Homelessness in Europe and the United States: A Comparison of Prevalence and Public Opinion

Random samples of 250–435 adults were interviewed by telephone in five different nations ( N = 1,546): Belgium, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the United States. The interview included questions on respondent attitudes, knowledge, and opinions regarding homelessness; respondents' own personal experiences with homelessness and homeless people; and demographic characteristics of the respondents. The highest rates for lifetime literal homelessness were found in the UK (7.7%) and United States (6.2%), with the lowest rate in Germany (2.4%), and intermediate rates in Italy (4.0%) and Belgium (3.4%). Less compassionate attitudes toward the homeless were also found on many dimensions in the United States and the UK. Possible explanations of these findings, drawn from various theoretical perspectives, and policy implications are provided .     

Inheritance taxes in Australia: a matter of indifference,not taboo

The failure of the Henry Tax Review to fuel public debate around inheritance taxes in Australia leads some commentators to suggest that inheritance taxes are taboo in Australia. This article uses Beckert's historical analysis of inheritance law in the United States, Germany and France to assess this claim from a comparative perspective. It argues that the discursive field around inheritance taxes in Australia aligns most closely with that in the United States, but that there are substantial differences nonetheless. Whereas in the United States inheritance taxes are a touchstone for competing visions of liberal society, in Australia liberal ideals are heavily moderated by diverse pragmatic considerations. The upshot is a long tradition of bipartisanship and relative indifference around inheritance taxes, making it difficult to promote public debate as proposed by the Henry Review. At the same time, the fiscal challenges identified by the Henry Review—arising especially from the ageing of the population—means that we should not exaggerate the obstacles to their reinstatement.     

A Global Look at Psychological Barriers to Women's Progress in Management

In the early 1970s Schein identified managerial sex typing as a major psychological barrier to the advancement of women in the United States. The globalization of management brings to the forefront the need to examine the relationship between sex role stereotypes and requisite management characteristics in the international arena. A review of the replications of the Schein research in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, and Japan provides the basis for a global look at the "think manager–think male" phenomenon. Implications of the outcomes, especially among males, for women's progress in management worldwide are discussed.     

中、英、德、美四国制造业环境保护分析与比较

制造业是一个国家发展和强大的基石,是经济高速增长的强大动力来源,同时也是产生环境污染的主要部门,环境污染治理是制造业实现可持续发展的重要内容。英、德、关三国针对制造业的不同特点,在环境污染治理费支出、环境相关税收以及固体废物处置等方面采取了不同的措施。中国制造业必须走环境友好型的“新型制造业”发展道路,建立环境管理体系,实施清洁生产,以环境保护取胜,实现经济与环境的“双赢”。     

The economic policy mix, policy cooperation, and protectionism: Some aspects of macroeconomic interdependence among the United States, Japan, and other OECD countries

In this paper we examine the macroeconomic interdependence of Japan and the United States using the McKibbin-Sachs global (MSG) simulation model of the world economy. Our goal is to determine how shifts in macroeconomic policies in the United States or Japan affect the other country as well as the rest of the world. In particular, we examine the following three issues: (1) the likely macroeconomic ramifications for the United States, Europe, and Japan of significant budget cuts in the United States; (2) the macroeconomic implications of a protectionist tariff imposed by the United States; and (3) the scope for policy coordination among the United States, Japan, and Europe.     

Differences Between Men and Women in Social Relations, Resource Deficits, and Depressive Symptomatology During Later Life in Four Nations

This article examines gender differences in social relations and resource deficits in France ( N = 553), Germany ( N = 516), Japan ( N = 491), and the United States ( N = 514). These data, from regionally representative samples, indicate few gender differences in quantity or quality of social relations, but that women are more likely than men to experience widowhood, illness, and financial strain. In all countries, more deficits and more negative social interactions are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Interestingly, among women in France and Japan but not among men in any country, quality of social relations offsets the negative consequences of resource deficits. Findings suggest that quality of social relations may have important implications for helping people, particularly women, cope with resource deficits common in late life.     

Welfare-to-Work Experiences with Specific Work-First Programmes in Selected Countries

This article reviews the evidence of specific mandatory work-first programmes (job search assistance and workfare) for welfare recipients in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. It primarily refers to experimental and econometric evaluations of single programmes and to meta-evaluations. The effectiveness of specific programme elements in promoting the transition from welfare to work is summarized. The advantage of combining work-first with training programmes and in-work benefits is discussed. As the diversity of programmes, target groups, research designs, etc. makes cross-country comparisons difficult, policy conclusions are drawn with caution.     

Human rights and the allocation of foreign aid: A cross-national analysis of the last years of the Cold War, 1980–1989

Studies of conflict behavior show that states act differently based on changes in the global system. However, studies of other types of foreign policy behavior, such as aid allocation, have neglected to focus on similar system effects. This study is among the first to look at the impact of the cold war system on the relationship between recipient human rights practices and foreign aid disbursements for eight major aid donors, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Through an analysis of aid allocations to a sample of 72 recipients from 1980 to 1989 (the only Cold War years for which reliable and valid human rights data are available) this paper reveals striking and unique findings. Contrary to previous studies, it appears that recipient human rights are a significant factor in whether or not a recipient gets any aid, the so-called gatekeeping stage, but are not a significant factor in how much aid a country receives in the level stage. This paper makes three major contributions to the field. It is the first direct test of the effect of the Cold War system on the relationship between recipient country human rights and aid. It also extends this analysis to donors other than the United States. Finally, the results serve as a baseline for assessing the relationship between human rights and aid during the post-Cold War period (1990–2001) and the so-called “age of terror” (2002 onwards).     

Work, welfare and the attack on the welfare state: the mixing of politics and policy

This article considers the current ideological and political attack against the floor of benefits for poor families in the United States. It examines a number of punitive approaches to the treatment of families on welfare that were developed in the United States in the late 1980s and the 1990s and contends that such policies will not effectively deter the dysfunctional behavior of some of the poor. Rather these policy developments reflect an attack on current national policies of developing an income maintenance floor that seeks to economically sustain poor families, albeit often inadequately. The article contends that current welfare proposals by conservatives and social liberals are not satisfactory for dealing with the problems of the welfare poor and offers suggestions for dealing with these deficits. It also notes that criticisms of welfare state protection for the poor raised in the United States are much more categorical than those raised in Sweden.     

Wealth,Race, and Mortality*

Objective. We explore, first, whether wealth relates to mortality risk independent of income and education, and second, whether wealth closes the black‐white gap in U.S. adult mortality while controlling for other socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors. Methods. We employ the Cox proportional hazards models on data from the 1992 wave of the Health and Retirement Study linked to deaths through 1998, to analyze pre‐retirement adult mortality in the United States. Results. The findings suggest that broader measures of SES, including wealth, are significant for understanding adult mortality. Further, vastly lower asset holdings among blacks, compared to whites, not only affects their financial well‐being but also their survival prospects. Conclusions. Research and social policies that aim to understand and close health disparities in the United States may be poorly conceived if they ignore the impact of wealth on premature adult mortality.     

Anticipating Work and Family: Exploring the Associations Among Gender-Related Ideologies, Values, and Behaviors in Latino and White Families in the United States

This study explores Latina and White women's perceptions of their mother and father's gender-role ideologies, values, and behaviors concerning work and family intersections. Although Latino and White families in this Northern California, United States sample differed in terms of income and educational attainments, they did not differ in terms of the values they placed on work, marriage, and parenting or in terms of the time spent on work, marriage, and parenting. Among both Latino and White families, fathers and mothers were seen as quite distinct, in sex stereotypic ways. Correspondence between ideologies, values, and behaviors was not strong, either among Latinos or among Whites. It seems safe to conclude that people's attitudinal endorsement of egalitarianism does not assure behavioral endorsement.     

Differential customer racial attitudes toward scandal and patriotism: The Mitchell Report,the Olympics,race, and baseball memorabilia

This paper investigates differential customer racial reaction to negative and positive publicity related to professional athletes. In terms of negative publicity, it analyzes the effect of mention in the Mitchell Report on the price of baseball cards. In regards to positive publicity, it considers the impact of having been identified as a member of the United States Olympic or national team. After controlling for player productivity with performance statistics, the effects of being mentioned in the Mitchell Report are isolated within regression analysis to draw conclusions concerning customer racial attitudes toward the steroids scandal. Similar analysis is conducted to see the impact of being seen as a baseball representative of the United States. Regression results are consistent with the conclusion that negative publicity devalues the cards of nonWhite players but not of White players. Positive publicity, however, increases the value of a player's card regardless of ethnicity.     

Historical Memory: The Construction of Consciousness

Historical (national) memory is considered in this article as one of the most important pillars of national identity. In addition to identifying some of the characteristic features of national, historical memory, the author shows that historical memory is influenced by two factors—the direct experience of the witnesses and participants of past events and official propaganda. As the direct witnesses of events disappear, the possibility of reconstructing and distorting historical memory increases. The ideas put forth in this article are formulated based on the historical memory of World War II in the United States, Russia, Germany, and other European countries.     

Body Mass Index,Demographic and Socioeconomic Risk,and Protective Factors of Type 2 Diabetes Among Six Groups of Foreign-Born Asian Americans

ABSTRACT. This study examined the association of body mass index (BMI), demographic variables, and self-reported type 2 diabetes among Chinese, Filipino, South Asian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese adults. A sample of 3,204 Asian American respondents born outside of the United States was selected from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression was used to estimate the relationships between BMI, age, sex, marital status, education, poverty level, years in the United States and self-reported type 2 diabetes. The findings revealed that Koreans had the lowest prevalence for type 2 diabetes and South Asians had the highest. Type 2 diabetes had a statistically significant association with BMI and demographic variables but varied across ethnic groups. Due to sampling variations, no meaningful results were found in the Filipino and Japanese samples. BMI and older age are common risk factors for type 2 diabetes among Asians, but whether sex, marital status, education, and years in the United States are risk factors varies among ethnic groups. Culturally specific prevention programs for type 2 diabetes are important for Asian Americans. Given the diversity of cultures and demographic and socioeconomic factors across the Asian American populations, future research should not combine all ethnic Asian groups into 1 sample.     

Child Welfare in the United States: Policy, Practice and Innovations in Service Delivery

Child welfare in the United States is characterized by numerous and complex problems. By reviewing child welfare policy and trends in the United States, this article aims to stimulate discussion about innovative approaches that could allow child welfare professionals, both in the US and internationally, to better meet the needs of children and families.     

西方政府绩效评估:理论、实践及启示

政府绩效改革是西方国家在新公共管理思潮影响下风靡起来的一项管理改革举措,旨在提高政府机构的效率和公信力。作为“重塑政府”活动的重要内容,政府绩效评估在英美等国都得到了很大发展。本文主要介绍了政府绩效评估在英国、美国、澳大利亚、韩国的实施过程,从而为我国政府绩效改革提供有价值的借鉴,以期全面提高我国政府的执行力。     

Patchwork of promises: A critical analysis of immigration policies for unaccompanied undocumented children in the United States

In 2014, the United States saw a greater than 50% increase in the number of unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America arriving at the U.S./Mexico border, and unaccompanied children continue to migrate to the United States in consistent numbers. The dramatic increase of 2014 exposed gaps in policies aimed at supporting unaccompanied children as they await legal adjudication. This paper begins with a historic review of immigration policies in the United States aimed at supporting unaccompanied migrant children. An analytic review is provided of existing immigration policies in the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Refugee Resettlement, highlighting the competing paradigms created by missions of security‐focused policy versus child‐centred policy. A close examination of the values that influenced policy development in this area is included, along with a discussion of how social work practice can infuse elements of social justice into immigration policy reform. Areas for future research to reform immigration policy focused on supporting unaccompanied undocumented minors are highlighted.     

Relationships among financial satisfaction,life satisfaction,and political action: A comparative study of the United States and South Korea

This study explores the potential impact of cultural orientation on the relationship between financial satisfaction, life satisfaction, and political action within the United States and South Korea. The total sample size was 3,432 individuals (United States = 2,232, South Korea = 1,200). 1 confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model and a path analysis model were assessed using a maximum likelihood estimation. The findings showed a strong positive relationship between financial satisfaction and life satisfaction in both countries. Also, in both countries, more progressive individuals participated in more political actions. When exploring political action, we find an inverse relationship—with greater political action among lower‐income individuals in the United States and greater political action among higher‐income in South Korea. In South Korea (culturally “collectivistic”), middle‐income individuals were also found to participate in political actions that likely benefit larger segments of society. From a cultural dimensions theory perspective, these data suggest political actions in the United States (classified as “individualistic”) were largely conducted by low‐income individuals, potentially as means to enhance their individual well‐being.     

Preservation versus motorized recreation: Institutions, history, and public lands management

The management of the public lands in the United States has been shaped by the long-running conflict between environmental and utilitarian values. Recently, changing social expectations have increased demand for motorized recreational use and access. Critics contend such use of the public lands is a threat to their ecological health. Yet even as motorized use draws increased scrutiny and challenge, some commentators conclude that the battle is already over—and recreational users have won. This article focuses attention on the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service and contends they are predisposed as institutions to favor demands for motorized recreational use and access. It concludes that what is needed is an explanation that seeks to place motorized recreational use in a historical and institutional context that offers a more complete understanding of why such users might be winning the battle.     

Trade, education, and innovation: Prospects for the U.S. economy

This paper examines international trade issues as vital indicators of the economic prospects of the United States and other developed economies. In particular, it challenges misuses of the doctrine of mutual gains from trade and instead argues that comparative advantage does not guarantee increases in benefits to both trading partners—especially when one partner seeks to distort the market mechanism in its favor. In the face of such mercantilist or protectionist practices, efforts to advance innovation, without retaining manufacturing jobs, will not ensure continued prosperity, as the number of jobs entailed in the invention process is small compared with the number of jobs associated with manufacturing an innovative product for mass consumption. These matters call for the urgent rethinking of trade policy by the United States and other developed nations, if they are to balance their imports and exports and ensure continued economic growth.