Does Active Labour Market Policy have an Impact on Social Marginalization?

Countless evaluations of active labour market policy (ALMP) have been conducted in the last decade. The common denominator for most of these evaluations is a focus on employment (self‐sufficiency) as the dependent variable, where the success of ALMP is measured in terms of the number of unemployed finding ordinary employment after (or immediately before) participating in an activation programme. The main argument in this article is that this focus is inadequate. For many long‐term unemployed people, it would be an understatement to describe the road to employment as merely ‘bumpy’. Research must take this into consideration. This article therefore deals with the Danish activation policy from a new perspective by analyzing the impact on different aspects of social marginalization, focusing on long‐term social assistance recipients. Using data from a comprehensive, representative quantitative survey of Danish unemployed conducted in 2007, the first analysis convincingly reveals that we fail to find any systematic correlation between participation in ALMP and any of the social marginalization indicators. The second analysis presents a more mixed picture of the participant's own assessment of the impact of ALMP on their self‐esteem; some are quite positive, while others are more neutral or even rather negative. Taking the existing research into account, these results leave us with conceptual and methodological questions for further research.     

Least circular distance regression for directional data

Least-squares regression is not appropriate when the response variable is circular, and can lead to erroneous results. The reason for this is that the squared difference is not an appropriate measure of distance on the circle. In this paper, a circular analog to least-squares regression is presented for predicting a circular response variable by another circular variable and a set of linear covariates. An alternative maximum-likelihood formulation yields the same regression parameter estimates. Under the maximum-likelihood model, asymptotic standard errors of the parameter estimates are obtained. As an example, the regression model is used to model data from a marine biology study.     

Assessment Made Visible: Individual and Collective Practices

In this article I argue that by connecting assessment to learning and instruction and by enacting assessment as a collective practice we can see new opportunities for learning. The concept of mediated action and the notion of a collective zone of proximal development are used to theorize assessment. Two cases are included to support and make empirically visible the conceptual argument. The first case involves student teachers who assess exam papers in an online environment. The second case involves peer-group assessment among learners in an upper secondary school. Through the conceptual argument and the supporting cases assessment emerges as a practice involving process as well as product and a practice in which learning, teaching, and assessment are mutually constitutive of learners' development. Finally, some implications for practice are discussed, including some challenges related to the tension between individual and collective approaches.     

Unmet needs at the end of life: perceptions of hospice social workers

Among persons at the end of life, it is important to understand whether the needs of patients are being adequately addressed. In particular, in hospice settings where the emphasis is on comfort care and quality of life, we know little about the presence of unmet needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of hospice social workers in working with hospice patients who had unmet needs at the end of life. Surveys were mailed to hospice social workers (N = 212) in two Southeastern states with a response rate of 36%. Results revealed that hospice social workers perceived patients to experience a wide variety of unmet needs-more commonly at the time of admission than during subsequent patient interactions. The most common unmet need reported at both times was a decreased ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable. In situations where unmet needs exist, social workers reported that the most common perceived reasons were patient- related psychosocial issues and family conflict/issues. Additionally, a variety of interventions were used to address unmet needs, but a large number of barriers appear to impact outcomes in the cases. Results suggest that hospice patients experience a number of unmet needs, many of which are potentially treatable problems and concerns. Hospice professionals must continue to seek ways to assess and intervene effectively with patients who have unmet needs.     

Mandatory Belt Use and Driver Risk Taking

A study of driver behavior before and after a mandatory seat belt use law in Newfoundland found that the benefits of such legislation are not reduced by riskier driving, as has been suggested by some theorists. On average, belt use in Newfoundland increased from 16% of drivers before the law to 77% after the law. At the same time, the quality of driving changed very little when compared to control groups of Nova Scotia drivers, who were not subject to the law and whose belt use rates did not change. In only one situation did Newfoundland drivers differ from the control group in Nova Scotia: after the belt law, drivers in Newfoundland became relatively more cautious (slower) in their speeds on four-lane expressways. These data confirm the results of earlier less controlled studies that also found no changes in driving behavior following nonvoluntary changes in occupant protection. Since the "risk-compensation" hypothesis predicts such changes, it seems to have no merit in explaining changes in fatalities and injuries after occupant protection legislation.