The Ecology of Family Guidance in Low-Income Mexican-American and European-American Families*

This two-part study applied an ecocultural perspective to socialization of daily and long-term goals in low-income Mexican-American and European-American families with children in third, fifth, and seventh grades. The first part of the study examined family members' participation and parents' socialization goals and guidance strategies for their children's daily household chores and homework activities. The second part of the study examined parents' long-term aspirations and guidance strategies for their children's educational, vocational, and moral development. For daily activities, results showed that in Mexican-American families both parents and siblings played important roles, whereas in European-American families parents were the primary socialization agents. As predicted, in both groups parents' expertise influenced their guidance strategies. Finally, Mexican-American and European-American parents differed in their relative endorsement of gender, relational, and self-reliance goals for household chores. For long-term goals, parents in both groups held high educational, vocational, and moral aspirations for their children. However, some parents of seventh-graders had lower educational and vocational aspirations than those of fifth- and third-graders. Although expertise consistently influenced Mexican-American parents' guidance strategies, the pattern for European-American parents was mixed. The discussion highlights between- and within-group differences in daily and long-term socialization practices with an emphasis on resources and vulnerabilities in the families.     

Origins and destinies: Immigration to the United States since World War II

Contemporary immigration to the United States and the formation of new ethnic groups are the complex and unintended social consequences of the expansion of the nation to its post-World War II position of global hegemony. Immigrant communities in the United States today are related to a history of American military, political, economic, and cultural involvement and intervention in the sending countries, especially in Asia and the Caribbean Basin, and to the linkages that are formed in the process that open a variety of legal and illegal migration pathways. The 19.8 million foreign-born persons counted in the 1990 U.S. census formed the largest immigrant population in the world, though in relative terms, only 7.9% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, a lower proportion than earlier in this century. Today's immigrants are extraordinarily diverse, a reflection of polar-opposite types of migrations embedded in very different historical and structural contexts. Also, unlike the expanding economy that absorbed earlier flows from Europe, since the 1970s new immigrants have entered an hourglass economy with reduced opportunities for social mobility, particularly among the less educated, and new waves of refugees have entered a welfare state with expanded opportunities for public assistance. This paper seeks to make sense of the new diversity. A typology of contemporary immigrants is presented, and their patterns of settlement, their distinctive social and economic characteristics compared to major native-born racial-ethnic groups, and their different modes of incorporation in—and consequences for—American society are considered.     

“Consumer Confidence” Indexes as social indicators

Consumer Confidence Indexes can be sensibly used in economic and social research conducted in theoretical and methodological framework of social indicators research. They are good predictors of other attitudes, such as voting preferences. Voting preferences are determined much more strongly by expectations of changes in economic conditions than by evaluations of present situation. On the other hand, Consumer Sentiment Indexes — irrespective whether they concern future or present times — are correlated more strongly with leading than with coincident indexes of economic cycles. That proves very important role of predictions, expectations and hopes in attitude formation.     

The development of social pedagogy in Spain: The tension between social needs,political response and academic interests

The Spanish Civil War (1936—1939) interrupted the evolution and development of social pedagogy, which in Spain had reached similar levels as in other European countries. This was followed by a period when Spain was isolated from developments in social welfare and the changes that go along with the economic and social transformations of cities and give rise to community action, self-help and popular education programmes. The reinstatement of democracy and of new City Councils that are genuinely devoted to solve the problems of the population are the starting point for new social services, that is for social work and social pedagogy. Initially it was practical work that gave an answer to emerging demand, followed by theoretical analysis and efforts of conceptualisation. The professionals and later the universities lead the debate on methodology. The interest and involvement of the universities increased as the Diploma in Social Education was introduced as a new university degree.     

对新时期高校校园文化建设的思考

高校校园文化建设对于大学生的全面成长、成才具有重要的意义,但新时期带来了许多新情况和新问题,解决好这些问题,需要从校园文化建设的组织运作和活动内容与目标重新定位、创新等方面入手,进一步加强高校校园文化建设。论文从校园文化建设的必要性和重要性出发,对高校校园文化现状进行分析,对新时期校园文化建设的具体措施进行了深入探讨。针对大学生自身情况,以全面教育作为校园文化建设的主要内容和目标,并以此为核心,设计了校园文化活动体系,创建了以月份为单位的校园文化框架。为高校大学生校园文化建设提供了可供参考的意见和建议。     

发挥比较优势强化政府职能打造四川文化产业特色品牌

四川拥有极具特色和比较优势的文化资源,但文化品牌发展的现状与丰富的资源不相匹配,其原因就在于没有发挥四川的比较优势,从而打造具有区域特色和国际影响力的文化品牌。因此,为促进四川向文化强省跨越以及提升四川文化产业的国际竞争力,必须加强文化产业品牌的策划,通过强化政府职能,发挥比较优势,打造出具有本土特色的文化品牌来。     

论经济人的理性冲突及行为目标

基于经济人假设的传统经济理论认为人们具有完全理性能力,但现实中行为人的决策理性程度.经常处于完全理性与有限理性两种情境的转换之中.从研究范式和最终行为目标两个视角来看,完全理性情境下人们遵循最优化原则追求决策收益的最大化;而有限理性情境下则遵循决策收益和过程的满意原则.基于经济人的行为心理及认知能力来分析,追求主观幸福感最大化才是人类经济行为的最终唯一目标.建立于行为经济人基础上的经济发展理论与实践.才是一个国家和地区以人为本、和谐发展的必然要求.     

中国—东盟开展服务贸易的影响因素及对策

分析了影响中国-东盟服务贸易与投资的促进因素和制约因素,并在此基础上提出了促进中国-东盟开展服务贸易的相关对策和建议.     

公司持有现金和负债是相互替代的吗?

通过利用2001-2008年上市公司财务数据,采用GMM动态面板分析方法,研究了公司持有现金和债务比例的相互关系以及两者随现金流变动的变化规律。尽管总体样本表明,我国上市公司都存在显著的正的现金-现金流敏感性和负的债务-现金流敏感性,且现金持有和负债存在显著的替代关系。但是,在逐步考虑融资约束和对冲需求的条件下,公司持有现金和降低债务的偏好随之发生较大的差异和分化,而且,现金和债务的严格替代关系主要存在于未来现金流紧张的融资约束公司中。这些实证结果说明,我国上市公司既有与发达国家相似的持有现金与债务择机而变的现金流管理政策,同时也存在与我国资本市场不完善条件下自有的财务最优行为。