Environmental Vulnerability in Public Perceptions and Attitudes: The Case of Israel's Urban Centers

Objective. This article investigates how urban environmental vulnerability to hazards reflects in the perceptions and attitudes of the public in three major cities in Israel: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. Our central argument is that the differences between the residents' perceptions and attitudes toward environmental issues are related mostly to the actual hazard levels of their communities, whereas individual differences in socioeconomic characteristics are of lesser importance in this regard. Methods. The research was based on survey data of representative samples of the adult residents in the three cities. The differences in attitudes and perceptions among the three samples were statistically assessed by means of analysis of variance. Results. We found relatively strong and consistent relationships between actual environmental vulnerability to hazards in the three cities and their residents' attitudes toward environmental issues. The relationships with socioeconomic characteristics, such as education and income, were considerably weaker and less consistent. Conclusions. The results of this research indicate that environmental concern is not exclusive to groups and individuals characterized by postmaterialist values. Rather, the urban public in general is responsive to the environmental vulnerability of its community. This conclusion supports the argument that attitudes toward the environment are mainly affected by instrumental considerations of objective environmental problems rather than by subjective values.     

Minimum wages and the wessels effect in a monopsony model

The Wessels model suggests that firms respond to increases in the minimum wage rate by decreasing the level of fringe benefits — an action which produces an inefficiency effect that lowers workers’ utility and the supply of labor. Standard models of monopsony, however, argue that wage floors prevent the exercise of market power and increase employment. I show that wage floors, even with fringe benefit curtailment, may increase employment by lowering the marginal expense of labor. Employee utility and employment will rise somewhat but not as much had the firm acted competitively in setting both wages and fringes.     

Nutrition,food security,and obesity

In “Nutrition, Food Security, and Obesity,” Harold S. Beebout, a senior fellow at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and chief information officer at the Child and Family Services Agency, District of Columbia, reviews what is known about nutrition, food security, and obesity. He relies on the following data sources: the Continuing Survey of Food Intake for Individuals (CSFII), the CPS, the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), and state administrative data reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Beebout first examines the forces behind the dramatic decline in food stamp rolls, which dropped by 9.1 million (35 percent) between August 1995 and July 2000. He describes how the welfare reform law (PRWORA) restricted eligibility, particularly for able-bodied adults who have no children and who work less than twenty hours per week. He adds that many legal immigrants were disqualified under the legislation as well. But, he notes, these changes explain only about 20 percent of the food stamp decline. Most of the decline occurred among households with children, many of which still appear to be eligible for benefits.     

Professional Sports as an Alternative Channel of Social Mobility*

Inequality of opportunity in the process of occupational attainment via the educational system is anticipated to cause a tendency toward alternative routes of social mobility among underprivileged groups. Professional sports have often been referred to in this respect, particularly in connection with the overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in them. The present study attempts to determine if the choice of a career in sports is mainly a matter of an individual's educational achievement and aspirations, or whether such a tendency is conditioned by socioeconomic and ethnic background. An investigation of this question among junior soccer players in Israel indicates that the preference for a career in soccer is associated with both low levels of educational achievement and modest goals, regardless of family background. Thus, at least as far as Israeli society is concerned, it is not only “cultural predisposition” which makes professional sports more attractive for lower ethnic groups, but, also the greater difficulties that youngsters of such origin encounter in the educational system.     

THE IDENTIFIED PATIENT AND STAGE OF FAMILY DEVELOPMENT

The relationships between child vulnerability to stress, birth order, and stage of family development were assessed. Four stages were identified: Stage I involves 2 parents and their 2 or 3 natural children; Stage II, following divorce, involves mother and her 2 or 3 natural children; Stage III following remarriage, involves mother, stepfather, and mother's 2 or 3 natural children; and Stage IV involves mother, stepfather, mother's 2 or 3 natural children from her first marriage, and the single child from her current marriage. In general, vulnerability of first borns and last borns shifted across stages in a complementary fashion. First borns were most vulnerable in Stage III, least vulnerable in Stage IV, and at intermediate levels in Stages I and II. Last borns were most vulnerable in Stage IV and least vulnerable in Stage HI. The results were interpreted in terms of a linkage between emotional symptoms, gains and losses in privileged positions in the family, and changes in mother-child closeness.     

Effects of goal-striving stress on the mental health of black Americans

Although many scholars have theorized about how responding to the stress of blocked opportunities can affect the well-being of black Americans, few scholars have empirically examined the relationships between striving efforts, personal goals, and mental health among black Americans. This investigation examines the relationship between goal-striving stress and mental health in a national sample of black Americans. Results indicate that goal-striving stress is significantly related to lower levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and higher levels of psychological distress. We find that poverty status moderates the relationship between goal-striving stress and mental health. Compared to poorer persons, individuals above poverty with high goal-striving stress have significantly lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Overall, the findings provide a more complete context for understanding associations among socioeconomic status, goal-striving stress, and adverse mental health outcomes among black Americans.