Gender and Migration in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca

In this paper, we examine the gendered nature of international and internal migration that originates in the central valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. Our goals are to define migration patterns and outcomes for Oaxacan women from the central valleys region and note the differences that mark migrant men and women. We use ethnographic data from anthropological research in 12 of Oaxaca's central valley communities to argue that local concepts of what defines correct behaviour (for both men and women) are critical to the outcomes and the differences that exist in the practices of migrant men and women.     

Mehr Arbeit,mehr Armut? Ausmaß und Hintergründe der Entkoppelung von Erwerbsarbeit und materieller Sicherheit von Alleinerziehenden im Ländervergleich

Labour market reforms implemented in recent years in a number of countries have aimed to increase participation rates among single parents in order to reduce the disproportionately high poverty rate and share of benefit recipients among them. However, our quantitative analyses based on EU-LFS and EU-SILC indicate that paid work has to some extent become dissociated from material security. Although participation rates among single parents rose in the five years before the financial and economic crisis, their risk of being in poverty remained the same or actually increased. This finding holds true for different types of welfare state, as the comparison between Germany, France, Sweden and the UK shows. The potential poverty-reducing effects of increasing labour market participation are clearly being weakened by certain counter-trends. Possible explanations, which apply to varying extents in the four countries, are declining market wages and reductions in social transfers. Moreover, previously latent material risks of lone parenting unfold with the modernisation of gender roles and the erosion of lone mothers ‘avant-garde’ role as working parents. This is a common challenge across countries which has so far not been addressed sufficiently by social and labour market policies.     

Unscharfe Konturen – kritische Standortbestimmung eines Beratungsnetzwerks

In our article, we discuss the field of network consultancy—from the perspective of a consultancy network. In the beginning, we focus on the phenomenon “network”: What is a network, what is its function? Which challenge do we have to deal with? We talk about our own experiences as a network organisation und discuss relevant topics, which also refer to ourselves. We debate whether it is always and basically possible to counsel organisational networks and talk about requirements, factors for success, and structural roadblocks in a consultancy process—also about charm and risks involved when a network of consultants counsels an organisational network. Furthermore, we are opening our toolbox: Which instruments and interventions are particularly helpful and useful in the process of organisation network consultancy? And how do we take care of our own network? In our conclusion, we finally emphasize why it is so important to deal with organisational network consultancy—because networks are the most relevant form of organisation in the future.     

The Migration–Development Nexus: Afghanistan Case Study

This paper looks at the relationship between migration and development in the context of Afghanistan. It begins with a brief outline of the historical and political background to the refugee crisis of the past two decades, and looks briefly at the society and economy of Afghanistan. The history and pattern of aid flows are described and analysed in the next section, followed by consideration of migration and refugee flows over the past two decades, and of remittances and diaspora activities. Repatriation and reconstruction are covered in the following two sections. The penultimate section looks at lessons to be learned for policy making in Afghanistan in the future, and is followed by concluding observations.
A cautionary note on data on Afghanistan: although the recent months have seen a surge of interest and writing on Afghanistan, there has always been a shortage of data on the country. Much writing on Afghanistan, both by journalists and a few academics during the 1980s and 1990s, relates to politics, given the Cold War context of the conflict at the time. Most other data available on Afghanistan tend to come from aid agencies involved in the country. While this provides the bulk of information and data on aid and refugee issues – as reflected in the sources used in this paper – it has little to offer on other aspects of life in Afghanistan, especially on recent history and economy.     

Chicks with dicks, men in dresses: what it means to be a drag queen

One of the burning questions about drag queens among both scholars and audiences is whether they are more gender-revolutionaries than gender-conservatives. Do they primarily destabilize gender and sexual categories by making visible the social basis of femininity and masculinity, heterosexuality and homosexuality? Or are they more apt to reinforce the dominant binary and hierarchical gender and sexual systems by appropriating gender displays and expressing sexual desires associated with traditional femininity and institutionalized heterosexuality? We address this question through a case study of drag queens at the 801 Cabaret in Key West, Florida. On the basis of life histories, observations of their performances, and focus groups with audience members, we examine the role of gender and sexuality in the process of becoming a drag queen and in the personal identities of drag queens. We find that transgenderism, same-sex sexuality, and theatrical performance are central to the personal identities of these drag queens, who use drag to forge personal and collective identities that are neither masculine nor feminine, but rather their own complex genders.     

“No One Talked About It”: Social Work Field Placements and Sexual Harassment

ABSTRACT

Increasing student safety is an important part of Title IX compliance for colleges and universities. Sexual harassment is an all too common experience for college students, although little is known about incidences in social work field placements. The extent of training and preparation received by students from social work program and field instructors is also unknown. This study explores the extent of training and knowledge about sexual harassment in social work field placements from a sample of 535 BSW and MSW students. Only 51% of social work students received training about sexual harassment, with 21% receiving training from their school’s field office. Participants who had received training felt more prepared to address safety concerns in field. Implications for social work education are discussed.     

Ordering of Sequentially Sampled Exponential Experiments

Let X ₁, X ₂, ... be a sequence of i.i.d. random variables, X _i∼ F _θ, θ∈Θ. Let N ₁ and N ₂ be two stopping rules. For a class of exponential families { F _θ: θ∈Θ} we show that the experiment Y ₁ = ( X ₁, ..., X _N1) carries more statistical information than Y ₂ = ( X ₁, ..., x _N2) only if N ₁ is stochastically larger then N ₂     

Multiplicative rates model for recurrent events in case-cohort studies

Lifetime Data Analysis - In large prospective cohort studies, accumulation of covariate information and follow-up data make up the majority of the cost involved in the study. This might lead to the...     

Perspectives of South African caregivers in receipt of Child Support Grants: Implications for family strengthening interventions

Cash transfers have delivered measurable benefits for poor and vulnerable children in low‐ and middle‐income countries. However, on its own, a cash transfer is insufficient to promote holistic child well‐being. In the quest for appropriate complementary family support services, known as ‘cash plus’ programing, this qualitative study sought to explore the perspectives of a group of South African caregivers, all of whom were in receipt of a Child Support Grant (CSG), in relation to their own caregiving and family functioning. Critical areas of support to families were identified to further scale up the already positive impacts of the CSG, such as mental health services, social supports for caregivers, decreasing levels of poverty and growing caregiving knowledge and skills. Key conclusions are that improving the quality and integration of public services and developing culturally appropriate and evidence‐based family strengthening programmes are critical to complement and boost the positive impacts of the CSG.