Residential segregation in Australian cities: a literature review

"In this review of literature dealing with the postwar immigrant experience in urban Australia, some of the key interpretations of residential segregation are assessed. The article focuses on studies which have examined ethnic clusters formed by southern Europeans in Sydney and Melbourne and more recently by Indochinese refugees. Much of the analysis to date has been based on measuring static residential patterns rather than social interaction, and the need to question the significance of ethnic concentrations which sometimes characterize the early stages of immigrant adaptation is suggested."     

Effects of urbanization on species richness: A review of plants and animals

Many studies have described the effects of urbanization on species richness. These studies indicate that urbanization can increase or decrease species richness, depending on several variables. Some of these variables include: taxonomic group, spatial scale of analysis, and intensity of urbanization. Recent reviews of birds (the most-studied group) indicate that species richness decreases with increasing urbanization in most cases but produces no change or even increases richness in some studies. Here I expand beyond the bird studies by reviewing 105 studies on the effects of urbanization on the species richness of non-avian species: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and plants. For all groups, species richness tends to be reduced in areas with extreme urbanization (i.e., central urban core areas). However, the effects of moderate levels of urbanization (i.e., suburban areas) vary significantly among groups. Most of the plant studies (about 65%) indicate increasing species richness with moderate urbanization whereas only a minority of invertebrate studies (about 30%) and a very small minority of non-avian vertebrate studies (about 12%) show increasing species richness. Possible explanations for these results are discussed, including the importance of nonnative species importation, spatial heterogeneity, intermediate disturbance and scale as major factors influencing species richness.     

The link between economic and social upgrading in global supply chains: Experiences from the Southern Cone

This article uses nine case studies of global supply chains (GSCs) in Southern Cone countries to explore the extent to which economic and social upgrading are linked and spread from lead firms to their supply chain. While economic and social upgrading are found in lead firm segments throughout the case studies, the impacts on suppliers are varied. Pattern groupings enable the authors to develop a three‐part typology of development in GSCs, in the light of which they consider the roles of public policies, company behaviour and social actors in addressing developmental outcomes for GSC lead firms and suppliers.     

Acting out in children: A review of the literature

This paper presents a review of the literature on the meaning, etiology and categorization of acting out symtomatology in children. It is apparent that there is no one cause nor is there one well defined disorder.DSM-III categories as they relate to behavior disorders are discussed and the problems of diagnosis are addressed. Appropriate treatment goals and interventions cannot be developed unless more global aspects of a child's functioning and the environment in which he lives are assessed.     

Ethnics and minorities: A review of the literature

Summary Numerous studies have suggested that ethnicity has at least as powerful an influence on mental health and mental illness as socio-economic status. The influence of ethnicity becomes particularly significant in those studies where social class is held constant. Yet, while professionals have readily accepted socio-economic differentials, ethnic variation is still often ignored or, worse, denied outright.The studies reviewed here underscore the need for new models of treatment, as well as serious research on the values and attitudes of ethnic groups and their implications for health and illness. Studies such asBlack Rage (Cobb and Grier, 1968) andThe Mental Health of the Poor (Reissman and Pearl, 1964), for example, have already influenced the development of new models and treatment programs. It is becoming increasingly clear that it takes different methods and programs to reach the varied groups within our society, and that we will have to reshape our current mental health policies and programs to make access to services easy for all of them.     

Alcohol and tobacco use among South Korean adolescents: An ecological review of the literature

This article represents a comprehensive review of the literature on the predictors, consequences and prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among South Korean youth. A systematic review of the literature in Korean and English social science journals was undertaken. Findings suggest that processes at multiple levels may lead to problems with alcohol and tobacco among these youth. In particular, the literature suggests that risk factors at the socio-demographic (age, gender, and depression), micro- (family, peer, and teachers), meso- (relations between home and school), exo- (parent-related life events and media), macro- (parenting practices and academic stress), and chrono-systems levels (Asia-Pacific financial crisis in 1997) are associated with increased alcohol and tobacco use. Higher quality of relationships with parents, peers, and teacher can contribute to reductions in alcohol and tobacco use and may offer insights for developing prevention and treatment programs that are appropriate for this population.     

Species richness in urban parks and its drivers: A review of empirical evidence

There is growing recognition of urban areas as hosts for innovative ways to conserve and promote biodiversity. Parks, as one specific type of urban green space, constitute particularly important biodiversity hotspots in the cityscape. We reviewed empirical findings on the species richness in urban parks across all species groups that have been studied. The aim was to assess and discuss the overall species richness of urban parks, its community attributes and drivers. Search and subsequent selection process resulted in 62 papers from 25 different countries. For all examined species groups, the findings consistently show that parks are among the most species rich types of urban green spaces, but also that exotics constitute large shares, especially of plant species. Key ecological theories like the gradient approach and the island habitat ecological theory, and fundamental ecological relationships such as the species-area relationship are valid despite the manipulated ‘nature’ of parks and the surrounding urban matrix. Most studies surveyed large number of parks and applied ‘multi-scale’ approaches in tests of confounding variables, providing methodological strength. While matrix effects are consistently found to affect species richness negatively, the diversity of habitats and microhabitat heterogeneity contained in urban parks appears as the most decisive factor for the overall species richness. However, a constraint of research to date is the limitation of individual studies to one or a few species groups, rarely bridging between flora and fauna. Adopting ‘multi-species group’ approaches in future research is needed to further advance the understanding of the overall biodiversity of urban parks, and its drivers.     

Disabilities and sexual expression: A review of the literature

Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, scholars have sought to advance a more nuanced and robust understanding of the sexual lives of disabled people. In doing so, these scholars have identified some of the barriers to sexual expression that disabled people face as well as some of the positive and pleasurable aspects of disabled people's sexual lives. This article reviews research regarding the sexual expression and activity of disabled people as well as some of the challenges to sexual expression that people with disabilities experience. Persons with disabilities—whether they are acquired, congenital, intellectual, physical, and/or sensorial impairments—continue to encounter alienation, stigmatization, and discrimination, particularly in terms of their sexuality. However, I argue that if proper laws, policies, and adequate supports are in place, people with disabilities can further challenge and push past these barriers to engage in a wide array of sexual and erotic acts. Furthermore, although the amount of disability‐sexuality‐related research has increased over past decades, I argue that many intersections of disability and sexuality remain under‐studied and that further research in this field is necessary.     

Habitat richness and tree species richness of roundabouts: effects on site selection and the prevalence of arboreal caterpillars

This study examined the relationship between the habitat and tree species richness of roundabouts and the abundance and species richness of tree-dwelling caterpillars, and thus the potential of urban roundabouts to support breeding populations. Total tree species number on sites was related to an increase in caterpillar abundance and a greater number of habitats was associated with a higher number of caterpillar species. An increase in the total number of trees was not correlated with a greater abundance of tree-feeding Lepidoptera; nor were native trees found to support proportionally more caterpillar species than all tree species, including introduced. This could be due to differences in species accumulation, the prevalence of generalist species or a statistical sampling effect. The occupancy and average abundance of caterpillar species was generally low, which does not support the theory that Lepidoptera in urban areas tend towards mono-dominance. It may, however, represent the presence of ‘accidental’ species on roundabouts. Habitat management and planting to increase tree species diversity and density on roundabouts has the potential to increase the species diversity and abundance of arboreal Lepidoptera, and increase abundance of butterfly and moth urban populations.     

Decision making in child welfare: A critical review of the literature

The decision to intervene with families has enormous implications for a democratic society. Child protective services must both protect children and families. Practice theory, social policies, and agency procedures have not provided a consensus on the criteria to guide decision making in child welfare. This paper reviews the empirical studies in the decision making literature for the purposes of: identifying variables workers are using to guide their decisions; identifying major professional concerns and issues with this literature; and suggest questions for further research.     

Assessment methods in social work education: A review of the literature

Student assessment is an important component of social work education, and consumes considerable effort on behalf of both students and staff members. Social work educators in higher education face the challenge of constructing assessment methods, which encourage the development of reflective and critical learning, as well as enabling students to demonstrate acquisition of required knowledge and/or skills. While there is now a substantial literature on field education, the assessment of classroom-based units has warranted less attention. This paper examines the range of assessment methods reported in the social work education literature, the evidence which supports the use of these methods and issues associated with the identified assessment methods.     

Farm labour in South Africa: A review article

Farm workers are among the lowest paid in the South African economy. Unprotected by statutory minimum wage fixings, denied access to collective bargaining processes or to elementary political rights, their conditions are often set by farmers whose only constraint is the need to keep enough workers on the land to farm comfortably. Regional shortages of labour do occur ‐ and provide upward pressure on wages ‐ but on the whole Black farm workers are prevented by lack of schooling, lack of skills and an apparently chronic shortage of urban housing from seeking alternative employment in the towns. In addition, the system of legislative controls over the movements of African workers operates to ‘trap’ them on the farms. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that wages and working conditions differ widely from region to region and even from farm to farm. At a recent conference on farm labour, in Cape Town, these regional differences (and some of the reasons for them) were described, the questions of general shortages or surpluses of labour were discussed and the historical development of capitalist agriculture was traced. This article is an attempt to summarise the main points in the 55 papers presented at the conference, by academics, farmers and others.     

A preliminary analysis of emigration determinants in Mexico,Central America,northern South America and the Caribbean

The author examines migratory movements and their causes in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Sections are included on migration trends, theoretical approaches, and methodological tools before the 1970s; the shift in migratory patterns after the 1980s; macrosocial variables as a general background of current international flows; and migration policies.     

Different perspectives: A review of some current literature

Recent literature is contributing new ways of conceptualizing human development which will affect understanding and treating of clients. This paper compares some of the papers in the latest edition of thePsychoanalytic Study of the Child with the work of Daniel N. Stern as presented inThe Interpersonal World of the Infant.     

Environment,Security, and Terrorism in the Trinational Frontier of the Southern Cone

This article analyzes the transformations of notions of governmentality, security, and sovereignty behind recent processes of securitization in the trinational frontier of the Southern Cone, which encompasses the cities of Puerto Iguaz? (Argentina), Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), and Foz do Igua?? (Brazil). It examines how early concerns with security that were primarily focused on the territorial integrity of nation-states have been replaced with security concerns of a more global nature, which call into question established mechanisms of control, particularly those related to the defense of national borders. It examines how environmental concerns are increasingly becoming conflated with other current forms of securitization such as terrorism, popular unrest, and narcotraffic and it analyzes devastating effects of these processes on peoples of the South, particularly the poor.