Horticultural Decline in the Vale of Evesham,U.K., 1950–1980

There has been little geographical research on the spatial decline of particular agricultural enterprises. This paper traces the regression of horticulture in the Vale of Evesham since 1950 and shows how spatially the decline has been from the periphery inwards, leaving a distinct ‘core’ of production to the east of Evesham. Reasons for the demise of horticulture, both internal and external to the Vale, are outlined and it is demonstrated how the present plight of this part of the Avon Valley is the result of a complex interplay of economic, social, institutional and physical factors.     

Paul U. Kellogg and the Survey: Voices for Social Welfare and Social Justice,by Clarke A. Chambers. Minneapolis,University of Minnesota Press, 1971. 296 Pages, $10.00. Hardbound

Abstract

Previous research showing that roughly half of social work students report a history of familial alcohol abuse—and proposing that such abuse might affect these students' current mental health and professional performance—relied on self-reports without standardized screening measures. This 1991 study, based on a convenience sample of 136 MSW students at the University of Texas at Austin, determined students' status as Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACAs) by self-reports and scores on the Children of Alcoholics' Screening Test, and evaluated related mental health functioning with four standardized measures. The results suggest that well under half of social work students are ACAs, and that not all (nor only) ACAs were vulnerable to mental health problems.     

Strain,ethnic competition,and power devaluation: white supremacist protest in the U.S., 1948–1997

Many Western democracies have seen an increase in extreme right mobilization over the past several decades but extreme right mobilization is not a new phenomenon when we look historically. In this paper, we examine fifty years of white supremacist protest in the United States to help shed light on the factors that explain variation in levels of right-wing mobilization. Using annual time-series analysis, we find that traditional strain explanations do not explain these protests but that threats to the traditional economic, political, and social power of whites were critical. Ethnic competition associated with black population growth and political threats stemming from the political power of northern Democrats, a divided federal government, and civil rights protest stimulated this mobilization. These findings support a broadened ethnic competition/power devaluation model of right-wing mobilization that emphasizes the mobilizing effects of economic and political threats to a relatively advantaged group.     

A comparative analysis of public sector restructuring in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean

We examine public sector restructuring in North America and selected Commonwealth Caribbean nations. Although all the countries studied experienced significant restruc-turing in response to public debt pressures, there were major differences across coun-tries in the magnitude, pace, form, and the manner in which restructuring decisions were made. These differences reflect the state of economic development and institu-tional characteristics, e.g., the role of the state and the industrial relations system. In developing countries, international lending institutions played a major role in trans-forming the role of the state. In developed countries, the inherent stability of the eco-nomic systems and institutional pressures led to a gradualist approach to restructuring.     

The concept and measurement of asset poverty: Levels, trends and composition for the U.S., 1983–2001

American prosperity in the second half of the 1980s together with the booming economy of the 1990s created the impression that American households have done well, particularly in terms of wealth acquisition. In this paper, we develop the concept of “asset poverty” as a measure of economic hardship, distinct from and complementary to the more commonly used concept of “income poverty.” We define a household with insufficient assets to enable it to meet basic needs (as measured by the income poverty line) for a period of three months to be asset poor. The results reveal that in the face of the large growth in overall assets in the U.S. and a fall in standard income poverty over the period from 1983 to 2001, the level of asset poverty increased from 22.4 to 24.5 percent. We also find that asset poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics are over twice those for whites; that asset poverty rates fall monotonically with both age and education; that they are much higher for renters than homeowners; and that by family type they range from a low of 5 percent for elderly couples to 71 percent for female single parents.     

U.S. CREDIT UNIONS: SURVIVAL,CONSOLIDATION, AND GROWTH

This study uses hazard function estimations and time‐series and cross‐sectional growth regressions to examine the impact of exit through merger and acquisition (M&A) or failure, and internally generated growth, on the firm‐size distribution within the U.S. credit union sector. Consolidation through M&A was the principal cause of a reduction in the number of credit unions, but impact on concentration was small. Divergence between the average internally generated growth of smaller and larger credit unions was the principal driver of the rise in concentration. (JEL G21)     

Report of the Departmental Task Force on Social Work Education and Manpower. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Department of Health,Education, and Welfare, 1966. 90 pp., $.55

The continuum of education for social work will be deficient until it systematically includes continuing education opportunities for workers employed at the bachelor's level. The paper addresses the importance of attractiveness and relevancy in the design of continuing education for members of this substantial component of social service manpower. It discusses ways of facilitating movement by more bachelor-level workers than at present into graduate-level training, and suggests several ideas for an educational design relating to continuity and progression in career learning, and to competency, career advancement, and continuing professionalization.     

Relationship of Perceived Culture Shock, Length of Stay in the U.S., Depression, and Self-Esteem in Elderly Russian-Speaking Immigrants

This article presents preliminary data on perceived culture shock (PCS), length of stay (LS), and depression in a sample of 29 Russian speaking elderly (age ranged 54 to 81, mean = 65.8). The average LS in the United States was 4 years, 8 months. Measurement of PCS was based on the number of irrational beliefs endorsed on the Perceived Culture Shock Inventory (PCSI) developed by the authors; level of depression was measured by Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961); self-esteem was measured by Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventories—Second Edition (CFSEI-2; Battle, 1981). It was hypothesized that the LS would be negatively related to the level of depression, contingent upon the level of PCS. Path analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that 38% of variance in level of depression was explained by combined effects of PCS (Beta = 0.597, p = 0.001) and LS (Beta = –0.063, p = 0.698). LS accounted for 2.6% of variance in self-esteem.