Do Mothers Work to Support Ailing Husbands?

This paper analyzes the role of a spouse's poor health in forming the mother's labor force participation decision. The data are drawn from the 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), which follows individuals for four years. This paper uses a medical expenditure approach to measuring health. Because SIPP is a panel dataset, changes in health and labor force participation can be observed. This paper finds an increase of 8% in the wife's labor force participation when the health of the spouse falls from excellent to poor. This result of the changes in the mother's labor force participation is consistent with previous literature, indicating that this new health measure performed well.     

Review Essay: Simply Identity Work? The Voluntary Simplicity Movement

Qualitative Sociology -     

Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Social Work Students

It has been identified that undergraduate social work students have distinctive learning needs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning style preferences of a group of undergraduate social work students enrolled at a large Australian university. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory, Index of Learning Styles and Success Types Learning Style Type Indicator was distributed to 606 students enrolled in an undergraduate social work degree at one metropolitan Australian university. A total of 116 questionnaires were returned, providing a response rate of 19.14%. The results indicated that converging and assimilating, intuitive and sensing, thinking, judging and perceiving learning styles were favoured by this group of social work students. It is recommended that educators understand and take into consideration the learning style preferences of undergraduate social work students when developing curricula and evaluating teaching approaches, especially when planning and implementing education initiatives. This will help create effective learning environments, appropriate learning opportunities and a contemporary curriculum for social work students.     

An Introduction to the Research Process

Abstract

College health professionals are often intimidated by the research process and thus miss opportunities to develop and communicate their ideas. The present article, the first in a series on college health research, describes the basics of the research process, including the purpose and nature of research and the ways in which ideas are developed into research hypotheses. The process of reviewing research literature is described in detail, including methods for computerized searching.     

The Terror(s) of our Time(s)

In the midst of an age of terror and counter-terror, this article seeks to better understand the current moment of terror by comparing and contrasting moments and epochs of terror throughout history. The paper asks: What do we mean by terror? How is it described, measured and experienced? Is the post-September 11 phenomenon something altogether new? Is the current terrorist threat unprecedented? To address these questions the paper explores the phenomenon which makes terrorism and terrorists possible: the very idea of terror itself. The paper identifies and joins some of the dots between terrors past and terrors present, from the terror of tyranny and totalitarianism to the terror of contemporary fundamentalist terrorism. In doing so it sheds light on how terror is conceived both as a tool and as something that is experienced. The paper raises questions of how or if the experience of terror has shifted across time and space. Ultimately, the paper seeks a better understanding of the current moment of terror and a better idea of what the future holds in store through a more holistic understanding of the experiences of terror(s) throughout the ages.     

The use of discrete computer simulation modeling to estimate return on leadership development investment

Organizational leaders seek monetary returns on their investments (ROI). Thus, making decisions to invest in human capital, such as in leadership development interventions, are often difficult due to the lack of research demonstrating monetary returns on leadership development investment (RODI). This study introduces an innovative approach to estimating leadership development investments and expands on previous research conducted by Avolio, Avey, and Quisenberry (2010), which was the first attempt to estimate leadership development RODI using utility analysis. Further, it is a unique study in that it uses computer simulation modeling to generate random distributions of each utility analysis variable to estimate RODI. Computer simulation modeling enables organizations to better estimate RODI for both current and future leadership development programs. Comparisons of RODI methods are conducted. Results demonstrate that potential gains from effective leadership development are greater than previously estimated but potential losses from poorly executed leadership development are also larger than previously estimated.     

FALSE PRINCIPLES OF WELFARE REFORM

Welfare reform both in Australia and throughout the OECD invokes various moral principles. These are articulated in arguments about ‘consent’, on both a micro‐ and macro‐level, and the ‘mutual obligation’ that ostensibly arises from consent. There are also frankly ‘paternalistic’ arguments, whether weak or strong, to the effect that forcing people into work is good for them. A critical assessment demonstrates that none of these arguments can justify the kind of welfare reform which is currently mooted. The real aim of such reform seems instead to be simply that of ‘clearing the welfare rolls ’. This has worrying ethical consequences.     

Bias in the ordinary least squares estimator in the dynamic linear regression model with autocorrelated disturbances

We consider the bias in the Ordinary Least Squares estimator in the linear regression model with a lagged dependent variable as regressor. Results are obtained with independent and auto-correlated disturbances. Asymptotic results are obtained analytically, and finite sample results based on a Monte Carlo study. The substantial biases found suggest the need for an alternative estimator to Ordinary Least Squares and powerful tests for autocorrelated disturbances in the dynamic model.     

Representative Designs and Their Challenges

Abstract

In this article, the authors explore three research designs common to college health investigations: survey, epidemiologic, and experimental. They identify the varieties of research questions addressed by these designs and note examples from clinical nursing/medicine, mental health, and health education topics. In addition, the authors summarize the unique challenges encountered in each of these designs, including issues of sample selection, adequate measurement, and control.