The Beveridge Plan: The main principles

To complete this special issue for the fiftieth anniversary of the Beveridge Plan, we felt it appropriate to reproduce an article written by the late Guy Perrin on the occasion of its fortieth. It seemed to us that his exemplary appraisal, as relevant today as it was then, amply merited republication, testifying as it does to the clearsightedness of its author. Publishing it also enables us to pay discreet homage to a colleague who will be much missed: we have no doubt, for example, that if he were still among us today he would use the Beveridge Report as a torch to illuminate for us the likely trends in social security over the next ten years. In this article, first published in 1983, Guy Perrin outlines the major principles governing the Beveridge Plan, namely those of universality, unity and what he calls integration. The many quotations and references afford an insight into the conditions under which the plan was written, enabling us to measure its impact both at the time of its publication and four decades later. It concludes by declaring that "the enduring topicality of Beveridge still exerts an impact today, in the sense that the time has come to stop following him and start imitating him". There lies a challenge which, today more than ever, is crucial for the future of social security in the world.     

The Impact of Cultural Orientation and Higher Education on Young Israeli Jewish and Arab Adults’ Notion of the Adaptive Adult

This quantitative study compares young adults’ notions of the adaptive adult prior to becoming parents in Israel together with the moderating effect of academic education and culture on these notions. Participants were drawn from Israel's two largest ethnic groups: Jews and Muslims. The research findings indicate that each group's ideal image of the adaptive adult is constructed prior to parenthood. The findings may also indicate acculturation process among Muslim Arabs in Israel who are exposed to individualistic values (Israeli Jewish society). This process may modify personal values and preference regarding the ideal adaptive adult in order to integrate themselves and their future offspring into that society. This trend was found to be more common among highly educated members of the collectivist society.     

Thoughts and acts of self-harm,and suicidal ideation,in online gamblers

Gambling problems have been linked to suicidal ideation and enhanced risk of suicide attempts. However, we know very little about the factors associated with either thoughts or acts of self-harm amongst people who gamble. A web-based study of 4125 online gamblers (79% males; mean age 35.5 years), analysed using hierarchical multiple regression, revealed that self-reported non-gambling-related self-harm was negatively related to age and marital status, and positively related to problematic alcohol use. Self-reported acts of self-harm both related and unrelated to gambling were associated with drug misuse. Thoughts and acts of gambling-related self-harm were associated with problem gambling, gambling involvement and parental problem gambling. All types of self-harm were associated with mood disorder symptoms, unemployment and certain gambling motivations. When tailoring assessment and interventions for individuals at risk for gambling-related deliberate self-harm, it is important to recognize that contributory factors may include some that differ from those for deliberate self-harm in general, and that there is potential value in evaluating gambling involvement and motivations, and history of parental gambling.     

The effects of children’s proximity‐seeking to maternal attachment figures during mild stress exposure on mood and physiological responses: An experimental study

In this study we investigated the effects of seeking versus avoiding proximity to mother on children’s emotional recovery from a stressor. Sixty children 9–12 years underwent a moodinduction procedure and were randomly assigned to seek proximity from or avoid an image of their mothers. The effect of this manipulation on children’s self‐reported negative emotions, skin conductance and heart rate variability (respiratory sinus arhythmia) was assessed. Higher levels of attachment anxiety were linked to more self‐reported sadness when children had to avoid mother, but no evidence for such an effect was found on a physiological level. For avoidant attachment, a similar pattern of results emerged, but both for self‐reported sadness and skin conductance.     

Brain Circulation: The Educational Profile of Return Migrants

Population Research and Policy Review - Countries increasingly compete to attract and retain human capital. However, empirical studies, particularly those of migrants moving back to developing...     

Formal pooling of health risks in sub-Saharan Africa: Reflections on the obstacles encountered

Over the past few years a number of institutional solutions to the pooling of health risks have been advanced in a great number of reform proposals for developing countries. The empirical arguments in favour of such recommendations have the full force of accumulated experience in countries that have long been industrialized. However, rural realities in Africa and Asia naturally have very little to do with past or present realities in western countries. Whereas the technical-cooperation and scientific community has relatively good knowledge of techniques, a number of recent experiences of the introduction of mutual benefit schemes in Africa seem to show that this approach is now enjoying some success. The low levels of membership in particular make it essential to tackle the problem fully. This article tries to identify the various possible explanations for this lack of enthusiasm in sub-Saharan Africa.