2012 report). * Regulatory efficiency ; Open markets Business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom inefficiencies cases could be considered in that particular section. They in overall have many problems, bureaucratic barriers and lack of regulation from the side of the government. Business freedom in Kazakhstan, for instance, lack the easy entry possibilities for the individuals, as it is very costly and takes much more time than it is expected to, moreover, increased level of governmental taxes, quotas and tariffs are also barriers to free trade between people and states. However, there are some positive sides in that area – potential WTO entry, expansion of Customs Union are the positive measures Kazakhstan is undertaking in this regard. As for the labor freedom, there is a tendency to think only about employers, leaving the employees aside. Thus, it is very cheap for a company to hire new employee, and it costs nothing to fire him/her. Moreover, in many national companies and even governmental bodies working day are non-scheduled and overtimes are not paid at all. This is a large problem for the whole country. Child labor issue should also be considered attentively when pondering about economic freedom rise. Monetary freedom could be interfered by the government as it may tend to distort domestic prices and try to influence many industries in a row. Inflation rate is also increasing from year to year. This year it tends to be fluctuating thus leaving the individual suffer from potential commodity prices rise. Below is the summary of inflation rates statistics. How to cite Economic Freedom, Papers

The Con- Tegan and Sara free essay sample

After stumbling upon Tegan and Sara accidentally, I became hooked. Their sound is unique, yet easy to relate to. I started listening to their latest work, progressing backwards to their very first album and have yet to be disappointed. Their latest CD, The Con, is simply amazing. The opening track, I Was Married, starts the album off with a beautiful melody, both simple and sweet. The title track, The Con, speeds things up a bit. One of the singles off the album, this is one of the most musically interesting as well. It has brilliant, if not slightly self pitying lyrics, such as, Nobody likes to but I really like to cry. Nobody likes me, maybe if I cry. Are You Ten Years Ago, has a slightly remixed type beat, with haunting lyrics. The first single off the album, Back In Your Head, is absolutely amazing. The music, the words- everything is perfect. We will write a custom essay sample on The Con- Tegan and Sara or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The next song, Hop a Plane, is another example of Tegan and Saras amazing songwriting abilities. The catchy beat and fast chorus are a perfect follow-up to the afforementioned song. My only complaint is that it ends too soon! Soil Soil, has perhaps the sweetest, most genuine lyrics on the entire CD. Its beauty lies in both the words and the music, and it is by far one of my favorites. Nineteen, is one of the better songs on the album, and will have you singing the infectious chorus in no time. The following track, Floorplan, took a couple of listens for me to really appreciate its beauty, but it quickly became one of the most-played tracks. The last song, Call it Off, is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Tegan delivers breathtaking lyrics, and when backed by her sister Saras vocals, the song approaches perfection. I recommend this album to those who like indie or alternative music, as well as those looking to add something different to their collection. You wont be disappointed.

Protein Synthesis Essays - Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology

Protein Synthesis The process of Protein Synthesis involves many parts of the cell. Unlike other similar productions, this process is very complex and precise and therefore must be done in proper sequence to work effectively. The slightest error during this process could cause the action to experience difficulty or even fail. For example, in the production of starch, glucose molecules are combined to be stored and eventually utilized as usable chemical energy. The cell can break down the starch with little difficulty as if each molecule was identical, even though there is a wide variety of molecules. This is a different case in Protein Synthesis. In Protein Synthesis, there are twenty different amino acids and if one is out of place than is will effect the specificity of the protein. In a healthy person, the protein hemoglobin can be found in red blood cells, hemoglobin is helps with the transfer of respiratory gases from the blood to the tissues of the body. With an illness called sickle-cell anemia, the red blood cells are changed from a round, disk shape to a floppy looking sickle shape. These cells therefore cannot pass through small blood vessels due to their divergent shape. The actual cause of this mutation is a gene disorder, where the sixth codon of the protein glutamaric acid is changed with valine. This small change in the genetic code can cause severe defects in the effected such as blood clots, severe disorders and even death. All this can result from a misinterpretation in one codon in a chain of hundreds! Protein synthesis acts in this way, that is if there is only the most minuscule mistake it can have monstrous effects. THE BASICS OF DNA AND GENES Protein synthesis first begins in a gene. A gene is a section of chromosome compound of deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA. Each DNA strand is composed of phosphate, the five-carbon sugar deoxyribose and nitrogenous bases or nucleotides. There are four types of nitrogenous bases in DNA. They are (A)denine, (G)uanine, (T)hymine, (C)ytosine and they must be paired very specifically. Only Adenine with Thymine (A-T) and Guanine with Cytosine (G-C). To form a polynucleotide DNA, many nucleotides are linked together with 3`-5` phosphodiester linkages. In a complete molecule of DNA two of these polynucleotide strands are linked together by nitrogenous bases at 90 degrees to the sugar-phosphate "spine" (FIG. 1). The nitrogenous bases are held together with weak hydrogen bonds. One polynitrogenous chain runs in a 3'-5' direction, the 3' being the top hydroxyl and the 5' being the bottom phosphate attached to the carbon five of the sugar. The other string runs the opposite. The two strands of the structure cannot be identical but they are complimentary. There is no restrictions on the placement and sequence of the nucleotides, which becomes important in storage of information. TRANSCRIPTION: The Synthesis of RNA Genetic information would be rendered useless if the stored information did not have a way of reaching the desired focal area. Since protein synthesis occurs in the cytoplasm and the DNA must remain in the nucleus, a way of transporting the code is essential. This comes in the form of messenger ribonucleic acid or m-RNA. Since the information on the DNA must stay the same on the m-RNA, the two have to be very similar. There are three major differences between RNA and DNA. RNA is only a single strand. The five carbon sugar of RNA is ribose opposed to deoxyribose and in RNA the pyrimidine uracil (U) replaces DNA's pyrimidine thymine (T). Since RNA is produced from DNA, the nucleotides of RNA can hold the same information as the nucleotides of DNA because the code for amino acids is centered around the RNA structure. The process in which m-RNA is synthesized is called transcription. This process is similar to DNA replication in the way that for transcription to occur, the double helix DNA must be unwound as in DNA replication (FIG 2). The major difference between transcription and replication is that in transcription only one of the strands is used as a template and only one m-RNA strand is produced. Transcription can be broken up into three parts in order to be understood. These steps are: i)initiation, ii)elongation and iii)termination. Initiation of transcription is how the transcription begins. The enzyme responsible for m-RNA synthesis is called RNA polymerase 2. The RNA polymerase knows where to begin transcription because it is coded into the DNA. Elongation of transcription represents how the process happens. This occurs the same way as DNA replication, with the

Gr6 Essay- Human activity and endangered species B Essays

Gr6 Essay- Human activity and endangered species B Essays Gr6 Essay- Human activity and endangered species By Emilia Quinlan "An endangered species is a species of wild animal or plant that is in danger of extinction through out all or a significant portion of its range" (About Education) http://endangeredspecies.about.com/od/endangeredspecies101/a/What-Does-Endangered-Mean.htm In this Essay I will be choosing two endangered species. I will choose one endangered animal and one endangered plant. The endangered animal that I will be talking about is a Cross river gorilla (gorilla gorilla dielhi). The endangered plant that I will be talking about is a Rafflesia flower (Rafflesia arnoldii). Cross River Gorilla A cross river gorilla was very hard to study until the past decade or so. Because they were thought to be extinct by many scientists. "Cross river gorillas are scattered in at least 11 groups across the lowland montane forests and rainforests of Cameroon and Nigeria, an area of 3,000 square miles, or about twice the size of Rhode island." (WWF) Physical Description: "The Cross River gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla." It also comes from the other subspecies, Western lowland gorilla, it has a similar skull and tooth dimensions.(WWF) Food chain; Sun - flowers - cross river gorilla - leopard Another food chain; Sun - leaves - cross river gorilla - humans Last food chain; Sun - fruit - cross river gorilla- crocodile Population: 200 to 300 individuals. (WWF) Habitats: Forest habitat(WWF) Status: Critically endangered The cross river gorilla's scientific name is Gorilla gorilla diehli .(WWF) Main Threats: Habitat loss- The cross river gorilla group, manly live in unprotected forests and face the threat of habitat loss through logging and as local people treat their habitat bad and clear the land for agriculture and cattle grazing.(WWF) Hunting- The cross river gorilla's are being hunted due to hunters moving in. (illegally) (WWF) Low reproduction- The cross river gorilla has very low reproduction due to hunters and habitat loss. This means that there is a very low population and is very hard to reproduce therefore they will become more endangered and eventually extinct. Conclusion My conclusion for the cross river gorilla is help them by leaving there habitat alone and going somewhere else to log and agriculture. Another point is to stop hunting so they can not become extinct and they can have more cross river gorillas across Africa and the world. Rafflesia flower The Rafflesia flower does not have leaves, a steam, a root and is the biggest flower on earth. It is very rare and critically endangered. It is indeed the most magnificent and largest flower in the world. It was discovered in 1818 by Sir Stamford Raffles and "was mostly named after him self and his companion, surgeon-naturalist Dr James Arnold."( Rafflesia , the worlds largest bloom) " Raflesia ." Rafflesia , The World's Largest Bloom, www.rafflesiaflower.com/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017. (bibliography for worlds largest bloom) This jungle flower of south-east Asia holds the all time record-breaking bloom of 106.7 centimeters (3ft 6 inches) diameter and in fact 11 kg (24 lb ) weight and the petals are an inch thick. ( Rafflesia , the worlds largest bloom) The Rafflesia flower is one of the rarest flowers in the world and is critically endangered therefore on its way to extinction.( Rafflesia , the worlds largest bloom) The scientific name for the Rafflesia flower is Rafflesia arnoldii after a man called Dr James Arnold discovered it and called it that in 1818. ( Rafflesia , the worlds largest bloom) A common name that people call it is the corpse flower because apparently it smells like rotten flesh.(Kew Royal botanic gardens ) Main Threats A main threat is that people are building a highway for more human access and is killing the Rafflesia flower habitat also humans are clearing out land to plant banana trees therefore the Rafflesia flower is losing their habitat and the population continues to decrease so they are in danger. (Red list) Another threat is that the Rafflesia flower has an extremally unbalanced sex ratio and there is more males then females so when it comes to reproduction it is very hard to find another male flower close by and if not the petals eventually die and decreases the population. (

Answering the paragraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Answering the paragraph - Essay Example Ceramics- Nowadays advanced ceramic materials are used for building to make turbine engines as they work more efficiently. Nowadays heat resistant ceramic tiles are used to protect during re – entry. Modern ceramics contain more components that before and are known as ceramic oxides.High temperature ceramics are also lately used in air craft making. â€Å"Engineered ceramics are increasingly being used in commercial and military aircraft, and have been used in the space shuttle and its equipment for many years†. Polymers – In modern aircrafts polymers are used to built airframe, window protection, interior trim, lightly stressed parts, and electrical insulators. The current invented polymer fibers are high in strength and can equal steel. New progression in polymer is the production of low cost polymers as polyethylene.. Composites – composites are an integral part of aircraft structure and there had been a great progression in this material within years. Composites like ceramic composites, polymer composites, carbon- fiber composites all have made the air craft develop vastly. Carbon fiber, aramid fiber is also common composites used for aircraft. Most of the airframe are made of composites and are highly cost – effective and durable. ... Since decades, aircraft technology has changed and the desire of humans for better quality and service has motivated the engineering world to find materials that are advanced. Now all the materials used for aircraft building have been progressed and many are less costing and have high durability. One of the advantages is that, new materials need less of maintenance and last for longer time. As the scientific world is improving the researchers want to make best use of nature and technology to satisfy customer needs and wants. Question 2. List 3 different nano materials and explain why they have become the major buzzword in Science over the last 20 years. Nanomaterials are things that are made with nano particles and are produced using nanotechnology. They are chemical substance which has increased strength, conductivity and light weight. Nano materials are new invention in engineering field and are highly demanded for their sophistication. The different nanomaterials are as follows. F ullerenes Fullerenes are carbon structures made with nanotechnology and have hollow cage like form. It has 60 atoms of carbon and is composed of pure carbon molecule. It has a shape of that of a soccer ball or a dome. It is a highly promising element in material science as it can be used for medical applications, fiber optics and super conductors. Fullerenes are similar to graphite in structure and can also come in spherical shapes. Carbon Nanotubes Carbon nanotube is another nanomaterial which is made of carbon and comes in tube shape. They have a diameter which measures on a nanometer scale. Carbon nanotubes come in many shapes and sizes with number of layers. They are formed from graphite

Edit and adjust accordingly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Edit and adjust accordingly - Essay Example Agency source of power has to do with the power to make decisions on the use of the agency’s human and material resources. This includes the restructuring of the organization, changing staff schedules, unbundling of production process or entering into strategic partnership for the purpose of improving quality of goods and services and/or empowering clients. Closely related to agency source of power is legitimate power. This is the power one has by virtue of his position in an organization. Having legitimate powers means having authority or control over the behaviours and performances of others. The president of a company has legitimate power over all other employees of the company. He can give every other person orders and expect him/her to obey. Expert power is the power that even individuals at the lower levels of the organizational structure can acquire and accumulate. The possession of superior knowledge, ideas, skill, experience and abilities, and how these are used can earn one reputation and power. An employee with expert power is a master in his professional niche and he can use the power s/he accumulates to sway others into taken decisions that affect the overall functioning of the organization. Until my employment, the company I am working with was into hotel business. It nearly crumbled due to superior competition. The business was sustained with returns from the president’s plantation. The ‘management’ of the hotel was then lead by a president and had two-level organizational structure. No line managers. No board meetings. It was small. Every employee reported to the president. Two of the four senior employees were sons of the president. They were presidents-in-the-waiting. The business was on the verge of been mismanaged as family business if not for the president’s foresightedness. He knew his children were incapable of managing the inherited business. The hotel needed

Family and Juvenile Delinquency

Family and Juvenile Delinquency The family is the foundation of humanity. Children who are rejected by their parents, who grow up in homes with considerable conflict, or who are inadequately supervised are at the greatest risk of becoming delinquent. Adolescence is a time of expanding vulnerabilities and opportunities that go along with it, widens social and geographic exposure to life beyond school or family. Family is one of the most influential institutions in socializing a child. Being raised in a single parent home can lead to delinquency, regardless if it was because of divorce/separation, death, or incarceration. The outcome of the childs life is considerably different compared to a child who has a stable life with both parents. With only one parent, a child may receive only half the guidance given by two parents. This usually results in the child making wrong decisions like getting involved with other risk factors such as school problems or dropping out. The way we are socialized by our surroundings has a dramatic impact on whether we become delinquents. The composition of families is one aspect of family life that is consistently associated with delinquency. Children who live in homes with only one parent or in which marital relationships have been disrupted by divorce or separation are more likely to display a range of behavioral problems including delinquency, than children who are from two parent families (Thornberry, et al. 1999). Children who witness marital discord are at greater risk of becoming delinquents. Previous research has demonstrated associations between exposure to parental divorce and marital conflict while growing up and childrens psychological distress in adulthood (Amato Sobolewski 2001). Social learning theory argues that aggressive behavior is learned; as parents display aggressive behavior, children learn to imitate it as an acceptable means of achieving goals (Wright Wright 1994). When parents are divorced and there is just one parent to take care of the child, the child is quick to feel just half there. If it is the mother who has the child, she may have to work to support him, and she would not be able to be home when he comes home from school. If he comes home and finds the home empty, he would not stay there, but he will go out with his peers. The gang will then get bored and look around for something to do. This will lead to stealing possibly, and these activities can go on until they end in murder or drug addiction. Parents teach children to control unacceptable behavior, to delay indulgence, and to respect the rights of others. On the contrary, families can teach children aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior (Wright Wright 1994). This statement alone could easily explain how the juvenile may end up becoming a delinquent. Wright and Wright (1994) suggest positive parenting practices during the early years and later in adolescence appear to act as buffers preventing delinquent behavior and assisting adolescents involved in such behavior to desist from delinquency. Gorman-Smith and Tolan (1998) found that parental conflict and parental aggressiveness predicted violent offending; whereas, lack of maternal affection and paternal criminality predicted involvement in property crimes. Familial characteristics suggesting familial antisocial behavior or values such as family history of criminal behavior, harsh parental discipline, and family conflict have been among the most consistently linked. In another study conducted by Gorman-Smith and her colleagues, data show that children are more likely to resort to violence if there is violence within relationships that they may share with their family (Gorman-Smith, et al. 2001). In the realm of family functioning there is a theory known as the coercion theory, which suggests that family environment influences an adolescents interpersonal style, which in turn influences peer group selection (Cashwell Vacc 1996). Peers with a more coercive interpersonal style tend to become involved with each other, and this relationship is assumed to increase the likelihood of being involved in delinquent behavior. Thus understanding the nature of relationships within the family, to include family adaptability, cohesion, and satisfaction, provides more information for understanding youth (Cashwell Vacc 1996). The cohesiveness of the family successfully predicted the frequency of delinquent acts for non-traditional families (Matherne Thomas 2001). Family behaviors, particularly parental monitoring and disciplining, seems to influence association with deviant peers throughout the adolescent period (Cashwell Vacc 1994). Among social circumstances which have a hand in determi ning the future of the individual it is enough for our present purpose to recognize that family is central (Wright Wright 1994). Juby and Farrington(2001) claim that there are three major classes that explain the relationship between disrupted families and delinquency; trauma theories, life course theories, and selection theories. The trauma theories suggest that the loss of a parent has a damaging effect on children, most commonly because of the effect on attachment to the parent. Life course theories focus on separation as a long drawn out process rather than a discrete event, and on the effects of multiple stressors typically associated with separation. Selections theories argue that disrupted families are associated with delinquency because of pre-existing differences in family income or child rearing methods, for example (Juby Farrington 2001). Communication also plays a big role in how the family functions. Clark and Shields (1997) state that the importance of positive communication for optimal family functioning has major implications for delinquent behavior. They also discovered that communication is indeed related to the commission of delinquent behavior and differences are shown within categories of age, sex, and family marital status. Klein and Forehand (1997) suggest that the prediction of juvenile delinquency in early childhood depends on the type of maternal parenting skills that are imposed upon the child during early adolescence. Muehlenberg (2002) poses the question of how do children from single parent family homes fare educationally compared to children from intact two parent families. In most cases, delinquents have been viewed as individuals who come from less intact families, often referred to as broken homes. Typically, the term broken home has been structured to mean children residing in single-parent households or any type of household other than a household in which both biological parents are present (Rankin, 1983; Geismar Wood, 1986). In contrast, an intact family usually refers to a nuclear family arrangement in which both biological parents reside in the household with their biological children (Kierkus Baer, 2002). Intact family arrangements differ from other modern-day family arrangements including single-parent arrangements, two-parent arrangements involving a stepparent, extended family member arrangements, and the adoptive/foster family arrangement (Wells Rankin, 1986). Since 1970, the proportion of American households that have children who live with both parents has declined substantially. In 1970, 64 percent of African American children lived with two parents, compared with 35 percent in 1997; comparable figures for white children are 90 percent and 74 percent, respectively (Lugaila, 1998). According to some estimates, as many as 40 percent of white children and 75 percent of African American children will experience arental separation or divorce before they reach age 16 (Brayand Hetherington, 1993) and many of these children will experience multiple family disruptions over time (Furstenberg and Cherlin, 1991). Sometimes the focus is taken off the mother and shifted towards the father. The lack of emphasis on the role of fathering in childhood conduct problems is especially unfortunate given that there are several reasons why fathers can be expected to be particularly significant in the initiation and persistence of offspring offending. For example, fathers are particularly likely to be involved with sons who are at higher risk than daughters of delinquent behavior (Flouri Buchannan 2002). Popenoe(1997) states that fatherlessness is a major force behind many disturbing US social problems. The institution of marriage acts as cultures chief vehicle to bind men to their children. The absence of fathers from childrens lives is one of the most important causes related to childrens well being such as increasing rates of juvenile crime, depression and eating disorders, teen suicide, and substance abuse. Two parent households provide increased supervision and surveillance of property, while single parenthood increases likelihood of delinquency and victimization simply by the fact that there is one less person to supervise adolescent behavior (Wright Wright 1994). Children, regardless of whether they are a product of a single parent or dual parent household, are more likely to become juvenile delinquents if there is a minimum amount of quality time spent with the guardians. Guardians actually need to be parents rather than just provide for the child. Parents provide structure which entails rules, encouragement, and any type of consistent adult behavior that a juvenile can use as guidelines throughout his or her own adolescent years. Although a majority of delinquents are from single parent households, delinquency is fostered by a lack of parental/juvenile interaction. Monitoring the child is also a major contribution towards the creation of delinquency. By spending time with a juvenile as a family through family activities, it not only provides that necessary supervision for being aware of the whereabouts of the child, how the child is functioning emotionally, and how he or she is doing as an adolescent, it creates positive interaction with th e parents that is needed for a healthy upbringing. Reference Page Amato, Paul and Juliana M. Sobolewski. 2001. The effects of divorce on adult childrens psychological well-being. American Sociological Review. 66: 900-921. Cashwell, Craig S. and Niccholas A. Vacc. 1996. Family Functioning and Risk Behaviors: Influences on adolescent delinquency. School Counselor. 44: 105-15. Geismar, L.L., Wood, K.M. (1986). Family and delinquency: Resocializing the young offender. New York: Human Sciences Press. Gorman-Smith, Deborah and Patrick H. Tolan. 1998. Relation of family problems to patterns of Delinquent involvement among urban youth. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 26: 319-34. 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