Couples' Views about Planning Fertility in the Philippines*

Abstract This research examines Filipino couples' attitudes toward the occurrence and timing of their most recent pregnancies. Differences between processes operating in rural and urban areas are highlighted. Specific topics include the role of couples' fertility preferences in predicting the intention status of pregnancies, the effect of personal agency in decision making about contraception and childbearing, and whether women who are better able to communicate with their husbands about sex and related matters are more able than other women to avoid unintended births. These topics are explored through survey data and in‐depth interviews.     

Solar panels, shovels and the 'Net: Selective uses of technology in the homesteading movement

Although the dystopian and utopian academic literature on technology present either a pessimistic or optimistic picture of its societal impact, people's everyday uses of technology often counter such views. This paper examines the selective uses of technology, and particularly communications technology, in the everyday practices of homesteaders, or members of the 'back to the land' movement in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Using an ethnographic approach, this study analyzes how homesteaders' ideology of voluntary simplicity informs their complex, everyday engagement with technology.     

Do Flow Rates Respond Asymmetrically to Water Level? Evidence from the Edwards Aquifer

This research examines the time series relationship between the Comal Springs flow rate and the water level in the Edwards Aquifer (Well J-17). The empirical methodology utilizes threshold autoregression (TAR) and momentum-TAR models that allow for asymmetry in responses and adjustments to a disequilibrium in the long-run cointegrating relationship. Based on the results, an asymmetric error-correction model (AECM) is proposed to characterize the short-run and long-run dynamic relationship between spring flow and water level. The results have implications for the management of water resources, water demand, and ecosystems.     

The impact of employer-sponsored child care on female labor supply behavior: Evidence from the nursing profession

This paper studies the effects of employer-sponsored child care on two dimensions of the labor supply behavior of women with young children: annual hours worked and attachment to the employer. Data from the 1988 Biennial Survey of Illinois Registered Nurses are used in the empirical analysis. The provision of employer-sponsored child care is found to have significant positive effects on both aspects of labor supply.     

An epidemiological model applied to planning and evaluation of local health department services

Utilizing epidemiological methods in the planning process, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, focuses on community-based and patient-based standards. These standards are identified and applied in the evaluation of local health department programs. Emphasis is first on prevention, taking into consideration life style, environment, health systems, and biological factors, in developing objectives from which these standards are derived. The evaluation process is based on sampling techniques to obtain patient data and vital statistics for community data. The success of this model is a function of decentralization.     

Unexpected Caregiving in Later Life: Illuminating the Narratives of Resilience of Grandmothers and Relative Caregivers through Photovoice Methodology

ABSTRACT

This research study implements photovoice methodology with unexpected caregivers to illuminate the lived experiences of female grandparents and relative caregivers who are raising young children in the later stages of their life. As they enter older adulthood, grandmothers are increasingly finding themselves taking care of their children’s children for various reasons, including, but not limited to, their adult child’s incarceration, mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction, or child abuse or neglect. Informed by various feminist theoretical lenses, we use photovoice methodology to highlight the narratives of resilience and explore the ways in which grandmothers re-conceptualize their roles and identity as an unexpected caregiver and the sources of strength and resilience that inform the ways in which they navigate the various circumstances in their lives.