Over Time Dynamics of Monetary Intergenerational Exchanges

Using data from 9,674 individuals in three waves of the Health and Retirement Study, we used three latent-class transition models to predict the probabilities of monetary transfers that study participants made to adult children and received from their adult children over a 6-year period of time, from 1998 to 2002. Generally, we found a high degree of stability in over time transition patterns. Whereas time invariant predictor variables (i.e., age, race, and gender) were related to the probabilities of transfers in Wave 1 of the study, these variables were not predictive of over time changes. Only changes in marital status were consistently related to intergenerational exchanges of monetary resources over time.

Bayesian population reconstruction of female populations for less developed and more developed countries

We show that Bayesian population reconstruction, a recent method for estimating past populations by age, works for data of widely varying quality. Bayesian reconstruction simultaneously estimates age-specific population counts, fertility rates, mortality rates, and net international migration flows from fragmentary data, while formally accounting for measurement error. As inputs, Bayesian reconstruction uses initial bias-reduced estimates of standard demographic variables. We reconstruct the female populations of three countries: Laos, a country with little vital registration data where population estimation depends largely on surveys; Sri Lanka, a country with some vital registration data; and New Zealand, a country with a highly developed statistical system and good quality vital registration data. In addition, we extend the method to countries without censuses at regular intervals. We also use it to assess the consistency of results between model life tables and available census data, and hence to compare different model life table systems.     

A Literature Review Comparing the Outcomes of Residential Group Care and Therapeutic Foster Care

Both advocates of residential group care and therapeutic foster care claim that their programs serve the most troubled children and youth. Prior research, often limited to single sites and small numbers of subjects, have not confirmed such claims. The authors describe the evidence regarding these claims, the research literature pertaining to program effectiveness, and a means for empirically evaluating the impact of residential group care and therapeutic foster care.     

A comparison of the determinants of white and nonwhite interstate migration

The primary objective of this study is to present an explanation of the interstate migratory movements of white and nonwhite persons which occurred over the period 1955–1960. The study is similar to several other recent studies in that we estimate the magnitudes in which various factors have influenced interstate or interregional migration in the United States. It differs from earlier studies in two important respects. First, we estimate and compare the magnitudes in which certain factors have influenced both white and nonwhite interstate migration. Second, unlike previous studies, many of which have made “country-wide” estimates of the determinants of migration, we have disaggregated data to the state level and obtained white and nonwhite “migration elasticities” for every state. These elasticities are in turn used to test several additional hypotheses relating to racial and regional differences in the elasticities themselves. We argue that discrimination against nonwhites and/or differences in “social milieu” between South and nonsouth provide a unifying explanation for most of the observed differences in white and nonwhite migration elasticities.     

Risk of physical assault against school educators with histories of occupational and other violence: a case-control study

A case-control study design was used to investigate risks of work-related physical assault (PA) associated with a history of violent victimization among educators. A total of 6,469 state-licensed educators (Kindergarten - Grade 12) worked in the previous 12~months and were eligible to participate. Exposure data were collected from cases (reporting a PA event in previous 12 months, n=290) for the month before PA, and from controls (no work-related PA in previous 12 months; n=867) for a randomly selected working month. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals identified increased risks for educators with any prior history of work-related (17.3, 11.4-26.3) or non-work-related PA (2.0, 1.2-3.5). In addition, PA risk in the previous twelve months increased with the number of previous victimizations, and risk also increased for educators with histories of non-physical violence (work- and non work-related). The results present a compelling case for targeted interventions and further research.     

There's More Than Meets the Eye: The Nuances of Case Management

In this exploratory study, 50 mental health case managers from 2 Midwestern states were interviewed to capture their observations about the consumers they serve; aspects of the job they like and dislike; and their beliefs about the concept, process, and possibility of recovery from mental illness. The nature of the professional relationship in case management is described from the perspective of these professionals, as well as the methods these informants identify as key to the helping process. It is argued that effective case management requires complex and nuanced professional skills that might go unrecognized and underappreciated in community mental health.     

Social Movements,Protest and Mainstream Media

This article provides a broad, cross‐disciplinary overview of scholarship which has explored the dynamics between social movements, protests and their coverage by mainstream media across sociology, social movement studies, political science and media and communications. Two general approaches are identified ‘representational’ and ‘relational’ research. ‘Representational’ scholarship is that which has concerned itself with how social movements are portrayed or ‘framed’ in the media, how the media production process facilitates this, and the consequences thereof. ‘Relational’ scholarship concentrates on the asymmetrical ‘relationship’ between social movements, the contestation of media representation and the media strategies of social movements. Within these two broad approaches different perspectives and areas of emphasis are highlighted along with their strengths and weaknesses. The conclusion reflects on current developments in this area of study and offers avenues for future research.