Beyond Organic and Fair Trade? An Analysis of Ecolabel Preferences in the United States

The success of alternative food initiatives indicates increasing interest in changing the way food is produced, processed, and sold. Ecolabels such as organic and Fair Trade have entered the mainstream marketplace, and other voluntary identifiers on products are emerging to address criteria not included in these successful initiatives. Little is known about consumer interests in these criteria, however. To anticipate the direction of food‐system changes, as well as assist food producers to meet consumer demands, we conducted a national mail survey to assess preferences for criteria that go “beyond” (or could complement) organic and Fair Trade. We utilized a forced‐choice paired‐comparisons question format to rank five possibilities (humane, local, living wage, small‐scale, U.S. grown) that might feasibly be implemented by food producers. Local was the most popular choice, although humane also received a high level of support. Multilevel logistic regression indicated that local was preferred by rural residents, and that humane was preferred by frequent organic consumers and high‐income households. Survey respondents also chose product labels more frequently than other potential sources of information about their food. Preferences for local and humane ecolabel criteria should be placed in perspective, as consumers expressed much higher levels of interest in the more individualized concerns of safety and nutrition. The results suggest, however, that consumers are interested in a food system that addresses broader political and ethical values, which has implications for production, marketing, and movement building for sustainable food systems.     

NATIVITY DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL HEALTH: THE ROLES OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT,FAMILY, AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION

U.S. immigrants are a physically healthy population, but we do not understand the explanatory factors responsible for their physical health status, particularly those related to social network support. Using data from the 2001 wave of the National Health Interview Survey, we examine multiple measures of immigrant adaptation, investigating their influence on measures of physical health. In particular, we examine how well indicators of social support and integration explain the immigrant health advantage. Results show clear evidence of an immigrant paradox in physical health, but that measures of support and integration explain almost none of the immigration effect on physical health.     

Lessons from American Social Work Education: Caution Ahead

Abstract

Similar trends are occurring in Australian and US social work education, as universities increasingly adopt a rigid market orientation to tertiary education. This marketisation shapes social work education in manifold ways, including the pressure to increase revenues (and effect greater efficiencies) by expanding the size of social work programs. The unregulated growth in social work programs leads to lowered admission standards, as programs are forced to compete for students. An oversupply of social workers will also drive salaries downwards as supply eclipses demand. These issues are examined in the context of a “big” versus a “small” (fewer but more highly trained social workers) model of social work. Emphasis is placed on the lessons that Australian social work educators can learn from the challenges facing US social work education.     

Financial worry among older people: Who worries and why?

This study sought to clarify what drives economic worries among older people. Based upon the data from a national sample of adults aged 65 and older in Israel (N = 550), we examined associations between financial worry and economic status, lifestyle, social network, concerns about functional health, long term care needs and cognition, and population group. The main financial worry was that pension funds will not suffice for one's entire life. Multivariate analysis revealed that financial worry was negatively related to perceived income adequacy and age, and positively related to concerns about care and to apprehensions regarding one's ability to make decisions. Immigrants from the former Soviet Union were found to worry less. Understanding the different sources of financial worries among older people is essential insofar as older people are increasingly expected to take personal responsibility for their financial futures. Dealing with negative outcomes that stem from financial worries are important programming and policy goals in an era of population aging.     

Review essay: Psychological disorders,socio‐economic forces and American race relations

The Crucible of Race: Black‐White Relations in the American South Since Emancipation. By Joel Williamson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984. xviii + 561 pp. Notes and index. $25.00

Chains of Fear: American Race Relations Since Reconstruction. By Michael J. Cassity. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1984. xxxv + 253 pp. Index. $35.00.     

Doctoral Education in Social Work: The Decade Ahead

ABSTRACT

Scientific and professional developments in the coming decade will have profound implications for social work doctoral education and the research and academic careers doctoral students are preparing for. These developments include the knowledge explosion, corporatization of the university and related effects, and the emergence of the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative delimiting key directions for social work research and practice. We consider potential effects of these developments on doctoral social work education and proffer curricular, pedagogic, and programmatic recommendations for improving doctoral education in the coming decade.