Net migration and migration effectiveness: A comparison between Australia and the United Kingdom, 1976–96 Part 1: Total migration patterns

A nation’s population is redistributed through migration flows and counterflows between its constituent subnational areas, resulting in a geographical pattern of net migration gains or losses which may change from one time period to another. Migration effectiveness is the indicator commonly used to measure net migration as a proportion of gross migration turnover for any territorial unit. This paper explores the effect of net migration in two different countries, Australia and the United Kingdom, using measures of migration effectiveness computed from period-age migration data sets for a system of city regions assembled for four consecutive five-year periods in each country. While the evidence suggests that the overall effectiveness of net migration has declined over the 20-year period in both countries, marked similarities and contrasts are apparent in the spatial patterning of migration that together provide useful analytical insights into the changing space economies of the two countries.     

What family dimensions are important for health-related quality of life in adolescence?

Adolescence is a relevant life stage in which to study a global well-being measure, health-related quality of life, in order to analyse the impact of important determinants in adolescents' health-related quality of life (e.g., the quality of family relationships). This study aimed to examine the impact of several family dimensions (parental affection, parental promotion of autonomy, family activities, adolescent disclosure, parental solicitation and parental knowledge) on adolescents' health-related quality of life. Additionally, this study investigated whether demographic variables (adolescents' gender and age) influenced health-related quality of life and moderated the relationship between family dimensions and health-related quality of life. The sample was composed of 14,825 adolescents, aged 13–14, 15–16, and 17–18, from the 2006 edition of Spain's Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. The results showed that parental promotion of autonomy, family activities and especially parental affection were the most important dimensions influencing health-related quality of life. Boys reported higher health-related quality of life than girls, and younger adolescents reported higher health-related quality of life than older adolescents. The discussion explains how the aforementioned family dimensions encourage better health-related quality of life in adolescents.     

Combining editing and imputation methods: an experimental application on population census data

Summary.  Features of census data make the editing and imputation phase a complex matter. Complex editing and imputation tasks can be tackled by dividing the editing and imputation process into subphases characterized by different problems, and finding appropriate solutions for each of them. An experimental application of the approach of combining different currently used methods for the editing and imputation of population census data is presented.     

Urban ecosystems: the human dimension

This paper develops a human ecological perspective on cities and urban regions. It describes the role of cities in the expanding human ecological niche and its implications for sustainable urban development. I have used a new technique, ecological footprint analysis, to convert the material and energy flows required to sustain the human population and industrial metabolism of the city into a landecosystem area equivalent. This approach emphasizes that, although urbanization has become the dominant human settlement pattern, cities themselves constitute only a small part of the total ecological space appropriated by their human inhabitants. In short, the ecological locations of human settlements no longer coincide with their geographic locations. Every city and urban region depends for its existence and growth on a globally diffuse productive hinterland up to 200 times the size of the city itself. Cities are therefore increasingly vulnerable to global ecological change and geopolitical instability. Given the deteriorating state of the ecosphere, policies to decrease the ecological footprint of cities while increasing regional self-reliance may enhance urban sustainability.     

Knowledge network dissemination in a family-firm sector

The literature on network often assumes that all firms in the net can benefit from knowledge externalities often reserved to the network area. Based on network analysis (historical and social) we will attempt to confirm the idea that social proximity plays a crucial role, especially in Italian clusters of small firms. We demonstrate that local knowledge relations are confined in the investigated area due to the high socio-familial substrate, the firm's capacity to recognise opportunities and co-ordination ability. The empirical analysis is based on the influence of both the characteristics of each entrepreneur and of each unit of innovation, and of the absorptive capacity (cognitive proximity) and social capital on relationships.     

Towards a Sociology of Disclosure: The Case of Surgical Performance

Despite the increasingly widespread emphasis on the need for transparency in health‐care and elsewhere, there is limited evidence regarding the consequences of disclosing medical performance data. The evidence is disparate and has not been synthesised in a coherent way. This paper focuses on surgical performance, whose measurement is generally often seen as straight forward. It begins by outlining the context for understanding the publication of such data and then presents an analytical framework as a vehicle for conceptualising the nature of disclosure in surgery and health‐care more generally. The framework addresses key dimensions concerning one surgical specialty (cardiac surgery) and its relationship with a range of stakeholders in an English context. In particular, we examine the interaction between surgeons and between surgeons, patients, managers and policy‐makers. These relationships are framed in terms of choice and calculativeness, strategies and tactics, and trust, and need to be understood at micro, meso and macro levels. We conclude by considering how this framework provides a research agenda for a sociology of disclosure.     

Influence of Social Support on Gay Men Living with HIV

This article examines the social support networks of gay men living with HIV. Many people do not realize that HIV is still a significant health concern. The rate of HIV infection has not decreased substantially in over 15 years, and in the United States alone health care practitioners see approximately 40,000 cases per year. Some of the literature on this topic suggests that gay men with HIV receive more social support from friends than from family members. Research also suggests that these men sometimes experience losses of social support after they are diagnosed as HIV positive. Five gay men with HIV participated in in-depth interviews for this study. During these interviews 14 open-ended questions were posed with several of these questions having follow-up probes/questions. The questions focused on specific aspects of the participant's support network. Participants' responses to the interview questions were transcribed and content analyzed for relevant themes. Results indicated that whereas many of the men maintained their supportive contacts with family members and friends, others experienced changes in their support networks after they were diagnosed as HIV positive. Further results revealed that all men interviewed were satisfied with the level of support they received from the people in their support networks.