Health effects of migration: U.S. Chinese in and outside the Chinatown

Previous studies on the health effects of migration at the international level have seldom been directed to those concentrated in segregated enclaves. This study hypothesizes that in spite of the known deviations in certain demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Chinatown (San Francisco-New York City) residents from the US Chinese population, no consistent relationship seems to exist between these attributes and health risks, as reflected in the mortality levels of the 2 populations. A convergence in mortality was observed for a noticeable number of causes of deaths, with but a few disease-cause sets of non-convergence with statistical significance. The study results were interpreted in terms of varying degrees of acculturation experience.     

The role of households in international migration and the case of U.S.-bound migration from the Dominican Republic

An analysis of the role of households in the process of migration between the Dominican Republic and the United States is presented. Several propositions are explored. "Principal among these is the claim that the structure within which Dominican migration occurs is capital's requirement for a continuous stream of cheap, vulnerable labor and the need of households to reproduce themselves at an historically and culturally prescribed level of maintenance. The article's emphasis on household strategies clarifies several important issues, such as variation in the rates of migration among groups in the same peripheral area, the increased impoverishment of nonmigrant members of sending communities, and the intensified dependency of emigrant households on the core economy."     

The journey effect: how travel affects the experiences of mental health in-patient service-users and their families

The qualitative study presented in this paper explored the perspectives of service-users, family members and staff about the impact of travel issues on the lives of mental health in-patients and carers. This topic was chosen because it was prioritised by members of Xplore, a service-user and carer research group, and has received little research attention. Travel problems were a significant issue for many service-users and carers, bound-up with mental health issues and the recovery experience. Travel facilitation through the funding of taxis and the provision of guides was appreciated. A few service-users and carers positively valued distancing from their previous home environment. The meaning of travel issues could only be understood in the context of individuals’ wider lives and relationships. The significance of the findings is discussed in relation to the social model of disability.     

The relationship of U.S. aid,trade and investment to migration pressures in major sending countries

"It has often been suggested that U.S. foreign economic policies, including the areas of aid, trade and investment, could be utilized to influence migration pressures in major sending countries. This study explores the feasibility of this proposition by examining the linkages between these U.S. economic instruments and migration 'push' factors. These linkages are shown to be indirect, are often quite complex, and the final impact on migration, except perhaps in the long run, is probably small in most cases."     

Nutritional status of foster children in the U.S.: Implications for cognitive and behavioral development

ObjectiveChildren in foster care are at greater risk for poor health, physical, cognitive, behavioral, and developmental outcomes than are children in the general population. Considerable research links early nutrition to later cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The aim of this narrative review is to examine the prevalence of poor nutrition and its relation to subsequent health and development in foster children.MethodRelevant studies for inclusion were identified from numerous sources (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar, and reference sections). Inclusion criteria were studies published between 1990 and 2016 of (i) the nutritional status of children in foster care or (ii) the nutritional status of children exposed to early adversity (e.g., low-income and internationally adopted children) or (iii) the developmental effects of poor nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.ResultsTwo key findings that have adverse implications for cognitive development emerged: (i) the prevalence of anemia and iron-deficiency anemia is higher among foster children than among the general population of children in the U.S., and (ii) the developmental demands of catch-up growth post-placement may lead to micronutrient deficiencies even after children have begun sufficient dietary intake of these nutrients. Moreover, there is a paucity of recent studies on the nutritional status of children in foster care, despite the multiple factors that may place them at risk for malnutrition.ConclusionAttention to nutritional status among care providers and medical professionals may remove one of the possible negative influences on foster children's development and in turn significantly alter their trajectories and place them on a more positive path early in life. Recommendations for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

Aliens in irregular status in the United States: a review of their numbers,characteristics, and role in the U.S. labor market

A general review of international migration to the United States is first presented. The analysis then focuses on aliens in irregular status in the United States, including the size of the illegal alien population, the intention of migrants to stay or to return, migrant characteristics, and the role of migrants in the U.S. labor market. The main concern of the paper is with illegal migration from Mexico. (summary in FRE, SPA)     

Acculturation and crime: Protecting the male and female offspring of U.S. immigrants against future arrest and incarceration

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of acculturation on future criminality in the children of immigrants. This research question was explored in 3,211 children of immigrants (1,468 boys and 1,743 girls) whose parents had immigrated to the United States. Analyses revealed that longer residence at the time of initial interview (mean age = 14 years) predicted an increased rate of arrest and incarceration five to ten years later. On the other hand, childhood identification as an American predicted decreased risk of arrest and incarceration. Both findings were restricted to boys. These results suggest that the male offspring of U.S. immigrants are affected in both positive and negative ways by the acculturation experience and that while passive domains of assimilation (time spent in the U.S.) may place the offspring of immigrants at increased risk for future criminality, certain active domains (identification as an American) may do just the opposite.     

World War II and the Transformation of the U.S. State: The Wartime Foundations of U.S. Hegemony

I present an analysis of the history of U.S. expansion and rise to hegemony in World War II, and argue that the concrete global perspectives and postwar ambitions of U.S. state managers were formed in the course of world war itself. They were not the result of preconceived economic or geopolitical policies or aims. I examine U.S. expansion and postwar goals in the military, economic, and political arenas, and show how social processes set in motion by world war in each of these dimensions were central in shaping the distinctive outcomes. I develop a theoretical perspective of world war as a social process, and argue that such an extraordinary period of violence, historical contingency, and state-led expansion involves potentially unique features of macrohistorical development and change.     

The Institutionalization of U.S. Political Parties: Patronage Newspapers

There is general agreement that mass political parties emerged during the Jacksonian era, but there is no consensus about their precise origins. Institutional theorists within political science contend that political parties trace their beginnings to elite who nurtured them within the civil service bureaucracy, whereas theorists in political science who rely on microlevel explanations consider that parties developed to solve problems of social choice and collective action. Historians, in contrast, indicate that newspaper patronage in Washington, DC, beginning with Jefferson, was critical for the emergence of federal political parties. This study systematically examines the empirical implications of that assumption and considers both the organizational and political processes that underlie establishment of newspapers in the Capital, contributing to the understanding that newspapers provided a model both for the civil service and for political parties.     

The production of trans illegality: Cisnormativity in the U.S. immigration system

Drawing from critical scholarship on immigrant illegality and transgender studies, this paper examines how trans immigrants may be more prone to vulnerabilities in the U.S. immigration system. Cisnormativity, a hierarchical system of power that structures legal, administrative, and policing systems, produces the “hypervisibility” of gender variance. We add to migration scholarship by analyzing how cisnormativity can intersect with the production of immigrant illegalities and can render trans immigrants as hypervisible and, where possible, attend to the ways in which, paradoxically, trans subjectivity is also erased. Trans immigrants can be more susceptible to arrest, criminal prosecution, detention, deportation, blocked paths to citizenship, or adjustment of status. With trans studies' insights on the criminalization of gender variance and administrative documentation, we investigate the particularities of visibility for trans immigrants as they inform legalities and social exclusions. We end with a call for more empirical research on the experiences of trans immigrants and the complex inclusions and exclusions that structure U.S. immigration policy.     

The future of private sector unions in the U.S.

Conclusion As noted, the union movement’s significant decline during the last four decades is primarily a private sector phenomenon. Since the mid-1950s, the union density of private sector workers has dropped from more than a third to less than a tenth, in contrast to that found in government employment, which is now about 37 percent. We are indebted to the Donner Foundation for support and to Noah Meltz and Rafael Gomez for research and intellectual advice.     

美国在巴以和平进程中的角色调整

伊拉克战后的安全问题令布什政府的外交政策备受国内外批评,使得后布什时代的美国政府将解决巴以问题作为突破口,一改往日对巴以问题的冷漠态度,转而主动推动巴以和平进程,采用多重"遏制战略"和"平衡战略"以实现自身角色的调整。然而,由于巴以问题的复杂性和美国全球霸权结构的利己性,布什政府的角色调整对于巴以和平进程具有双重绩效。     

The Importance of Ownership Arrangements in U.S. Agriculture1

Abstract According to a number of observers of the U.S. economy, large publicly traded corporations can be viewed as a social problem primarily because of their association with the concentration of wealth and power. In agriculture, nine states have laws which restrict or proscribe public corporations from engaging in farming. Also, groups and individuals have attempted to preserve non-corporate production enterprises in agriculture through the establishment of direct markets such as farmers' markets. Proponents of such efforts believe public corporations have negative economic impacts; opponents of such efforts, especially efforts to establish and retain anti-corporate farming laws, argue that corporations can provide economic benefits to rural areas. These debates beg the question of whether ownership and direct marketing arrangements have important influences on economic outcomes such as levels of cash returns from farming and increases in the number of farms realizing cash gains. Using multi-year, county-level data from the Census of Agriculture, this study finds that, even when holding a number of important variables constant, ownership arrangements, as well as the (interaction between the percentage of total sales which are direct sales and the percentage of farms selling directly, are important determinants of both net cash returns and the percentage of farms realizing cash gains.     

美国在巴以和平进程中的角色调整

伊拉克战后的安全问题令布什政府的外交政策备受国内外批评，使得后布什时代的美国政府将解决巴以问题作为突破口，一改往日对巴以问题的冷漠态度，转而主动推动巴以和平进程，采用多重“遏制战略”和“平衡战略”以实现自身角色的调整。然而，由于巴以问题的复杂性和美国全球霸权结构的利己性，布什政府的角色调整对于巴以和平进程具有双重绩效。