GROUP LENDING WITH HETEROGENEOUS TYPES

This paper proposes and implements a mixture structure to model repayment behavior in group lending with unobserved group heterogeneity. We discuss the model properties and identification and estimate the model using a rich dataset from a group lending program in India. The estimation results support the existence of two different group types: “responsible” and “irresponsible” groups. We find that the effects of the factors driving repayment behavior differ across types. The model also shows a higher predictive performance than standard probabilistic models, particularly in the identification of potential defaulters. We provide evidence supporting the robustness of our estimations. (JEL O16, C35)     

A note on measuring the independent impact of family planning programs on fertility Declines

This note critically evaluates recent cross-national studies that estimate the independent effect of family planning programs on the fertility of the developing world. The evaluation demonstrates that past research is biased to produce overestimates of net program impact. A new estimate is derived to account more completely for the effects of the social context and socioeconomic development on fertility. This estimate indicates that 5 percent of the variation in crude birth rate decline for 89 developing countries is due to family planning programs. This is substantially less than past estimates.     

The Implications of Immigration for the Training of Social Work Professionals in Spain

Correspondence to Sonia Hernández Plaza, Area de Psicologia Social, Departamento de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, Universidad de Almería, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, Almería, 04120, Spain. Summary Important demographic changes have been taking place in Spainduring the last two decades as a result of immigration. Dueto an ever-increasing multicultural spread, social work professionalsare faced with the new challenge of providing quality servicesto diverse ethnic populations. After briefly describing themain characteristics of immigration in Spain, their implicationsfor the provision of social services and the need to providemulticultural training for social workers are analysed. Theconceptual framework proposed addresses some of the main variablesthat professionals working with these minorities should takeinto account, emphasizing: culture; language; family support;community resources; clients' explanatory model of the problems;provision of services for multiple problems; ethnic discrimination;and assessment instruments. Some key points for multiculturaltraining in this field are discussed, paying special attentionto the need to develop culturally sensitive and bias-free diagnostictools; accreditation and funding of professional programmes;and cross-cultural competence training. The main contents andobjectives of a multicultural training course for social workersare described.     

Do incident and perpetrator characteristics of elder mistreatment differ by gender of the victim? Results from the National Elder Mistreatment Study

Perpetrator and incident characteristics were studied in regard to incidents of emotional, physical, and sexual mistreatment of older adults (age 60+) in a national sample of older men and women. Random digit dialing across geographic strata was used to compile a nationally representative sample; computer assisted telephone interviewing was used to standardize collection of demographic, mistreatment, and perpetrator and incident characteristics data. The final sample size consisted of 5,777 older adults. Approximately one in ten adults reported at least one form of mistreatment, and the majority of incidents were not reported to authorities. Perpetrators of physical mistreatment against men had more "pathological" characteristics compared to perpetrators of physical mistreatment against women. Perpetrators of physical mistreatment (compared to emotional and sexual mistreatment) also evidenced increased likelihood of legal problems, psychological treatment, substance use during incident, living with the victim, and being related to the victim. Implications for future research and social policy are discussed.     

Traumatic Stress and Homelessness: A Review of the Literature for Practitioners

Clinical Social Work Journal - A growing body of evidence connects traumatic stress and homelessness, which illustrates the importance of trauma and-resiliency-informed care (TIC) to appropriately...     

A voice in the chorus: perspectives of young men of color on their disabilities, identities, and peer-mentors

With the rise of violence during the 1990s, the number of persons who acquired a spinal cord injury as a result of gunshot trauma increased dramatically in the United States. This qualitative study examined disability, race, and contribution of peer-mentors to the development of identity. Six men with a violence-related spinal cord injury participated in a focus group. They were injured for at least two years, making positive gains in their lives, and training to become peer-mentors at a rehabilitation hospital. In addition, 16 men with a newly-acquired spinal cord injury from gunshot trauma participated in an individual interview. These sixteen participants were all mentees (or recipients) of the peer-mentor program. Principles of grounded theory were used to code and analyze data. Data converged on three main themes: (1) disability viewed as a wake-up call or blessing, (2) disability viewed as a turning point, and (3) disability viewed as identity transforming.     

Spectral analysis with replicated time series

A doubly stochastic process {x(b,t);b?B,t?Z} is considered, with (B,β,P_β) being a probability space so that for each b, {X(b,t);t ? Z} is a stationary process with an absolutely continuous spectral distribution. The population spectrum is defined as f(ω) = E_B[Q(b,ω)] with Q(b,ω) being the spectral density function of X(b,t). The aim of this paper is to estimate f(ω) by means of a random sample b₁,…,b_r from (B,β,P_β). For each b₁? B, the processes X(b₁,t) are observed at the same times t=1,…,N. Thus, r time series (x(b₁,t)} are available in order to estimate f(ω). A model for each individual periodogram, which involves f(ω), is formulated. It has been proven that a certain family of linear stationary processes follows the above model In this context, a kernel estimator is proposed in order to estimate f(ω). The bias, variance and asymptotic distribution of this estimator are investigated under certain conditions.