Reflections on the enactment of children's participation rights through research: Between transactional and relational spaces

Young people's participation in the evaluation of services designed for them has become widespread in England following the United Kingdom's ratification of the UNCRC. This makes participation a matter of citizenship as well as of research. The paper reflects on these developments from a critical social psychological perspective. In particular it looks at the experience of working with a transformational model of participation. The author reflects on the possibilities and limitations of such a model and argues that within the English socio-cultural context a number of challenges, conceptualised by the author as transactional practices, make the establishment of enduring relational practices difficult. Epistemological reflexivity and a pragmatic approach towards children's participation rights are advocated by the author as a way of managing the conflicts between different participatory approaches that present themselves in practice.     

A behavioral model of the dual motive approach to behavioral economics and social exchange

New findings in brain physiology, especially evolutionary neuroscience, have profound implications for behavioral economics. The new findings show that the transactional commercial market evolved from the interplay of our self-preservational (egoistic) and affectional (empathetic) neural circuitries. These fundamental brain circuitries, under homeostatic physiological regulation, are the neural substrate of our human social exchange activity—from sharing in primitive families to the gift exchange economy to the commercial market. Current microeconomic theory is structured on the assumption of a sole primary self-interest motive. The presence of the dual physiological motives, however, is clearly demonstrated in demand, supply, and equilibrium curves as well as in the basic calculus of price theory. This confirmed duality of motives opens the way for new and productive directions in research. The conflict systems neurobehavioral (CSN) model developed by the author in several recent publications expresses the reciprocal interactive dynamic of these circuitries in socio-economic exchange behavior.     

An Empirical Note on the Transactional Model of Psychological Stress*

This paper seeks to assess the utility of the transactional model of individual stress. According to the logic of the model, whether persons manifest stress is a multiplicative function of both situational and individual characteristics. The paper briefly discusses possible advantages of the perspective over other frames of reference. Then it describes a pilot study designed to determine whether hypotheses based on the transactional model could be supported empirically. Utilizing interview data from a small probability sample of all adults in the state of Missouri, scales were constructed by an imporved method of item analysis for use as indicators of variations in stress and the situational and individual factors. Comparing stress scores by situational and individual variables produced results indicative of a multiplicative relationship and thus supportive of theories derived from the transactional perspective.     

Understanding Links Between Punitive Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment: The Relevance of Context and Reciprocal Associations

There is considerable debate regarding the extent to which punitive parenting adversely impacts youth well‐being. Using an ecological–transactional model of human development, we examined reciprocity and contextual variability in associations between maternal punitive discipline and adolescent adjustment among 1,147 low‐income, urban youth followed through adolescence. Longitudinal structural equation modeling results indicated that delinquency and depressive symptoms during pre‐ and early adolescence (Time 1) were associated with increased punitive discipline about a year later (Time 2). When mothers reported less Time 2 neighborhood disorder, punitive discipline at Time 2 was associated with increased delinquency (for boys) and depressive symptoms (for girls) during mid‐ to late adolescence (Time 3). The costs of punitive discipline for adolescent adjustment are best understood considering the dynamic, transactional, and contextual nature of development.     

Transactional Sex and Preferences for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Administration Modalities Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an important biomedical human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention tool gaining more popularity among Parisian men who have sex with men (MSM) who engage in transactional sex. This study examines the knowledge of, and willingness to use, different modalities of PrEP among this subgroup. Broadcast advertisements were placed on a geosocial-networking smartphone application with a link to a Web-based survey during three 24-hour periods in October 2016. Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between engagement in transactional sex and preferences for each of these PrEP modalities. A total of 444 respondents were included. About 14% reported engagement in transactional sex. In all, 90% of MSM who engaged in transactional sex were knowledgeable of daily oral PrEP, while 13.3% were knowledgeable about long-acting injectable PrEP or penile or rectal microbicides. They were more likely to be aware of long-acting injectable PrEP (aRR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.16 to 5.47) and willing to use daily oral PrEP (aRR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.98) or long-acting injectable PrEP (aRR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.81) than MSM who had not engaged in transactional sex. Long-acting injectable PrEP may be an important HIV-prevention option for MSM who engage in transactional sex if this modality is proven effective.     

How Theory and Research Inform Citizen Participation in Poor Communities: The Ecological Perspective and Theories on Self- and Collective Efficacy and Sense of Community

The engagement of residents in poor, disadvantaged communities has been a focus of social work practice since the early part of the twentieth century. In the person:environment configuration, a renewed appreciation is building for community-level factors in human behavior and functioning. Poor neighborhoods are transactional settings that can negatively impact human behavior and development. However, active citizen participation can positively impact neighborhoods, including strengthening residents' individual and collective capacities and relationships. This article uses the ecological perspective to examine the neighborhood as a transactional setting that influences individual and collective behavior and outcomes and citizen participation as vehicle for improving outcomes for residents living in poor communities. The article also discusses theory and research on self- and collective efficacy and sense of community to understand the motivation for and benefits of citizen participation. Implications for social work research and practice are discussed.     

Transactional activism without transactions: network perspective on anti-corruption activism in the Czech Republic

In 2007, Petrova and Tarrow coined the term transactional activism, arguing that, despite weak individual-level political participation, civil societies in Central and Eastern Europe were surprisingly strong due to their capacity to establish transactional links. Yet the research which followed, relying mostly on quantitative data, has not uncovered much evidence of how transactional activism works. To make advances here, we take a more qualitative approach and focus on transactional ties among NGOs, developing a more fine-grained conceptualization. Specifically, we distinguish associative ties of loosely defined cooperation and interlocking ties based on the division of labour. We utilize this new conceptualization through a successful anti-corruption initiative known as ‘Reconstruction of the State’. The initiative presented itself largely in transactional terms (plurality of participating actors) and was extremely successful in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections in 2013 in the Czech Republic, inspiring similar initiatives abroad. We use social network analysis and qualitative interviews to test our concept of interlocking transactional ties. In contrast to our expectations, we find limited division of labour in the initiative, with just one organization, in the main, shouldering most of the important tasks. We use our findings to question the previously claimed importance of transactional activism in Central and Eastern Europe. Specifically, we call for more robust evidence describing how cooperation among organizations empowers civil society.     

The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability

Throughout history, theorists have made use of the technology of the day to provide explanatory models of the behaviour they observe in order to provide an improved understanding of human behaviour. Bax (1998) describes the use of models of disability as not particularly helpful in relation to the treatment of children with physical disabilities. It is the purpose of this paper to show that models do have their place within disability research and the implications of using the medical and social models of disability, together with two models from developmental psychology, namely the transactional model and systems theory, will be discussed. It is argued by the authors that the usage of these models can aid understanding of disability in both research and clinical settings.     

Parenting Stress,Parental Reactions,and Externalizing Behavior From Ages 4 to 10

The association between parenting stress and child externalizing behavior, and the mediating role of parenting, has yielded inconsistent findings; however, the literature has typically been cross‐sectional or unidirectional. In the current study, the authors examined the longitudinal transactions among parenting stress, perceived negative parental reactions, and child externalizing at 4, 5, 7, and 10 years old. Models examining parent effects (parenting stress to child behavior), child effects (externalizing to parental reactions and stress), indirect effects of parental reactions, and the transactional associations among all variables were compared. The transactional model best fit the data, and longitudinal reciprocal effects emerged between parenting stress and externalizing behavior. The mediating role of parental reactions was not supported; however, indirect effects suggest that parenting stress both is affected by and affects parent and child behavior. The complex associations among parent and child variables indicate the importance of interventions to improve the parent–child relationship and reducing parenting stress.     

Transformational and transactional leadership styles,followers' positive and negative emotions,and performance in German nonprofit orchestras

Although the transformational‐transactional leadership paradigm has received increased attention from the research community over the past two decades, the nonprofit sector has been largely neglected. This study provides information about the effectiveness of transformational and transactional leadership styles in the domain of German nonprofit orchestras, while exploring the role of emotions within these leadership styles. We examined musicians' perceptions of their orchestra conductors' leadership behaviors and related those behaviors to performance. Positive emotions were associated with both transactional and transformational leadership. Negative emotions partially mediated the influence of transformational leadership on performance. In combination, the results allow a more thorough and detailed understanding of effective leadership behavior in nonprofit organizations.     

Transactional and Cascading Relations Between Early Spanking and Children's Social‐Emotional Development

The authors tested a series of models linking spanking and child social‐emotional outcomes using a sample of 3,870 families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study. Spanking was measured by the number of times the focal child was spanked by the mother at ages 1, 3, and 5. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist at ages 3 and 5. Child emotionality was used to index child behavior at age 1. A series of nested transactional and cascade models was tested through structural equation modeling. The final model supported transactional effects between spanking and child externalizing behaviors over child ages 1, 3, and 5. In addition, one cascade effect was found: Spanking at age 1 was related to greater externalizing behavior at age 3, which was related to greater internalizing behavior at age 5. Implications for family theory and future research are discussed.     

The McMaster Model of Family Functioning

The model of family functioning being presented is the product of over twenty years of research in clinical work with family units. A method of family therapy has been developed based upon this model and will be described in a future issue. The model utilizes a general systems theory approach in an attempt to describe the structure, organization, and transactional patterns of the family unit. It allows examination of families along the total spectrum ranging from healthy to severely pathological in their functioning. It is based upon a Judaeo-Christian value set, and allows attention to be paid to cultural differences and other issues of cultural relativity .     

Evolutionary Process of Social Capital Formation through Community Currency Organizations: The Japanese Case

Community currency systems are said to influence the revival of communities by promoting either local economic growth or social capital accumulation. However, no empirical studies have examined the multiple competing mechanisms for providing social support through transactional networks among participants. The current study connects network structural concepts to theories of social capital, transaction costs, homophily, and resource dependency at multiple levels and evaluates transactional relationships for community rebuilding and local economic development. We examine the evolutionary process of dynamic networks among local residents or organization members with network configurations in one of the largest Japanese community currency systems, “Peanuts.” Using longitudinal network data over 12 years for approximately 1400 actors, we conclude that the evolution and achievement of transactional network dynamics and partner selections differ between the two groups of participants: individual members and organization members. We also provide practical implications for sustaining participants’ transactions and commitment.     

An Ecological-Transactional Model of Generational Boundary Dissolution Across Development

The present article proposes an updated model of boundary dissolution. Specifically, the model integrates the ecological-ethical model of parentification with a broader model of boundary dissolution and further incorporates an ecological-transactional perspective to advance boundary dissolution theory. This model argues that transactional processes within and across levels of ecology influence a boundary-dissolved microsystem and maladaptive and adaptive ontogenic development. This article also provides a review of the extant literature on the causes and consequences of boundary dissolution by level of ecology. Consequences to ontogenic development and child ontogenic factors that influence boundary dissolution are reviewed by developmental period to emphasize developmental processes. Directions for future work suggested by this review are highlighted.     

‘Ties that Bind’: A Transactional Approach to Social Capital

Abstract

The last decade has witnessed a renewed interest in the concept of social capital. However, much confusion still exists about the exact meaning of social capital. Thus, to create a foundation for future studies on social capital, this article develops a conceptual and theoretical framework to depict the stocks and flows of social capital. As such, it defines social capital formation in transactional terms so as to exploit fully the capital analogy used to characterise social capital and to place the concept of social capital on par with fixed, financial and human capital.     

Chapter 21: A Commentary on the Integration of EAPs

Abstract

This article addresses the notion of integration-past and present. The author discusses his earlier experiences and research in the field when the dominant model of service delivery was occupational alcoholism programs and counselors of the day sought to integrate these programs into the personnel management function as a means of more effectively serving the employee and the employer. This article also reviews the evolution of this earlier model into employee assistance programs and points out the success and continued growth of these programs was the direct result of empirical research that demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of EAPs. The author reminds the reader to be mindful of the need to maintain the core technology ascribed to EAPs as the range of workplace human service programs continues to expand. Lastly, the author reiterates the necessity of empirical research to demonstrate the value of adding of work-life and wellness services to the broadening scope of programs aimed at maximizing human capital.     

Locational factors and the urban fringe land market

The rural-urban fringe land market is a complex interaction of behavioral, institutional and locational economic factors. These factors are analysed in relation to transactional sales prices for undeveloped fringe land. The resultant models estimate the role of several of these factors in the demand for fringe land. Parcel size, access to peripheral urban centers, zoning, land use and the interactions of location and specific land uses are the primary determinants of the transactional sale prices. Understanding the composition of the demand function within the fringe land market context will assist in comprehending the complexity of the fringe land market and the land conversion process.     

Exploring Differences in Family Involvement and Depressive Symptoms across Latino Adolescent Groups

This study investigated the association between family involvement and depressive symptoms among a sample of 187 Dominican, Mexican, and Central American adolescents from the Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation Study. The study used the transactional stress model as its theoretical foundation. Findings from a multiple regression model suggest that low levels of family involvement were significantly related to higher levels of depressive symptoms for Dominican youths but not for Mexican or Central American youths. Latina adolescents were significantly more likely to have higher rates of depressive symptoms than their male counterparts. Research and practice implications are discussed.     

Does “buyer beware” work in migration? Contracting between brokers and migrants in Vietnam

This article is an attempt to open the lid a little of the “black box of migration” i.e. brokers. Analysing contracts between brokers and labour migrants, we identify four different forms of exploitation of migrants by brokers: expropriation of skill premium, risk shifting, over‐charging, and non‐refund of deposits. Opportunistic behaviour by brokers, as evidenced by such exploitation, is seen as a market failure that is explained by human attributes and transactional characteristics. Given the rigidities in the human attributes of the contracting parties and the nature of migration as a risky multi‐period transaction, proposals are made for non‐market interventions, which can lead to more equitable contracting.     

The Biopolitics of Sex:

Contrary to the environmental determinism presumed by most social science commentators, and to the genetic determinism propounded by advocates of hardcore "sociobiology," the postion of this paper is the transactional, epigenetic approach commonly accepted in the life sciences. For the study of humans, this last approach requires a focus upon the reciprocal effects between genotype and both physical and sociocultural environments throughout development. Discussed are: the biology of human sexuality, sex roles and political behavior. The conclusion proposes the development of political models and practices that will take better advantage of the characteristic differences between female and male brains in political thinking and behavior and that will require a major reversal of the contemporary ratio in sex representation in political roles.