The transition to marriage

Cohabitation has often been viewed as easing the transition to marriage. The question is therefore asked, what characterizes relationships in which couples live together for an extended period of time prior to marriage, then decide to marry, and within two to three years are divorced? Four groups were interviewed (cohabitated/married; cohabitated/married/divorced; dated/married; dated/married/divorced) with the hope of analyzing the differences or similarities in the marital transitions made by individuals within these groups. The total sample consisted of 40 respondents who were given an in-depth, face-to-face interview. It was found that the degree of congruence between dyad members regarding perceptions and expectations surrounding marriage and marital life was an important factor in the success with which couples were able to make the marital transition.     

Support for National Health Insurance: Intercohort Differentials

Past research has demonstrated that the majority of the Americanpublic favor some form of national health insurance (NHI), butthe sources of this support have not been clearly identified.This paper shows that support for NHI follows party lines, withDemocrats most favoring it, followed by Independents and Republicans.The young, women, blacks, the less educated (among others) alsofavor NHI more than others, but it is apparently not a "personalneed" for the insurance that prompts this support. Lack of adequateinsurance coverage, dissatisfaction with current care, or pooraccess to health care are not associated with support for NHI.Instead, cognizance of the larger socioeconomic issues (particularlyrising society-wide health care costs), in addition to politicalidentification, generates support for NHI.     

Reaching children at risk: a model for training child welfare specialists

An innovative model for the training of social welfare students in the special skills essential in child welfare work is predicated upon a classification system of children at risk and a continuum of services.     

Joint custody and co-parenting: not by law but by love

In recent years, joint custody and co-parenting of children after divorce or separation has received considerable attention. The authors advocate wider recognition of this option to sole custody and visitation, review pertinent legal and other literature, identify indications and contraindications, and briefly discuss the implications for social workers.     

Corporate planning at Rolls-Royce Motors Limited

In this article the authors describe the introduction to date of a formal planning process at a British manufacturing company which, according to its recent performance, had no pressing need to implement radical change. Is Rolls-Royce Motors' decision the symptom of a new trend in industry to overhaul planning techniques while the going is good? How was company morale used to justify a new planning style? Why did an evidently capable organization choose to engage consultancy assistance? While the company's intentions are not yet fully achieved, its experience may be of benefit to others contemplating a similar decision.     

International and internal migration decision making: a value-expectancy based analytical framework of intentions to move from a rural Philippine province

"The study compares determinants of internal and international migration intentions, drawing upon interview data from a sample of adults in Ilocos Norte, a largely rural province in the Philippines. A regression model is applied to test the relative determinants of intentions to migrate to Manila and to Hawaii. The study is based on a value-expectancy model of migration decision making. The results document the importance of subjective expectations related to the attainment of different values and goals in Manila and Hawaii."