Navigating Identities: Subtle and Public Agency of Bicultural Gay Youth

Young people who discover their sexual attraction to people of the same sex often go through a period of ambivalence or distress, especially when they grow up in an environment that condemns homosexuality. The Dutch sociopolitical context makes the expression of same-sex desires among those with non-Dutch roots even more complicated and risky, as prevailing schemes of interpretation render the two identities incompatible. This study explores the expressions of same-sex desires and identities as well as the different forms of agency of bicultural gay youth. In-depth interviews with 14 young adults reveal how young people negotiate bicultural identities in Dutch society that brings to the fore complexities in managing diverse sexual identities and strong religious and cultural affiliations in tandem. Their strategies have the effect of questioning dominant discourses and transcend the oppositional dichotomy between sexual and ethnic forms of sociocultural otherness.     

The fiscal impact of immigration to welfare states of the Scandinavian type

In this paper, we examine the potential of immigration to strengthen fiscal sustainability, which is under pressure by an ageing population in many European countries. We look at a particularly challenging case, namely that of Denmark, which has extensive tax-financed welfare programmes that provide a high social safety net. The analysis is based on a forecast of the entire Danish economy made using a dynamic computable general equilibrium model with overlapping generations. We present life cycle estimates of the potential fiscal impact of immigration considering the cost of immigration on the margin as well as on average. The main conclusion is that immigrants from Western countries have a positive fiscal impact, while immigrants from non-Western countries have a large negative one, which is also the case when considering only non-refugee immigrants. The negative effect is caused by both a weak labour market performance and early retirement in combination with the universal Danish welfare schemes.     

Problematising Australia's Nanny Pilot Program as evidence‐based policy: A reconstruction of the problem of childcare

In a notable departure from long‐standing childcare policy in Australia, in January 2016 fee relief was extended to nannies providing in‐home care in a 2‐year pilot program. This policy is significant as fee relief is not tied to the meeting of regulatory requirements designed to ensure quality early learning and care for young children. Drawing on Carol Bacchi's approach to policy analysis, this paper extends previous problematising of evidence‐based policy by highlighting the value of first considering how a policy ‘problem’ has been constructed. We propose that the nanny pilot is an ideologically driven policy that has emanated from a construction of childcare that is adult (parent)‐centred and marginalises the needs and interests of young children. Accordingly, certain evidence is privileged while other evidence is ignored, with the ensuing policy focused on economic imperatives rather than quality early learning and care experiences for young children. We draw on an analysis of parent, peak body and researcher submissions to the Productivity Commission's 2013–2014 childcare inquiry, nanny‐focused research, and data from three national surveys to explore the limitations of such a policy approach. The utility of problem reconstruction as a means of disrupting policy‐informed evidence and the legitimisation of purported evidence‐based policy is considered.     

Covenant Attachment: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of Christian Couples and God

The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a deeper understanding of the relational system of married couples and God. We interviewed nine marital couples from Christian denominations that reported having a strong relationship with each other and with God together. We used constructivist grounded theory techniques presented by Charmaz (2006) and analyzed emergent categories of behaviors, emotions, and cognitions to construct a theory and model of Christian marital couples and their shared relationship with God. We then compared and contrasted the results and theory to existing literature on attachment theory and theorized a shared attachment to God. We applied the theological concept of kinship covenant to the results in order to organize and situate the theory into a Christian framework. Finally, we discuss clinical, pastoral, and future research implications.     

品味璀璨冬日美馔莫尔顿海鲜牛排坊

第一次吃到牛排是小时候第一次去西餐厅吃的。当时的牛排还是西方的舶来品,稀罕吃食。服务员端上来的滋滋作响的黑色铁板上,除了一大块牛排,还堆放着满满的配菜和意面。后来年纪渐长,吃过的牛排也真真是数都数不过来了,除了文艺范十足的西式餐厅,也有市井巷尾的隐蔽小店,居然也混进过正统的米其林餐厅。不管是下里巴人还是阳春白雪,在我心中留下印象的牛排馆子居然是美式风格十足的莫尔顿海鲜牛排坊。     

Beratung im Kontext des Neuen Steuerungsmodells in der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe

The main elements of the ongoing reform of youth welfare in Germany “Neue Steuerung” (“New Regulation”) are the reconstruction of its administration, local networking and the transfer of economical criterions to the context of social work. Advisors and coaches, working in this field, are confronted with a problem, which is highly characterized by institutional dynamics of changes, and especially with the question of efficiency of social measures. We think, it is important that advisers, coaches an supervisors, who work in this field of “New Regulation”, are informed profoundly of the current state of the reform of the administration in their region, that they find their own point-of-view to the theme of pressure in financing social measures and social providing, and that they create a flexible supply of consultation, which is comprehensive in methods and that they cooperate with their clients` institutions.     

Early onset of drinking as a predictor of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in college

A survey of 4,202 students enrolled in the State University System of Florida from 1986 to 1988 showed that 14 percent started drinking in elementary school, 34 percent started in middle school, 45 percent in high school, and 7 percent in college. A General Linear Models analysis of variance procedure showed that the time of first drink significantly predicted the quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption and the incidence of alcohol-related problems reported by students in college. Students who started to drink while in elementary and middle school reported significantly higher levels of consumption and problems than those who started drinking while in high school or college.     

Publication patterns of faculty in commision on accreditation for marriage and family therapy education programs

Journal articles published by faculty in Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) programs from 1998 to 2002 were analyzed to determine patterns regarding the amount and type of research conducted by this group. Fifty-eight percent of the articles were identified as research. Slightly more than 10% of these dealt with clinical processes and outcomes. Forty percent of studies reported a specific source of funding. Twenty-nine percent of research articles used qualitative methods, with percentages rising over the course of time. Results suggest the average number of publications per faculty member was relatively low, particularly for senior faculty. Implications for these findings are discussed.