Dividedness,Institutions and Economic Performance: A Cross-National Analysis of Democratic Stability

Why divided societies face particular obstacles in maintaining democracy is one of the most challenging questions posed in the literature. Several studies posit that ethnically, religiously, and linguistically divided societies are incapable of establishing and holding a democratic system because of their social divisions and institutional weaknesses. We challenge this argument and examine whether political institutional arrangements (constraints over the executive, geographic distribution of political power, and form of government) in addition to economic performance are the crucial factors of success to establish and sustain a democratic regime and social unity in divided states. We use the Quality of Governance time-series standard dataset to test this hypothesis. By analyzing data on 163 states (1960–2012) we find that institutional constraints imposed over the executive and economic performance are the two primary influential factors in sustaining democratic regimes in multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and multi-religious societies.     

A Cross-National Examination of the Effect of the Schwartz Cultural Dimensions on PISA Performance Assessments

In recent years, PISA assessments have become more frequent, and transnational policy borrowing and policy adaptation have steadily increased, with implications on national education reform policies. The growing impact of globalization in education policy seems to have reinforced the underlying legitimacy of an educational world that lacks cultural diversity. This study seeks to highlight cultural dimensions as significant indicators of disparities in educational performance across countries in international tests. Combining data from the World Values Survey with the PISA scores, we examined how the Schwartz cultural dimensions relate to student PISA achievement at the national level. Results of regression analysis indicate that when controlling for GDP per capita, Conservatism (i.e., traditionalism, conformity, and security) remains the best predictor of PISA test results in the three core disciplines. Cultural dimensions in general, and Conservatism in particular, play a significant role in explaining academic achievements per country. Paradoxically, while globalization, in some instances, has led to positive educational policies and multicultural values that challenge Conservatism and Traditionalism, Conservatism may ultimately serve to build the group identity, social cohesion, and national solidarity necessary in this dynamic global era. This study emphasizes the need for comparative exploration that takes into account the influence of cultural dimensions at the national level. This is something that we hope will assist educational administrators to make their educational systems both more effective and more socially responsive.     

Twenty Years of Research on the Relationship Between Economic and Social Performance: A Meta-analysis Approach

This study examines the role of political efficacy and social networks in rural China to understand the social characteristics that might affect an individual’s disposition to join in public deliberations. A model is developed and empirically tested by Partial Least Squares analysis. This shows active involvement in public deliberation to be positively influenced by political efficacy (with external political efficacy being a partial mediator), high internal or external political efficacy, and a high internal efficacy leading to high external political efficacy. Social networks have a moderating effect, individuals with a high social network status having an enhanced positive internal political efficacy-public deliberation involvement but weakened positive external political efficacy-public deliberation involvement. The research advances the theoretical understanding of complex political psycho-behavior relationships and provided insights into the role of social settings. The findings could also help boost deliberative democracy in such limited democratic societies as China.     

Gender and the Stability of Same-Sex and Different-Sex Relationships Among Young Adults

Most research on the stability of adult relationships has focused on coresidential (cohabiting or married) unions and estimates rates of dissolution for the period of coresidence. Studies examining how the stability of coresidential unions differs by sex composition have typically found that same-sex female couples have higher rates of dissolution than same-sex male couples and different-sex couples. We argue that the more elevated rates of dissolution for same-sex female couples are a by-product of the focus on coresidential unions. We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to compare rates of dissolution based on the total duration of romantic and sexual relationships for same-sex male couples, same-sex female couples, and different-sex couples. Results from hazard models that track the stability of young adult relationships from the time they are formed demonstrate that male couples have substantially higher dissolution rates than female couples and different-sex couples. Results based on models restricted to the period of coresidence corroborate the counterintuitive finding from earlier studies that female couples have the highest rates of dissolving coresidential unions. This study underlines the importance of comparisons between these couple types for a better understanding of the role that institutions and gender play in the stability of contemporary relationships.     

20世纪90年代京津沪城市经济发展与外来人口比较研究

本文通过比较20世纪90年代京津沪城市经济发展和外来人口规模,得出结论:从经济发展水平看,虽然天津明显滞后于北京和上海,但近几年天津经济的后发优势逐渐显现;天津人口自然增长率高于京沪,但迁移增长率较低,从趋势上看,京沪净迁移率趋于上升,天津则陷入停滞;在常住人口增长方面,天津显著落后于其他两个城市,年均增长率约为京沪的一半,其主要原因是天津外来人口增加的规模较小、速度较慢,非户籍常住人口占总人口的比重低。此外,京津沪外来人口在空间分布、时间分布、职业分布和年龄结构方面也存在显著差异。     

The Measurement of Economic, Social and Environmental Performance of Countries: A Novel Approach

This paper presents a new analytical framework for assessing spatial disparities among countries. It takes for granted that the analysis of a country’s performance cannot be limited solely to either economic or social factors. The aim of the paper is to combine relevant economic and ‘non-economic’ (mainly social) aspects of a country’s performance in an integrated logical framework. Based on this idea, a structural simultaneous equation model will be presented and estimated in order to explore the direction of the causal relationship between economic and non-economic aspects of a country’s performance. Furthermore, an exploration of the trajectory that each country has registered over time along a virtuous path will be offered. By means of a matrix persistency/transition analysis, the countries will be classified in clusters of good/bad performance. One of the most interesting conclusions concerns the inability of most countries to turn the higher educational skills of the population into greater economic performance over time. In addition, our analysis also shows that making an accurate picture record and formulating related policy aiming at environmental care is highly desirable. It is surprising that only a few countries have reached a favourable economic and environmental performance simultaneously.     

School Attachment Among Taiwanese Adolescents: The Roles of Individual Characteristics,Peer Relationships,and Teacher Well-Being

This study examines the effects of individual characteristics (school grade and gender), peer relationships (peer support and peer victimization), and the subjective well-being of teachers (depression and job satisfaction) on students’ attachment to school. Twenty-four classes in grades 7 through 9 at two middle schools in Taipei were selected as the sample, and survey data were obtained from students and homeroom teachers. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to conduct a two-level analysis on 720 students and 24 teachers with valid data on all research variables. A series of models were constructed and tested stepwise. The results indicated that students’ average school attachment scores varied significantly among classes. A higher school grade was associated with reduced attachment while no gender difference was found. Peer support had a positive influence and peer victimization had a negative effect on school attachment. Finally, job satisfaction of the homeroom teachers positively contributed to students’ attachment to school, but teachers’ depression had no significant effect. Implications for creating a positive classroom environment were discussed.     

Reconciliation Sentiment Among Victims of Genocide in Rwanda: Conceptualizations,and Relationships with Mental Health

In two studies that were conducted in Rwanda, we have examined the conceptualizations held by people who have experienced genocide with regard to reconciliation sentiment and quantitatively assessed the relationship between reconciliation sentiment and mental health. It was found that the participants have articulated conceptualizations regarding the nature of reconciliation sentiment. These conceptualizations are consistent with the way the genocide victims personally experienced reconciliation. More importantly, one type of reconciliation sentiment (the one corresponding to a renewed capacity to live together, hear each other, work together, and to forge compromises on a daily basis) was associated with mental health.     

The Relationships Between Sense of Belonging to the Gay Community,Body Image Dissatisfaction,and Self-Esteem Among Australian Gay Men

Body image dissatisfaction has been linked to belonging to the gay community and poor self-esteem among gay men. This study was designed to explore the applicability of a moderation model and a mediation model in explaining the relations between sense of belonging to the gay community, body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem among 90 self-identified Australian gay men. Participants completed the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the Body Satisfaction Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results supported the moderation model; the relation between body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem was found to be statistically significant only at average and high levels of belonging to the gay community. The mediation model was also supported; body image dissatisfaction partially mediated the sense of belonging–self-esteem relation. Educating gay men and health professionals about the possible negative outcomes of “belonging” to an appearance-oriented community is important.     

Significant Relationships Among Older Women: Cultural and Personal Constructions of Lesbianism

SUMMARY

This paper focuses on the interactive nature of the relationship between personal and public constructions of lesbianism in the lives of older women. The cultural construction of lesbianism involves the historical and environmental context of the meaning of lesbianism framed within a societal level. Our discussion evolves around a case study of a lesbian in her eighties, living with a partner in rural Minnesota, We show that when public definitions are unavailable, older lesbians may not define certain aspects of their experience.     

The Council of Economic Advisers on Work and Retirement Among the Elderly

The 1999 Annual Report of the US council of Economic Advisers (a document of some 450 pages, formally an Annex to the Economic Report of the President Transmitted to the Congress February 1999, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office) addresses some of the questions an aging population raises for the American economy. (Aspects of this topic were also discussed in earlier Council reports; see the Documents section of the March 1996 and June 1997 issues of PDR.) Chapter 4 of the 1999 report is titled “Work, Retirement, and the Economic Well-Being of the Elderly.” The excerpts from this chapter reproduced below provide a summary of the expected future changes in the age distribution of the US population—a result of improving life expectancy and low fertility—and the concomitant marked changes that will characterize the racial and ethnic composition of the elderly. The report notes recent declines in the rate of disability among persons aged 65 and older and discusses changing patterns of retirement and their causes. Despite long-term improvements in health and longevity, the retirement age has fallen rather than risen during the twentieth century. The report suggests, however, that this trend has now run its course, as influenced by the increasing dominance of physically less demanding service-sector jobs, more flexible work schedules (including availability of part-time employment), and changes in persion arrangements.     

Education and the Non-financial Employment Commitment in Times of Economic Recession Among the Youth

In this paper, we study the non-financial employment commitment using the so-called “lottery question”, which asks if you would continue working if you won the lottery. This is the first study that reports results using data from a Southern-European country and this is done both before and 3 years into the recession following the financial crisis of 2008. We find that the willingness to continue working in Spain is shockingly lower than in previous research done in other countries. Additionally, we find two important moderators of the non-financial employment commitment at the individual level. The willingness to work increases by education level and it is negatively correlated with the time spent searching for jobs. We find some regional effects, but in general, we do not find that the non-financial employment commitment is higher during the financial recession.     

人口健康与中国长期经济增长关系的实证研究

文章在协整理论框架下对中国健康水平与长期经济增长关系进行了实证分析.结果显示,在中国过去的50多年里,健康水平的改善不仅是经济增长的副产品,更是长期经济增长的促进因素.研究表明,教育水平的提高不能代替健康水平提高对经济增长的作用,教育与健康作为人力资本的两个方面是紧密结合的,共同作用于长期经济增长.     

用科学发展观看待甘肃省的经济增长

本文借鉴丹尼森因素分析法对索洛余值进行分解,从中分离出人力资本积累、资源配置结构、规模经济效益和狭义的技术进步对经济增长的影响,在此基础上构建了经济增长模型,测算了1978-2005年甘肃省各因素对经济增长的贡献率。结果表明:甘肃省的经济增长主要表现为粗放的外延型增长,而且要素投入增加与经济增长之间还没有形成良性互动关系,1978-2005年,经济增长主要依靠投入(52.04%),其中,资本投入对经济增长的贡献率为37.70%,劳动力投入的贡献率为14.34%。虽然广义的技术进步贡献率达到47.96%,但狭义的技术进步的贡献率仅为15.65%,资源配置结构的调整及人力资本水平的不断提高对经济增长产生了明显的正效应。因此,加快经济增长方式转变,确实落实科学发展观,使经济增长真正依靠技术进步和人力资本的积累,仍然是我们面临的最迫切的任务。     

经济发展与劳动力迁徙的空间实证研究

有关劳动力迁移的研究及相关政策的制定与执行,向来为世界各国所重视,各国都希望通过乡村发展等措施来缓和乡村人口移入城市,或是把大城市人口分散到郊区或偏远地区,以求区域间的均衡发展。本文用空间计量经济学方法,分析2000年中国各县劳动力迁徙情况,研究发现迁入地经济越发达,人民生活水平越高,工业越发达,未来发展潜力越大,吸引的外来劳动力也越多。研究还表明,中国劳动力迁徙具有显著的空间集聚效应,采用空间误差回归模型要明显优于OLS回归模型。     

中国人口迁移与生育率关系研究

本文利用2000年人口普查数据,考察了中国人口迁移与生育率的关系。通过比较农村本地人口、城市本地人口和流动迁移人口三个人口群体在生育率上的差异,并进行多元统计分析,结果表明,流动迁移对生育率有着非常显著影响,城市外来人口的生育率不仅显著低于农村本地人口,而且也低于城市本地人口;远期流迁人口的生育率要低于近期流迁人口的生育率。中国人口迁移与生育率的关系出现了与已有的迁移生育率理论的不一致。1990年代中国的迁移生育率发生了转变。     

西北地区高校大学生生育意愿的社会经济分析

本文初步探讨了西部开发大背景下社会经济发展因素对高校大学生婚育意愿影响的范围和程度,为该地区人口规划、教育、就业政策的调整和优化提供了参考。研究发现,经济发展相对滞后和高校扩招造成的就业困难直接影响了大学生的生育意愿,而社会婚育理念进步反映到大学生生育理念中;大学生对期望子女重学历、更重能力的背后是革新的人才观念在起作用。     

经济全球化影响劳动就业的机理分析

经济全球化浪潮正以前所未有的方式和速度影响着人们的就业。经济全球化的直接含义是国际分工 ,因此在比较优势作用下不断扩展的国际贸易、资本的跨国流动以及由此推动的全球产业结构调整成为经济全球化影响劳动就业的途径。     

Romantic Relationships and Their Social Context Among Gay/Bisexual Male Youth in the Castro District of San Francisco

Abstract

This article examines the culture of romantic relationships among gay/bisexual male youth in the Castro District of San Francisco.

The article seeks to specify the cultural ideology that informs these relationships, drawing upon ethnographic observation, autobiographical accounts, and informant cultural exegesis. The article also seeks to link thinking and experience inside romantic relationships (e.g., bonding, jealousy) to patterns of social behavior associated with romantic relationships (e.g., relationship sequestering, cheating), showing how both are informed by shared assumptions which make these emotions and gestures intelligible to the group. Beliefs about love, compatibility, and monogamy are explored. Reciprocity, including its degradation into negative forms, is examined with focus on the units of value that are exchanged in romantic relationships, in particular sentimental gifts. Gestures of commitment that mark commencement of a romantic relationship as well as extension of the dynamics of a relationship after “breakup” (as in “revenge sex” and “rebound relationships”) are examined. Cultural systems that challenge adherence to a romantic ideology, such as a prestige economy associated with sex linked to an ethos of sexual exploration/recreation, are weighed against the pull of romance. “Drama,” a hallmark of gay youth, is viewed in the context of romantic culture.     

甘孜藏族自治州人口和经济发展基本情况分析

本文主要介绍了四川省甘孜藏族自治州人口和经济变化。以2000年至2005年的数据变化分析甘孜州经济总量、经济动态、经济产业的转移。并由于经济发展带来居民生活状况的改善与社会保障的进一步完善。