Does income inequality harm health? New cross-national evidence

The provocative hypothesis that income inequality harms population health has sparked a large body of research, some of which has reported strong associations between income inequality and population health. Cross-national evidence is frequently cited in support of this important hypothesis, but the hypothesis remains controversial, and the cross-national work has been criticized for several methodological shortcomings. This study replicates previous work using a larger sample (692 observations from 115 countries over the 1947-1996 period), a wider range of statistical controls, and fixed-effects models that address heterogeneity bias. The relationship between health and inequality shrinks when controls are included. In fixed-effects models that capture unmeasured heterogeneity, the association between income inequality and health disappears. The null findings hold for two measures of income inequality: the Gini coefficient and the share of income received by the poorest quintile of the population. Analysis of a sample of wealthy countries also fails to support the hypothesis.     

Has social mobility in Britain decreased? Reconciling divergent findings on income and class mobility

Social mobility has become a topic of central political concern. In political and also media circles it is widely believed that in Britain today mobility is in decline. However, this belief appears to be based on a single piece of research by economists that is in fact concerned with intergenerational income mobility: specifically, with the relation between family income and children's later earnings. Research by sociologists using the same data sources – the British birth cohort studies of 1958 and 1970 – but focusing on intergenerational class mobility does not reveal a decline either in total mobility rates or in underlying relative rates. The paper investigates these divergent findings. We show that they do not result from the use of different subsets of the data or of different analytical techniques. Instead, given the more stable and generally less fluid class mobility regime, it is the high level of income mobility of the 1958 cohort, rather than the lower level of the 1970 cohort, that is chiefly in need of explanation. Further analyses – including ones of the relative influence of parental class and of family income on children's educational attainment – suggest that the economists' finding of declining mobility between the two cohorts may stem, in part at least, from the fact that the family income variable for the 1958 cohort provides a less adequate measure of ‘permanent income’ than does that for the 1970 cohort. But, in any event, it would appear that the class mobility regime more fully captures the continuity in economic advantage and disadvantage that persists across generations.     

Does income inequality contribute to credit cycles?

Recent literature presented arguments linking income inequality to the financial crash of 2007–2008. One proposed channel is expected to work through bank credit. I analyze the relationship between income inequality and bank credit in a panel cointegration framework and find that they have a long-run dependency relationship. Results show that income inequality contributed to the increase of bank credit in developed economies after the Second World War.     

Does foreign bank entry contribute to financial development? Examining the role of income thresholds

This article examines the relationship between foreign bank entry and financial development in a panel framework covering 57 emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) between 1995 and 2009. Using various measures of financial sector deepening, the article also explores the degree to which the relationship between foreign bank entry and financial sector depth varies by different income thresholds of the EMDEs. The empirical findings suggest that while foreign banks have a direct positive impact in furthering financial depth, the marginal effects of foreign bank entry diminish over time with greater levels of economic development. In other words, the impact of foreign bank entry tends to diminish as the per capita income of the country rises.     

Does intergenerational social mobility affect antagonistic attitudes towards ethnic minorities?

Up till now, no study satisfactorily addressed the effect of social mobility on antagonistic attitudes toward ethnic minorities. In this contribution, we investigate the effect of educational and class intergenerational mobility on ethnic stereotypes, ethnic threat, and opposition to ethnic intermarriage by using diagonal mobility models. We test several hypotheses derived from ethnic competition theory and socialization theory with data from the Social and Cultural Developments in The Netherlands surveys (SOCON, waves 1995, 2000, and 2005) and The Netherlands Kinship and Panel Study (NKPS, wave 2002). We find that the relative influence of social origin and social destination depends on the specific origin and destination combination. If one moves to a more tolerant social destination position, the influence of the social origin position is negligible. If on the other hand, one is socially mobile to a less tolerant social position, the impact of the origin on antagonistic attitudes is substantial and may even exceed the impact of the destination category. This confirms our hypothesis that adaptation to more tolerant norms is easier than adaptation to less tolerant norms. We find only meagre evidence for the hypothesis that downward mobility leads to frustration and consequently to more antagonistic attitudes.     

How Does Web Site Interactivity Affect Our Perceptions of an Organization?

This study investigates the effects of different levels of Web site interactivity on individuals' perceptions of an organization's reputation. The underlying theoretical mechanism for this relationship was explored by statistically investigating the mediating role of 3 variables—perceived customization, involvement, and liking—using bootstrapping analysis. Results indicate that the level of Web site interactivity positively influenced participants' perceptions of the organization's reputation, with liking and involvement fully mediating this relationship. These findings demonstrate the theoretical complexity of interactivity—it can at once attract users peripherally with likeable aesthetics and engage them centrally with features that involve them. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The Planned Close of an NGO: Evidence for a New Organizational Form?

This article examines a human rights NGO that ceased operations after only 8 years. A voluntary and planned end, this case raises the possibility of a new form, the time-bound organization. Through a series of interviews with staff, board members, the founder, and key external stakeholders, this study examines the nonprofit’s leadership, time-bound structure, strategic approach, and wind-down process. Drawing on the lessons of this case, this article identifies benefits and challenges of the time-bound organization form. A range of voluntary organizations could learn from this example and consider the form, including nonprofits experiencing a leadership transition, facing environmental threats, or considering a structural change such as a merger.     

Whither the evolution of the contemporary social fabric? New technologies and old socio‐economic trends

This article considers whether societies are witnessing another industrial revolution in the light of an assessment of the impact of technological change on today's socio‐economic fabric, especially with respect to employment, income distribution, working conditions and labour relations. The authors argue that the processes of innovation and the spread of what they term “intelligent automation” are likely to exacerbate incumbent patterns of uneven income distribution and power, some of which existed well before the arrival of the technologies concerned, while others have emerged over the past 30 to 40 years. They venture to consider policy implications on the basis of such developments.     

Does a Brochure About Pathological Gambling Provide New Information?

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate whether a brochure on pathological gambling provides new information and knowledge to the general population. A total of 115 randomly chosen people from shopping malls and municipal parks were randomly distributed to control and experimental groups. Results indicated that the brochure provided new information concerning problem gambling, at risk behaviors, and the availability of specialised help.     

New energies for an old idea: reworking approaches to `community’ in contemporary rural studies

Having retreated somewhat from use in rural studies over the last two decades, the concept of `community’ has emerged once again as a signifier of both research scale and cultural meanings about social life and rurality. This paper reviews the heritage of recent `community’ studies but argues that the term holds further analytical potential. In order to build a conceptual framework for a more robust `community’ analysis, reference is made to four themes in wider social theory. These themes partially challenge, but cumulatively energize and enhance, a notion of `community’ that is presented in the remainder of the paper. A proposal is outlined which would encourage, first, a study of the contexts and people involved in shaping `community', and second, an analysis of the meanings, practices, and spaces and structures which are interconnected in characterising the material and cultural operation of such `communities'.     

Can the New Deal solve the old problem of aid orphans and darlings? Aid effectiveness in fragile states

The New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States marks an important ideological shift in development co‐operation. Despite this progress, no practical response has been found to the problem of aid co‐ordination. This article traces the issue of aid allocation and highlights lessons from the ‘aid orphan’ and ‘aid darling’ debate. It examines the significant, yet under‐reported, policy process of the New Deal. It argues that deeper engagement with the concept of trust, and renewed focus on the political elements of the agreement, should be key priorities for the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding.     

Are income poverty and perceptions of financial difficulties dynamically interrelated?

An individual’s economic ill fare can be assessed both objectively, looking at one’s income with reference to a poverty line, or subjectively, on the basis of the individual’s perceived experience of financial difficulties. Although these are distinct perspectives, income poverty and perceptions of financial difficulties are likely to be interrelated. Low income (especially if it persists) is likely to negatively affect perceptions of financial difficulties and, as recently suggested by the behavioural economics literature, (past) subjective sentiment may in return influence individual’s income generating ability and poverty status. The aim of this paper is to determine the extent of these dynamic cross-effects between both processes. Using Luxembourg survey data, our main result highlights the existence of a feedback effect from past perceived financial difficulties on current income poverty suggesting that subjective perceptions can have objective effects on an individual’s behaviour and outcomes.     

Does Attitudinal Consensus Lead to Neighborhood Collaboration? An Exploratory Analysis of an Urban Community

This article examines whether high levels of attitudinal consensus on community needs and civic responsibilities among a community's residents are associated with effective collaborative efforts among that community's neighborhood associations. Drawing upon both quantitative and qualitative data from an evaluation of an umbrella organization in an urban community, the authors found only a weak connection between attitudinal consensus, which was strong to moderate on most issues, and effective neighborhood association collaboration. The authors conclude that attitudinal consensus may be a necessary first step toward building effective collaboration but is far from sufficient to foster meaningful and stable partnerships. The authors explore the reasons for the lack of effective collaboration, offer suggestions for addressing barriers to collaboration, and discuss the implications of the findings for community building initiatives that aim to build social capital, particularly across “difference,” in distressed and diverse urban communities.     

The labour share of income: heterogeneous causes for parallel movements?

The distribution of factor incomes from a macroeconomic perspective is an increasingly popular research topic—be it for its implications for the personal income distribution or the apparent mistake in previous research declaring it to be constant over time. The labour share has been decreasing across OECD countries since the 1980s, sparking a renewed interest in what is behind this trend. The aim of this paper is to take a systematic approach to estimating the coefficients of factors explaining these movements across countries. In particular, we focus on proper dynamic model specification and test the validity of the homogeneity assumption of slope coefficients frequently implied in previous studies. We employ fixed effect estimators as well as pooled mean group and mean group estimators, the latter in a dynamic heterogeneous panel framework. We find support for a dynamic estimation setup and derive statements regarding the homogeneity assumption with respect to the three most prominent explanatory variables in the literature: the capital-output ratio, total factor productivity and trade openness. We find the first two variables to decrease the labour share, to be better captured by dynamic estimators and to be better identified in more recent time periods. With regard to trade, we see it depressing the labour share since 1980 only. We furthermore provide evidence on increased cross-country homogeneity over time for all of the analysed driving forces of the labour share.     

Lesbianism and Later Life in an Australian Sample: How Does Development of One Affect Anticipation of the Other?

Parallels have been drawn between the transition to a homosexual identity, in a heterosexist environment, and the transition to an aged identity, in an ageist environment. It has been claimed that successfully managing the stigma of one transition provides an individual with coping mechanisms that generalise to the other. The current study investigates this claim in the light of the effect of transitional issues peculiar to lesbians. Quantitative data were gathered on attitudes to being lesbian, on attitudes to being old, and on the relationship between the two. Qualitative data were gathered on the factors contributing to successful management of a lesbian identity, and on the factors contributing to actual or anticipated successful aging as a lesbian. Empirical and anecdotal evidence was found for the notion that successfully managing a lesbian identity was indeed a factor that contributed to positive anticipation and experience of later-life aging.     

Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of a New “Acceptance of an Alcoholic Identity” Instrument

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the design and psychometric testing of a new instrument, the Acceptance of an Alcoholic Identity Instrument (AAII), for abstinent alcoholics. Subscales include Denial, Shame, Self-Efficacy, Surrender, Gratitude and Love Affair with the Drug. When quantified, the response yields a profile of the subject's acceptance of an alcoholic identity. Individually, various instrument items highlight aspects of the acceptance of such an identity, and indicate whether the individual is still struggling with specific aspects comprising this instrument. The use of the LAAII instrument can help clinicians establish a treatment plan that includes measurable and defined objectives aiding in the transformation and solidification of an acceptance process of being an alcoholic. The AAII is designed for use at any stage of recovery and is expected to provide an opportunity for personal insight and change for the recovering alcoholic.