What happens after compulsory education? Problems of continuity and possible policies in the case of Spain

The lack of opportunities to enter post-compulsory education in Spain and other countries in southern Europe is a serious problem from the point of view of the requirements of the productive system as well as the social inequality that it creates. This article analyses the effect of a range of variables on that lack of opportunity and various public policy measures are proposed that are directed towards reinforcing the continuity of young people in the education system. The analysis is carried out through the proposal and estimation of a multinomial logistic regression model that permits the identification of factors associated with the process of passing from compulsory education to the possibilities that are open when this finishes (with regard to the education system and the labor market). The model is applied to a sample of individuals of 16 and 17 years of age from the European Community Household Panel in the year 2000 wave. The analysis allows the identification of two groups of variables that affect the probability of following the different paths that are open at the end of compulsory education. On the one hand, there is social and cultural background (reflected in variables such as the social class and education of the parents) and on the other, there is the region of residence, the effect of which derives essentially from the differences that exist between the labor markets. The article concludes by putting forward a set of mainly educational public policies that have the object of increasing access to post-compulsory education. These policies are mostly equity oriented.     

Family and work-related risk factors in children's social–emotional well-being and parent–educator cooperation in flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care

Non-standard work schedules (NSWS) have become typical, but their associations with childcare arrangements and children's well-being are unknown. This study explores how risk factors are associated with the social–emotional well-being of girls and boys using flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care. Furthermore, the study investigates whether well-functioning cooperation between parents and educators buffers the negative effects of the risk factors. This study, which is a part of a larger survey carried out in three European countries, reports Finnish parents' (N = 146) perspectives. The results showed that high parental stress was associated with low child well-being. Strong parent–educator cooperation positively impacted both boys' and girls' social–emotional well-being. The risk factors of reconciling work and family life had negative associations with children's well-being and the fulfilment of their basic needs. The results illustrate the complex interrelations between children's well-being, risk factors relating to NSWS and the buffering effect of protective factors.     

Gains and losses of migrants and income through intercounty migration in the U.S., 1992–1993

Migration alters both the origin and destination of migrants in a variety of ways. This study uses data recently made available by the Internal Revenue Service to document gains and losses of both persons and income accruing to counties in the United States as a result of internal migration between 1992 and 1993. The degree to which migration alters the size of a county's population as well as the amount of income received in that county is assessed by means of effectiveness rates which are ratios of net flows to total flows. The majority of counties, especially those in the South and West gained both migrants and income during the period; losses were confined largely to the Northeast, Great Plains and California. Counties at the edges of large metropolitan areas gained income even more rapidly than people; counties containing large central cities lost income even faster than they lost migrants. Amenity-laden recreational and retirement counties were also among those who gained both people and income via migration. Overall, these results indicate an exacerbation of demographic and economic differences between regions as well as within metropolitan areas.     

Revisiting the guns vs butter dilemma. Was Spain different in the implementation of public policies? Defence,growth and education

Over the past few decades, numerous studies have been conducted on the trade-off between guns and butter, namely defence spending versus social sector expenditure. It is striking that none has examined the situation in Spain. Previous research on other countries has not provided strong and unambiguous evidence of either positive or negative effects for military expenditure on social spending. We test whether government expenditure on defence contributed positively or negatively to education spending in twentieth-century Spain, attempting to identify policy-making processes within a historical framework. The results show both direct and indirect effects and bring to light the negative consequences of military spending on education expenditure, in particular between the second and fifth year after the military expenditure increases.     

The role of Spain and the Spanish in the creation of Europe's transnational democratic political culture, 1840–70

During the mid-nineteenth century European radicals developed contacts, relationships and networks. They organized activities and plans and propagated discourses and projects that transcended national borders. This article explores this transnational dimension of European democracy by analysing the case of Spain from around 1840, when the first Spanish self-proclaimed democrats began to organize, to the 1870s, when a certain national withdrawal took place among European democratic activists. It examines the journeys and contacts made by Spanish democrats as well as the extensive coverage of leading European activists that was published in Spanish newspapers, and considers how these connections were perceived by Spanish democratic activists. It is argued that contacts and networks contributed to configure a European democratic transnational political culture characterized by interrelations, exchanges and processes of cross-fertilization, through which the feeling of belonging to a national democratic community co-existed with a strong link to a wider European democratic family. The speeches, manifestos and projects of activists of various origins affected and greatly influenced each other, as well as shaping their socio-political views and strategic options.     

The education of children in care and children in need: Who falls behind and when?

We seek to explain the development of the educational gap between children in “out‐of‐home care” (CLA), children deemed in social need (CIN), and other pupils. A cohort of 642,805 pupils aged 16 in 2013 was used to chart the educational progress of the full cohort, the CLA (n = 6,236), the CIN in 2012 or 2013 but not CLA (n = 20,384), and a sample individually matched with the CLA (n = 11,084). At age 7, attainment of the CLA and CIN was approximately 1 standard deviation lower than the cohort average and predicted attainment at 16. At this point, the persistent “CIN” (those with earlier and persistent needs) had the lowest attainment relative to others, and this declined further during secondary school. Those entering care before or during primary school had very low attainment at age 7, but their relative attainment did not decline. Attainment of CLA and CIN at age 16 likely reflects early environment, special educational needs, and poor relationships with secondary school. Policy, research, and intervention should focus on CIN as well as CLA, do so before entry to care, and take account of the onset of, and probable reasons for, educational difficulties.     

A revisit of ‘moral and character education’ subject in junior-high school in China

Moral education is a practice to promote the moral competence of adolescents, particularly in nurturing their moral judgement and moral behaviour. In China, under the rapid development of social work practice at schools, moral education could serve as a collaborative point between teachers, school counsellors, social workers and policymakers to promote the moral, holistic and healthy development of students. However, moral education is not as yet widely and systematically evaluated? particularly the details of relevant policy, curriculum, textbooks, teaching and learning approach, examination and evaluation. This paper takes an initiative to conduct a comprehensive literature review and theoretical discussion on the subject ‘Moral and Character Education’ (Sixiangpinde思想品德) which is a mandatory moral education subject for Grade 7–9 students in junior high schools in China. It also provides reflections and suggestions on how the subject and moral education could be promoted under the contexts of promotion of adolescent holistic development and involvement of social work practice.     

Density dependence and environmental justice organizations, 1970–2008

Density dependence theory is commonly used to examine trends in the establishment of for-profit organizations. This research extends density dependence theory to the study of political organizations. Specifically, we examine the variation in the number of environmental justice organizations established each year for the years 1970–2008. As density dependence theory predicts, the bivariate association between the number of existing organizations and the number of established organizations takes the polynomial form of an inverted U, indicating that the relationship between existing organizations and emerging organizations is at first cooperative, and then competitive. However, when we control for existing numbers of civil rights and environmental organizations, the results do not conform to density dependence expectations. Multivariate analyses reveal that environmental justice organization have yet to enter a competitive stage, and instead have cooperated over the past twenty-eight years. More generally this finding indicates that for-profit and nonprofit political organizations behave differently.     

Varieties of marketisation in the UK: examining divergence in activation markets between Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2008–2014

This article examines the sub-national diversity in activation quasi-markets in the United Kingdom (UK). Through comparison of four active labour market programmes in Great Britain and Northern Ireland between 2008 and 2014, the article clarifies and maps intra-UK diversity in employment service governance and unpacks the shifting configurations of market structures in each jurisdiction to reveal a temporally and spatially distinct patterning of marketisation. Drawing on Gingrich's approach to analysis and classification of quasi-market variation, the article proposes that between 2008 and 2014, Great Britain rapidly evolved a provider-directed activation market. In contrast, the activation market structure in Northern Ireland, up to late 2014, is better characterised as state directed. A recent reconfiguration of the activation market in Northern Ireland does however indicate some (modified) convergence on Great Britain's approach. One common and consistent feature of the configuration of activation markets in each jurisdiction is the few powers given to direct users of employment services to shape contracted out provision.     

Inequality of opportunity in the United Kingdom, 1991–2008

We investigate the extent to which the tax-and-transfer system of the United Kingdom equalizes opportunities for income attainment among citizens. Within the framework of Roemer’s theory of Equality of Opportunity, and using individual data from the British Household Panel Survey from 1991 to 2008, we calculate the tax rates necessary to equalize opportunities for different circumstances. We provide a ranking of these circumstances by the degree to which they influence income attainment. Although pre-fisc equality of opportunity increases over time, the tax rate necessary to equalize opportunities remains higher than the observed tax rate. Only under a relatively high labour supply elasticity the observed UK tax rate fares well in equalizing opportunities for income attainment.     

Inequality of opportunity in the United Kingdom, 1991–2008

We investigate the extent to which the tax-and-transfer system of the United Kingdom equalizes opportunities for income attainment among citizens. Within the framework of Roemer’s theory of equality of opportunity, and using individual data from the British Household Panel Survey from 1991 to 2008, we calculate the tax rates necessary to equalize opportunities for different circumstances. We provide a ranking of these circumstances by the degree to which they influence income attainment. Although pre-fisc equality of opportunity increases over time, the tax rate necessary to equalize opportunities remains higher than the observed tax rate. Only under a relatively high labour supply elasticity the observed UK tax rate fares well in equalizing opportunities for income attainment.     

Family social background and marital instability in Italy. Do parental education and social class matter?

Notwithstanding much scholarly attention paid to the determinants of marital dissolution in recent decades, little analysis of the role of family social background has been produced. This study consolidates the research assessing the association between family social background and marital stability in Italy. Italy is an interesting case because of its institutional and cultural context. The empirical analysis considered here stems from the theoretical framework derived from Goode (1962) on the social composition of people dissolving their marriages. Some discrete-time hazard models estimate the effect of family social background on marital stability. Findings demonstrate that, in Italy, the higher the family social background, the higher the risk of marital disruption. Moreover, this study sheds new light on the effects of some well-investigated correlates of union dissolution, namely education and parental disruption.     

Deficit sustainability,and monetary versus fiscal dominance: The case of Spain, 1850–2000

In this paper, we provide a test of the sustainability of the Spanish government deficit over the period 1850–2000, emphasizing the role played by monetary and fiscal dominance in order to get fiscal solvency. Since the condition of fiscal solvency was satisfied, government deficit would have been sustainable along the sample period. In addition, the whole period can be characterized as one of fiscal dominance.     

‘Southern‐style’ National Health Services? Recent Reforms and Trends in Spain and Greece

This article analyses recent changes in the Greek and Spanish national health services. The aim is to assess how the period of austerity and further recovery during the 1990s and early 2000s impacted on them in terms of equity and efficiency. This is of interest because of the closeness in time between the universalizing reform laws and the arrival of the conditions for economic convergence established in the Maastricht Treaty. The analysis is also attractive because it deals with the transformation of already mature health insurance systems into national health services, a transformation that is novel in European welfare history. The article addresses the questions of whether austerity has hindered full implementation of the reform laws enacted in the early to mid‐1980s, examining reform trajectories and financing and expenditure trends. Furthermore, it considers the impact on access, understood in terms of population coverage, the array of services provided, waiting lists, and territorial inequalities. Finally, it discusses the introduction of new managerial formulas and attempts at enhancing efficiency. The concluding section states that divergent trajectories have occurred, thus rendering the definition of a ‘Southern model of health care’ difficult. It also provides explanations of the trajectories followed in both national cases and informs on prospects for the future.     

Incumbent ideology,district ideology,and candidate entry in U.S. congressional elections, 1954–2008

This paper investigates the role of incumbent ideology on quality candidate entry in U.S. congressional elections. Looking at district ideology, the analysis shows that members of the House and Senate face different ideological incentives in terms of opponent quality. For officials from highly ideological districts, greater ideological extremity is advantageous as it discourages strong opponents. For members from cross pressured districts, however, greater extremity may increase the likelihood of facing a strong opponent. Although the magnitude of these findings vary by party, they illustrate that incumbents face diverging ideological motivations in terms of discouraging strong challengers based on the ideology of their district.