Impoverished Clientele and Influential Institutions: Perspectives on Neighborhood Poverty near Harvard Yard

The role of institutions in the social reproduction of the economic status quo is not a new discovery in sociological literature. However, this literature rarely highlights how the catalysts of poverty are transparent in public institutions like schools, social services, police, or renowned universities such as Harvard. Drawing upon historical archival research, decennial census information, and ethnographic studies from the 1990s and early 2000s in Cambridge, Massachusetts we contribute to the discussions about urban poverty. We argue that there are structural factors other than the widely discussed spread of socio-geopolitical isolation or racial dynamics that prevent poor residents from bridging social distances and experiencing upward mobility. Those dynamics are specifically visible in cases such as Cambridge where the consequences of economic shifts and racial dynamics were not as dire as in other cities, but the exclusionary practices are still present. We implicate systematic ‘exclusionary closure,’ as defined by Max Weber and employed by Loïc Wacquant, operating in influential institutions. Following Wacquant’s lead, we argue that institutional practices and policies have played a large role in creating and maintaining urban marginality and pockets of poverty in Cambridge. Institutions like these, considered foundational to social and intellectual advancement, may be key players in the perpetuation of urban poverty.     

Recruitment and Retention of Latinos in Social Work Education: Building on Students’ Community Cultural Wealth

Spanish-speaking and culturally sensitive social workers are in high demand throughout the country to work with Latino clients. Latinos currently represent about 11% of active social workers, limiting the capacity of social work to effectively address the needs of the Latino population. Despite this shortage, little attention has been paid to the recruitment and retention of Latinos in social work. This article presents a case study that examines a BSW program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, at a bilingual, private college where 90% of students self-identify as Latinos. It details how the BSW program builds on the students’ community cultural wealth to ensure continued recruitment and retention of Latino students. Implications for social work education are discussed.     

State of the art in U.S. multicultural social work practice: Client expectations and provider challenges

ABSTRACT

To obtain a comprehensive view of the level of knowledge and development achieved in multicultural social work practice, I conducted a scoping review of U.S. empirical literature for the 10-year period from 2007 through 2016. The review revealed that across the board racial and ethnic minority clients continue to experience marginalization and report low satisfaction with services. Conversely, providers are subject to some tensions and biases toward multicultural practice exacerbated by employers’ lack of emphasis on cultural competence. The problematic findings from the review suggest that our current approaches to cultural competence may need to be reexamined.     

Updating Parameters of the Chicken Processing Line Model

A mathematical model of chicken processing that quantitatively describes the transmission of Campylobacter on chicken carcasses from slaughter to chicken meat product has been developed in Nauta et al. (2005). This model was quantified with expert judgment. Recent availability of data allows updating parameters of the model to better describe processes observed in slaughterhouses. We propose Bayesian updating as a suitable technique to update expert judgment with microbiological data. Berrang and Dickens's data are used to demonstrate performance of this method in updating parameters of the chicken processing line model.     

Intergenerational Mobility in Relative Educational Attainment and Health-Related Behaviours

Social Indicators Research - Research on intergenerational social mobility and health-related behaviours yields mixed findings. Depending on the direction of mobility and the type of mechanisms...     

Optimal designs under a multivariate linear model with additional nuisance parameters

The purpose of this paper is to characterize optimal designs under a multivariate linear model with additional nuisance parameters. We give relationships between optimality of designs in univariate models and in their multivariate extensions with known and partially known dispersion matrices.     

Women on Work,Women at Work: Visual Artists on Labour Exploitation

The aim of this paper is to explore an organizational issue of gender inequality in labour, represented in visual arts, and illustrated by critical artistic practice of Lucy McKenzie, Julita Wójcik and Mary Kelly. The paper seeks alternatives to patriarchal constructions of the gendered identity at work and the associated notions of the idealized managerial masculinities. I attend to working strategies and art making processes that reflect managerial otherness. The artists discussed engage in relational activities that have replaced dominant masculine values of managing and producing by a focus on collectivism, play and relational transmission. Work here is envisaged as a political and cultural category that alters a meaning of value and is considered crucial in formation of identity and a lifestyle choice. The paper reflects on invisibility of alternative ways of working, contributing to on-going multidisciplinary debate, challenging disadvantage and discrimination at work context and a disproportionate participation and representation of women in arts, management and in society as a whole. In a dim corner of my room for longer than my fancy thinks A beautiful and silent Sphinx has watched me through the shifting gloom. Inviolate and immobile she does not rise she does not stir For silver moons are naught to her and naught to her the suns that reel (From The Sphinx by Oscar Wilde)     

Does National Income Inequality Affect Individuals’ Quality of Life in Europe? Inequality,Happiness, Finances,and Health

This paper analyses the effect of income inequality on Europeans’ quality of life, specifically on their overall well-being (happiness, life satisfaction), on their financial quality of life (satisfaction with standard of living, affordability of goods and services, subjective poverty), and on their health (self-rated health, satisfaction with health). The simple bivariate correlations of inequality with overall well-being, financial quality of life, and health are negative. But this is misleading because of the confounding effect of a key omitted variable, national economic development (GDP per capita): Unequal societies are on average much poorer (r = 0.46) and so disadvantaged because of that. We analyse the multi-level European Quality of Life survey conducted in 2003 including national-level data on inequality (Gini coefficient) and economic development (GDP) and individual-level data on overall well-being, financial quality of life, and health. The individual cases are from representative samples of 28 European countries. Our variance-components multi-level models controlling for known individual-level predictors show that national per capita GDP increases subjective well-being, financial quality of life, and health. Net of that, the national level of inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has no statistically significant effect, suggesting that income inequality does not reduce well-being, financial quality of life, or health in advanced societies. These result all imply that directing policies and resources towards inequality reduction is unlikely to benefit the general public in advanced societies.     

On the efficiency of some non-orthogonal split-plot×split-block designs with control treatments

Many split-plot×split-block (SPSB) type experiments used in agriculture, biochemistry or plant protection are designed to study new crop plant cultivars or chemical agents. In these experiments it is usually very important to compare test treatments with the so-called control treatments. It happens yet that experimental material is limited and it does not allow using a complete (orthogonal) SPSB design. In the paper we propose a non-orthogonal SPSB design for consideration. Two cases of the design are presented here, i.e. when its incompleteness is connected with a crossed treatment structure only or with a nested treatment structure only. It is assumed the factors' levels connected with the incompleteness of the design are split into two groups: a set of test treatments and a set of control treatments. The method of constructions involves applying augmented block designs for some factors' levels. In a modelling data obtained from such experiments the structure of experimental material and appropriate randomization scheme of the different kinds of units before they enter the experiment are taken into account. With respect to the analysis of the obtained randomization model the approach typical to the multistratum experiments with orthogonal block structure is adapted. The proposed statistical analysis of linear model obtained includes estimation of parameters, testing general and particular hypotheses defined by the (basic) treatment contrasts with special reference to the notion of general balance.