Post-Soviet Demographic Paradoxes: Ethnic Differences in Marriage and Fertility in Kazakhstan

The dramatic and generalized socioeconomic and political crisis that followed the collapse of the socialist system has produced unique demographic responses in the former Soviet Union. This study addresses the differences in nuptiality and early fertility before and after the onset of the crisis and between the indigenous and European-origin population in Kazakhstan. Drawing on data from the 1995 Kazakhstan Demographic and Health Survey, this study finds that, contrary to the logical expectation, European-origin women are significantly more likely to marry earlier than indigenous women, and this difference has become even more pronounced during the crisis. However, the crisis is also associated with a longer interval between first marriage and first birth among European-origin women. The analysis shows that European-origin women prolong this interval through increasing use of contraception and abortion. The study attempts to link these findings to the sociopolitical and ethnic climate in Kazakhstan and to changing meanings of and attitudes toward marriage and childbearing.     

Social policy in Hong Kong: From British colony to Special Administrative Region of China

This paper discusses the preservation and change of social policy in Hong Kong in the process of its development from a British colony to a Special Administrative Region of China (SAR). It is argued by the authors that the role and strategy of the colonial government in social policy and social welfare seem to have been largely preserved by the new SAR government which advocates for a new vision for social development. It is also argued that without a democratic mandate, the SAR government continues to rely on stimulating economic output as a primary means to gain legitimation, while social policy and social welfare remain to be subordinated to economic growth. Traditional Chinese values continue to be upheld by the SAR government not only as a means to contain social welfare cost, but also as an instrument to strengthen social control. What is different between the colonial and the SAR regimes is perhaps the increasingly strategic position of Hong Kong as a window of China to the global economy.     

Top Management Team Heterogeneity,Strategic Change and Operational Performance*

This study examines the role of top management team (TMT) heterogeneity in facilitating strategic change. Based on the upper echelons literature, we argue that heterogeneous management teams are better able to handle the simultaneous and conflicting demands of refocusing the organization strategically and keeping up operational performance. We expect this to be true only for teams that are heterogeneous with respect to factors directly related to job requirements, however. Data were collected from 92 full TMTs of hospitals in Spain that were confronted with institutional pressures that challenged their current strategies. In support of our hypotheses, the results show job‐related TMT heterogeneity moderates the relation between strategic change and operational performance. No moderating effect is found for non‐job‐related TMT heterogeneity.     

Families adopting children with or at-risk of HIV infection

This paper examines the issue of adoption for children from the AIDS epidemic. The policies that impact the adoption of children from the epidemic are reviewed. A pilot study of families adopting these children is presented with recommendations for policy development, practive and research.     

Cost-Effectiveness of Risk-Reduction Measures from a National Viewpoint: A Case Study of the Angra Nuclear Plant in Brazil

In this paper a systemic or national approach to cost-effectiveness analysis of risk-reduction measures is reviewed, and its advantages and limitations are discussed. The method is applied to the problem of the cost-effectiveness of increasing the Angra 3 NPP containment wall thickness from the present 60 cm to 180 cm thick in order to prevent damage to the reactor core in case of a direct commercial aircraft crash on it. It is concluded that this measure is not cost-effective if the referred approach is considered.     

Seasonal fertility cycles in rural Egypt: Behavioral and biological linkages

The annual birth cycle in rural Egypt peaks in December and has two distinguishable minima in June and September. This pattern bears a striking inverse resemblance to the seasonal movements of employment and wages. Infant and child mortality and marriage also display stable, though different seasonal patterns. The paper explores whether the correlation between labor demand, mortality events and fertility reflect some causal behavioral relationship. It is shown that the probability of a birth is lower in months with high opportunity cost of time. Direct replacement is a significant phenomenon in rural Egypt and it occurs fairly quickly.     

Information,disinformation, and union success in certification and decertification elections

In certification elections, workers consider the purchase of union services whose quality is, ex ante, unobservable. Voters must rely on available signals or indices in forming their expectations. Union members are able to reevaluate their initial purchase decision as more accurate information is obtained through experience. Therefore, participants in decertification elections rely less on sources of imperfect information. Using NLRB data over the period 1966 to 1990, we find evidence consistent with information-related distinctions between the certification and decertification decisions. Our study provides a useful framework for understanding the observed differences between these two types of elections. This research was funded through the Illinois State University Research Grant Program.     

Development of a Measure of College Students' Adherence to Religious Doctrine Concerning Sexual Behavior

Abstract

Objective: The authors developed a 14-item measure of adherence to religious doctrine concerning sexual behavior (ARDSB). The ARDSB psychometric properties were investigated to better understand religious motivations associated with changes in sexual behavior that may provide support for sexual health promotion and prevention programs. Participants: Four hundred eighty-three undergraduates aged 18 to 26. Methods: Data were collected from an online survey during the 2012–2013 academic school year. Results: Principle components factor analysis identified 2 factors: reasons to break religious doctrine and reasons to adhere to religious doctrine concerning sexual behavior. The subscales had good internal consistency. Correlations, t tests, and analyses of variance of the subscales with measures of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity and self-reported sexual behavior and risk provide support for concurrent validity. Conclusions: The ARDSB could be employed as a measure to better understand sexual behavior; it is inexpensive and relatively easy to employ in both research and campus ministry settings.     

From Detention Camps of Thailand to Freedom in the Foothills of North Carolina: One Family’s Remarkable Story

In the 1980s, a number of Hmong families relocated from Thailand detention camps to the United States. This research explores one such family. The family became the key informant in snowball sampling for a larger, ongoing study. Following a series of interviews, qualitative narrative life stories were created and themes of family preservation, survival, and perpetuation of Hmong culture began to emerge. Importantly, parental concerns about how to keep the family intact despite different levels of acculturation surfaced during the process. The purpose of this research was to examine one family’s attempts to preserve the oral history of the Hmong culture and to promote understanding across generations and community members from different cultural backgrounds. The interviews gave the family a forum to expose and discuss their secret journey along with their sacrifices and triumphs. Significantly, the sense of urgency to blend the Hmong and American cultures was profound.