The Future of Social Work in the United States

This article discusses six major developments shaping the future of social work practice and education in the United States, with particular attention to their implications for field education. These include economic globalization, the changing political climate, the growing use of technology, demographic shifts and their impact on cities, the changing nature of social service agencies, and changes in universities. The article analyzes how these sweeping changes compel social work educators to reassess their underlying assumptions and, based upon this analysis, suggests some calculated risks to take.     

A Qualitative Study of Parents’ and Children’s Views on Mediation

This qualitative study examined the benefits to children of family mediation for divorcing couples and the limitations of such mediation. To capture the perspectives of parents and their children, we invited 40 parents and 10 children to participate in the study. The parent informants reported that mediation improved the efficacy of their parenting and alleviated their children’s stress about their divorce. In contrast, the child informants felt they were powerless when involved in the mediation process and that they received limited support from the mediators. Strategies are proposed for improving the cultural applicability of mediation services for children in a Chinese society.     

Intergenerational Community-Based Research and Creative Practice: Promoting Environmental Sustainability in Jinja,Uganda

This article critically reflects on the methodological approach developed for a recent project based in Jinja, Uganda, that sought to generate new forms of environmental knowledge and action utilizing diverse forms of creative intergenerational practice embedded within a broader framework of community-based participatory research. This approach provided new opportunities for intergenerational dialogue in Jinja, generated increased civic environmental engagement, and resulted in a participant-led campaign to share knowledge regarding sustainable biomass consumption. We term this approach intergenerational community-based research and creative practice. We discuss the advantages of this model while also reflecting throughout on the challenges of the approach.     

Compensation systems and earnings inequality

We develop a wage-structure determination model in which a firm with incomplete information offers an optimal sequence of contracts for its heterogeneous employees. The model integrating the principal-agent framework and monitoring mechanism is characterized by endogeneity of the selection of two compensation methods: performance-pay and non-performance-pay schemes. The model is used to examine the switching of pay schemes and its inequality effect. We point out that the growth of performance-pay jobs is accompanied by a downward adjustment of the rewards for performance, which brings forth a countervailing effect on wage inequality. The simulation analysis of a case of uniform-distributed ability reveals that the net effect of the growth of performance-pay jobs on wage inequality depends on the driving force behind the switch.     

动态语境与语言交际

语言的使用离不开语境．由于受多种因素的制约和影响，语境并非静态的，而是相对的、动态的．文章从语言、交际过程的本质来分析和探讨相对语境存在的机制及相对语境的几种特殊表现形式，而能否识别动态语境决定着语用能力的高低．