Lone Parents and Informal Childcare: A Tax Credit Childcare Subsidy?

The Labour government aims to increase the lone parent employment rate to 70 per cent by 2010. To achieve this aim, it has introduced a state subsidy for childcare in the form of the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit. So far this has been limited to formal childcare despite evidence that lone parents are more likely to use informal childcare. This article investigates the potential of a state subsidy to be extended to support informal childcare. Utilizing evidence from a study of 78 qualitative in‐depth interviews with lone parents, it explores preferences for informal care and the way that informal care is negotiated. On the one hand, we found that some lone parents held deeply embedded preferences for informal childcare based on trust, commitment, shared understandings and children's happiness. Thus it can be concluded that it is important for the government to support informal as well as formal care. On the other, we found that the way lone parents actually negotiated informal childcare involved complex notions of obligation, duty and reciprocity, suggesting that a subsidy could potentially intrude upon complex private family relationships. However, the evidence suggests that care was negotiated differently depending on whether it was provided by a grandparent or other family and friends, with lone parents tending to favour paying for childcare provided by other family and friends than grandparents. This has implications for a state subsidy, which needs further investigation.     

Self-Help:

The Strengthening the Informal Support System of the Hispanic Elderly, a project designed to supply the Hispanic adult caregiver, i.e., relatives, friends and neighbors, with information and social support through a self-help group approach offered experiential learning and facilitated the formation of an informal network in which the participants explored their personal feeling towards the caregiving role, shared problems and concerns and engaged in mutual problem-solving activities. The project was conducted with fifty-eight persons who were the major caregivers of Hispanic elderly residing in four selected sites throughout New York City.     

Self-Help:

The Strengthening the Informal Support System of the Hispanic Elderly, a project designed to supply the Hispanic adult caregiver, i.e., relatives, friends and neighbors, with information and social support through a self-help group approach offered experiential learning and facilitated the formation of an informal network in which the participants explored their personal feeling towards the caregiving role, shared problems and concerns and engaged in mutual problem-solving activities. The project was conducted with fifty-eight persons who were the major caregivers of Hispanic elderly residing in four selected sites throughout New York City.     

Hispanic Intermarriage,Identification, and U.S. Latino Population Change*

Objective. This article examines the neglected role of Hispanic intermarriage and identification on Hispanic population change and Hispanic ethnicity. Methods. A trend analysis of Census data produced rates of Hispanic intermarriage and identification as Hispanic by children of intermarried Hispanics. These rates are applied to a projection model of Hispanic population change to 2025. Results. Hispanic intermarriage has been fairly stable and high, at about 14 percent. Almost two‐thirds of children of intermarried Hispanics are identified as Hispanic. The Hispanic population in 2025 is larger by almost 1 million when Hispanic intermarriage and identification rates are included in population projections. Conclusions. Failure to consider Hispanic intermarriage and identification may lead to erroneous conclusions about components of Hispanic population growth. Intermarriage and the propensity of “part‐Hispanics” to identify as Hispanic will be significant contributors to future Hispanic population growth, with implications for the meaning of Hispanic ethnicity and ethnic‐based public policies.     

A Mile‐Wide Gap: The Evolution of Hispanic Political Emergence in the Deep South*

Objective. Prior to the 1990s, the size of the Hispanic population in the Deep South was negligible. Since that time, states in this region have experienced an explosive growth in members of this ethnic group. Methods. Georgia and the Carolinas are among five states that maintain registration and turnout files by ethnicity. We make use of these political data in conjunction with demographic information from the Census to create a snapshot of Hispanic political emergence in the southeast. Results. A sizable gap exists between the size of the Hispanic population in the southeast and levels of political participation on the part of Latinos. Much of the explanation for this observation centers on the fact that the bulk of recent migration to the region has been by Hispanics who are not U.S. citizens. Participation rates among Hispanic citizens, however, were also found to lag behind those of other racial groups in the region. Conclusions. Although it is likely that Hispanics will become a sizable political force in the Deep South, it should be noted that the gulf between latent political influence and actual political power may take quite some time to close.     

东北地区转轨中非正式制度约束:一个学习竞争模型的解释

本文从比较制度分析的视角来研究非正式制度在东北地区经济转轨中的作用。首先考察和总结了东北地区和长三角地区非正式制度的稳定特点、成因及对其主体经济行为的影响,然后将两地区行为倾向简化设定后,通过学习竞争模型,以行为偏好对交易倾向和交易、分工与市场规模的相互依赖性为切入点,进而比较不同行为倾向对经济演化的影响,最终试图对东北地区经济转轨中非正式制度的约束作用做出解释。     

Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety Disorders: Rapid Review Suggestion of Larger Effects among Hispanic than Non-Hispanic White People

ABSTRACT

Anxiety disorders are common among Hispanic people. Evidence-based guidelines indicate cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI), but they were developed primarily with non-Hispanic white (NHW) people. This rapid scoping review and meta-analysis clarified the relative effectiveness of CBI with Hispanics and NHW people with anxiety disorders and explored the clinical effects of cultural modifications among Hispanic people. Evidence from nine studies in the United States and one in Puerto Rico was synthesized. Meta-analysis of four randomized controlled trials (RCT) found no statistically or practically significant differences between Hispanic and NHW participants on anxiety alleviation. Both groups enjoyed large clinical benefits. However, a significantly greater drop-out rate among Hispanic participants was found. Meta-analytic adjustment for this study characteristic of loss to follow-up suggested a somewhat larger clinical benefit among NHW people. Scoping synthesis of six non-RCTs suggested that deep cultural adaptations of CBI would substantially improve outcomes among Hispanic people. Consistent with Hispanic-paradox and barrio advantage theories such culturally sensitive interventions may well take beneficial Hispanic outcomes beyond those of NHW people. This field's synthetic knowledge, therefore, essentially consists of two competing hypotheses that will require rigorous testing with a necessarily larger and better controlled RCT than has been represented in this field thus far.     

Barriers to the Use of Mental Health Services by African-American and Hispanic Elderly Persons

Abstract

This study discusses barriers to the utilization of community-based mental health services by African-American and Hispanic elderly persons. The study sample consists of “key Informants,” chosen because they were knowledgeable about the mental health needs and use of mental health services by African-American or Hispanic elderly persons. Principal component analysis using orthogonal rotation was conducted on the 23 item barrier scale and identified three levels of service barriers for the entire sample and for each subsample of African-American and Hispanic informants. Based upon the study findings, a number of strategies are offered to improve Utilization and overcome service delivery barriers.     

汶川大地震灾区青少年社会支持网络研究——以8名转学至某市某中学的青川学生为例

灾区青少年的社会支持网络主要来源为非正式支持系统与正式支持系统,非正式支持系统包括家庭成员、亲友邻里、同伴等,正式支持系统包括学校、政府、志愿者、福利组织及社会人士等。研究表明,社会支持网络对灾后青少年心理恢复具有较强的助益作用,非正式支持系统与正式支持系统对灾区青少年心理复原都发挥着重要作用。     

‘Problematising’ Australian policy representations in responses to the physical health of people with mental health disorders

Australia, like other jurisdictions, is recognising the poorer physical health of people with mental health disorders. This paper explores policy responses to this issue through discourse analysis of 22 Australian Federal and State government policy documents published in 2006–2011. The paper utilises Bacchi's ‘what's the problem represented to be?‘ approach to explore policy solutions in relation to the representation of the issue, enabling identification of issues which are not problematised and policy solutions that have not been considered. The poor physical health of people with mental health disorders is attributed in policy to poor lifestyle habits and limited access to monitoring of physical health care. Three policy solutions are offered: collaborative care delivery involving greater use of fee‐for‐service primary care to manage physical health; the monitoring of physical health status by mental health teams; and the promotion of lifestyle change. These solutions fail to address ongoing issues with collaboration between specialist mental health and primary care services. Reliance upon fee‐for‐service primary mental health care may, in fact, reduce rather than increase access to services. The strategies are discussed in light of neoliberal ideals of governance and personhood which are underpinned by informed consumer choice and personal responsibility for health.     

Residential Patterns of Black Immigrants and Native‐Born Blacks in the United States*

Objective. Although high levels of black‐white residential segregation have long been observed, relatively little is known about the residential patterns of black immigrants. This analysis examines the role of nativity and Hispanic ethnicity for the residential patterns of blacks in the United States. Methods. This article uses data from the 2000 Census to calculate dissimilarity indexes and conduct regression analyses. Results. We find differences in the extent of segregation of blacks from whites, with Hispanic blacks and non‐Hispanic black immigrants exhibiting higher levels of segregation from whites than U.S.‐born non‐Hispanic blacks. Conclusions. The strength of nativity and socioeconomic status provides some support for spatial assimilation theory. Metropolitan context also plays a role in explaining residential patterns: one reason foreign and Hispanic blacks are very segregated from whites is that they tend to reside in metropolitan areas where black‐white segregation has generally been high. Despite the role of these factors, race itself remains of great importance in explaining residential patterns, as segregation from whites is high among all black subgroups.     

An Evaluation of Hispanic Population Estimates*

Objective. Estimates of the Hispanic population have traditionally been based on historical trends, ratios, or some variant of the cohort‐component method. In this article, we describe and test a methodology in which estimates of the Hispanic population are based on symptomatic indicators of population change such as births, deaths, and school enrollments. Methods. Using a variety of techniques, we develop Hispanic population estimates for counties in Florida. We evaluate the accuracy of those estimates by comparing them with 2000 Census counts. Results. Hispanic population estimates have larger errors than estimates of total population; errors vary considerably by population size and growth rate; some techniques perform better than others in places with particular population characteristics; and averages often perform better than individual techniques. Conclusions. In many circumstances, symptomatic data series can provide more accurate estimates of the Hispanic population than more commonly used techniques.     

KINSHIP,RECIPROCITY AND VULNERABILITY: SOCIAL RELATIONS IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY

This paper examines the notion that informal interhousehold transfers of goods and services in the communal economy are based upon reciprocity. Patterns of interhousehold transfer of goods and services are described, and the significance of kinship (or familial obligations) in shaping patterns of informal exchange are discussed. Data from a 1990 survey of household and residential organisation in Brisbane are used. Differences in income, labour force participation and the density and character of householders' social networks are considered as factors shaping contemporary interhousehold economic activity. Implications for our understanding of people's economic vulnerability are drawn from the observations.     

Injured but not Entitled to Legal Insurance Compensation – Ornamental Institutions and Migrant Workers’ Informal Channels in China

Due to the rapid industrialization and urbanization of China, an estimated 252 million farmers have migrated from impoverished rural areas to prosperous urban regions, seeking off‐farm employment. In China, these are referred to as migrant workers. Workers’ compensation insurance law represents one of the most vital formal institutions for Chinese migrant workers. Through in‐depth interviews with migrant workers and employers, the authors find that instead of making a formal claim based on workers’ compensation insurance law, most injured migrant workers adopt informal channels (e.g. bargaining, negotiation, threats, violence) to receive compensation from employers. Even when migrant workers are insured in accordance with the law, they may be denied legal insurance compensation and thus turn to informal private settlement. Generally, the amount of compensation acquired by means of informal private settlement is significantly smaller than that awarded in the case of legal insurance compensation. This practice reveals that, like some other formal institutions in China, workers’ compensation insurance law is merely a symbolic ornament, window‐dressing for the public, which are referred to as ‘ornamental institutions'. In the way they are designed, set up and funded, these ornamental institutions can easily prove illusory since they conceal an anarchic world wherein diverse informal channels of social actors emerge, which reflect the reality of Chinese society. Therefore, only through deep empirical research, like this study, can one see beyond the facade of modernity in contemporary China, observe the reality of social actors, and reflect upon the functioning of ornamental institutions.     

Discretion in Welfare Provision

While discretion has been studied in systems of distribution which are governed by rules, or in those where there is a crucial gatekeeper, there remain many informal and diffuse systems where little is known about the discretion used. An example is the allocation of community services. In such cases, a useful strategy is to analyze the informal rationing system along lines which are discussed, and by this means to identify as discretionary the cases which emerge as anomalous.
Possibilities are outlined for comparing the amount of discretion used and its bias, in areas with different resource levels or degrees of regulation; and the paper concludes with a detailed illustration, drawn from an area study of community services for the elderly, of changes in the use of discretion with increasing pressure on resources.     

The Effects of Oklahoma's Pre‐K Program on Hispanic Children*

Objective. The objective of this work is to determine how much Hispanics benefit from a high‐quality pre‐K program and which Hispanic students benefit the most. Methods. Hispanic students in Tulsa, Oklahoma were tested (in English, Spanish) in August 2006. A regression discontinuity design addressed potential selection bias by comparing pre‐K alumni (treatment group) with pre‐K entrants (control group), controlling for age and other demographic variables. Results. Hispanic students experienced substantial improvements in prereading, prewriting, and premath skills. Hispanic students whose parents speak Spanish at home or whose parents were born in Mexico benefited the most. English‐language test gains were stronger than Spanish‐language test gains, but the latter were sometimes significant. Conclusions. Preschool education has considerable potential to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic children.     

Mothers' Coping Strategies as Child and Family Care Service Applicants

The central position of parents, in particular, mothers, inchildcare has been the focus of much recent legislation andresearch in social work. This is evident in notions such asparental responsibility, family support and prevention. However,while family support and prevention have invited considerationof what formal and informal services can do to help familieswith difficulties, there has been less focus on what these families,particularly parents, do for themselves. This is particularlyimportant where thresholds for receipt of sustained social servicesintervention are so high, leaving families with considerableproblems and needs without access to sustained intervention.Drawing upon Coping Theory, this paper seeks to begin to answerthe question: how do these families (specifically the mother,who is generally the primary caregiver) cope? Focusing on familieswho have been service applicants, but not taken on to caseload,this paper focuses on the coping strategies employed by mothersin adversity, how these strategies vary, and how well the womenthemselves feel they have coped. Amongst the findings, therewas evidence of significant differences in problem severityand profile, as well as coping strategy, according to age ofchild; of a relationship between problem severity and ‘effortfor coping’; and that there was a strong relationshipbetween problem severity and women’s rating of their coping,although only in relation to parenting. The paper emphasizeswomen as active problem solvers in their own right, and thetheoretical importance of integrating coping with the notionof prevention.     

Grass,Sweat, and Sun: An Exploratory Study of the Labor Market for Gardeners in South Texas*

Objective. This article takes a first exploratory step in understanding the market for home gardeners in the southwest borderlands (Laredo, Texas). Methods. A questionnaire was administered by a household member familiar with the present study who employed at least one gardener utilizing the snowball method of sample selection. Usable data (surveys) were collected from 244 individuals: 122 gardeners and 122 employers. Results. Gardeners in Laredo are almost exclusively male, Hispanic, Spanish speaking, and heads of household. Gardeners tend to be Mexican by birth and nationality, work full time as a gardener, be middle aged, and possess a middle school education. Distinctions between full‐time and part‐time gardeners (employment status) as well as formal and informal gardeners (employment process) are discussed. Cross‐tabulation analyses suggest a strong relationship between employment status and process (relationship) with health insurance coverage, enrollment in Social Security, and year‐around work. Logistic regression results also indicate previous work experience as a gardener, medical insurance, and year‐around work as a gardener are the significant variables in determining full‐time employment as a gardener. For informality, logistic regression results suggest Mexican citizenship, Mexican birthplace, and lack of Social Security are the significant explanatory variables. Conclusion. Gardening enables a mostly informal workforce from Mexico to work in south Texas in pursuit of the American dream—the ability to make a living in a way of one's own choosing.     

Social Support Interventions in Migrant Populations

The phenomenon of immigration has led to an important increasein the number of social programmes and services for migrantpopulations in many European countries. However, some investigationshave shown that the use of formal resources is extremely lowin these groups. In contrast to the limited utilization of programmesand services, research in the field of social psychology hasrevealed that the primary source of help and support for immigrantsis their own informal social network. After analysing the characteristics,advantages and limitations of formal and informal support systems,this paper presents a typology of social support interventionswith migrant populations that integrates both types of support.Four levels are differentiated: dyadic interventions, socialnetwork interventions, mutual aid groups and community interventions.The development of programmes to strengthen the informal supportsystem is emphasized as an alternative to integrating formaland informal resources in social work practice with migrantpopulations.     

Informal Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Entrepreneurship or Survivalist Strategy? Some Implications for Public Policy

A central debate around labor market informality, which has enormous implications for the design and implementation of public policy, relates to the nature of informal employment. Is informal employment and, in particular, informal self-employment, a symptom and, at the same time, a reproductive factor of precariousness and inequality, as well as social and individual poverty? Or is it, on the contrary, a space of individual and social action that reflects economic initiative and business potential which, if channeled and fostered properly, could contribute to social and economic development and, consequently, to the reduction of inequality and poverty? In this article, the findings of the 2005 edition of the Mexican version of the World Value Survey—concerning relevant values and attitudes of informal participants in the labor force in Mexico—are used to assess whether informal self-employment is a reflection of incipient entrepreneurship and individual choice or, rather, a survival strategy forced on individuals by their precarious circumstances. This article explores the public policy implications of the results obtained.