Productivity drift in extended learning curves

The pattern of changes in the Extended Learning Curves representing the performance of 114 assembly workers in an electronics firm is examined in terms of changes in productivity drift over long periods of time. It is shown that 2 types of discontinuities can occur. The first consists of a temporary levelling off in productivity followed by a recovery to new higher levels of productivity; the second has a sustained period of negative productivity drift. A number of work facets are statistically tested as possible causes of these patterns of productivity drift, but, the only significant relationship (at P ≤ 0.05 level) is with length of service in job. Some evidence is presented to show that conventional work measurement methods are not effective in terms of assessing the true work output of experienced workers since such workers are able to beat the system by claiming those allowances which are most difficult to cross-check.     

Welfare consequences of the Swedish disability service system

It has been frequently discussed whether the Swedish disability service system is efficient and whether it meets the demands of equity. The costs of the system for support and service were recently estimated to be USD 11 billion. This article describes the welfare situation for disabled people compared with the general population in Sweden. The Swedish disability service system has managed to provide disabled people with a disposable income over the subsistence minimum in Sweden, but also in the same range as for the general population. In other welfare parameters, disabled people appear to have great welfare losses compared with the general population. Evaluations of handicap technologies (such as service and support) aiming to reduce or compensate for these welfare losses have to meet the requirements of equity and efficiency of the Swedish disability service system.     

Polytomous logistic model for matched pairs case-control design:studies with covariates

Pair-wise matched case-control design is commonly used in epidemiological analysis for estimating odds ratios. In the most simplest situation, each subject is classified according to a binary outcome and the factor of interest being a two-level factor. Binary logistic models have beenfound to be very useful for studying such relationship. In our earlier studies we have shown that polytomous logistic model can be used for estimating odds ratios when the exposure of prime interest assumes multiple levels. In this paper, using the above model, we estimate the odds ratios for the possible levels of risk factor of interest adjusting for covariates which were notincluded in the matching process. An illustrative example is presented and discussed.     

Cognitive and hemispheric inversions when learning nonstandard arithmetic

Understanding the proofs of compactness theorems regarding the consistency of the existence of infinite or infinitesimal numbers was found to be related to the dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere over the right one. This phenomenon is not weakened when learning, the compactness theorem is followed by learning about internal and external sets, which is also related to such a dominance. However, when the learning of the compactness theorem is followed by learning about monads and galaxies instead of internal and external sets, the understanding of the consistency of the existence of the infinite or infinitesimal numbers was found to be related to the dominance of the right cerebral hemisphere over the left one. A cognitive and neuropsychological model is given to explain these phenomena.     

A comparative analysis of some correlates of intra-spouse age disparity: a status determinant

Age differences between spouses in India are analyzed. The data concern 144 farm families in isolated villages and 149 families in less isolated villages in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The results show greater age differences between spouses in the more isolated villages. Reasons for this age gap are considered.     

Cultural competence in the assessment of poor Mexican families in the rural southeastern United States

Increasing numbers of poor Mexican immigrant families are settling in the rural southeastern United States. Most of these families are from isolated agrarian communities in Mexico and are headed by unskilled laborers or displaced farm workers with little education. Child welfare workers and other service providers in rural communities may be poorly prepared to address the needs of this population. This article provides an overview of the cultural, social, and family dynamics of first generation, working class Mexicans to promote cultural competency among helping professionals. An ecological perspective is used to examine the strengths that poor Mexicans bring from their culture of origin, stresses of the migratory experience and ongoing adaptation, shifts that may occur in family structure and functioning, disruptions in the family life cycle, the role of social supports in family adaptation, and effect of institutional discrimination on family well-being. Suggestions also are made for essential components of adequate in-service education.     

Welfare to work: Building a better path to private employment opportunities

As welfare reform legislation takes effect, employers in both the private and public sectors hope to create jobs and offer employment to over two million former welfare recipients entering the labor market. We examine the economic environment facing these welfare-to-work efforts: the job market and the characteristics of the welfare population, current business approaches, and employment policy regulations which could be changed to ease the often difficult transition from welfare to work. This paper was originally prepared as a background paper for the Employment Policy Foundation's Wel-fare to Work forum held November 12, 1997 in cooperation with the National Alliance of Business and the John M. Olin Institute for Employment Practice and Policy. The authors gratefully acknowledge the con-tributions of James Van Erden to this paper, and the helpful comments of Max Lyons, Edward Potter, and Gary Shiu on earlier drafts.