Second order asymptotic relations of M-estimators and R-estimators in two-sample location model

Let T_M be an M-estimator (maximum likelihood type estimator) and T_R be an R-estimator (Hodges-Lehmann's estimator) of the shift parameter Δ in the two-sample location model. The asymptotic representation of √N(T_M-T_R) up to a term of the order O_p(N^{-$\text{1}\text{4}$}) is derived which is valid if the functions Ψ and ? generating T_M and T_R, respectively, decompose into an absolutely continuous and a step-function components; the order O_p(N^{-$\text{1}\text{4}$}) cannot be improved unless the discontinuous components vanish. As a consequence, the conditions under which √N(T_M-T_R)=O_p(N^{-$\text{1}\text{4}$}) are obtained. The main tool for obtaining the results is the second order asymptotic linearity of the pertaining linear rank statistics which is proved here under the assumption that the score-generating function ? has some jump-discontinuities.     

Unemployment and the Future of Social Policy

In the context of a seminar seeking to canvass public administration responses to the topic ‘A Generation Unemployed’ the paper canvasses the extent of hidden unemployment and where the burdens of unemployment are falling. Some of the future implications for social policy, including potential effects on social cohesion and the possible policy responses to that, and potential effects on economic dependency and likely policy implications are examined.     

Advancing Gender Equality: The Role of Women‐Only Trade Union Education

The need to improve the level of membership and the number of women activists has been a central feature of overall ‘renewal’ strategies of many British trade unions. Within this, equality education has been a key part of policy‐making. This research draws on detailed case studies of two trade unions and focuses on their women‐only education courses. We suggest that a greater understanding of the contribution of different types of trade union education to the advance of equality is a key factor in the ability of unions to maintain a central role at workplace level, within the context of an increasingly diverse labour market.     

Treating Chronic Crisis Bearers and Their Families*

This article presents a method for family crisis intervention, utilizing a case history approach. The goal is extended from restoring the crisis bearing unit to its pre-crisis level of coping to a basic restructuring of maladaptive pre-crisis behaviors. It is aimed at general behavior change as well as resolution of the immediate situation. It adapts crisis intervention theory to intervention involving chronic crisis bearers and their families. It eliminates the tendency to identify one member of the family unit as the patient without considering the impact of the other members. This approach consists of short term intensive treatment combined with selected traditional techniques.     

Attitudes of street kids toward foster care

Forty-seven kids who frequented drop-in centers in three Western cities were interviewed to determine their attitudes toward statements related to foster care. While the teams indicated that they believed foster parents care about children and want to help them, many did not want to risk foster care. The major reason for remaining on the street is their perceptions that conflict within their family cannot be resolved. These teens have chosen to develop their own family from other street people rather than risk further rejection. The need for early family intervention is stressed.     

THE FERTILITY AND LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN AND NON-HISPANIC HUSBANDS AND WIVES

In this article cultural and socioeconomic explanations of the effects of language characteristics on the fertility of Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white couples are considered. The impact of husbands' as well of wives' characteristics are estimated on the fertility of a sample drawn from 1980 U.S. census data, using a dynamic model for fertility. The pattern of effects presented is consistent with a cultural explanation that includes the relevence of pronatalist values to the higher fertility of Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans. The greater detail provided by this method also results in the identification of a subset of English-speaking Mexican-American couples who appear to be using a very low fertility strategy and a subset of non-Hispanic whites whose higher fertility is also tied to language characteristics.     

Vocational aspects of life care planning for people with spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic event with profound, long-term consequences in all aspects of an individual's life, including employment. The life care plan (LCP) is a methodology that is used to document the continuum of care needs that an individual with SCI will have across his or her life span. The LCP also highlights the critical stages of development necessary to maximize the person's functional potential and productivity. This article provides a brief overview, with a case study example, of how the LCP can be used in addressing an individual's post-injury employability needs.     

Immigration toward France in the 1990s: a new factor in the job market and new issues in society]

A review of trends in the employment of foreigners in France in the 1990s is presented. The author notes that the current economic crisis has resulted in a severe decline in the amount of salaried employment and a trend toward the service sector of the economy. In the second part of the article the author examines some of the issues concerning the dichotomy between labor migration and permanent immigration, and the problems involved in controlling migration flows with regard to the relative roles of international, national, and local authorities.     

Brain hemisphere dominance and vocational preference: a preliminary analysis

Recent developments in split-brain theory add support to the concept of specialization within brain hemispheres. Holland's vocational personality theory may overlap with Human Information Processing (HIP) characteristics. Holland's six RIASEC codes were developed to identify vocational personality characteristics, and HIP scales were designed to measure hemispheric laterality. Relationships between the two scales were evaluated through canonical correlation with some significant results, however not all Holland scale scores correlated with left, right, or integrated hemispheric preference. Additional findings related to participants self-perception of music and math ability were also correlated. Findings on this added analysis revealed a high correlation between perception of musical ability and right brain function but not between mathematical concept and left brain alone. Implications regarding vocational choice and work are discussed.