Popular Criteria for the Welfare Deservingness of Disability Pensioners: The Influence of Structural and Cultural Factors

Research has shown that several criteria underlie people’s opinions about the welfare deservingness of benefit recipients. However, it remains unknown which factors are associated with the emphasis that people place on such criteria. Using a 2006 Dutch national survey on the welfare deservingness of disability pension recipients, we study the influence of structural and cultural factors on people’s emphasis on three deservingness criteria: control, need, and reciprocity. OLS regression analyses show that people’s emphasis on specific deservingness criteria is strengthened by structural factors that indicate the possibility of resource competition such as the following: age, lower levels of education, unemployment, and lower income. However, actual personal experience with receiving welfare benefits weakens criteria emphasis. Cultural factors such as the espousal of views from the political right and the possession of a strong work ethic are associated with a heightened emphasis on deservingness criteria.     

Comparing Subjective and Objective Quality of Life Criteria: A Case Study of Green Space and Public Transport in Vienna,Austria

Social Indicators Research - A future-oriented spatial planning has to face the challenges of integrating ecological, social, and economic aspects of living. This is often seen as a principle to...     

The World Social Situation: Development Challenges at the Outset of a New Century

World social development has arrived at a critical turning point. Economically advanced nations have made significant progress toward meeting the basic needs of their populations; however, the majority of developing countries have not. Problems of rapid population growth, failing economies, famine, environmental devastation, majority-minority group conflicts, increasing militarization, among others, are pushing many developing nations toward the brink of social chaos. This paper focuses on worldwide development trends for the 40-year period 1970–2009. Particular attention is given to the disparities in development that exist between the world’s “rich” and “poor” countries as well as the global forces that sustain these disparities. The paper also discusses more recent positive trends occurring within the world’s “socially least developed countries” (SLDCs), especially those located in Africa and Asia, in reducing poverty and in promoting improved quality of life for increasing numbers of their populations.     

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Objective Quality of Life of Chinese Residents: 2006 to 2009

This study performs a comprehensive evaluation of the objective quality of life (QOL) of the 31 provincial administrative divisions in Mainland China from 2006 to 2009 with principal component analysis (PCA). The objective QOL in China generally decreases gradually from the eastern coastal regions to the western inland regions, with a significant gap between the east and the west. Furthermore, the QOL shows an irrational developmental pattern with the natural conditions and the geographical position as the foundations, and economic development as the dominant factor. Cluster analysis is then used to analyze further the regional structural characteristics of the QOL in China. The results indicate the existence of mutual distinctions and internal differentiations among the eastern, middle, and western regions. The temporal analysis shows that the QOL in China demonstrates a continuous increase from 2006 to 2009, with a growth rate that speeds up annually. However, the increase does not mean a harmonious development in all aspects of society, but the rapid progress of socio-economic well-being, and the slow development or even deterioration of eco-environment and social security. The tendencies of the QOL in the four socio-economic regions coincide with that of the national average and the QOL of the middle and western regions increase significantly faster than that of the eastern region. However, the disparities between the eastern region and the middle and western regions expand because of the huge base of regional development differences in China.     

贫富差距:理性审视与多维调节

当前中国贫富差距过大的状况比较严峻,控制贫富差距继续扩大是未来经济改革与发展的一项艰巨任务。适度的贫富差距是市场经济富有效率的表现,关键是要将其控制在正常的区间(基尼系数为0.3～0.4)内。通过二次分配合理地“抽肥补瘦”,只是控制贫富差距过大的措施之一,要从根本上全面解决这一问题,必须采取系统化的治理方案进行多维调节。     

中国职业技术教育的发展与挑战——基于全国32所职业院校的调查

文章通过对全国32所职业技术院校的深入调研,分析、总结了中国职业技术教育的发展现状。研究表明,目前中国职业技术教育在发展中存在着社会歧视、资金“瓶颈”、教师素质欠缺、学生能力建设不足和就业服务不到位等问题与挑战。在此基础上,作者进一步探讨了中国职业技术教育可持续发展的战略路径,并提出相应的政策建议。     

The empowerment of women,fertility, and child mortality: Towards a theoretical analysis

This paper examines one avenue through which female autonomy impinges on fertility and child mortality in developing countries. A simple model is set out in which couples are motivated to have children for old age security purposes. The decisions of a couple regarding fertility and allocation of resources for the healthcare of their children are made within a bargaining framework. An increase in female autonomy translating into an increase in the relative bargaining power or the threat point utility of mothers is shown to reduce fertility and also to reduce child mortality rates. Paradoxically, the increase in female autonomy within a household may increase the disadvantage suffered by female children in that household with respect to survival. Received: 4 August 1999/Accepted: 7 September 2000     

京津冀各市新型城镇化发展评价 ——基于京津冀协同发展的考察

在推进京津冀协同发展的背景下,城镇化建设和发展面临着人口分布不合理、 产业不协调等问题,制约着京津冀协同发展和世界级城市群的形成.为实现京津冀协同发展就需要新型城镇化,通过基于群决策的层次分析法建立测评指标体系进行系统评价,探究京津冀13市新型城镇化水平的时空分异.研究结果表明:京津冀各市新型城镇化水平空间分异明显,京津的高速增长在一定程度上挤占了河北省的资源.在协同发展背景下,京津发展高度密切,河北省各市与北京的发展步调较一致,京津冀地区的协同动力较为充足,潜力大.河北省各市的新型城镇化建设需要从产业升级、 创新和生态建设方面实现突破,也需要京津从协同发展出发来支持河北省各市实现新型城镇化发展.     

我国人口发展的指标体系建设及综合评价

本文根据国内外评价人口发展的运动历程和变化趋势,以及国家人口发展战略的指导思想,从人自身发展、人口与经济社会和人口与资源环境三个大方面构建了我国人口发展的综合指标评价体系。综合指标体系包括一级指标体系3项、二级指标体系8项、三级指标体系22项、四级指标体系42项。并在常用综合评价方法的基础上,利用组合评价分析法对我国2008年人口发展做了综合评价,有效地克服了客观评价法和主观评价法的不足之处,得出了较为可信的综合评价值。     

The Index of Household Financial Condition,Combining Subjective and Objective Indicators: An Appraisal of Italian Households

With data from the Italian Survey of Household Income and Wealth, we present an Index of Household Financial Condition and quantify with it the position of households between 2004 and 2010. The Index of Household Financial Condition is composed of subjective and objective indicators, which enable to capture differently the existing uncertainty concerning the future development of a household’s financial situation. We show with a measurement model based on multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) that the proposed Index is two-dimensional and comprises financial position and financial prudence. Through application of the MGCFA, we show that the interrelations between the indicators had not changed at four measurement occasions (2004–2010), and thus the proposed set comprises a coherent and time-invariant framework for measuring two dimensions of the latent concept: financial condition. Established measurement invariance in the MGCFA framework allows an assessment of trend in financial position and financial prudence of Italian households. We show that the financial position of Italian households improved in the period 2004–2006 and later declined. Improvement of the financial prudence was observed, however, till 2008. Finally, we incorporate a set of socioeconomic features of Italian households into a structural equation model. With the provided set of indicators, we find positive relation between age and both financial position and prudence, but also we show the positive impact of white-collar jobs on scores in each of the dimensions of the financial condition.     

The Role of Catchment Areas on School Segregation by Economic,Social and Cultural Characteristics

This research analyses the socioeconomic and cultural segregation of students across school catchment areas using census data for the students in their second year of secondary education in Andalusia (the most populated region in Spain). The main methodology used is the Mutual Information Index, which satisfies all the desirable properties for measuring segregation. Concretely, we draw upon the additive decomposability property, which decomposes the segregation of students across schools into the different levels in which schools can be grouped, that is, catchment areas and, within catchment areas, by source of funding (public and semiprivate schools). We found that school segregation is greater than catchment areas’ segregation. Additionally, statistically significant correlations are found between the level of segregation within the catchment areas and factors such as size of the catchment area, parental level of education and size of the municipality where the school is located.

     

Subjective Well-Being,Discrimination and Cultural Conflict: Iranians Living in The Netherlands

This study focuses on subjective well-being of Iranian refugees in the Netherlands. Relations with perceived discrimination and cultural conflict with life satisfaction, and positive and negative affect were examined. Additionally, the mediating role of self-esteem, mastery and ethnic identity was studied as well as demographic variables. A path model showed two pathways leading to well-being. In a first path perceived discrimination led to higher ethnic identification which had a negative effect on mastery, which in turn led to lower well-being. In a second path, cultural conflict had an indirect effect on negative affect via self-esteem, and a direct effect on positive affect and life satisfaction. Legal status, level of education, lenght of residence and number of family members in the country had an independent effect on different aspects of the path model.     

The Queer Periphery: Sexual Deviancy and the Cultural Understanding of Space

ABSTRACT

The association of normative sexuality with the geographical center and sexual deviancy with the geographical periphery represents a pattern of thinking that has stayed with us in different guises throughout history. The article traces this pattern and some of its complex ramifications from the ancient Greeks to the present.     

The quality of life in large American cities: Objective and subjective social indicators

The concept of ‘quality of life’ as a tool of comparative social indicators research is analyzed. Inter-city comparisons of objective and subjective measures of well being are presented and the distinctiveness of these two dimensions of the quality of life is documented. The paper concludes with some observations on the implications that this distinctiveness has for the use of the concept ‘quality of life’ in future social indicators research.     

Perceptions of the LGBTQ College Campus Climate Scale: Development and Psychometric Evaluation

ABSTRACT

This article reports the development and psychometric properties of scores on a new scale designed to assess views of the university/college campus climate concerning LGBTQ students and issues: Perceptions of the LGBTQ College Campus Climate Scale. This 6-item scale includes two subscales: College Response to LGBTQ Students and LGBTQ Stigma. We provide evidence for structural validity (via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) and reliability for scores on this new measure. Supporting construct validity, Perceptions of the LGBTQ College Campus Climate full scale and subscales were each positively correlated with experiences of LGBTQ victimization on campus, anxiety, and depression and negatively correlated with satisfaction with college and intention to persist in college. Relationships with mental health and academic outcomes held true, even after controlling for LGBTQ victimization experiences, providing support for incremental validity. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

体现科学发展观的生活质量指标体系：基于澳门的考察

科学发展观是指导发展的科学理论,其核心是提高人民的生活质量。本文以科学发展观为指导,从宏观层面构建了澳门居民客观生活质量指标体系。该体系涵盖了经济、社会、环境三大系统,包括物质福利、教育、健康等11个与生活质量直接相关的领域,反映了澳门经济、社会、环境的整体发展面貌和居民生活质量状况,体现了全面、协调、可持续发展的科学发展观内涵。     

The Quality of Korean Life in Camparative Perspective: Objective Quality of Life in Korea and the OECD Countries

Social Indicators Research - This study attempts to compare the current state of Korea's quality of life with that of more developed countries in their past, and seeks to derive suggestions for...     

Wellbeing and Society: Towards Quantification of the Co-benefits of Wellbeing

Social Indicators Research - The objectives of this paper are twofold. First, it reviews the empirical evidence showing the existence of linkage between wellbeing and possible co-benefits,...