Population recovery in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: exploring the potential role of stage migration in migration systems

In this research brief, we explore how places affected by natural disasters recover their populations through indirect, or “stage,” migration. Specifically, we consider the idea that post-disaster impediments (e.g., housing and property damage) in disaster-affected areas spawn migration flows toward and, over time, to disaster-affected areas through intermediary destinations. Taking as our case Orleans Parish over a 5-year period after Hurricane Katrina, we show that stage migration accounted for up to about one-fourth of population recovery. We close by discussing the implications, limitations, and potential extensions of our work.     

Paradigms,Theories, and Methods in Contemporary Rural Sociology: A Critical Reaction to Critical Questions

Abstract The content analysis by Falk and Zhao (1989) of theoretical orientations shown in Rural Sociology articles during the span 1976–1985 is critically evaluated as to its methodological adequacy and substantive conclusions. The former is shown as suspect and, therefore, the latter become moot. Discussion is particularly focused on the elaboration by Falk and Zhao on the wisdom of the metatheoretical underpinnings of the field in the decade explored. While they are less critical in judgment of rural sociology's performance than was the earlier study being “replicated” (Picou et al. 1978a), the assertion made by Falk and Zhao is still fundamentally misdirected. Until rural sociology faces the issue of data quality, its improvements in “theory” activity will not be substantial.     

Do People with a Mental Handicap Have Rights?

The notion of 'rights' in relation to people with a mental handicap has become increasingly fashionable in policy statements in Britain and elsewhere. However, the concept has rarely been used in a clear way, and the application of it has been weak. This article distinguishes between 'claim rights' and 'moral rights' and relates each to specific discriminatory domains. It is argued that in Britain, people with a mental handicap are routinely denied both types of rights, and that this is a sobering context within which to set policies structured upon 'normalisation' principles. It is suggested that more conceptual analysis is needed, alongside a clearer commitment to enforcement through a code of practice and the application of adult rights.     

Access and Child Contact Centres in England and Wales: An Ethnographic Perspective

SUMMARY. Access centres are a recent development in service provision for families facing difficulties over child contact following divorce or separation. The author has worked for over two years as a volunteer at an access centre and provides a personal view of key issues in the organisation and operation of access centres. Discussion of detailed case material throws light on the paradoxes which arise when a pro-access ideology is exercised in an informal setting.     

The Alternative-Conventional Agriculture Debate: Where Do Agricultural Faculty Stand?1

Abstract In recent years, publicly funded agricultural science at land grant universities (LGUs) has come under increasing criticism by those who argue that LGUs have contributed to an industrial mode of agriculture that is neither ecologically nor socioeconomically sustainable. The views of critics and defenders of modern industrial agriculture reflect two competing perspectives on agriculture—an alternative and a conventional paradigm. Utilizing a 24-item alternative-conventional agriculture paradigm (ACAP) scale, this study analyzes the paradigmatic positions of faculty in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at Washington State University. Results reveal that the faculty are slightly more conventional than are farmers statewide, slightly less conventional than proponents of conventional agriculture, and far more conventional than known alternative agriculturalists. When looking at particular elements of the agricultural debate, however, the faculty tend to be more conventional than farmers on the socioeconomic elements of the competing paradigms but considerably less conventional on elements dealing with ecological and conservation issues. Women, younger faculty, non-land grant educated faculty, and faculty not raised on farms are somewhat more likely to endorse the alternative agriculture paradigm than are their counterparts. These differences are minor, however, compared to the differences across academic disciplines. Faculty of departments oriented to the social sciences (with the exception of agricultural economics) tend to most strongly endorse the alternative paradigm, while faculty from the more production-oriented departments and agricultural economics are the most conventional. Possible implications of the findings are discussed for the future of publicly-funded agricultural science.     

Sequential classification on partially ordered sets

Summary. A general theorem on the asymptotically optimal sequential selection of experiments is presented and applied to a Bayesian classification problem when the parameter space is a finite partially ordered set. The main results include establishing conditions under which the posterior probability of the true state converges to 1 almost surely and determining optimal rates of convergence. Properties of a class of experiment selection rules are explored.     

The consequences of acculturation to service delivery and research with Hispanic families

The experience of working with Hispanic children and their parents is compared with the existing professional literature. Although the literature acknowledges partially the importance of acculturation, the consequences of acculturation to service delivery and working with Hispanics as research subjects are seldom addressed. These consequences are demonstrated in four areas: as a cause of family problems, in the attitudes of Hispanics toward speaking Spanish and English, in the status of folk healers in the Hispanic community, and in attitudes toward the delivery of human services. The failure to take into account the consequences of acculturation can contribute to the further underutilization of mental health services by Hispanic families.The research described in this article was funded by a grant from the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation.Special thanks to Laura L. Schmidt, M.A., Research Associate, and to Dora Maya, Ph.D., Program Director, VIVA Family Center, Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois.