MARRIAGE MARKET MATCHING AND CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION IN CHINA

Visible expenditures which convey higher socioeconomic status may help individuals differentiate themselves in the marriage market when there is competition for partners and imperfect information. We examine a unique dataset of automobile purchasers in China to investigate the extent to which skewed sex ratios influence expenditure decisions for this highly visible commodity. Using a triple difference approach, we show that unmarried male consumers who face an unfavorable sex ratio purchase more expensive, luxury vehicles than their married peers. Lower income borrowers and those residing in regions with the worst sex ratios exhibit the largest relative degree of conspicuous consumption. In addition to the direct cost of consumption signaling, we demonstrate that this behavior generates negative externalities in the form of lower average fuel economy and higher average vehicle weight. As it has worsened sex ratios, status competition and the associated negative repercussions we identify represent unintended consequences of China's one child policy. (JEL O12, E21, J12)     

WITHIN U.S. TRADE AND THE LONG SHADOW OF THE AMERICAN SECESSION

Using data from U.S. commodity flow survey, we show that the historical Union–Confederacy border lowers contemporaneous trade between U.S. states by about 13%. The finding is robust over econometric models, survey waves, or aggregation levels. Including contemporaneous controls, such as network or institutional variables, lowers the estimate only slightly. Historical variables, such as slavery, do not explain the effect. Adding U.S. states unaffected by the Civil War, we argue that the friction is not merely reflecting unmeasured North–South differences. Finally, the border effect is larger for differentiated than for homogeneous goods, stressing the potential role for cultural factors and trust. (JEL F15, N72, N92, Z10)     

Genealogy's Desire: Practices of Kinship Amongst Lesbian and Gay Foster-Carers and Adopters

This article considers the practices of kinship amongst lesbianand gay foster-carers and adopters, and asks how far these havechallenged dominant genealogical discourses. It asks not howexisting social work practice can be adjusted to prevent discriminationon the basis of sexuality, but rather how the practices of lesbianand gay carers can be drawn upon to expand the genealogicalvisions of state foster-care and adoption work. The author discussesthe methods by which lesbian and gay carers have challengedheteronormative views of adult relationships, the idea of ‘natural’parenting, conventional state child welfare models, the biogeneticbasis of adult–child bonds, notions of the proper ‘family’,and the supposedly non-political nature of heterosexual kinship.Finally, the article asks how foster-care and adoption practicemight learn from the new forms of intimacy, care and parentingdeveloped by lesbians and gay men.     

Reevaluating the uses of status: The case of earnings determination

Status and prestige variables and measures have been central to the sociological study of individual variations in income and other dependent variables for at least 2 decades. Yet theoretical and methodological rationales for the use of such variables in the explanation of income are problematic. This conclusion, along with some similar conclusions about other uses of status and prestige variables and measures, were reached after a review of Weberian, functionalist, and other prominent discussions of the uses of status/prestige in theory and research on income. It is suggested that an emphasis upon structural attributes of jobs is more promising than a continued emphasis upon evaluatory, status/prestige conceptions of jobs for effective theorizing about income determination. A quantitative analysis of earnings shows that income effects of a common measure of socio-economic status disappear in the context of a rudimentary structural model of income. It is concluded that social scientists should move on to use more varied attributes of jobs and exercise more caution in the use of status and prestige variables.     

Sexual Development in Adolescence: An Examination of Genetic and Environmental Influences

Sexual development entails many experiences and is a major feature of adolescence. Most relevant behavioral genetic studies, however, focus primarily on sexual behaviors associated with health risks. We took a more normative, developmental perspective by examining genetic and environmental influences on five sexual behaviors ranging from dating to pregnancy in middle (M_age = 14.90 years) and late adolescence (M_age = 17.85 years) in a sample of twins (N = 3,762). Overall, behaviors that are more common and socially sanctioned (e.g., dating) were more heritable than behaviors that are less common and socially acceptable (e.g., sexual intercourse). That the etiology of different sexual behaviors is tied to their normativeness highlights the importance of considering the broader developmental context when studying sexual development.     

Predicting child safety: the effect of custodial grandparents’ depressive symptoms,home safety,knowledge, and gender

There are over 2.5 million custodial grandparents raising 4.8 million grandchildren in the U.S. These grandparents face many major struggles, including increasing financial costs, physical disabilities, and deteriorating home environments. Our study investigates grandchild well-being, particularly the safety of custodial grandparents’ homes and its relation to injury prevention. This is crucial, as unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for children. Our model predicted child safety based on grandparent gender, depressive symptoms, and safety knowledge. Our model fit well and explained 23% of the variance in child injuries. Several gender differences were also present, for both grandparent and grandchild gender.