Family,welfare state generosity and the vulnerability of older adults: A cross-national study

The availability of family can be considered a protective factor for aging well. In this article, we examine to what extent the family situation of older people creates vulnerability with respect to their quality of life. Because not everyone is vulnerable to the same degree, we try to identify the conditions under which older people benefit more from having family resources. Based on the resources perspective, we argue that the impact of family resources on life satisfaction is stronger for older people with fewer resources at both the individual level (material, physical and non-familial social resources) and the country level (welfare state services targeted at older adults). To test our hypotheses we make use of the fourth wave of the European Values Study, and the MULTILINKS Social Policy Indicators database. In general our data offer support for the idea that the presence of intimate family ties (with partner and children) can be considered an important resource for achieving psychological well-being, whereas their absence or loss may act as a constraint. Our vulnerability argument is partly supported by the findings. Partner resources are more important for the life satisfaction of older people with a low education and health problems. Similarly, having children only improves the life-satisfaction of lower educated older adults. However, family resources are not more important for older people with fewer material resources or for older people living in countries with low services levels targeted at older adults.     

How do men with paraplegia choose activities in the light of striving for optimal participation? A qualitative study,based on a phenomenological–hermeneutical method

The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of men with paraplegia with regard to how they choose activities. The study involved a qualitative research design, based on a phenomenological–hermeneutical method. The findings revealed that the activities participants were choosing could be on a continuum between the individual’s self and the influence from their environment. On this continuum, the choice to perform activities was influenced by two mediating factors: the individual’s activities performed during their life-history, and their activity challenges for the future. We conclude that choosing activities is an individually constructed internal process of negotiation. Feelings of resignation and revolt appear in combination with feelings of justice and injustice when balance is not found. This knowledge provides a better understanding of the impact of spinal cord injury, sheds light on the development of distress after spinal cord injury and sheds new light on individuals’ feelings of participation.     

The imprudence of labour market flexibilization in a fiscally austere world

This article assesses the effects of combining fiscal austerity with policies aimed at reducing labour costs and, in doing so, sheds new light on current policy debates. Taking a global perspective, the authors explore the aggregation problem by proposing a stylized analytical macro‐model with explicit distribution dynamics. In this framework, flexibilization policies that suppress the labour share trigger global feedbacks that result in a downward spiral, with contraction even in export‐led economies. The initial gains of more competitive economies are shown to be ephemeral. In the long term, the world economy is essentially wage‐led and responds positively to coordinated Keynesian stimuli.     

Young Dutch People's Experiences of Trading Sex: A Qualitative Study

In recent years, the subject of transactional sex among young Dutch people has generated a heated social debate in the Netherlands. However, accurate data on this phenomenon are scarce. This article describes the findings of a qualitative study on young Dutch people's experiences of having sex in return for money or a material reward. Thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with young Dutch men and women aged 14 to 24. Participants came from diverse backgrounds in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Experiences of trading sex differed in terms of the motivation to trade sex, the presence or absence of coercion, and the availability of other options for earning money. Participants' feelings about their experiences varied. For most participants, the sex itself was unpleasant and required considerable emotion management. Still, some felt adequately compensated by the reward or felt trading sex was preferable to other jobs. Gender played an important role, with feelings of disgust or shame reported especially by female participants, whereas male participants reported more positive experiences. Interactions involving coercion or financial dependence on trading sex generally had a negative emotional impact. Participants stressed the differences between their own experiences and professional prostitution.     

Reconciliation in Remarriage to an Ex-Spouse: Individual Changes

ABSTRACT

Part of a broader investigation on remarriage to an ex-spouse, the present study aims to analyze how the main individual changes that occurred affect the reconciliation of that marriage. We conducted a qualitative study, interviewing 12 subjects, from 12 distinct heterosexual couples from Rio de Janeiro’s middle-class population, remarried to their respective ex-spouses, with children in common. To analyze the results, we employed the content analysis method, via categories, discussing the levels of change category and its two subcategories: expectations; and attitudes & behaviors. Findings indicate that greater empathy for one’s spouse and earnest willingness to take responsibility led to changes in expectations, as well as to greater respect, trust, dialogue, affection and security in the relationship, making it possible to confirm the commitment to the “new” marriage and demonstrating that reconciliation was a good choice.     

The Leader as the Face of a Crisis: Philip Morris' CEO's Speeches During the 1990s

This research investigated Philip Morris' crisis communication management strategies during the 1990s through the study of its CEO's speeches. This analysis explored the company's maneuvers to camouflage controversies in acceptable social expectations. Pairing framing theory with centering resonance analysis, this research found 3 distinct frames: profitable multinational (1994–1996), litigation target (1997–1998), and corporate good citizen (1999–2001). Avoidance of talk about health issues indicated the company's strategic adaptation to a shifting legal and public opinion climate, as it sought to authenticate its right to do business by reframing the notion of corporate responsibility away from healthy products and toward high-price philanthropy.     

Immigrant Integration Through Mediating Social Institutions: Issues and Strategies

With nearly 40 million foreign-born residents, the United States is the country with the largest immigrant population in the world (Nwosu, Batalova, & Auclair, 2014). This amounts to 13% of the current US population and has fueled debates about the role of immigrants in American society and about what it means to be American (Batalova & Lee, 2012; Hing, 2004). The issue of immigrant integration is at the center of this debate and is also the focus of this study, which examines immigrant integration in two U.S. cities: San Francisco, California and Chicago, Illinois. This study is part of a larger 2007 multi-country study of immigrant integration practices conducted by CeiMigra, a migration research institute based in Valencia, Spain. This study analyzes data collected in the two U.S. study sites, which consists of 19 extensive qualitative interviews with politicians, policy makers, labor leaders, and nongovernment (NGO) and migrant association leaders regarding issues that affect and strategies that facilitate immigrant integration. The interviewees identified two primary points of integration: the economy and local communities. Common barriers affecting both documented and undocumented immigrants were identified, as well as local strategies that promote integration into the economy and the community. Study participants noted the burden on local communities to address immigrant incorporation and called for stronger and more systematic integration programs and policies at the federal level.     

“I Think it Would Be a Very Sensitive Topic …” School Social Work,Gender Variance,and the Silencing of Differences

This article discusses an “orientational” study of the perceptions of school social workers regarding gender-variant students and the impact of their presence on the discourse about gender identity. The findings indicate that gender-variant students are becoming more known and visible in public schools but that they do not make up a homogeneous group. Moreover, the study seems to show that the discourse about gender remains extremely limited, in part due to a linking of gender identity with sexuality.