Sociological Factors Affecting Agricultural Price Risk Management in Australia*

Abstract The highly volatile auction system in Australia accounts for 85 percent of ex‐farm wool sales, with the remainder sold by forward contract, futures, and other hedging methods. In this article, against the background of an extensive literature on price risk strategies, we investigate title behavioral factors associated with producers' adoption of price risk‐management strategies (specifically futures and forward contracts) for selling wool. This research presents a behavioral model based on Diffusion of Innovations, the Theory of Reasoned Action, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. We found that the auction system is used as a price risk‐management tool because other selling methods are considered more risky. We also report on a curious relationship between risk and complexity in terms of wool producers' intentions to use forward contracts. We explored sociological factors in conjunction with focus‐group data in an attempt to understand this relationship. This exercise yielded some interesting findings on the impact that trust, habit, social cohesion, and networks have on decision making in the rural community. The significance of this article lies in its application of core sociological theory in a new research context: the Australian wool industry.     

Adolescents' perspectives on relationships with grandparents: The contribution of adolescent, grandparent, and parent–grandparent relationship variables

There is limited research on adolescent–grandparent relationships, especially from the adolescent perspective and on large-scale samples. The study examined the associations between the adolescent–grandparent relationship (i.e., importance of, emotional closeness to, and respect for grandparents' views) and the characteristics of the adolescent, grandparent, and parent–grandparent relationship, as well as the interactions between several of these factors. It was based on a representative sample of 1478 students aged 11–16 from England and Wales who completed a structured questionnaire. Results supported the position that grandparents are a significant factor in the lives of adolescents. Findings of hierarchical regression analyses showed that more frequent contact, greater grandparent involvement, and better parent–grandparent relationships predicted adolescents' reports on higher levels of emotional closeness to, importance of, and respect for their closest grandparent's views. The interactions consistently emphasized the role of parents as gatekeepers of intergenerational exchange.     

Changing land tenure patterns in Scotland: A time for reform?

Land tenure patterns throughout Britain have changed significantly. The popularity of the traditional agricultural tenancy has declined and in response to legislative and policy developments landowners have become reluctant to enter into long-term tenancy arangements with tenants. The result has been a growth in a number of short term leases. In response, legislative reform took place in England and Wales during 1995 and introduced a farm business tenancy. It provides for greater freedom to negotiate individual agreements. However, Scotland has been excluded. This paper illustrates that Scotland has experienced similar changes to those observed elsewhere and that the main short term lease (limited partnership tenancy) currently popular with Scottish landowners is fraught with legal and administrative difficulties. The limited partnership tenancy is not a suitable alternative to the traditional agricultural tenancy and as such there may be a case for the extension of the farm business tenancy to Scotland.     

中国人均碳排放权分配方案预测研究

气候变化是21世纪最严重的全球性问题之一.即使《巴黎协议》获得通过,仍有许多国家采取各种方式拒绝承担减排责任.已有减排分配方案也多是临时性的,尚有许多争议.为了能更好地完善后续减排分配方案,很多学者都对国家减排责任的分配进行了探讨,但是由于以下缺点:否认发达国家需要承担的历史减排责任或发展中国家对未来的减排责任,因此不能提供更为公平的分配方案.在此背景下,文章旨在预测中国到2050年碳排放量,以人均碳排放量为基础,分析中国的碳排放权.     

The Aging Semantic Differential in Mandarin Chinese: Measuring Attitudes toward Older Adults in China

ABSTRACT

The Aging Semantic Differential (ASD) is the most widely used instrument to measure young people’s attitudes towards older adults. This study translated the ASD to Mandarin and examined its psychometric properties. The Mandarin-ASD contains three latent factors (Personality and Mental Health, Societal Participation, and Physical) that have high internal reliability and reasonable discriminate validity. Social work researchers, practitioners and allied professionals may utilize the ASD-Mandarin instrument to measure young people’s attitudes towards older adults in China. We issue a call for a universal-ASD that can be applied across different cultural contexts.     

A Social Network Comparison of Low‐Income Black and White Newlywed Couples

Relative to White families, Black families have been described as relying on extended social networks to compensate for other social and economic disadvantages. The presence or absence of supportive social networks should be especially relevant to young couples entering marriage, but to date there has been little effort to describe the social networks of comparable Black and White newlyweds. The current study addressed this gap by drawing on interviews with 57 first‐married newlyweds from low‐income communities to compare the composition and structure of Black and White couples' duocentric social networks. The results indicated that low‐income Black couples entered marriage at a social disadvantage relative to White couples, with more family relationships but fewer positive relationships and fewer sources of emotional support (for wives), fewer connections to married individuals, and fewer shared relationships between spouses. Black couples' relative social disadvantages persisted even when various economic and demographic variables were controlled.     

社会组织创新研究述评

公民社会部门的出现是20世纪最重要的社会创新,是一场深刻的“全球结社革命”。社会组织研究国外源远流长,著述丰硕,影响深远;国内在社会管理体制创新的推动下,社会组织创新日渐吸引眼球。整体来看,研究的学科、研究的领域、研究的成员在不断增多,研究趋势渐从社会组织管理创新的思想观念、创新路径、管理体制、困境与出路等方面,逐渐转向推进社会管理创新的政治和社会层面,以期促进各种认同的和谐共生关系的形成。     

当代社会思潮对青年的影响——基于对近十年相关研究的述评

研究社会思潮对青年的影响对于新形势下使青年树立和践行社会主义核心价值观具有重要意义。分析近10年的相关文献后发现,当代中国社会对青年有较大影响的思潮主要有新儒家思潮或文化保守主义思潮、实用主义思潮、自由主义思潮、历史主义思潮、新左派思潮、民族主义思潮、民主社会主义思潮和民粹主义思潮。此外还存在诸如后现代主义思潮、女权主义思潮、反全球化思潮、消费主义思潮等对青年影响力稍小但绝不容忽视的思潮。当代社会思潮深刻地影响了青年的信仰和价值观,导致青年政治意识表达方式变迁,影响青年文化体系的形成和变迁,而在这些过程中青年接受社会思潮影响的方式也在发生着变化。社会思潮影响下的青年思想引领主要有思想绝缘法、对象研究法、武器强化法和能力培养法。现有关于社会思潮对青年影响的研究存在着过分侧重定性研究和消极影响、到底如何影响是"黑箱"、研究成果呈现结构失衡等缺陷,需要针对这些缺陷寻找相应的研究进路。     

Improving Gambling Survey Research Using Dual-Frame Sampling of Landline and Mobile Phone Numbers

Gambling prevalence studies are typically conducted within a single (landline) telephone sampling frame. This practice continues, despite emerging evidence that significant differences exist between landline and mobile (cell) phone only households. This study utilised a dual-frame (landline and mobile) telephone sampling methodology to cast light on the extent of differences across groups of respondents in respect to demographic, health, and gambling characteristics. A total of 2,014 participants from across Australian states and territories ranging in age from 18 to 96 years participated. Interviews were conducted using computer assisted telephone interviewing technology where 1,012 respondents from the landline sampling frame and 1,002 from the mobile phone sampling frame completed a questionnaire about gambling and other health behaviours. Responses across the landline sampling frame, the mobile phone sampling frame, and the subset of the mobile phone sampling frame that possessed a mobile phone only (MPO) were contrasted. The findings revealed that although respondents in the landline sample (62.7 %) did not significantly differ from respondents in the mobile phone sample (59.2 %) in gambling participation in the previous 12 months, they were significantly more likely to have gambled in the previous 12 months than the MPO sample (56.4 %). There were no significant differences in internet gambling participation over the previous 12 months in the landline sample (4.7 %), mobile phone sample (4.7 %) and the MPO sample (5.0 %). However, endorsement of lifetime problem gambling on the NODS-CLiP was significantly higher within the mobile sample (10.7 %) and the MPO sample (14.8 %) than the landline sample (6.6 %). Our research supports previous findings that reliance on a traditional landline telephone sampling approach effectively excludes distinct subgroups of the population from being represented in research findings. Consequently, we suggest that research best practice necessitates the use of a dual-frame sampling methodology. Despite inherent logistical and cost issues, this approach needs to become the norm in gambling survey research.     

Single Parenting in the African American Community: Implications for Public Policy and Practice

The percentage of female-headed African American families has increased significantly since the 1960s. It is now estimated that over half of all African American children will grow up in a female-headed household. This article examines factors related to the formation of these households as well as the challenges associated with these households. Policies and programs that have been implemented to treat these families are examined.