Gender inequality in human capital accumulation and economic growth: a comparative analysis of Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Even though the significance of human capital in the growth literature is well established, little evidence is available on the role of education on growth segregated on a gender basis. The present study has focused on the importance of female education and employment and queried to what extent gender inequality in education and employment has an impact on economic growth in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. To answer this question, a simultaneous equations model covering time period of 1975–2009 has been used and the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) has been applied. The results have confirmed that the gender gap in education has induced an adverse impact on economic growth, both directly and indirectly, through rapid population growth and low investment. Results also show that though there is gender inequality in human capital accumulation in both counties but the intensity is higher in Pakistan as compared to Sri Lanka. The study explored the opportunities to encourage the role of females in the developmental activities of these countries. In view of the fact that gender inequality in education is critical for growth, the study recommends that rather than slashing the PSDP (Public Sector Development Program), Pakistan needs to promote investment in human capital and that there should be equal opportunity for education and employment for both males and females in both south Asian Countries.     

福利企业在残疾人就业中的作用分析

残疾人是一个需要社会各界帮助的弱势群体,残疾人就业是一个非常值得关注的问题,但在我国整体就业形势不乐观的时代背景下,对残疾人就业的关注甚少。福利企业对残疾人就业具有重要作用,本文研究了我国残疾人就业的现状与问题,并探讨了福利企业对残疾人就业的特殊意义。     

Educational attainments of former child welfare clients – a Swedish national cohort study

We used national register data for nearly 800,000 Swedish-born young people in eight national birth cohorts to examine educational attainments of former child welfare clients. A total of 31,355 former child welfare clients were compared with 744,425 majority population peers. Logistic regression models were used to estimate risks of having only a basic education at time of follow-up, and of chances of having a post-secondary education. Odds ratios for core results were recalculated into relative risks.
Compared with majority population peers with low educated mothers, children who experienced interventions before ado-lescence, or had been in long-term stable foster care, had a two- to threefold elevated relative risk of entering adult life with only a compulsory education. Youths who experienced intervention during adolescence had approximately a fourfold risk of having only basic education at the time of follow-up. Majority population peers with low educated mothers were between two and six times more likely to have a post-secondary degree when compared with former child welfare clients.     

Scaling the Socioeconomic Ladder: Low-Income Women's Perceptions of Class Status and Opportunity

This study examined how 69 low-income women enrolled in an educational training program perceived social class and upward mobility. Participants identified their social class during childhood, their current status, and their anticipated post graduate status. Beliefs about income inequality and attributions for wealth and poverty were also assessed. Respondents expected to achieve middle class status and perceived higher education as a route to upward mobility, although the accessibility of post-secondary programs was questioned. Consistent with previous research involving low-income groups ( Bullock, 1999 ; Kluegel & Smith, 1986 ), structural attributions for poverty and wealth were favored over individualistic causes. Also, respondents perceived income inequality as unjust. The construction of class identity and implications for class-based mobilization are discussed .

It [the American dream] means the opportunity to go as far in life as your abilities will take you. Anyone in America can aspire to be a doctor, a teacher, a police officer or even, as Oprah said, a President. But you can't get any of those important jobs if you don't have the opportunity to acquire the skills you need … . And that's why I believe that the key to the American Dream is education.
—————Former President George Herbert Walker Bush, 1997

     

New configurations of labour insertion processes. The case of secondary technical and vocational education and training students in Chile

This article presents the results of a longitudinal study that followed a sample of 1011 young people who completed their secondary technical and vocational education and training studies in Chile between 2011 and 2016. It adopts a mixed design that combines both quantitative and qualitative methodological strategies to analyse transitions and post-study trajectories. Analysis has helped to identify the prevalence of non-linear and unstructured transitions to the labour market. It has also shown the existence of education-work links and employment alternatives that are generated in certain sectors as well as identified how these give rise to specific opportunity structures that affect on aspirations and career pathways. Results indicate that graduates of the industrial area of study experience more substantive educational integration and labour links following course completion due to greater levels of alignment between their training and the productive demands of the industrial sectors. However, their experiences over the medium term are fragmented and, thus, reflect those of their peers from other areas.     

Sex discrimination in social work careers

Although the social work profession has expressed a commitment to equal opportunity in employment for women, this study notes that inequities in salary and status still exist between male and female social workers. A major cause of these differences appears to be the process of promotion within public agencies, which introduces inequities early in the careers of social workers.     

教育扩招促进了代际流动?

本文基于中国综合社会调查的数据,以改革开放后参加工作的群体为研究对象,实证分析了中国高等教育扩招对代际流动的影响。研究发现,没有充足证据证明教育扩招促进了代际流动。一方面,尽管教育在扩张前后始终是决定个人社会经济地位高低的最重要因素,但教育扩招没有显著改善教育机会不均等问题,从而也无法减弱家庭背景以教育为中介对子女初职社会经济地位的间接影响,带来代际流动的改善。另一方面,教育扩招的结构化效应不显著,大学毕业生面临的劳动力市场并非完全遵循绩效原则,因此,即便教育扩招提高了他们在社会总人口中的相对比例,也无法带来社会整体代际流动的改善。因此,发挥教育扩招促进代际流动的功能,不仅要强调教育机会的分配公平问题,同时也要努力完善劳动力市场建设,促进就业机会均等。     

Increasing Competency,Self-Confidence,and Connectedness Among Foster Care Alumni Entering a 4-Year University: Findings from an Early-Start Program

Research shows that few foster care alumni enroll and complete post-secondary education. For those who do enroll, many experience challenges associated with academic and social adjustment and are at risk of dropping out. Many college-based programs are being developed and are available to foster care alumni to support them during their post-secondary education. This study used pre-tests, post-tests, and journal entries of seventeen participants to evaluate a strengths-based, resilience-oriented early-start program for newly enrolled students at a large public university that provides knowledge about the institution, resources (e.g., tutoring), and social support necessary for foster care alumni to make a smooth transition into college life and to increase short and long-term student success. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that students who participated in the early-start program showed increased confidence and competency in academic and social adjustment. Findings also showed personal growth (e.g., building resiliency) and an increased connectedness among students who participated in the program. Study findings can inform the development of new on-campus support programs and help enhance existing programming. Future research should address short and long-term outcomes and experiences of students who are former foster youth who have participated in on-campus support programs.     

Education and employment opportunities among staff in Aboriginal family service agencies

The purpose of the study was to describe ways that successful culture‐based Aboriginal preventive family service agencies offer employment and education opportunities for staff. Staff in three inner‐city, culture‐based Aboriginal family agencies were asked about their employment and educational opportunities. Forty‐four individuals were asked the question: ‘what employment and education opportunities have you had while in this job?’ A total of 81 unique responses were received. Participants grouped the responses into eight themes including: planning for services, promotion within the agency, specific skill development, enhanced self‐confidence, cultural awareness, teaching others, workshops as well as certified training. Differences between the experiences of study participants and the existing literature indicate that practices within culture‐based Aboriginal family agencies are distinct in relation to funding, staff mobility, strengths‐base, practical training and cultural knowledge, and that these should be understood and recognized formally in funding decisions and in future research.     

Britain: moving towards a work and opportunity‐focused welfare state?

A major aim of the Labour Government elected in May 1997 was to change British social policy away from passive income maintenance towards promoting employment, investment and opportunity. Many of its policy initiatives bear the clear imprint of a social development model. Investment in education and health are seen as paramount, community rebuilding through partnership-based economic renewal and the promotion of social capital through neighbourhood renewal are all explicit priorities in the government's spending plans. Note: this approach to policy will continue in Britain now that Labour has been returned for a second term in the June 2001 general election.     

Examining the relationship between commuting patterns,employment growth and unemployment in the NSW Greater Metropolitan Region

This paper employs the Labour Market Accounts framework to explore how employment growth and commuting patterns interacted to determine changes in the spatial distribution of unemployment in Statistical Local Areas within the NSW GMR over the period 1996–2001. Separate regression models (including control variables) for men and women provide estimates of the relative strength of the relationships between these labour market adjustment responses and the percentage local employment change. The results show that employment growth between 1996 and 2001 has elicited substantial changes in commuting behaviour. Men reveal greater in‐commuting and migration responsiveness to employment growth. Unemployment changes in local areas of the Greater Metropolitan Sydney region have been swamped by commuting responses, potentially posing problems for locally targeted employment strategies.     

Hard to reach and easy to ignore: the drinking careers of young people not in education,employment or training

Young people's drinking in the UK remains a matter of medical, social, media and political concern. The notion of transition and drinking styles in the move from childhood to adulthood and from education to employment has been central to understanding young people's drinking behaviour, but little is known about how the drinking patterns of those not in education or employment, both men and women, develop over time. This paper reports on research which aimed to examine the current drinking habits and drinking careers of young people not in education employment and training who are traditionally described as hard to reach. In‐depth qualitative interviews were undertaken with 23 young people: 15 women and 8 men aged between 14 and 23. The findings are presented with respect to three stages of drinking: starting, continuing or increasing, and decreasing or stopping. The conclusions indicate that for the majority of these young people, alcohol is a significant factor in their lives and that peers, gender, time and place combine to structure both their current alcohol use and drinking career. The paper argues that an understanding of young people's drinking career development and current alcohol use will help target effective social work and multi‐agency intervention.     

家庭与市场：中国农村的非农就业模式探究

本文基于中国综合社会调查(CGSS)2005数据探讨了中国农村家庭的非农就业模式。随着农户家庭在集体农业的解体后成为重要的生产主体,部分农民从家庭农业中疏离而成为工薪阶层或者进入增长中的私营经济部门。本文的第一个模型采用logistic回归在个人层面估测已婚男性和女性在农业或者非农经济部门中就业的机会,第二个模型则探究在夫妇层面选择四种就业模式的可能性：夫妇双方,夫妇中的一方（丈夫或妻子）,或者没有任何一方从事非农职业。两个模型支持了教育水平对非农就业机会的正面作用。妇女的就业方式对于祖父母的支持效应和子女的付出效应更为敏感,但祖父母所起的作用受到本身年龄的制约。同时,男性的就业优势对家庭在职业上的性别分工并没有显著的推动作用。模型结果也表明,家庭就业模式的形成是和市场层面的因素,如村庄的地理位置,经济发展特征和劳动力状况紧密联系在一起的。另外,东部和中部地区在提供非农就业机会方面,相对于西部地区具备了一定的优势条件。     

The nature and prevalence of kinship care: Focus on young kinship carers

Young kinship carers tend to be overlooked in kinship care policy and practice. This Australian research project explored the prevalence of kinship care households in Australia, with a particular focus on households headed by young kinship carers. Census data were utilized to explore the number of kinship care households across the carer age spectrum and some of their characteristics, including households with Indigenous carers and carers with a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) identity. Characteristics of households headed by carers aged 16–30 years were explored in some detail, and comparisons made with young parents. The data pointed to particular challenges for young kinship carers in relation to post‐secondary education, employment and income security. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Personal networks and employment: a study on landless farmers in Yunnan province of China

Abstract

Drastic urbanisation has produced a new marginalised group of landless farmers in China. Using representative survey data (N = 620) collected in the communities of landless farmers in Yunnan Province, this study examined the effects of active personal networks on employment status of landless farmers in the transition from rural to urban living. Our findings suggested that landless farmers more active in personal networks (receiving more support through the networks) were more likely to obtain employment in cities. This positive effect was much stronger for male landless farmers than for their female counterparts. While active personal networks significantly improved the opportunity of employment of older landless farmers, they had an insignificant effect on the younger ones. Social policies and service programmes aimed to facilitate landless farmers’ urban adjustment need to pay more attention to the community-based approach, and take into consideration the different service needs of different groups within this marginalised population.     

教育扩展与大学生就业率的变化

典型调查表明,就业率在教育扩展中呈现下降趋势,近二年研究生处于短缺或基本平衡状态,本科生处于就业困难状态,专科生处于就业危机状态,不同专业毕业生的就业率存在一定差异。这是我国人力资本投资的风险增大和信号性功能减弱的体现。应根据我国经济发展需要做好高等教育的合理规划,调整高等教育的扩招速度、层次结构和专业结构,规范就业率统计体系,以促进大学生就业。     

The Social Construction of Reality in the Realm of Children's Mental Health Services

ABSTRACT

Across the United States, systems of care have emerged to provide mental health care to children and their families; fragmentation inhibiting the success of collaboration by stakeholders is common and compromises these systems of care. Survey data were collected from 1,428 respondents in a Midwestern state to examine problems that exist within systems of care from the perspective of the different stakeholder groups. Stakeholder group membership was based upon the respondent's employment or involvement within various child-serving systems and included those in child welfare, juvenile justice, and education, mental health providers, and consumers (i.e., caregivers/parents). Group differences revealed patterns of “finger pointing” by the stakeholder groups on where specific problems exist within systems of care. The findings provide insight into how the social construction of service delivery and practice emerges as stakeholder groups describe, understand, and evaluate problems within the system of care as a function of their own practice location within the system of care. Future research should consider exploring methods that might minimize the competitive nature of disparate child-serving systems and its potentially negative impact upon system performance and treatment outcomes.     

当代越南青年就业问题探析

目前越南青年的就业数量不足、就业结构欠佳、就业基础不牢。归根结底,其原因在于越南发展与就业的矛盾制约青年就业需求的满足,就业市场非均衡的二元化发展状态制约青年就业质量的提升,教育体制的市场化程度不高影响青年的职业胜任能力。对此,越南政府采取积极调整经济结构、构建统一的劳动力就业市场、推进教育体制的市场化改革等举措来促进青年就业。     

大学生就业的社会资本运用研究——基于新疆的调查数据

在社会转型时期。社会资本可以弥补大学生就业信息不对称的现象,有助于大学生获取就业机会,减低就业成本。但是,新疆普通高校大学生在社会资本的运用上比较被动,存在使用不平衡和不平等的现象。对此,要从观念上转变新疆大学生对社会资本的误解。提高其社会资本存量以及运用社会资本就业的能力。     

Who Wants to be a Social Worker? Using Routine Published Data to Identify Trends in the Numbers of People Applying for and Completing Social Work Programmes in England

Despite widely reported problems with recruitment and retention,there is surprisingly little published research investigatingthe numbers of people wishing to enter social work and theirdemographic characteristics. This article uses routinely collectedpublished higher education data and reports produced by theGeneral Social Care Council (GSCC) and its predecessor the CentralCouncil Education for Education and Training in Social Work(CCETSW) to look at recent trends in the numbers of people wishingto become social workers. It argues that information on theoverall numbers of people applying each year is less helpfulthan understanding more about which groups are under-representedin social work and why. It also draws attention to some positiveindicators, such as the comparative success of social work inattracting groups who may currently be under-represented inhigher education. In addition to suggesting that we need toknow more about the numbers and types of people applying tobe social workers, it concludes that additional work is requiredin establishing employment patterns among the social work workforceas a whole. For example, a high proportion of newly qualifiedsocial workers take up paid employment in social work, but littleis known about what happens to them at later stages of theircareer.