From blind spots to hotspots: How knowledge services clusters develop and attract foreign investment

This paper explores local and global dynamics underlying the development of knowledge services clusters, which we define as new geographic concentrations of technical talent and service providers offering upstream technical and knowledge-intensive business services to regional and global clients. Taking a co-evolutionary perspective on the development of knowledge services clusters in Latin America, based on data from the Offshoring Research Network (ORN), we find that cluster growth results from intersecting trajectories: the emergence of local talent pools and capabilities initially serving local and regional demand; broadening global search for talent and expertise by multinational corporations; and internationalization strategies of service providers competing to serve global clients. Findings suggest that increasing commoditization of knowledge services opens up windows of opportunity for new clusters, but also involves challenges for sustainable growth. Results may stimulate future research on global sourcing and cluster development.     

Anti-Effeminacy Moderates the Relationship Between Masculinity and Internalized Heterosexism Among Gay Men

Internalized heterosexism (IH) is linked to negative mental health outcomes among people who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual. This study examined whether anti-effeminacy moderates the relationship between masculinity and IH among gay men in the United States. The participants were 239 gay men who completed measures of masculinity, anti-effeminacy, and IH. Results indicated that anti-effeminacy and masculinity predicted IH and that anti-effeminacy moderated the relationship between masculinity and IH. These findings suggest that, to reduce IH and its deleterious mental health effects, counselors should work with their male clients who are gay to reduce their anti-effeminacy and sexism.     

Rethinking Suffering: Allowing for Suffering that is Intrinsic at End of Life

The dilemma so central to the work of providers of palliative and end-of-life care is the paradox of their professional and ethical duty to try to relieve suffering and the limitations of so doing. While the capacity to sit with suffering at the end of life is critical to clinical work, the idea that some intrinsic suffering cannot necessarily always be relieved may model for patients and families that suffering can be borne. Clinicians who encounter unrelievable suffering may feel a sense of failure, helplessness, moral distress, and compassion fatigue. While tolerating suffering runs counter to the aims of palliative care, acknowledging it, bearing it, and validating it may actually help patients and families to do the same. “Sitting with suffering” signals a paradigm shift within the discipline of palliative care, as it asks clinicians to rethink their role in being able to relieve some forms of psychosocial suffering intrinsic to dying.     

Professionals’ decision‐making in cases of physical punishment reported to child welfare authorities: does family poverty matter?

The influence of family poverty on professionals’ decision‐making in cases of physical punishment reported to child welfare agencies was examined. The sample was drawn from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. The influence of five indicators of poverty on six investigation outcomes was assessed. In addition, a Poverty Index was constructed from these five variables to assess whether the family's overall poverty status influenced investigation outcomes. The outcome variables examined were case substantiation, provision of ongoing child welfare services, referrals to child and family support programmes, out‐of‐home placement, applications to child welfare court and police involvement. Together, the poverty indicators did not account for more than 6% of the explained variation in any of the outcome variables, nor did the magnitude of the Poverty Index affect the likelihood of any of the investigation outcomes. These findings suggest that family poverty does not influence professionals’ decision‐making in cases of physical punishment reported to child welfare agencies in Canada. The findings have implications for the ongoing development of policy aimed at reducing parental use of physical punishment.     

BUSINESS FAILURE AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY

The paper contrasts the characteristics of bankrupt proprietors with those of debtors using Part X of the Bankruptcy Act. The findings, which are based partly on a survey of official files on bankrupts and Part X debtors, reveal class-related differences between the two groups, with bankrupts coming from relatively underprivileged backgrounds. This finding is moderated by factors such as ethnicity, partnership arrangements and time in business. The data are interpreted sociologically, with special reference to ethnomethodological concepts like deviance and stigma which emphasise the denouncement and symbolic expulsion of debtors; and structuralist explanations which associate differential use of the Bankruptcy Act with social inequality.     

Incarcerated Dutch juvenile sex offenders compared with non-sex offenders

There is some debate about whether or not sex offenders are similar to non-sex offenders with regard to family background (parental characteristics), personality, and psychopathology. The central aim of this study focused on the comparison of juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offenders. The sample consisted of incarcerated juvenile male sex (n = 30) and non-sex (n = 368) offenders. It appeared that sex offenders resembled non-sex offenders with respect to most of the offender and parental characteristics. Results demonstrated some differences between both groups, while the majority of characteristics were similar. Limitations of the study are discussed, especially the low number of sex offenders, followed by suggestions for further research.