From Rags to Riches: Jewish Oligarchs in Russia

SELECTIVE REMINISCENCES

KHRUSHCHEV REMEMBERS. THE LAST TESTAMENT, translated and edited by Strobe Talbott. London, André Deutsch; New York, Little Brown, 1974. xxxi, 602 pp. Illus. Appendix. £4.95; $12.95.

HISTORY OF ZIONISM IN RUSSIA

HA‐TENUAH HA‐TSIYONIT BE‐RUSYA (The Zionist Movement in Russia), by Yitshak Maor. Jerusalem, Ha‐Histadrut ha‐Tsiyonit, 1974. 597 pp.

A CONTRIBUTION TO JEWISH DEMOGRAPHY

STUDIES IN JEWISH DEMOGRAPHY: SURVEY FOR 1969–1971, edited by U. O. Schmelz, P. Glickson and S. J. Gould (Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; and Institute of Jewish Affairs, London), 1975. 375 pp. N.p.

ANTI‐ZIONISM AND ANTISEMITISM

SOVIET ANTI‐SEMITISM: THE PARIS TRIAL, ed. and with an Introduction by Emanuel Litvinoff, London, Wildwood House, 1974. 120 pp. £3.00.

POLZUCHAYA KONTRREVOLYUTSIYA (Creeping Counterrevolution), by Vladimir Begun, Minsk, Izdatelstvo “Belarus”, 1974. 191 pp. 28 kop.

AN UNSATISFACTORY STUDY

THE SOVIET TREATMENT OF JEWS, by Harry G. Shaffer. New York, Washington, London, Praeger, 1974. 231 pp. £6.50.

FASCISM AND ANTISEMITISM IN THE DANUBE BASIN

THE SHADOW OF THE SWASTIKA. THE RISE OF FASCISM AND ANTI‐SEMITISM IN THE DANUBE BASIN, 1936–1939, by Bela Vago. Farnborough, Saxon House, D. C. Heath, for the Institute of Jewish Affairs, London, 1975. 431 pp. Docs. Maps. Index of Names. Subject Index. Appendix. £6.50.

THE JEWS OF HUNGARY

EVKONYV 1973/74 (Yearbook 1973/74), ed. by Sándor Scheiber. Budapest, Magyar Izraeliták Országos Képviselete, 1974. 382 pp. Illus. 40 Ft.

A PICTURE OF POLISH SOCIETY BETWEEN THE WARS

SPOLECZENSTWO DRUGIEJ RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ 1918–1939 (The Society of Interwar Poland 1918–1939), by Janusz Zarnowski. Warsaw, PWN (State Scientific Publishers), 1973. 435 pp. 40 zl.     

The Multicultural Welfare State: International Experience and North American Narratives

Contemporary debates are increasingly pessimistic about the impact of ethnic diversity on support for the welfare state. A growing number of analysts argue that greater ethnic diversity in Western democracies is weakening public support for redistribution, and that this underlying tension is exacerbated by the adoption of robust multiculturalism policies. The purpose of this essay is to summarize early findings from several studies that bear on the questions at the heart of such debates. These studies analyse the implications of immigration and multiculturalism policies for the welfare state across OECD countries, and also focus more closely on the experience of two distinctively multicultural countries, the United States and Canada. The evidence points to more complex relationships than often assumed. OECD countries with large foreign‐born populations have not had more difficulty in sustaining their welfare states than other countries. The extent of change does seem to matter, however, as countries in which immigrant communities grew rapidly between 1970 and the late 1990s did experience lower rates of growth in social spending. But despite the warnings of some critics, robust multiculturalism policies do not systematically exacerbate this tension. Moreover, the United States and Canada reflect different patterns. In the US racial diversity does weaken support for redistribution; but Canadian experience suggests that immigration, multiculturalism policies and redistribution can represent a stable political equilibrium. These contrasting narratives from North America stand as a warning against premature conclusions based on the US experience alone. There is no inevitability at work, and policy choices do seem to matter.     

Lawyers in the legislature: The case of Ohio

Do lawyer-legislators differ significantly from their non-lawyer colleagues? This question is significant given the large number of lawyers occupying state and federal legislatures. The predominant theory of “professional convergence” holds that lawyer-legislators and non-lawyer-legislators exhibit no significant differences. In examining the Ohio General Assembly, this study finds that lawyers tend to be more ambitious, and think of their legislative roles differently than their non-lawyer associates. The study concludes that convergence theory needs to be revised to become attuned to present day realities of law and politics.     

Parenthood and Marital Satisfaction: A Meta‐Analytic Review

This meta‐analysis finds that parents report lower marital satisfaction compared with nonparents (d=?.19, r=?.10). There is also a significant negative correlation between marital satisfaction and number of children (d=?.13, r=?.06). The difference in marital satisfaction is most pronounced among mothers of infants (38% of mothers of infants have high marital satisfaction, compared with 62% of childless women). For men, the effect remains similar across ages of children. The effect of parenthood on marital satisfaction is more negative among high socioeconomic groups, younger birth cohorts, and in more recent years. The data suggest that marital satisfaction decreases after the birth of a child due to role conflicts and restriction of freedom.     

Self-advocates have the last say on friendship

This study reports the friendship experiences and aspirations of adults with intellectual disabilities. The findings of a larger study were reviewed by an expert group of self-advocates with intellectual disability. The expert group confirmed some of the interpretation of the original data and expanded on issues. Friendship is established as an issue of concern among adults with intellectual disability. Consequently, policy-makers and service providers need to be intentional about providing support for friendships. Participants asserted a positive self-identity of being a person with intellectual disability and how this could be a basis for friendship. Also, people with intellectual disability demonstrated how they should be considered experts in their own life experience and how they can be effectively included in the formulation, implementation, analysis and review of research.     

National Health Insurance: An Alternate Medical Viewpoint

Increasing medical technology, expertise and community expectations of health care are leading to an alarming escalation of health costs throughout the world. Many health planners are expressing doubts as to whether quality of health care can be maintained in the present circumstances. It is maintained that the Australian Government's proposal of National Health Insurance is an interim measure, intended to grant hospital and medical expenditure assistance to the entire community, at minimum cost. There is little evidence that the scheme threatens the medical market place, as it is seen at the moment, and a plea is made for productive and constructive discussion of the scheme by the medical profession.