Acculturation Identity and Higher Education: Is There a Trade‐off Between Ethnic Identity and Education?1

This paper examines the role of identification to home and host cultures on the pursuit of higher educations for individuals with immigrant backgrounds. Identity is defined according to a two‐dimensional acculturation framework based on strength of identification to both ethnic background cultures and the majority culture. Results indicate that integrated men that identify with both the majority and the background culture are associated with higher probabilities of completed tertiary educations than men that identify only with the majority culture as well as men with weak affiliations to both background and majority cultures. These results hold despite controls for early education outcomes and socioeconomic status. No systematic differences in higher educational attainment by identity are found for women once differences in early education are accounted for. These results put into question the premise of oppositional identities, i.e., a trade‐off between ethnic identity and higher educational achievement.     

Consistency of Generalized Maximum Spacing Estimates

General methods for the estimation of distributions can be derived from approximations of certain information measures. For example, both the maximum likelihood (ML) method and the maximum spacing (MSP) method can be obtained from approximations of the Kullback–Leibler information. The ideas behind the MSP method, whereby an estimation method for continuous univariate distributions is obtained from an approximation based on spacings of an information measure, were used by Ranneby & Ekstrom (1997) (using simple spacings) and Ekstrom (1997b) (using high order spacings) to obtain a class of methods, called generalized maximum spacing (GMSP) methods. In the present paper, GMSP methods will be shown to give consistent estimates under general conditions, comparable to those of Bahadur (1971) for the ML method, and those of Shao & Hahn (1999) for the MSP method. In particular, it will be proved that GMSP methods give consistent estimates in any family of distributions with unimodal densities, without any further conditions on the distributions.     

Estimating intrahousehold allocation in a collective model with household production

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the intra-family distribution of income and the individual demand for leisure and household production from Swedish cross-sectional household data. As a basis for the analysis, we use a collective model where each individual is characterized by his or her own utility function and divides total time between leisure, household production and market work. For the purpose of comparison, we also estimate a version that is consistent with a more traditional model of labor supply, the unitary model. Received: 14 April 2000/Accepted: 12 January 2001     

On the unbiasedness of iterated gls estimators

We Formulate sufficienct conditions for the existonce of the expectation of iterated generalized expectation of the iterated generalized least squares estimator, which consequently guarantee its unbiasedness, The analysis is applied to the maximum likelihood estimator in the general linear model with normal disturbances, where a set of assumptions ensures convergence of the iteration as well as unbiasedness.     

Support for Carers of Older People: The Roles of the Public and Voluntary Sectors in Sweden

This study examines the support services offered to informal caregivers, whether directly or indirectly, in Sweden over the period of a special investment initiative between 1999 and 2001. Data were collected in a Swedish county using two separate mail questionnaires in 1999 and 2001. The first questionnaire was addressed to each municipality in the region. The second questionnaire was sent to a random sample of voluntary organizations in the area. The findings showed that only the municipalities provided direct forms of relief service, day care and financial support. The voluntary organizations’ support for carers focused on support groups and training as well as services for older care users themselves. There was a significant increase between 1999 and 2001 in the number of municipalities providing information material and training for carers and using professional caregiver consultants. On the one hand, the Swedish public social care system appears to be following the international pattern in paying more attention to informal caregivers and investing in support services for them. On the other hand the findings did not show any growth in support provided by the voluntary organizations. Here Swedish welfare is dissimilar to other European countries, where it is increasingly common for voluntary organizations to play an important role as providers of support for carers.     

To be,or not to be,that is the question: An empirical study of the WTP for an increased life expectancy at an advanced age

This study reports an attempt to measure the value of an increased survival probability at advanced ages. It turns out that the average willingness to pay for a program which would increase the expected length of life by one year, conditional on having survived to the age of 75 years, is lower than $1,500. The willingness to pay increases with a person's age, but at a low and seemingly constant rate (1–4 percent per year).     

Coordinating External Manufacturing of Product Modules*

Product modularization has changed gradually from mainly being a way to bring strategic flexibility into product design, to becoming a means to reach new suppliers in a globalized world. Use of external suppliers is facilitated by the “embedded coordination” brought by standardized module interfaces which reduce the interdependence between modules manufactured by different suppliers. However, the distance between design and manufacturing is increased by heavy reliance on suppliers, and requires coordination between design and manufacturing. Hence, this article aims to identify appropriate mechanisms to enable coordination of external manufacturing of product modules. The investigation is based on two case studies in one manufacturing company that has for long relied heavily on external suppliers. The case studies identify different means, coordination mechanisms, of handling the increased distance between design and manufacturing. In addition to organizational solutions, various intermediaries including especially the supply chain function act as bridges between design and manufacturing. The appropriate mechanism to use is decided by the character of the product and the degree of upgrading. We recommend openness to adaptation to situation dynamics rather than investment in optimizing the level of integration with a particular supplier.     

Stereotypes about caregiving and lessons from the Swedish panorama of care

This article analyzes the panorama of care provision in Sweden from the informal carers' perspective. We consider informal care, publicly financed services, for-profit agencies and voluntary organizations, using a survey conducted in 2009. Most cared-for persons with minor needs living in a separate household are helped also by others, but only a tenth use public services or other providers. About half of cared-for persons with major needs living in a separate household receive care also from other informal carers as well as public services. Only 1 in 10 of them relied on no one else beyond the carer interviewed. Among intra household carers—a minority of all persons cared for—it was common that the carer was alone in his/her commitment, without any contributions from public services or others. For the large majority of informal carers it is not a solitary undertaking as the commitment is often shared with family members and others and/or public services. The results suggest that ideal types about complementarity and substitution may understate the complex interplay between informal care and the public services (and potential other providers). The findings may suggest a need for more empirical research about ‘Care Cultures’ and expose simplistic representations of welfare societies; informal care plays a major—and increasing—role also in Sweden, a country with extensive public services.