Amateur craft‐artists: Marginal leisure roles in a marginal art world (1)

Amateurism is an important but marginal leisure role, in which the boundaries between work and leisure are blurred. This phenomenon has been studied by Stebbins as a subjective social reality. His conceptualization of amateurism was used as a model in the examination of survey data on craft‐artists and it was found to apply rather well to the analysis of quantitative data. As a self‐identified category of craft‐artists, amateurs were statistically marginal between professionals and dabblers.     

Inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream child development research

This study investigated whether children with disabilities are excluded from mainstream child development research. Fifteen per cent of 533 articles from Child Development and Developmental Psychology (1996–2010) were randomly selected. The exclusion rate was 89.9% when no mention of participants with disabilities was interpreted as exclusion and 66.7% when only studies mentioning disabilities were surveyed; 74% of studies did not provide justification for exclusion. Most studies could have included children with disabilities. Inclusion could be increased by adopting universal design principles and accommodations so that more children with disabilities can gain equal access to research opportunities and the benefits that accrue.     

Student Self‐Reported Positive Purpose Over Two Years in Urban Middle Schools

We used Developmental Systems Theory as a framework for understanding the role of contextual factors in the development of purpose in urban adolescents. The sample included primarily low‐socioeconomic students of color attending urban middle schools (n = 2,629; 10–16 years of age). Longitudinal data were collected at four time points across two years. We used hierarchical linear modeling to model change in purpose. On average, purpose declined over time. We also identified several predictors of intercept and slope. For example, Black youth had a higher average purpose intercept, as well as a steeper average decline than other racial/ethnic groups. Females demonstrated a higher average purpose intercept than males, but this effect disappeared when academic achievement was added to the model.     

The political economy of social exclusion, with implications for immigration policy

Minorities such as ethnic and immigration groups have often been subject to exclusion through labor market discrimination, residential and employment segregation policies, business ownership regulations, restrictions on political participation, access to public services, and more. This paper studies the dynamics of minority exclusion. From the viewpoint of the dominant majority, the exclusion decision balances the motive to redistribute income in its favor and the interest in avoiding potential civic unrest or even violent confrontation with the minority. The analysis also has implications for immigration policies, suggesting that they have to take this group dynamics into account.

‘Social choice and welfare’ at 30: its role in the development of social choice theory and welfare economics

The number of papers published in Social Choice and Welfare has tremendously increased over the years. This paper is a subjective overview of the parallel development of the journal and the subjects it covers.     

Consistent Motives for Inter-Family Transfers: Simple Altruism

The influence of the comparative economic status of elderly parents and their adult children on inter-vivos transfers and inheritance was analyzed. The 1992 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study interview provides new evidence that transfers from parents to mid-life adults are motivated by simple altruism, in contrast to other recent studies that support compensatory altruism or exchange motives. These results are based on income tax records for parents from the late 1950's and respondents' earnings reports for the mid-70's, and within-family analyses of sibling pairs and their income reports in the early 1990's. A policy implication is that government income redistribution will not affect how elderly parents provide financial transfers to their adult children.     

Two-Way,One-Way or Dead-End Streets? Financial and Social Causes and Consequences of Generalized Trust

Social Indicators Research - Scholars disagree on whether and to what extent adult life experiences can influence generalized trust and vice versa. Going beyond the methodological limitations of...     

An Ecological Systems Comparison Between Homeless Sexual Minority Youths and Homeless Heterosexual Youths

ABSTRACT

This study examined risk and protective outcomes by comparing homeless sexual minority youths to heterosexual homeless youths regarding family, peer behaviors, school, mental health, stigma, discrimination, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors. Structured interviews (N = 147) were conducted with individuals aged 16 to 24 years old in Toronto. Bivariate analyses indicated statistically significant differences between homeless sexual minorities (n = 66) and their heterosexual counterparts (n = 81) regarding all variables: family, peer behaviors, stigma, discrimination, mental health, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors, with the exception of school belonging. Implications for future research are suggested.