Implications of Collection of Excessive Brokerage Fees for Migrant Workers in the Domestic Care Sector in Israel

This research examines the implications of excessive brokerage fees collection for migrant workers in the domestic care sector in Israel. The findings reveal that migrant workers are forced to pay much higher brokerage fees than is permitted by Israeli law. These fees are are mainly financed by loans. Thus, workers are forced to devote a significant portion of their monthly income in Israel to repaying these loans. The research also examines the possibility of reducing the collection of excessive brokerage fees by signing bilateral agreements, with the countries of origin, which allow the state to supervise the recruitment process. Such agreements have already been implemented in the construction and agriculture sectors in Israel. The first agreement in the domestic care sector, signed in September 2018 with the Philippines, will apparently be implemented in the near future, and might solve some of the problematic issues addressed in this research.     

Elder mistreatment in underserved populations: Opportunities and challenges to developing a contemporary program of research

ABSTRACT

This article provides an overview of the status of research on elder mistreatment among underserved populations in the United States, including gaps in our current knowledge base and scientific and structural barriers to growing research on the exploitation, neglect, and abuse of older people from diverse and disadvantaged ethnic/racial, geographic, sexual identity, and socioeconomic groups. High-priority areas in need of new elder mistreatment research with underserved populations are identified, and suggestions are given for how this research can be facilitated by researchers, university institutional review boards, and funding agencies.     

Collaborative Partnership in Age-Friendly Cities: Two Case Studies From Quebec,Canada

This article aims to explain the collaborative partnership conditions and factors that foster implementation effectiveness within the age-friendly cities (AFC) in Quebec (AFC-QC), Canada. Based on a community-building approach that emphasizes collaborative partnership, the AFC-QC implementation process is divided into three steps: (1) social diagnostic of older adults' needs; (2) an action plan based on a logic model; and (3) implementation through collaborations. AFC-QC promotes direct involvement of older adults and seniors' associations at each of the three steps of the implementation process, as well as other stakeholders in the community. Based on two contrasting case studies, this article illustrates the importance of collaborative partnership for the success of AFC implementation. Results show that stakeholders, agencies, and organizations are exposed to a new form of governance where coordination and collaborative partnership among members of the steering committee are essential. Furthermore, despite the importance of the senior associations' participation in the process, they encountered significant limits in the capacity of implementing age-friendly environments solely by themselves. In conclusion, we identify the main collaborative partnership conditions and factors in AFC-QC.     

Lessons Learned From a Canadian Province-Wide Age-Friendly Initiative: The Age-Friendly Manitoba Initiative

The Age-Friendly Manitoba Initiative was launched in 2008. A formative evaluation we conducted in 2011 with 44 participating rural and urban communities demonstrates considerable progress, with virtually all communities having formed an Age-Friendly Committee and conducting a community assessment to identify priorities for action. The majority of communities implemented one or more age-friendly projects. Major barriers to becoming age-friendly identified by participants included lack of funding; lack of capacity, particularly in small communities; and lack of leadership or direction. The study highlights the importance of strong leadership at all levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal); the need to support communities, particularly rural ones, as they try to become more age-friendly; and the importance of ongoing promotion of age-friendliness locally and more broadly (e.g., provincially).     

Age-Friendly Portland: A University-City-Community Partnership

This article addresses the question of how creating an age-friendly city has come to be an important policy and planning issue in Portland, Oregon. In 2006, researchers from Portland State University's Institute on Aging examined the meanings of age friendliness among a broad range of participants in Portland, Oregon. The research was conducted in conjunction with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities project and followed the completion of two earlier non–WHO-related projects. The city of Portland, through the Institute on Aging, was one of nine original members to apply for and be accepted into the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. An Age-Friendly Portland Advisory Council was formed to guide the development of an action plan, monitor progress over time, and suggest additional research. To understand how Portland's age-friendly policy effort has developed over time, we use Kingdon's (1984) agenda-setting framework to explain how the policy problem was formulated, how solutions were developed, and the influence of local politics. The policy actors, including individuals and organizations working within and outside of government, are described. The Portland experience provides a case study that other cities, especially those with a strong commitment to community-engaged urban planning, may find useful as they develop age-friendly initiatives.     

新型农村社会养老保险参与实证研究:一个信任分析视角

本文运用2010年对陕西、山东2省3个区县1595个农民的调查数据,首次实证检验新型农村社会养老保险参与的信任解释。因子分析发现,农民的信任可以分为村域信任和特殊信任两种类型。Logistic回归分析发现,村域信任对农民参保有正效应,村域信任水平越高,农民越可能缴费参保。而特殊信任对农民参保没有显著性影响。村域信任有助于农民通过网络传播和政府宣传来了解新农保信息,从而降低了信息搜寻成本;村域信任还增进了农民对新农保制度的期望值进而激励其参保。本文弥补了学界对农村社会养老保险参与非经济因素研究的不足,为新农保参与提供了一个理论解释。