Predictors of Chapter 13 Completion Rates: The Role of Socioeconomic Variables and Consumer Debt Type

This study examined whether demographic or financial variables best predict completion of Chapter 13 bankruptcy plans. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that demographic variables were more important than financial variables in predicting completion. Completion of a Chapter 13 repayment plan was not associated with a debtor’s monthly income or expenses. Never married debtors, dependent children, a previous filing, and higher mortgage arrears increased the likelihood of dismissal. Longer job tenure and home ownership improved completion rates. Discharge was associated with higher unsecured debts. Results can help improve Chapter 13 completion rates. Debtors need guidance in setting up realistic repayment plans. Financial counselors could help ensure that repayment plans are feasible and to counsel debtors who miss a plan payment.

The ending of menstruation: perspectives and experiences of lesbian and heterosexual women

This article aims to theorize how a sample of menopausal women, lesbian and heterosexual, construct the ending of their periods, and what the experience means for them. Findings indicate that for most of the lesbian participants (who were in a sizeable minority), emotions of loss at the ending of periods were simultaneously expressed alongside positive feelings, and they engaged in greater introspection around the issue than did heterosexual women. However, lesbians did not all take up a singular subject position in relation to menstruation, indicating that there is fragmentation and plurality in how the body is experienced across a group.     

Competing Mechanisms in a Common Value Environment

Consider strategic risk‐neutral traders competing in schedules to supply liquidity to a risk‐averse agent who is privately informed about the value of the asset and his hedging needs. Imperfect competition in this common value environment is analyzed as a multi‐principal game in which liquidity suppliers offer trading mechanisms in a decentralized way. Each liquidity supplier behaves as a monopolist facing a residual demand curve resulting from the maximizing behavior of the informed agent and the trading mechanisms offered by his competitors. There exists a unique equilibrium in convex schedules. It is symmetric and differentiable and exhibits typical features of market‐power: Equilibrium trading volume is lower than ex ante efficiency would require. Liquidity suppliers charge positive mark‐ups and make positive expected profits, but these profits decrease with the number of competitors. In the limit, as this number goes to infinity, ask (resp. bid) prices converge towards the upper (resp. lower) tail expectations obtained in Glosten (1994) and expected profits are zero.     

Impact of a multidimensional intervention programme applied to families at risk for child neglect

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of an intervention programme applied to families at risk for child neglect. Twenty‐nine families were recruited through a Local Community Services Centre (LCSC) and were assigned to two groups: (1) the first group participated in a multidimensional eco‐systemic intervention programme called the Personal, Family and Community Help Program (PFCHP); and (2) the second group underwent psychosocial intervention that was provided as part of regular LCSC services and focused mainly on the social worker–family relationship. Pre‐test measures were obtained at the beginning of intervention for both groups and a follow‐up was held 24 months later. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that both forms of intervention were associated with improved parent–child relationship and the reduction of parental stress, depression and the potential for child abuse and neglect. However, PFCHP participants showed multiple indications of improvement in their social and marital relationships, which was not the case for LCSC participants. The conclusion outlines the need for a long‐term intervention process for families at high risk for child neglect and the necessity of addressing multiple dimensions of family life if lasting changes are to be expected. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

After family treatment drug court: maternal, infant, and permanency outcomes

This study reports on maternal functioning, infant developmental, and permanency outcomes for 52 families following maternal participation in a family treatment drug court (FTDC) for perinatal substance users. Although the majority of families experienced positive child welfare outcomes, over time, maternal functioning deteriorated and infant developmental concerns were identified. Even when promising interventions like FTDC are used, long-term needs of families affected by perinatal substance use need to be considered and addressed.     

The rising share of nonmarital births: Fertility choice or marriage behavior?

Much of the sharp rise in the share of nonmarital births in the United States has been attributed to changes in the fertility choices of unmarried and married women-in response, it is often argued, to public policy. In contrast, we develop and test a model that attributes the rise to changes in marriage behavior, with no necessary changes infertility. A variety of empirical tests strongly support this conclusion and invites focused attention to issues related to marriage behavior as well as to the interactions between marriage and fertility.     

Young Children's Psychological Selves: Convergence with Maternal Reports of Child Personality

The present research examined five‐year‐old children's psychological self‐concepts. Non‐linear factor analysis was used to model the latent structure of the children's self‐view questionnaire (CSVQ; Eder, 1990 ), a measure of children's self‐concepts. The coherence and reliability of the emerging factor structure indicated that young children are capable of meaningfully reporting about their own emotions and personalities. Moreover, these self‐reports from five‐year‐olds converged with maternal perceptions of child personality. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the study of emergent personality, continuity/discontinuity in personality assessment across the lifespan, and self‐concept formation in early childhood.     

Entrepreneurship and Intergenerational Links in Switzerland

Abstract. The growing share of self‐employment among the workforce is one of the most striking phenomenon that has taken place on the Swiss labour market in the past 20 years. Although many factors can be put forward to explain this trend, no study in Switzerland has focused on the role of intergenerational links. This topic is quite important as one has to assess whether the surge in entrepreneurship has made this type of work accessible to anyone, or whether some constraints such as intergenerational links limit the supply of entrepreneurs. Based on data from the Swiss Household Panel, we find that a father self‐employed is the most important factor shaping the supply of self‐employed in Switzerland. Our results also suggest that self‐employment is not correlated to pecuniary factors.