Mining the Data: Analyzing the Economic Implications of Mining for Nonmetropolitan Regions

Extractive industries such as logging and mining are generally expected to bring significant economic benefits to rural regions, but a growing number of findings have now challenged that common expectation. Still, it is not clear whether the findings of less–than–desirable economic outcomes are isolated or representative. In this article, we assemble literally all of the relevant quantitative findings on mining that we have been able to identify in published and/or technical literature from the United States. In the interest of rigor, we limit the assessment to cases in which strictly nonmetropolitan mining regions are compared against other nonmetropolitan regions and/or against those regions’ own experiences over time. Overall, 301 findings meet the criteria for inclusion. Contrary to the long–established assumptions, but consistent with more recent critiques, roughly half of all published findings indicate negative economic outcomes in mining communities, with the remaining findings being split roughly evenly between favorable and neutral/indeterminate ones. Positive findings are more likely to be associated with incomes than with poverty or (especially) unemployment rates, and they are more likely to come from the western United States, where much of the mining involves relatively large, new coal strip mines. Over half of all positive findings come from the years prior to 1982. In virtually all other categories, the plurality or majority of findings have been negative. When the patterns of findings are subjected to one–sample means tests, the only way to produce a significantly positive outcome is by combining all neutral/indeterminate findings with the positive ones, while focusing exclusively on incomes; by contrast, in the case of poverty or unemployment rates—as well as for the overall body of findings—the results are consistently and significantly negative, whether the neutral/indeterminate findings are combined with negative ones or omitted from the equations altogether. Until or unless future studies produce dramatically different findings, there appears to be no scientific basis for accepting the widespread, “obvious” assumption that mining will lead to economic improvement.     

A first look at the need for enhanced support services for kinship caregivers

This article describes findings from a series of focus groups conducted with formal kinship caregivers in Maryland. The findings reveal that kinship caregivers are committed to providing safety and stability for the children placed with them. The findings also suggest that caregiving can be a significant adjustment for many kinship caregivers and that expanded support services are needed to enhance their relationship with the child welfare agency.     

Child and Interviewer Race in Forensic Interviewing

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effect of child race and interviewer race on forensic interviewing outcomes. The results of the regression analysis indicated that child race and interviewer race had a significant effect on interview outcome category (no findings, inconclusive, or findings consistent with sexual abuse). Furthermore, the results indicate that the interaction of child and interviewer race had predictive value for rates of findings consistent with sexual abuse but not in the direction predicted. Cross-race dyads had significantly higher rates of interview outcomes consistent with sexual abuse. These findings suggest that more research into the effect of race on disclosure of child sexual abuse is needed.     

Engaging with families in child protection: lessons from practitioner research in Scotland

This paper reports findings from practitioner-led research on engagement with families in the child protection system in Scotland. Engagement is here defined in a participative sense, to mean the involvement of family members in shaping social work processes. Key findings include the importance of workers building trusting relationships; the value of honest and clear communication, information, and explanation; and the potential for formal structures such as reports and meetings to hinder family engagement. These findings contribute to a growing critique of managerialism in social work.     

Children in Foster Care: A Longitudinal Investigation,by David Fanshel and Eugene B. Shinn. Columbia University Press,New York, 1978. $25. 520 Pp.

This article presents findings of an exploratory study addressing social work program practices regarding psychiatric disabilities among social work students. An e-mail invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to approximately 875 social work educators, with 71 individuals choosing to participate. The findings indicated that 88% of respondents were in programs that had made accommodations and slightly less than 33% were in programs that had psychiatric disability policies. A positive relationship between ratings of the effectiveness of the accommodations and ratings of employability of students with psychiatric disabilities was found. These findings suggest that additional studies are needed to identify effective ways to deal with the complex legal and educational issues involved with accommodations and support.     

A Children's Standpoint: Needs in Out‐of‐Home Care

This article discusses research reported in ‘The Needs of Children in Care’ ( Mason and Gibson, 2004 ) in which children participated in defining their needs in out‐of‐home care. In this study a central research presumption was that children are knowledgeable about their own needs. The methods used to facilitate the involvement in the project of children and adult stakeholders in out‐of‐home care are described. Also described are findings from the research which identified that of prime importance to the children were their connections with others and their agency in their own lives. These findings are compared with findings from the narratives of the adult stakeholder groups. Finally, the implications of the findings, for improving children's participation in decision‐making around their needs in care are considered in the context of broad adult–child social relations in the care system.     

Sozialer Status und prosoziales Handeln: Ein Quasi-Experiment im Krankenhaus

Sociological, social psychological and economic research on the nexus between socioeconomic status and prosociality has so far provided contradictory findings. Some studies suggest that actors with a high socioeconomic status act more egoistically than actors with a lower socioeconomic status. Other studies find the opposite to be true. In contrast to previous research, which has worked with one-dimensional measures for socioeconomic status, this study examines prosocial behavior among occupational groups that have regular real-life contact in their workspace. About 150 hospital employees (physicians, nursing staff and nursing students) participated in experiments on altruistic giving in dictator games. The findings are surprisingly strong and clear-cut: Actors with higher social status act more prosocial than low-status actors. Furthermore, we find hardly any in-group effects, which have been repeatedly postulated. Our findings support the claim that high status promotes prosocial behavior. Also, they indicate that the inconclusive and in part contradictory findings provided by previous research stem to a considerable degree from deficient measures of social status and problematic experimental designs.     

Financial Planners and Philanthropic Planning

This article reports findings from a survey of Canadian financial planners. The focus of the study is learning more about the depth and breadth of philanthropic planning that is included in their advising services to their high-net worth clients. The findings indicate that a minority of financial planners (1) regularly broach the topic of philanthropy in their counseling, (2) believe their clients are interested in philanthropy, and (3) feel sufficiently knowledgeable to assist their clients with philanthropic planning. The implications of these findings and recommendations for improvement are discussed.     

Mental health status of the Hmong Americans in 2011: three decades revisited

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Hmong in America and encompasses their mental health status for the past 35 years. Since their mass arrival to the United States in 1975, limited research has been compiled to track the specific mental health issues that affect this collective community alone. Major chronological research findings were compiled for this article and specific findings concerning the Hmong and their mental health issues were compared to findings for other Southeast Asian groups. In conclusion, the findings of this article indicate that the Hmong still have higher rates of being diagnosed with depression, the lowest help-seeking behaviors in utilizing Western medicine, and the lowest arithmetic average of "happiness" scaled on an assessment tool. The purpose of this article is to better steer future research projects that entail tracking and differentiating the specific mental health domains of the Hmong.     

'It is a horrible term for someone': service user and provider perspectives on 'personality disorder'

This paper presents findings from a study exploring the views of people with personality disorder diagnoses and various professionals working with them. After outlining the policy context and the study's conceptual framework, the aims and methods are described. Interviews were conducted with 12 service providers and 10 users. The main findings are then discussed, including user and provider perspectives on the meaning of 'personality disorder' and the strategies and support people use to address their difficulties. Finally, the theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Maternal incarceration and children's delinquent involvement: The role of sibling relationships

Researchers have estimated that 63% of incarcerated women have one or more minor children and most report living with their children prior to incarceration (Mumola, 2000). While much of the research on the consequences of maternal incarceration on children supports an association between negative child outcomes and maternal incarceration, not all findings have yielded the same conclusions. Because of the heterogeneous nature of maternal incarceration effects on children, consideration of the specific factors that explain variation in children wellbeing is warranted. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study we consider the role of sibling relationships within the context of maternal incarceration. Consistent with prior research, our findings indicate that maternal incarceration is associated with variation in children's delinquent involvement. Furthermore, findings suggest that the effect of maternal incarceration on juvenile delinquency is a function of sibling relationship quality. We discuss the implications of our findings for research, practitioners, and policymakers, and note the potential utility of directing attention to sibling relationships in programmatic efforts focused on the children of inmates.     

An alternative evaluation approach for the problem-solving training program: A utilization-focused evaluation process

A utilization-focused approach in evaluating this program would have placed more emphasis on clearly identifying evaluation users, their information needs, and likely use of findings. With the advantages of hindsight, it appears that such an approach might have led to greater focus on critical implementation issues that affected the eventual decision not to continue the program despite seemingly positive outcomes evaluation findings. Other methods options are also discussed, including the potential usefulness of critical case studies. Finally, there is discussion of how to prepare decision makers for utilization and work with them to interpret and apply findings.     

Reporting and Validating Research Findings Through Reconstructed Stories

This paper describes the use of and reasons why reconstructed stories were used as a method of presenting and validating the findings from the interview data with visually impaired people obtained from Enfield Vision Research Project, into the needs of visually impaired people resident in the London Borough of Enfield. In order to present and validate the findings of the first 20 interviews the researchers organised a group respondent validation event. The researchers orally presented the findings in the form of reconstructed stories. These stories encompassed a number of themes and sub-themes that had emerged from the analysis. The attendees were separated into two groups to discuss the stories. Thirty-seven of the 90 visually impaired research participants attended the event. The research participants felt that the stories were an effective method in presenting and communicating the research findings. They also confirmed the credibility of the findings, and thereby dependability and confirmability were also achieved. The use of reconstructed stories is a novel, user friendly and effective method of presenting and validating qualitative research data, and is particularly suitable method when the respondents have visual difficulties.     

The imprint of autocracy on immigrant political participation: Reluctance to participate or to disclosure?

The study investigates the relationship between premigration experiences with autocracy and immigrants' participation in politics in the host country. Using a survey of about 2000 immigrants in Quebec (Canada) interviewed over telephone or with an online questionnaire, it assesses two possible pathways regarding the effect of premigration with autocracy on participation in the host country politics. One pathway emphasizes a reluctance to participate where experiences with autocracy would hinder participation in the host country. The second pathway posits a reluctance to disclosure where experiences with autocracy leave immigrants with a lasting hesitation to reveal the extent of their participation. Our findings lend weak support for a reluctance to participate and instead suggest a reluctance to disclosure. These findings raise questions about our capacity to accurately portray the preferences and behaviours of immigrants, here those who experienced autocracy in the country of origin, and highlight the sensitivity of findings regarding immigrant integration to interview modes.     

The Determinants of Immigration from Fiji to New Zealand: An Empirical Reassessment using the Bounds Testing Approach

This article re‐examines Gani's (1998) findings on the determinants of migrant flows from Fiji to New Zealand by employing the bounds testing procedure to cointegration, within an autoregressive distributive lag framework. The main findings are that in the long run all variables are statistically insignificant, although correctly signed with the exception of the unemployment differential. In the short run, in sharp contrast to Gani's (1998) findings, political instability is consistently the most important determinant of migration flows while the standard of living and real wage differentials are statistically insignificant across all specifications.     

To work or not to work: Variables affecting non‐financial employment commitment over time

The most common indicator of non‐financial employment commitment (NFEC) is the “lottery question” – whether a person would continue working if they won a lottery. This cross‐sectional research seeks to identify the demographic variables and the “meaning of work” dimensions that could predict individual NFEC, presenting the main international findings over time, with particular reference to data collected in Israel in 1981, 1994 and 2006. The authors' findings point to a marked decrease in NFEC in the new millennium and a change in its predictors over time. The findings and their implications for work and employment are examined in the light of social and economic changes in Israel.     

Autoritäre Einstellung und Statusmerkmale von ehemaligen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS und SS und der Wehrmacht

This is an updated study of the research published in 1970 on authoritarianism and its complexities with additional findings based on questionnaires. The respondents were 229 former members of the Waffen-SS and other formations of the SS matched and compared with 202 former members of the German Armed Forces. The questionnaires returned between the years 1962 and 1966 have not been completely analyzed. The additionally evaluated items have now enhanced the sample of authoritarian personality traits (F-scale) and thus their understanding. The originally reported group differences were confounded with socio-demographic characteristics such as schooling, occupational standing and service rank. In the present analysis, such variables were controlled by matching subjects. The earlier findings were confirmed. The methodological limitations of this post hoc investigation with its shortcomings are obvious. However, the findings nevertheless make a significant contribution to a better understanding of the function of authoritarianism in the context of differential psychological as well as situational conditions that promote unreflected obedience and its consequences. Last but not least, the findings also reflect a high correlation between authoritarianism and susceptibility to absolutist ideology such as National Socialism.     

Towards an agenda for disability research in Europe: learning from disabled people’s organisations

This paper addresses the challenges of building capacity for collaborative participatory research with disabled people’s organisations in European countries. The paper presents initial findings from the project ‘European Research Agendas for Disability Equality’ (EuRADE), which seeks to build the capacity of civil society organisations to participate in future research collaborations in partnership with academic institutions. The findings draw on survey data identifying the research capacity, needs and priorities of 68 organisations in 25 countries and focuses, in particular, on responses from national or European level representative organisations of disabled people. The findings demonstrate a high degree of motivation and readiness for collaboration in academic research but raise concerns about the readiness of academic institutions to engage disabled people as equal partners within social model and rights‐based approaches. Respondent organisations identified a wide range of research needs that raise challenges for collaborative responses from the academic community. In this way, the findings provide a basis for developing user‐led agendas for European funded research within the emancipatory paradigm, and indentify important opportunities for new international research collaborations between activists and academics.     

The Influence of Legally Irrelevant Factors on Felony Sentencing

Discussions of the link between sentence and legally irrelevant background factors have typically been carried on either without referring to research findings or with reference to only one or two of the legally irrelevant factors, such as race or occupation. The present research incorporates additional factors and places the findings in the context of competing explanatory models.     

Pupil Culture, Peer Tutoring and Special Educational Needs

In this article it is argued that interventions in pupil-pupil interactions have to be grounded in a thorough understanding of pupil meanings and the social processes which generate them. The argument is elaborated via a critique of some existing studies of such interventions, like those of peer tutoring, and in discussion of the findings of an interview study. In general, studies of peer tutoring have been psychology-based and have failed to consider the significance of pupils' understanding of deviance derived from pupils' social location. An alternative approach is explored utilizing the findings of ethnographic studies, and the findings of an interview study with fourth year pupils in a secondary school. The data is organised using the constructs of consensual and non-consensual deviance. Pupils formally designated 'examination' pupils revealed different views from those designated 'non-examination' and 'less able' although they also held views in common. The implications of these findings for peer tutoring interventions are discussed.