Does Migrant Background Matter for Adolescents’ Fertility Preferences? The Latin American 1.5 Generation in Spain

This article examines the fertility preferences of Latin American adolescents of the 1.5 generation and their native peers in Spain. We compare their expected age at first birth as well as their expected family size. The fertility preferences of the 1.5 generation are likely to reflect the family values of two different socialization environments as well as the adaptation process to the childbearing norms of the host society. The analysis is based on the Chances Survey, which collected data from 2700 adolescents in secondary schools in Madrid in 2011. Results indicate that fertility timing preferences of Latin American adolescents reflect socialization influences from the society of origin, but also a quick adaptation to the childbearing norms in the host society, since their expected age at first birth is somewhat earlier than that of their Spanish peers but considerably later than that prevailing in their country of origin. The degree of social integration, measured by the number of the respondent’s best friends who were Spanish, seems more important than age at migration for diminishing the gap between Latin Americans and Spaniards. Moreover, higher educational expectations are associated with preferences for postponed entry into parenthood. With regard to family size expectations, we find no significant variation between adolescents of migrant and native origin, confirming the argument that the “two-child norm” currently prevails in both middle- and high-income countries.     

"A KNOCK ON THE DOOR": Managing Death in the Israeli Defense Forces

This paper discusses death that occurs within organizations through an analysis of how deaths of soldiers are handled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). While such deaths challenge the military's organizational order and legitimacy, the IDF handles them through the institution of a "moving bureaucracy": a combination of fixed administrative procedures and intense emotional work carried out by liminal military personnel (reserve officers). This arrangement enables the military to construct a highly controlled "buffer zone" around the deceased soldier's family, and thus to reconstitute its organizational order and the IDF legitimacy. The army as a palpable organization "reappears" on the scene, but that reappearance is gradual and takes place only after the funeral, when death is certain and finalized.     

Psychological and Social Adjustment of Russian-Born and Israeli-Born Jewish Adolescents

This study compares the social, school, behavioral and psychological functioning of high school students who immigrated from the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) to that of Israeli-born children whose parents emigrated from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during the sixties and the seventies. In most areas of life, no significant differences were found between the two groups. The majority of the Israeli-born and immigrant adolescents functioned well in terms of social and educational functioning and tended to avoid involvement in dangerous behavior, such as drug use and delinquency. Concerning psychological functioning, the results pointed to an interesting phenomenon: even though no significant differences were found between the two research groups, the adolescents in both groups expressed higher emotional distress when compared to norms of Israeli adolescents who are not of Russian origin. In addition, the results showed that among the immigrant adolescents, the longer they resided in Israel the more the economic status of their parents improved, their self-esteem rose, the more likely it was that their levels of somatization, paranoia and general emotional stress decreased. At the same time, however, the frequency of alcoholic consumption increased, the longer they lived in Israel. A discussion of the results sums up the article.     

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Religious Beliefs and Acceptance of One’s Gay or Lesbian Family Member

Research suggests that the coming out process can be stressful not only for individuals disclosing their sexual orientation, but also for the family members who receive the news. While research demonstrates that family acceptance of such disclosures is related to one’s religious beliefs, less is known about how religion influences the process of acceptance. There are theoretical reasons to expect that individuals’ religious beliefs interact with their attitudes regarding acceptance in reciprocal ways. Utilizing data from 14 semistructured interviews with family members of lesbian and gay individuals, we offer a preliminary examination of how the process of acceptance is both influenced by and influences a person’s own religious beliefs. Results suggest that the acceptance process involves a complex interaction between an individual’s general proclivity toward acceptance, the degree to which religion promotes or opposes the acceptance of same-sex relationships, and the level of investment one has in their church.     

Hope and subjective well‐being among parents of children with special needs

The current study examined subjective well‐being (SWB) in parents who raise children with special needs. Previous studies that focused on parenting children with special needs stressed increased risk of depression. This study examined parental level of hope, the significance of being involved in a partner relationship and parental perception of the seriousness of their child's disability, each a factor that may influence parental SWB. A random sample of 92 parents raising children with special needs in Israel participated in the study. They completed three questionnaires, examining parent's perception of the severity of their child's disability, parental SWB and parents' level of hope. Results revealed that a high level of hope, being in a partnered relationship, and perception of the child's disability as having some positive influence on central aspects of the parents' life, are all significant contributors to raising parental SWB. Study findings show that ‘agency’, a component of the concept of ‘hope’, is a significant factor in predicting SWB in parents of a child with special needs. Perhaps awareness of how they can improve their SWB by using certain aspects of their lifestyle to their advantage can help improve quality of life for parents of children with special needs.     

Adaptive Neyman's smooth tests of homogeneity of two samples of survival data

The problem of testing whether two samples of possibly right-censored survival data come from the same distribution is considered. The aim is to develop a test which is capable of detection of a wide spectrum of alternatives. A new class of tests based on Neyman's embedding idea is proposed. The null hypothesis is tested against a model where the hazard ratio of the two survival distributions is expressed by several smooth functions. A data-driven approach to the selection of these functions is studied. Asymptotic properties of the proposed procedures are investigated under fixed and local alternatives. Small-sample performance is explored via simulations which show that the power of the proposed tests appears to be more robust than the power of some versatile tests previously proposed in the literature (such as combinations of weighted logrank tests, or Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests).     

Digitalization in the financial industry: A contingency approach of entrepreneurial orientation and strategic vision on digitalization

Technology is rapidly changing the financial industry. Banks, in particular, are faced with a shift from traditional, interpersonal forms of service to digital financial services. These digital technologies are more and more becoming today’s standard in the banking sector, they challenge traditional business models, and they provide opportunities for banks to capitalize on. Building on the concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), this study of banks in Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein aims at developing insights that explain how banks can use the tactics and strategies associated with EO to achieve superior performance in the digitalization age. The results from a survey in 102 banks show that: 1) banks that display high levels of EO report a higher level of performance, and 2) the relationship between a banks’ strategic vision on digitalization, and performance is moderated by EO. These results indicate that the sheer level of the digitalization of a bank does not affect profitability. Instead, in this time of technological change banks should develop a clear vision on digitalization that is characterized by innovation, being ahead of the competition, and a willingness to take risks.     

Selective Campaigning for Foster Homes: An Empirical View

Experts on child welfare agree that it is vastly more desirable to care for children separated from natural parents in foster homes than in institutions. However, a shortage of foster homes has been a perennial problem in virtually every community in which they are needed. It would appear that, to the extent to which potential foster parents do exist in a community, this shortage could be attributed to inadequate and/or misdirected publicity.     

The Impact of Parental Incapacity as an Adoption Cause on the Termination of Parental Rights: An Analysis of Court Decisions

Based on an analysis of 261 court decisions, the study demonstrates how the addition of a “parental incapacity” clause as grounds for termination of parental rights (TPR) in Israeli law affected the decision-making process. Specifically, the study examines how the legal reasoning, the rate of TPR rulings, and the type of cases presented to the courts changed following the introduction of the new clause. Less emphasis on parents’ rights was found as opposed to greater emphasis on parental social normativity and a higher rate of TPR rulings based on “parental incapacity.” These findings and their implications are discussed.