The Bumpy Road to a Tobacco-Free Community: Lessons from Well City

Over 880 communities have put regulations in place to reduce or eliminate tobacco use in buildings used by the public. This study examines the experience of one such community—Well City, Ohio. The nonsmoker protection efforts in Well City help us identify and discuss eight important considerations affecting policy development and implementation: (1) anticipate community opposition, (2) identify and collaborate with a support network, (3) control the community hearing process, (4) anticipate outside interests, (5) recognize the potential for legal challenges, (6) address life with legal limbo, (7) start strong, and (8) watch the mix of politics and public health. Current clean indoor air efforts seem to focus on establishing coalitions and encouraging employers to voluntarily establish tobacco-free workplaces and restaurants. These efforts certainly need to continue but as a basic part of a comprehensive program which recognizes the importance and fosters the development of strong nonsmoker protection regulations developed at the local level by health boards, county boards of supervisors, and/or city councils.     

Wage change in the late career: A model for the outcomes of job sequences

This paper elaborates a model for the outcomes of job sequences and illustrates its utility by an empirical analysis of the determinants of wage change for men in their late careers. We argue that job sequences represent the basic components of careers and that a focus on these sequences is useful for explaining the determinants of socioeconomic inequality over the life cycle. Our model permits us to estimate the effects on wage change of a wide array of personal resources and measures of the opportunity structure. We further assess how these types of factors differentially affect wage change for various patterns of labor market behavior and for blacks vs whites. Our empirical analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Middle-Aged Men suggests the importance of patterns of job sequences for wage change and for the explanation of racial differentials in career advancement.     

“Not for the fainthearted”: Engaging in cross-national comparative research

Gerontologists are increasingly taking up the challenge of cross-national research and while there has been an increase in reporting on the product (findings) of this type of scholarship, there has been much less written about the process (methodology) of this approach, particularly in the gerontological literature. In 2009 our newly formed research team enthusiastically embarked on a cross-national comparative research study of social isolation and aging. In this paper, we ‘publicly’ reflect on our research process, sharing what we have learned — what ‘happened’, strategies that ‘worked’, places along the way where we might have intervened to mitigate the difficulties we encountered, and the implications of our experience on our research. Integrating the knowledge gained through our lens as newcomers to international comparative research, we end by presenting a Conceptual Framework for Cross-National Research.     

Culturally sensitive social work: promoting cultural competence

In current times of great conflict and clashes between different cultures and worldviews, cultural competencies should be a well embedded feature of social work education. This is a fundamental and cross-cutting issue; however, we question whether it is an obvious concern in social work education in European countries, specifically in Portugal, and if the curriculum of social work courses covers this topic. This article is based on research that seeks to find out if there are mandatory curricular units of the disciplinary field of social work that explicitly address culturally sensitive social work and cultural competencies. Thus, this article presents a study that focuses on educational institutions that provide social work courses in Portugal, and has the potential to be extended to other countries. An online survey and a document analysis of the curriculum programmes of all Portuguese courses in social work were conducted. The study results revealed the lack of curricular units with clear terms relating to the topic of culturally sensitive social work. The implications for practice and educational policy are also discussed, which lead to a reflection and analysis of the evaluation and accreditation process of social work education in Portugal, with a conclusion that it is incomplete and faces major challenges in curriculum development and course accreditation. Challenges and opportunities in developing social work curricula, as well the debate around a generic or specialist social work education are also discussed. Finally, the authors suggest an opportunity to develop cultural competencies through continuing and lifelong learning for social workers.     

Musings on male sex work: a "virtual" discussion

Contributors and editors were asked to respond to a series of questions concerning male sex work in order to stimulate an informal "conversation." Some of the topics explored include: why people seek the services of prostitutes; is the term "sex work" favorable to "prostitution": is it right to pay for sex; and is exploitation a necessary part of the sex worker/client interchange'? Contributors' responses were compiled and listed in the order they were received. Common elements of their responses are summarized and the advantages of this informal approach are articulated.     

Nonparametric panel stationarity testing with an application to crude oil production

A nonparametric panel stationarity test is proposed which offers the advantage of not requiring prior specification of the trend function for each of the series in the panel. A bootstrap implementation of the test is outlined and its finite sample performance is analyzed via Monte Carlo simulations. An application is also included where the proposed test is used to analyze the stochastic properties of monthly crude oil production for a panel of 20 -both OPEC and non-OPEC- countries from 1973 to 2015. Our analysis detects strong evidence of non-stationarity, both globally and group-wise. Results have implications for the effectiveness of government intervention and stabilization policies.KEYWORDS: Stationarity testing, panel, nonparametric, bootstrap, oil production     

The voice of young people – contribution for their involvement in the school

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this action research project was to gain an understanding of, and to mobilise the voices of diverse young people enrolled in a Portuguese secondary school. A case study methodology, in conjunction with action research methodology, was used for this study. The action research data indicated that projects conceived throughout the study were successful in mobilising the voices of 14 young secondary school students in decision-making processes. The young people engaged democratically, made informed decisions about themselves and their peers, managed conflicts, and reinforced the importance of interpersonal relationships. These changes took place at the individual, as well as group levels.