The Capacity and Desire to Remit: Comparing Local and Transnational Influences

This article explores the relationship between transnationalism and integration by examining the determinants of remittance-sending practices. We base our analysis on the premise that remittance-sending is shaped by a combination of the capacity and the desire of migrants to remit. The capacity to remit depends on access to funds that can be remitted, be it through wages, other income or savings. The desire to remit determines how remittance-sending is prioritised in relation to alternative expenditures. We assume that capacity is shaped by circumstances in the country of residence while desire depends on attachment and commitments in both the country of residence and the country of origin. Our analysis is based on survey data on immigrants in Norway (N=3,053). We find that economic integration is important for remittance-sending, and point to different mechanisms through which this effect could operate. Migrants' socio-cultural integration, however, appears not to have significant effects on remittance-sending. Our approach and results illustrate how different aspects of integration can have divergent impacts on transnationalism.     

The impact of poverty and immigrant background on children's school satisfaction: evidence from Norway

Children's school enjoyment and satisfaction with their teachers is crucial to their quality of life. Still, we have little knowledge about what shapes positive outcomes in this respect, and to what extent groups of children and youth differ from each other. This article compares immigrant children with Norwegian children from low-income families and with a reference group of children from normal-income families. The children were interviewed at age 10–12 years, and again at age 13–15 years; thus, we can follow changes over time. Immigrant children from income-poor families express significantly higher school and teacher satisfaction than any other category of 10–12-year-olds. However, for the 13–15-year-olds, there are no systematic differences between group averages, but there are more signs of polarisation among low-income immigrant children. Explanations for these patterns are sought in the literature on social capital in immigrant families.     

How the local supply of day-care centers influences fertility in Norway: A parity-specific approach

In order to assess how expansion of day care facilities affects fertility, the Norwegian Family and Occupation Survey of 1988 was linked with individual register-based migration histories and time-series data on day-care coverage rates in all Norwegian municipalities. Many factors affect both the allocation of resources to day-care centers and a woman's probability of giving birth. The local coverage rate is positively associated with the probability of advancing from parity two, after control for geographical region, degree of urbanization and other confounders. This effect of day-care supply, which is significant at low coverage levels, contributed to a moderate rise in third-birth rates after the mid-1970s. However, if the aggregate employment rate for women is also regarded as a confounder, the effect of day care may actually be insignificant. Moreover, the effect fades at higher coverage levels. Finally, there are indications that second- and first-birth probabilities decline with increasing provision of day care. These results suggest that further efforts to improve the supply of private and public day care - which in Norway are likely to be motivated by non-demographic concerns - will have little stimulating effect on fertility, at least if the subsidies and quality of care remain unchanged.     

WORKING LIFE AND FAMILY LIFE

The relationship between work and family is changing. A question is raised about whether practice measures up to changed thinking concerning the interface between working life and family life. A study titled ‘Daily transitions between home, child day-care centre and workplace’ throws light on the Norwegian situation. This project takes its point of departure from what happens at the start and at the end of a workday seen from the perspective of parents with children attending day-care, staff in their day-care centres and leaders in enterprises which are the workplace of one of the parents. The article builds mainly on the interviews with company managers. It is suggested that the workplaces send ambiguous messages about their conception of the relationship between work and family and about equal opportunity issues and that this creates problems — for individuals, particularly women, and for families and workplaces. Some possibilities for improvement of the situation in the world of work are suggested.     

Poverty among households with children: a comparative study of Norway and Germany

The purpose of this study was to compare poverty among lone parent households and couple households with children in Norway and Germany. The study applied three different measurement strategies: income poverty, material deprivation and reception of social assistance. We found that income poverty and material deprivation rates are higher in Germany than in Norway and are also higher for lone parents than for couples with children. Our analysis of the reception of social assistance shows a different pattern in which both Norwegian and German lone parents frequently receive social assistance. The results show that the different dimensions of poverty are not independent of one another, nor do they wholly overlap. Household characteristic variables, factors influencing labour market status and educational levels also seem to influence the risk of experiencing poverty.     

Does ‘workfare’ work? The Norwegian experience

The aim in this article is to examine the recruitment process to workfare programmes in the Norwegian municipalities and determine whether these programmes actually enhance self-sufficiency . The design of the study is quasi-experimental. The programme group consists of 300 people and the comparison group of a 10% sample of 1,559 non-participating social assistance recipients from 40 local social service administrations in 1995. In the Norwegian workfare schemes, recruitment according to 'need', i.e. labour market problems and lack of human resources, appears to be the dominating approach. The workfare schemes do not produce significant effects, either on employment or on earnings. These results are supported by analyses of a number of observed variables and of two models applied to deal with unobserved selection bias: the parametric Heckman model and the semi-parametric maximum score model.     

挪威的北极战略

进入新世纪后,挪威政府先后于2005年、2006年和2009年发布了三份北极战略文件,主要涉及气候变化、能源开发和同俄罗斯的关系,其主旨是保持挪威在北极的强势存在,增加能源开发、渔业等活动,推进北极相关的知识建设,维持同俄罗斯的睦邻友好关系。     

Gender Equality and Corporate Governance: Policy Strategies in Norway and New Zealand

Advancing gender equality in the labour market continues to be a policy objective in many OECD countries. Wide national variations are evident in strategies and accomplishments towards improving gender equality at all levels of the labour market, including senior management and corporate governance roles. This article compares policy strategies in Norway and New Zealand directed towards achieving gender equality in the governance of corporate institutions. A principal feature of the New Zealand strategy has been a soft regulation approach in the form of advocacy and encouragement of equal employment opportunity policies, awareness‐raising and benchmarking. For Norway the use of legislation in the form of quotas and affirmative action programmes has been the predominant strategy. Using empirical data collected in 2004–2005 on women's perceptions and experiences of corporate governance participation, this article critically examines these different policy strategies.     

Debate Privatization in the social welfare state: the case of Norway

The method of deviant case analysis is used to study privatization under the least hospitable circumstances. Norway, a country steeped in principles of egalitarianism, is moving in new directions, mostly due to forces from the global economy. This article puts contemporary trends in sociocultural context. The implications for the health and mental health fields are discussed.     

Welfare risks in early adulthood: A longitudinal analysis of social assistance transitions in Norway

Lorentzen T, Dahl E, Harsløf I. Welfare risks in early adulthood: a longitudinal analysis of social assistance transitions in Norway This study assessed the significance of critical life events and socio‐economic background in relation to the likelihood of young Norwegians receiving social assistance, asking how each of these factors contributes both independently and interactively. The data set was derived from a nationwide, longitudinal register and includes the entire 18‐year‐old cohort in 1993. A discrete‐time proportional hazard rate analysis controlling for unobserved heterogeneity was applied. The results indicate that both socio‐economic background and indicators of critical life events have strong independent effects on the likelihood of receiving social assistance. Significant interaction effects between socio‐economic background and certain indicators of critical life events were detected. However, contrary to our expectations, under certain circumstances, coming from a group with low socio‐economic status does not seem to ameliorate the effect of being exposed to critical life events.