Parents’ perspectives of social support and social cohesion in urban contexts of diversity

Although provisions for young children are increasingly considered as ideal places to foster an inclusive and socially just society by embracing issues of social support and social cohesion, there is no in-depth understanding of the role these provisions can play in enabling supportive and cohesive encounters in contexts of diversity. Even more striking is the absence of parents’ voices in this discussion. Based on an analysis of qualitative interviews with 18 parents who use childcare services in urban contexts of diversity, our findings show the relevance of ephemeral contacts with diverse people that could offer bridging opportunities in terms of social connectedness to familiarise within diversity while decoding the other in urban contexts of diversity. However, neither bonding nor bridging contacts appear as self-evident. Our research shows that the role of childcare services might be vital in creating light and temporal communities as the prerequisite for social cohesion to flourish, in both individual as well as collective dimensions.     

Seeing the system: Systemic gender knowledge to support transformational change towards gender equality in science

Scholars agree that gender inequality is systemic and that participants in gender equality interventions need knowledge on gender inequality processes. However, a detailed view on the specific characteristics of this knowledge is as yet missing. This article aims to contribute to gender equality interventions by conceptualizing and visualizing systemic gender knowledge as an important condition for transformational change. Combining gender and participatory system dynamics literature, this article first introduces the concept of systemic gender knowledge. This concept captures two main characteristics that make gender knowledge systemic: knowledge on the interaction of gender inequality processes and endogenous thinking, here implying a focus on the organization as the relevant level of analysis. In addition to this conceptual contribution, the research contributes methodologically to the gender inequality intervention literature by designing a visualization process, translating written texts into system dynamics models which enable exploration of systemic gender knowledge. Finally, the research contributes empirically by exploring the systemic gender knowledge of participants in two science research institutes of a Dutch university, finding shifts in both characteristics of systemic gender knowledge. This enables researchers to discern whether gender equality interventions lead to increases in systemic gender knowledge, thus supporting transformational change.     

Doing business or leading care work? Intersections of gender,ethnicity and profession in home care entrepreneurship in Sweden

This article critically explores assumptions underpinning Swedish elder care policies that the introduction of market practices in publicly funded eldercare services advances women's entrepreneurship. We argue that gendered privileges and disadvantages are being recreated on tax‐funded home care markets; furthermore, gendered inequalities intersect with ethnicity and profession in the management of small‐scale care companies' dealings with authorities governing home care services and standards for home care work. However, we find that the salience of categories depends on the context in which they emerge. While gender and profession are dominant in management, gender and ethnicity influence interactions with authorities. Only in standards for home care work do all categories simultaneously shape the business approaches of care entrepreneurs. Our analysis, based on data on size and growth of home care companies and interviews with small‐scale care entrepreneurs, suggests that regulations and practices privilege big companies and care entrepreneurs who echo the white, masculine gendering of entrepreneurship as ‘doing business' and disadvantage small‐scale entrepreneurs focusing on leading care work to produce quality care.     

Gender,work, and childcare in Kazakhstan,Mongolia, and Russia

The current study seeks to understand the nature of gender relations within a post‐Soviet welfare model in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. On the basis of the analysis of key labour market indicators, parental leave, and childcare policies, it finds that the welfare models in the three countries are hybrid, and neither authoritarianism in Kazakhstan and Russia nor democracy in Mongolia lead to substantive gender equality outcomes. Persistent gender inequality in these countries is underpinned by the neo‐liberal approach to welfare provision, conservative social norms, and limited agency of civil society to influence the policy agenda. Nonetheless, these states have distributed to the population with an emphasis on working mothers, and this policy choice has been driven by economic, demographic, and political considerations, which ultimately serve to support, rather than transform, the patriarchal power structure in these societies.     

Corporate Quotas and Symbolic Politics in Advanced Democracies

ABSTRACT

This article identifies trends in the adoption and implementation of quotas for corporate boards, an underresearched topic in political science. Corporate quotas—like legislative quotas—constitute the “fast track” to gender equality but appear more commonly in advanced democracies. These corporate quotas fall into three categories: laws covering all companies; laws covering state-owned companies only; and nonbinding (voluntary) measures in corporate governance codes. Despite on-paper differences, these corporate quotas are largely toothless. First generation corporate quotas, like first generation legislative quotas, operate symbolically. By raising the specter of stringent legislation in the long run, corporate quotas induce firms into voluntary compliance in the short run.     

Attitudes toward poverty among exit students of undergraduate social work programs in eight Latin American countries

What is the attitude of Latin American undergraduate social work students toward poverty? An earlier study from Europe and other countries worldwide found that most graduating social work students who participated in the research were clear about the socio-structural causes of social problems such as poverty. Still, no data on this topic is available for Latin American countries. The aims of this study were: (1) to describe and to compare eight Latin American graduating undergraduate social work student groups regarding their attitudes toward poverty, as measured by two scales: Causes of poverty scale and Ways of dealing with poverty; and (2) to discuss some of the implications of the study for social work education and practice. Using a quantitative transnational-comparative design, a total sample of 525 nonrandomly selected, graduating undergraduate social work students from eight Latin American countries responded to a self-administered questionnaire. An individualistic attitude to understanding and to dealing with poverty emerged in the majority of the student groups. Multivariate procedures and inferential analyses demonstrated variations across the student groups. Implications for social work education and practice are discussed.     

马克思平等思想的政治经济学分析

“平等“是早期资产阶级革命的重要口号之一。但是,资本主义制度为人类带来的不是平等,而是一种新的剥削形式。马克思竭尽毕生精力揭示了资本主义剥削的秘密,为我们留下了宝贵的平等思想。     

中国教育资源市场化与个体选择：初中课外补习效应异质性探究

本文在中国教育资源市场化的背景下,探究了初中课外补习对学业成绩的效应异质性及其对教育公平的启示。通过分析“中国教育追踪调查”（CEPS）的数据发现,从同质性效应来看,参加课外补习对于提升初中生学习成绩没有显著影响,但参与课外补习的倾向性影响其效应异质性。课外补习有助于提高倾向性处于中间水平学生的学习成绩,表明课外补习受益学生大多来自学习成绩中等的普通工薪家庭。对于倾向性较低的大多数相对弱势的家庭和倾向性较高的少数优势家庭而言,课外补习对学业成绩的作用微乎其微。研究表明,中国教育领域的市场化变革和相关政策的制定需要考虑个体教育选择的复杂性及其对教育公平所造成的深刻影响。     

从汉族主义到中华民族主义——清末民初国民党及其前身组织的边疆民族观转型

学界对中国国民党边疆民族观的研究已经取得了丰富的成果,一些近代民族主义的研究也常常涉及这一问题,但是专门以国民党前身组织和其执掌全国政权之前的边疆民族观为考察对象,并梳理其边疆民族观演变过程的成果尚不多见。本文试图在前人研究的基础上,探讨这一问题。清末资产阶级革命组织及其政党边疆民族观的走向,深刻地影响了传统中国国家的转型,特别是其最终抛弃汉族主义,提出民族团结、平等思想,坚持大中华民族新主义,对唤醒各民族意识和各民族共同推动国家转型有着重要的历史作用。     

论高等教育产业化与教育机会均等

教育机会均等与教育产业化,二者是目的与手段的关系、是公平与效率的关系.教育产业化带来的是教育效率的提高,同时也有利于教育机会均等的实现.而追求教育机会均等,离开教育的发展和教育运行效率的提高也是很难实现的.因此,只要我们正确认识二者的关系,并充分发挥政府的宏观调控职能,教育产业化必将在实现高等教育入校机会均等、高等教育机会均等及高等教育过程结果均等方面产生积极的作用.