The Real Housewives,gendered affluence,and the rise of the docusoap

In this paper we position gendered affluence as a representational trend in dramatic comedies (e.g., Sex and the City [SATC]) and docusoaps (e.g., The Real Housewives [TRH]) that coalesces around themes like hyper-femininity, nouveau riche values, and conspicuous lifestyle. Through our analysis we suggest that institutional practices (identity politics, cybernetic commodification, and post-feminist technological interactivity) situated in a neoliberal context and a remediated environment enable the systematic reproduction of gendered affluence in the broader landscape of women’s television. The process of remediation is used as a lens to examine how the docusoap differs from (the immediacy of mediated self-performance) and resembles (the hypermediacy of mediated irony and post-feminist interactivity) the fictional portrayals of gendered affluence found in dramatic comedies like SATC. Our case analysis of TRH demonstrates the specific way non-fictional portrayals of gendered affluence are transforming genre (via an ethos of affluence and a consumerist ethic) and artfully maintaining the status quo in terms of gendered, raced, and classed intersections. Ultimately we argue that the docusoap is accomplishing this in a remediated environment that promotes a neoliberal agenda via affective engagement grounded in mediated self-performance and rational disengagement grounded in mediated irony.     

Assessing Cultural Competence in a BSW Student Population

Bachelor’s level social workers serve a population that is becoming more diverse. Social work educators must respond with adapted teaching methods, theories, and exercises to reflect the growing need for cultural competence in our practitioners. The 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) outline the knowledge, value, and skills competencies central to social work education. These competencies include thorough integration of cultural competence in social work education; the ways in which this content is taught likely vary greatly between programs. This study assessed whether students gained competence as a result of taking a bachelor’s level social work (BSW) course in cultural diversity at a mid-sized public university. Furthermore, the study assessed whether their level of competence was related to student demographics, such as being from an urban or rural community. One hundred twenty-three students completed the California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale (CBMCS) at the beginning and end of a course specifically dedicated to cultural competence. Results indicate that the course itself is effective in increasing significantly student’s self-reported cultural competence. Study results lay the foundation for future research that will (1) assess more broadly the implications of a specific cultural competence course and (2) aid in the development of a social work-specific measure of cultural competence.     

Matching across Space: Evidence from Finland

Abstract. This paper takes a matching approach to local labour markets in Finland. The monthly data comprise 120 Local Labour Office areas over a 12 year period between January 1991 and August 2002. The basic matching function is extended to account for spatial spillovers across borders. The role of population density in the matching process is also examined. According to the results, there is a congestion effect among job seekers in the local labour markets, which is further strengthened by spatial spillovers. The results also indicate that job seekers from neighbouring areas cause additional heterogeneity in the matching process in densely populated areas, which decreases the matching efficiency in these areas.     

The exponentiated exponential–geometric distribution: a distribution with decreasing,increasing and unimodal failure rate

In this paper, we proposed a new family of distributions namely exponentiated exponential–geometric (E2G) distribution. The E2G distribution is a straightforwardly generalization of the exponential–geometric (EG) distribution proposed by Adamidis and Loukas [A lifetime distribution with decreasing failure rate, Statist. Probab. Lett. 39 (1998), pp. 35–42], which accommodates increasing, decreasing and unimodal hazard functions. It arises on a latent competing risk scenarios, where the lifetime associated with a particular risk is not observable but only the minimum lifetime value among all risks. The properties of the proposed distribution are discussed, including a formal proof of its probability density function and explicit algebraic formulas for its survival and hazard functions, moments, rth moment of the ith order statistic, mean residual lifetime and modal value. Maximum-likelihood inference is implemented straightforwardly. From a mis-specification simulation study performed in order to assess the extent of the mis-specification errors when testing the EG distribution against the E2G, and we observed that it is usually possible to discriminate between both distributions even for moderate samples with presence of censoring. The practical importance of the new distribution was demonstrated in three applications where we compare the E2G distribution with several lifetime distributions.     

Small samples confidencce intervals on common mean of two normal distributions variances

Let X₁,X₂,…,X_m be distributed normally with mean μ and variance σ² _X; Let Y₁,Y₂,…,Y_n be distributed normally with mean μ and variance σ² _Y; let X₁,X₂,…,X_m,Y₁,Y₂,…,Y_n be jointly independent. There have been several papers written concerning point estimation of μ for this problem, but very little is available in the literature concerning confidence intervals on the common mean μ. In this paper a method is proposed that results in a confidence interval with confidence coefficient essentially equal to a prescribed value 1 - α. The method is evaluated and compnred with other methods through the expected length of the confidence interval.     

Minority status and culture: local constructions of diversity in a classroom in the Netherlands

In this paper, we explain diversity in knowledge‐sharing strategies in a multi‐ethnic classroom both from a minority status perspective and from a cultural production perspective. The analysis shows how these perspectives are dynamically related in local productions of diversity. The paper argues how, at the level of classroom practice, culturally learned experiences are shaped by status relationships and, at the same time, how status relationships are expressed in cultural formats. Moreover, it is also argued that at a larger social level, collective attitudes towards schooling develop as a co‐construction between cultural processes and status issues.     

General growth balance method: A reformulation for populations open to migration

This paper proposes a reformulation of the general growth balance method for estimating census and registration completeness so as to make it applicable even to populations that are affected by migration. It also discusses a new procedure of line fitting that could be useful in countries where the input data are severely affected by age misreporting. The method is applicable to countries where data on age distribution of the population are available for two points in time from either censuses or surveys. Following closely the original proposal of Brass, it involves adjusting the 'partial' birth rates for age-specific disturbances from growth and migration rates. Beyond correcting the death rates, the method is useful in inferring the relative completeness of the censuses, and in deriving a robust estimate of birth rate under certain conditions. The application of the method is illustrated using the example of the male population of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for the period 1981 to 1991.     

In Loco Parentis: An Elaboration of the Parental Relationship Form

This statement demonstrates the applicability of the parental relationship form as specified by Carl J. Couch by applying the generic elements of this form to multiple content situations. I demonstrate that the survival of subordinates is enhanced when superordinates enact the parental relationship, while survival of subordinates is rendered problematic when superordinates fail to enact this relationship. I further argue that categorical identities of race, gender, and ethnicity are linked to the enactment, or lack of enactment, of this form, which contributes to inequality.     

Sleep among youths in foster care: Associations with potentially traumatic events,PTSD and mental health

Among maltreated youth in foster care, little is known about frequency of sleep problems and its association to potential traumatic events (PTEs) and mental health. Among youths in foster care, we examined: (1) sleep patterns, difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) and related functional impairment; (2) whether exposure to PTEs, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general mental health problems are associated with DIMS and related functional impairment, controlling for age, gender and time in foster care; and (3) whether PTSD and general mental health problems mediate the association between PTEs and DIMS. Foster youths in Norway (n = 299) completed a survey on sleep behaviour, the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Overall, 53.2% reported DIMS. For 82.1%, these sleep problems had lasted 3 months plus. Increased PTEs, PTSD and general mental health problems were all associated with increased DIMS score. Increased rate of PTEs was associated with decreased sleep duration. PTSD and general mental health problems partially mediated the association between PTEs and DIMS. Youth in foster care are at high risk of sleep problems, related to traumatic experiences and mental health problems. Treatment of PTSD may improve sleep problems among maltreated youth.