Religious Participation and Civic Engagement in a Secular Context: Evidence from Sweden on the Correlates of Attending Religious Services

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - The aim of the present study is to investigate the potential link between religious participation and civic engagement in...     

Das Deprivationskonzept in der Rechtsextremismusforschung

Economic deprivation and unemployment is — especially in the public debate — a very popular model if one tries to explain the development of right wing extremism. In the scientific discussion the evaluation of the concept is controversial. The results of empirical studies range from median to no effects at all. One reason for this heterogeneity of results may be due to the variance of different concepts that are in use. Therefore the present study tries to develop a systematic view on different concepts of deprivation. In the empirical analyses a comparative test of the explanatory power of these concepts is presented. It is shown that only collective, especially collective emotional deprivation has a significant impact on ethnocentric attitudes. However, deprivation on the individual level is related to ethnocentrism if social contexts are framed by situations of real economic conflicts.     

Ehrenamt in Deutschland und Großbritannien – Sprungbrett zurück auf den Arbeitsmarkt?

The article examines the influence of volunteering on re-employment chances of the unemployed in Germany and Great Britain. On the basis of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), random effect logit models are used to show a positive influence of volunteering on the labour market chances mainly for young unemployed British males. The article develops a theoretical explanation for these findings based on human and social capital theories as well as on the Varieties of Capitalism approach. This enables the relevance of volunteering in the labour market to be evaluated, not only with respect to the volunteer’s sex and age but also with respect to the institutional context factors.     

Is There a Primary Mom? Parental Perceptions of Attachment Bond Hierarchies Within Lesbian Adoptive Families

Basic tenets of attachment theory were evaluated in a qualitative study of 15 lesbian couples with internationally adopted children, focusing on parental perceptions of a primary mother-child attachment within the families. Interviews with 30 mothers examined variables affecting the hierarchy of parenting bonds, including division of labor, time with the child, and parental legal status. All children developed attachments to both mothers, but 12 of the 15 had primary bonds to one mother despite shared parenting and division of labor between the partners. Quality of maternal caretaking was a salient contributing factor; no significant relationship existed between primary parenting and parental legal status.     

Embodied Women at Work in Neoliberal Times and Places

In this article five women explore (female) embodiment in academic work in current workplaces. In a week‐long collective biography workshop they produced written memories of themselves in their various workplaces and memories of themselves as children and as students. These memories then became the texts out of which the analysis was generated. The authors examine the constitutive and seductive effects of neoliberal discourses and practices, and in particular, the assembling of academic bodies as particular kinds of working bodies. They use the concept of chiasma, or crossing over, to trouble some aspects of binary thinking about bodies and about the relations between bodies and discourses. They examine the way that we simultaneously resist and appropriate, and are seduced by and appropriated within, neoliberal discourses and practices.     

Caring for informal caregivers: policy approaches to the provision of direct support services

Despite being the backbone of modern welfare states, the informal care sector for elderly people in need of long-term care is highly dysfunctional. The majority of informal caregivers are overburdened on account of their care-related activities, although an evolving market for support services directly aimed at relieving informal caregivers is observable. In this paper, we examine the reasons for the imperfect exchange between demand and supply in this market, applying the economic theory of market failure. Through a case study of Austria based on an empirical, qualitative survey of all direct support services and their suppliers on the national level as well as in three provinces, an understanding of this market's main players and mechanisms is derived. Thus, the authors determine that three different system types can be identified beyond the historical regional discrepancies. They illustrate the approaches to service provision for informal caregivers: centralized and public, laissez-faire and private, and a radically decentralized network for informal caregivers. Still, lack of information, social and psychological barriers, as well as high transaction costs, are identified which undermine the support service market for informal care. If the costs of the formal long-term care sector are to be contained despite demographic developments, better policy approaches will be necessary to overcome this challenge. In light of this, recommendations are derived to ensure a better exchange between supply and demand. By providing an initial empirical understanding and analysis of this market and its imperfections, the authors pioneer future quantitative research in this field.     

Voluntary Associations Within the Local Political Context: How Characteristics of the Organizations and the Local Governments Influence Perceptions of Success

A cornerstone of democracy is the capacity of citizens to influence political decisions either through elections or by making their will known in the periods between elections. The aim of the present study is twofold: (1) to explore what factors inherent of the voluntary associations that determine the perceived success in their attempts to influence policy and (2) to investigate what role the composition of the local government have on the perceived success. This study is based on a survey conducted among 404 local voluntary associations in four different municipalities in Sweden. The results show that the frequency contacts influence perceived success positively, while the level of civic engagement of the voluntary associations affected the perceived success negatively. Having a heterogeneous local government also contributed positively to the perceived success to influence policy.