Kernel density estimation using weighted data ∗

In this paper we compare the kernel density estimators proposed by Bhattacharyya et al. (1988) and Jones (1991) for length biased data, showing the asymptotic normality of the estimators. A method to construct a new estimator is proposed. Moreover, we extend these results to weighted data and we study an estimator for the weight function.     

Organizational tenure among child welfare workers,burnout, stress,and intent to leave: Does employment-based social capital make a difference?

Research has shown that child welfare organizations have a prominent role in safeguarding their workers from experiencing high levels of job stress and burnout, which can ultimately lead to increased thoughts of leaving. However, it is not clear whether these relationships are shaped by their length of organizational tenure. A cross-sectional research design that included a statewide purposive sample of 209 child welfare workers was used to test a theoretical model of employment-based social capital to examine how paths to job stress, burnout, and intent to leave differ between workers who have worked in a child welfare organization for less than 3 years compared to those with 3 years or more of employment in one organization. Path analysis results indicate that when a mixture of dimensions of employment-based social capital are present, they act as significant direct protective factors in decreasing job stress and indirectly shape burnout and intent to leave differently based on organizational tenure. Thus, organizations may have to institute unique intervention efforts for both sets of workers that provide immediate and long-term structures of support, resources, and organizational practices given that their group-specific needs may change over time.     

Feeling Social Movements: Theoretical Contributions to Social Movement Research on Emotions

Recent literature provides evidence that emotions are intrinsic to the constitution of social movements. The present review examines how scholars theorize emotions in their empirical studies and focuses on the following topics: emotion work, emotional framing, emotional cultures and emotional opportunity structures. The combination of several constructs in the analysis of emotions signals a shift toward integration of preexisting perspectives common in the field of social movements.     

Not on their own again: psychological, social, and health characteristics of custodial African American grandmothers

The article presents social and health indicators of depression among custodial African American grandmothers. Using a cross-sectional design, a sample of 99 custodial African American grandmothers caring for one or more grandchildren was included in the analysis. The results indicated that approximately 20% of custodial African American grandmothers were depressed. Depressed grandmothers were more likely to report having all ten chronic physical health conditions listed in the study. One additional chronic condition increased the probability of depression by 68%. Old age, more social support, and caring for older children were associated with low levels of depression. The proliferation of grandchildren being raised by African American grandmothers suggests the need for more research, policy, and programmatic interventions.     

Approaching Adoption and Foster Care in Brazil

Adoption and foster care have recently undergone various changes in Brazil. Nonetheless, there is a lack of official research data on children who have been adopted or have been living in foster families or institutions. In this paper, after a brief account of the historical aspects of adoption and foster care in Brazil, we focus our discussion on two major points: (1) the difficulties in promoting a “new culture of adoption,” which would develop in “the child's best interest,” and (2) the meanings and prejudices related to late adoption that increase the number of children who remain for many years in institutions.     

Estimation of finite population parameters with several realizations

Consider a finite population of size N with T possible realizations for each population unit. In reality the realizations may represent temporal, geographic or physical variations of the population unit. The paper provides design-based unbiased estimates for several population parameters of interest. Both simple random sampling and stratified sampling are considered. Some comparisons are given. An empirical study is also included with natural population data.     

Seeking Social Security: An Alternative Motivation for Mexico-US Migration

In this analysis we investigate the degree to which the absence of effective pension systems may generate motivations for international migration as a means of self-financing retirement. Using ethnosurvey data gathered in selected Mexican communities and US destination areas, we estimate models to predict the odds of US migration from indicators of relative wages and whether or not jobs in Mexico were covered by that country's social security system. We find that by holding constant the binational differential in expected wages, the odds of out-migration were much higher for male household heads working in jobs that were not covered by social security compared with those working in jobs that enjoyed such coverage. Subsequent analyses showed that the odds of receiving a pension in old age were systematically higher for former US migrants, and that the likelihood of pension receipt rose steadily as the number of US trips and amount of US experience accumulated.     

Gender Inequality,Processes of Adaptation,and Female Local Initiatives in Cash Crop Production in Northern Tanzania

This article contributes to development research, as well as research studying inequality in agricultural systems. We use empirical data from an ethnographic study in the village of Mamba, in northern Tanzania (2006–2009). This study analyzes the question of changing gender relations and the patriarchal constraints to collective action under market liberalization of cash crops. Our findings demonstrate that the shift to a market economy has influenced the nature of production relations, deepening inequalities in gender relations and the position of women. However, some women circumvent their disadvantaged situations through their association with various types of collective action groups or networks. In order to investigate the different impacts on women's lives, we analyze women's interest and motivations for these collective actions. We also identify the processes of adaptation to the new production relations through the coffee trade network and tomato cultivation groups, two local initiatives. We analyze the differences between these two forms of collective action and theorize on their different impacts on women's empowerment.     

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in a Rural State: Interviews with Adjudicated Female Juveniles

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is defined as the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act” (TVPA, 2000) where the person is a citizen of the U.S. and under age 18 years. The purpose of this study was to gain a more informed understanding of the scope of the problem of DMST for adjudicated juvenile females, to identify factors associated with DMST for this vulnerable population, and enhance our understanding of the pathways in and out of DMST from the victims’ perspective (especially rural vs. urban). Qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 adjudicated juvenile females in a southern, rural state. Results indicate a significant number of adjudicated female youth are engaged in sex trafficking, often to obtain drugs, and that a significant number feel forced to perform sex acts in exchange for drugs and/or for a place to sleep which is also highly correlated with being a victim of sexual abuse. Early intervention for juvenile females who fit the noted vulnerabilities needs to be implemented in time to prevent our youth from being victimized. Suggestions for future research are addressed.