JOBLESS RECOVERIES: STAGNATION OR STRUCTURAL CHANGE?

Within the existing literature a number of competing explanations for jobless recoveries have emerged. On the one hand there is evidence of dynamic structural change including offshoring/globalization and technological advances that are resulting in the loss of middle‐skill (routine) employment. Other studies emphasize a less dynamic economy with slower growth, reduced labor market fluidity, a decline in startup activity, and even economic stagnation. This study exploits variation among U.S. states to assess the degree that stagnation and/or important structural changes in the economy contribute to the recent phenomenon of jobless recoveries. We find support for both the stagnation and structural change theories of jobless recoveries. On the stagnation side, we find evidence that lower startup rates are a significant predictor of jobless recoveries. We also find evidence that links dynamic structural change to the jobless recovery phenomenon. More specifically states experiencing a long‐run downward trend in the share of routine employment are more likely to experience a jobless recovery. Our results are consistent with the polarization theory where routine‐replacing technological advances permanently reduce demand for middle‐skill labor, thus contributing to jobless recoveries. (JEL E32, E24)     

Imagining young adults’ citizenship in Russia: from fatalism to affective ideas of belonging*

This article contributes to a comparative analysis of the meaning of citizenship for youth. Young people, traditionally seen as ‘incomplete’ citizens in the process of transition to adulthood, possess their own everyday understanding of what it means to be a citizen in the contemporary world. Based on empirical qualitative material collected in two Russian cities, it is argued that there is a disjunction among young Russians between the ideal-typical perception of citizenship and the practical realisation of it. Particular emphasis is put on the ‘emotional’ understanding of citizenship by Russian youth involving the experience of particular feelings towards fellow citizens and the country.     

Helping Children Help: The Relation between Maternal Scaffolding and Children's Early Help

Theory and empirical research suggest that parental scaffolding of children's participation in chores may contribute to the development of early helping. Sixty mother–child dyads with toddlers between 18 and 24 months of age were assessed on two measures of scaffolding (during a cleanup chore; reading an emotionally laden book together). Children's helping was assessed in five tasks with an experimenter, and children were also assessed for social approach to an unfamiliar adult as a measure of sociability, and for internal state language as a measure of social understanding. Both mothers' scaffolding of everyday helping and children's sociability uniquely predicted individual differences in children's helping. Thus, individual differences in children's helping appear early, and are associated with both temperament and with parents' efforts to support and encourage young children's helpfulness.     

Therapist effects on dropout in couple therapy

Marriage and family therapy scholars have argued that therapists play a crucial role in successful couple therapy, yet little research has empirically documented that the therapist in couple therapy has a significant impact on outcomes. Known as the study of therapist effects, this study sought to assess the amount of variance attributed to the therapist in couple therapy outcomes. Using dropout as the outcome variable, this study analyzed data from 1,192 couples treated by 90 masters and doctoral student therapists at a university‐based training clinic. Results from multilevel analysis indicated that therapists in the sample accounted for 9.4% of the variance in couple dropout while controlling for initial couple impairment. Therapist gender and therapist experience did not significantly predict variability in therapist effects. These findings give promise to future research on therapist effects in couple therapy and encourage exploration into which therapist characteristics and behaviors contribute to successful clinical outcome.     

The Partisan Impact of Congressional Redistricting: The Case of Texas, 2001–2003*

Objective. In this article we assess the partisan effects of five plans proposed by Republican state legislators during Texas' 2003 congressional redistricting. Methods. Using the JudgeIt statistical program developed by Gelman and King (2001) , and data provided by the Texas Legislative Council, we assess the bias, responsiveness, and the probability that the Democratic Party wins each district for each plan. Results. All five Republican plans, including the one enacted, are strongly biased in favor of the Republican Party. Conclusions. Texas' Democratic legislators were wise to use every parliamentary maneuver available to block the enactment of a new congressional map. Beyond affecting the partisan makeup of the Texas delegation, Texas' redistricting has national implications because it adds to the GOP's narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.     

In the Face of Conflict: Work‐Life Conflict and Desired Work Hour Adjustments

This study helps integrate the work‐life and work hours literatures by examining competing predictions about the relationship between work‐life conflict and the desire for paid work. Using data from the 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce (N =2,178), I find that work‐life conflict makes women want to decrease the number of hours they work whether the conflict originates at home or at work. Men only want to decrease their hours when work‐life conflict originates at work, and some men facing frequent conflict actually want to increase their hours. I also find that having children does not increase the likelihood of wanting to work fewer hours but having a higher income does.     

Evaluating optimal fertilizer rates using plant measurements

Correctly adjusting the amount of nitrogen fertilizer to crop needs is important for both economic and environmental reasons. A recent development in nitrogen fertilization is the use of plant measurements to indicate plant nitrogen status. We present a theoretical treatment of this practice. We assume that yield response to nitrogen dose can be described using a random parameter model. The lack of precise knowledge of the parameter values leads to calculated nitrogen doses that are not optimal. The plant measurement allows one to calculate a conditional distribution of the parameter values, which leads to improved calculated nitrogen doses. We apply the treatment to a data set for wheat in northern France. It is shown that the use of a plant measurement, compared with no measurement, has only a minor effect on net profit, but achieves this with less nitrogen and, in particular, reduces the probability of large excesses of nitrogen beyond crop needs.     

Is He a Hero or a Weirdo? How Norm Violations Influence the Halo Effect

First impressions are often influenced by the context in which we experience them. Many factors, such as behavior, appearance, and our own personal attitudes can affect the way that these perceptions are constructed. The present experiment sought to examine the effect of positive norm violation on females’ perceptions of male facial attractiveness. Two male faces (attractive and unattractive) with similar features were partnered with two scenarios of positive norm violation (low intensity and high intensity) while being rated on personality characteristics. Two separate halo effects were hypothesized in the experiment: attractiveness and high violation. An interaction effect in the form of a magnified halo was also predicted. Participants were 178 female college students. Results showed favorable ratings for the attractive male face and the low violation condition, with the attractive, low violation condition receiving the most positive results. Data supported a significant effect for positive norm violation, but not for male facial attractiveness. A significant interaction effect between the two variables was also observed.     

Adolescents' Prosocial Behavior Toward Family,Friends, and Strangers: A Person‐Centered Approach

This study examined longitudinal change in adolescents' prosocial behavior toward family, friends, and strangers. Participants included 491 mother–child dyads (average age of child at Time 1 = 11.5, 67% European American). Growth mixture modeling suggested that prosocial behavior toward family was generally stable or decreased over time, while prosocial behavior toward friends increased over time. However, findings highlighted unique developmental trajectories within subgroups of adolescents for prosocial behavior toward family and friends and found that maternal warmth and adolescent sympathy, self‐regulation, and gender consistently distinguished between groups. Discussion focuses on the need for a more multidimensional approach to prosocial development.     

The Scottish perspective: a pathway to progress?

This chapter provides a historical overview of the development of care and aftercare practices in Scotland. It highlights significant developments in legislation and social policy and offers a critical analysis that draws on the author's experience as a practitioner.